Tech Tuesday: iPad Appcessories for Family Game Night AND Giveaway (closed)!

Since getting our iPad earlier this year, I was immediately drawn in to its seemingly unending world of apps. But, most of what I initially came across were meant for one user at a time (Angry Birds and the like). I slowly started to find games that I could enjoy with my family, but it wasn’t until we were introduced to the new Duo line that I realized the potential of our iPad being our entertainment for family game nights.

We recently received the Duo line for review, including the Atari Arcade, Plink and Pop. You can read our full Atari Arcade review here. In summary, it’s pretty awesome.

This review focuses on our experiences with the Duo Pop and the Duo Plink.

The Duo Pop

The Duo Pop uses hand-held controllers for fast-action, heads-up gaming on an iPad. Setup is easy, just follow the on-screen instructions on the iPad. The Pop comes with four color-coded controllers and a receiver. You can put everyone’s name in before you play and the game leads you through the rest!

There are several games available for the Pop. I had kids ages 4-9 testing out the system, so thought the Highlights Hidden Picture game was the most appropriate for all. In this game, shaded circles travel over the scene. When the shaded circle crosses over the requested hidden picture, click on the button. The receiver senses who is fastest at finding it and will keep track of each players correct guesses. We also took a spin with Guesstimation, but the concepts were beyond the 4 and 6 year old players. The only downside to the Pop system is it requires tons of batteries–11 AAA, to be exact (2 for each controller and 3 for the receiver).

The Duo Plink

The Duo Plink is an interactive device that “hides” your answers during play. The plastic marbles are placed on top of the device by the other players over the corresponding guess.

We played the Yoomi app with our Duo Plink, which is a great all ages game. My daughter and nieces had a blast trying to figure out what each other answered. The concept is simple, choose an answer and the other players guess, such as “Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot?” or “World Series or World Cup?” Not all the answers are desirable, as sometimes the choice is between “Wrestle an Octupus or Cuddle a Porcupine?”. The players that guess correctly will have their tokens drop into the bank. The first to guess seven correctly wins! The game plays a fun song for the winner, which then highlights all the answers from the round.

Check out my video of the Duo Pop and Duo Plink in action. The kids playing range in age from 4-9:

Duo is a new line of interactive products from Discovery Bay Games for the iPad® that create shared, together-time gaming experiences with friends and family. Discovery Bay Games is committed to bringing friends and families together to play, interact, and laugh! While they have just a few apps available at this time, more are in the works and will be available soon!

I love that Discovery Bay Games is also involved with The Make-A-Wish Foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy. The folks at Discovery Bay Games feel so strongly about the mission that through the month of December, they will donate $1 for every “Like” on their Duo Games Facebook page, up to $10,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Help them grant wishes and “Like” their page even if you don’t enter the giveaway. And tell your friends to “like” them, too!

BUY IT: The Duo Plink can be purchased on Discovery Bay’s website for $29.99. The Duo Pop can be purchased on Discovery Bay’s website for $39.99. The Atari Duo can be purchased on Discovery Bay’s website for $59.99. There are 99 Atari favorites available for purchase through the app store, starting at 99 cent packages, or get all 99 for $15.

GIVEAWAY:  One (1) That’s IT Mommy reader will receive their choice of Duo Games (Atari Arcade, Duo Plink or Duo Pop) from Discovery Bay Games. This giveaway is open to US residents only  (18+). Ends 12/13/11.

REQUIRED MAIN ENTRY:  To enter, tell us your favorite games to come together for family game night.  Leave your comment in the reply box below this post. That’s IT!

Remember if this REQUIRED ENTRY is not followed then no other entries will count.

Optional Bonus Entries – All entries MUST BE in a separate comment. All are worth 1 point unless otherwise noted.

• “Like” Duo on Facebook (let us know who you are)
• “Like” Discovery Bay Games on Facebook (let us know who you are)
• Follow Discovery Bay Games on Twitter (leave us your twitter ID)
• Subscribe to our e-newsletter (or tell us that you already do)
• “Like” us on Facebook (let us know who you are)
• Follow us on Twitter (leave us your twitter ID)
• Grab our button on the right sidebar and post on your website (leave the link) (3 extra – 3 comments #1, #2, #3)
• Follow us on Networked Blogs
• Follow us on GFC (sidebar)
• Enter another one of our current giveaways (3 extra – 3 separate comments #1, #2, #3) Feel free to enter any of our giveaways that interest you, but you will receive a maximum of three extra entries only, no matter how many of our other giveaways you enter
• Leave a comment on any non giveaway post and let us know you did (2 extra – 2 separate comments #1, #2)
• Tweet about this giveaway (Copy – #Win an iPad Duo Appcessory (Atari, Plink or Pop) from @DiscoveryBayEnt via @thatsitmommy http://thatsitmommy.com/?p=18903 #tech #giveaway)  come back daily and leave us the link to the tweet (1 extra/day)

*This giveaway will run through midnight on December 13,  2011 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. (18+) residents only.

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received the Duo products mentioned from Discovery Bay Games free of charge to facilitate this review. Giveaway item will be provided by sponsor. Sponsor has the right to refuse filling prize for duplicate winners from other blogs. This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
 The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.