Product Info

Brand: Ten One Design
Model: Fling Joystick for iPad
Review Unit Provided By: Ten One Design
MSRP: Single $19.95 – 2-Pack $29.94

Review

Lets face the truth, if you’re like me you grew up gaming on consoles. I didn’t care about gaming on my PC, I never really got into any of the mobile gaming devices, and although I own an iPhone and iPad, I never enjoyed playing on a flat surface. In my opinion, my stubby fingers were instead meant for a controller. They just like having that joystick feedback when moving around. It is because of people like me that the Fling Joystick for iPad has a great future.

The Fling Joystick is a simple little gizmo that you can attach to your iPad that adds a joystick to your touchscreen device. The body is made of a flexible resin and attaches to your screen with two suction cups, while the joystick itself is made of anodized aluminum. The joystick also comes with its own microfiber travel bag that doubles as a screen cleaner. The beauty of the design is that while it may seem like a lot of screen real estate is taken by the joysticks, the clear resin allows your game to be seen  through the Fling Joystick. The only part that isn’t see-through is the thumbstick which is covered by your thumb anyways.

The “fling” in Fling is attributed to it’s haptic feedback that’s achieved by the spiral resin design. Since it’s a spiral, it will push back to its center position regardless of which direction you’re aiming. This helps a ton, and really makes it comparable to normal controller joysticks. The only thing it’s missing is a tactile click and rumble.

We tested the Fling Joystick on a ton of games, one of our favorites being Geometry Wars Touch as it allowed us to fully experience the twin-stick side. The sticks instantly brought us back to gaming on the Xbox LIVE Arcade version, allowing us to dip and dive like a pro. Remember how I mentioned the Fling doesn’t have a tactile switch? Not a worry, as most games we tested used a double-tap command which the Fling easily accommodates. It’s not quiet the same, but it feels a lot better than just having your finger on the screen.

We also tested the Fling with EA’s Madden 25. We did have to change the gameplay to be controlled by analog stick, but once we did, we were instantly scoring better than we were with the stock touch controls. The joystick made the game just feel more like the Madden gameplay we were used to. While some games worked perfectly with the Fling Joystick without any setting changes, some did need us to tweak settings, while others were completely unusable. However, almost every game that was unusable wasn’t meant for a joystick in the first place.

Score: 4.5/5

The Fling Joystick for iPad is a great accessory that any console gaming tablet owner should own. For a price tag of $19.95 for a single, or $29.94 for a 2-Pack, the Fling for iPad is definitely a good buy that will allow you to game more comfortably.