In The News: USA Today - At CES: iCade turns iPad into a throwback arcade gaming tablet

At CES: iCade turns iPad into a throwback arcade gaming tablet

On display at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the Ion Audio iCade game cabinet for the Apple iPad. It lets you play classic Atari games such as 'Asteroids' on the iPad with a joystick and buttons

For the video gamer who has everything, here's a product that mixes new technology with old school flair.

The iCade marries an Apple iPad with a miniature housing that is based on the original arcade video games. Place the tablet in the cabinet -- it's about 12 inches tall -- and you can play downloaded classic games such as Atari's Asteroids using a joystick and buttons via a Bluetooth connection.

"A lot of games were created before the touch screen was even a fantasy," says Ion Audio's Adam Cohen. "We wanted to give people an opportunity to play these games as they were originally intended."

When the iCade launches this spring ($99), Ion Audio expects Atari to have as many as one dozen classic games available in the App store that can then be played using the iCade. Games from other developers could work in the iCade, too, Cohen says. "Anybody who wants to can incorporate it."