Oh the lament of gamers bemoaning virtual controls: "There's too much delay", "They're crazy sensitive", "Why can't I get the real taste of milk at half the fat?". I'm sure that last one was just a persistent advert on forums, but regardless... virtual controls aren't perfect.

For most people, virtual controls aren't all that bad and only require some adjustment to get used to, but the lack of consistency across games is sometimes blatantly evident. The GameBone iPhone peripheral changes how arcade games are played on the go by plugging in to the device, activating true analogue buttons for your game.

Manomio, a major supplier of classic games for the iPhone including the C64 emulator is apparently already working with the SDK to have their products compatible by launch. Developers will need to support the device, but 22Moo says that around a hundred people have already shown interest.

Features of the device include:

• Stereo speakers.
• Omni-directional Mic.
• Built-in Lithium battery that's Mini USB chargeable.
• LED Battery indicator.
• A kickstand (as a convenient 'digital photo frame' replacement).
• And Apple Authentication, so no Jailbroken devices are required.

Jason Chan, Product Manager at 22Moo is confident the project will launch mid-2010 pending approvals from Apple and is already starting to look to the future. There are rumors that the GameBone could eventually be modeled after the Amiga's classic Competition Pro which by any nerd's measure is a great thing to hear!

Latest GameBone Concept Renders (Click to Embiggen):