Play the latest games with the Ion Go Pad controller

The Gadget Show  Tuesday 10 May 2011

We’ve reviewed quite a few gaming laptops recently, and although they’re absolutely brilliant when it comes to first-person shooters (at least if you have a mouse to go with the keyboard), they’re not so good when it comes to football or racing games. That’s entirely down to the lack of joypad, however, which can be easily solved with the Ion Go Pad folding controller.

The Ion Go Pad folding controller does exactly what it says on the tin, offering a way of controlling the latest action games without resorting to the keyboard or touchpad on your laptop.

It’s absolutely tiny, and folds in half to make it even more portable, so you’ll be able to slip it easily into one of the pockets on your laptop bag, and take it with you on the road. The USB cable is also designed for portability, winding itself up and proving just as easy to carry.

Granted, the Ion Go Pad will never be as ergonomic as an Xbox 360 controller, but it does make it possible to play different types of games. It offers a joypad, turbo and clear buttons, and four numbered buttons on the right-hand side of the controller.

Would you buy the Ion Go Pad for your gaming laptop? Would you prefer to cart a full-sized controller around? Or will you be sticking to first-person shooters? Leave a comment and let us know.