What do a Lara Croft impersonator, an elaborate ice sculpture, and a new drink called the “Zeemotini” have to do with a joystick peripheral for cellphone games? We weren’t sure, but Ripten set out to find the connection when we went to Zeemote party at the W Hotel in San Francisco after the first day of GDC.

To launch their new Bluetooth controller for mobile games, the first of its kind, the Zeemote company threw a bash Monday night featuring thumping techno tunes and all the seared Ahi you could keep down. There were plenty of demo units available as well, if you weren’t snacking on potstickers, sliders, or grilled tenderloin — and we got our greasy hands on the tiny and surprising comfortable device for a few rounds of Sonic the Hedgehog and Tomb Raider Anniversary.

Zeemote ice sculpture proudly displays the company’s Mortal Kombat like logo

Andrew shows off his ice cold Zeemotini

The initial model of the Zeemote comes with four buttons, and thanks to deals with the mobile divisions of Sega and Eidos, the Zeemote will be compatible with a select few of their games when it launches later this year. However, there are currently only about 20 mobile games that will work with the Zeemote, and the device can’t be used for other phone functions like surfing the web — at least, not yet.

The Zeemote looks sort of like the nunchuck half of the Wii remote, and we’re not too sure that the similarity to “wii-mote” is accidental. While the Zeemote company claims that control is one of the barriers to entry for mobile games, we actually demoed the device on a handset that has its own little joystick built in already.

Jon’s zeemotional breakdown

Oh, by the way … this is the Zeemote

Since mobile gaming is all about immediacy and portability, will sticking another device in your pocket when you leave the house make a difference? Promotional photos show dashing dudes in three-piece suits casually thumbing their Zeemotes out in public, but I think the more realistic picture is that the controls should be grafted directly onto the phone itself.

Hopefully, a larger array of compatible games for the Zeemote will be forthcoming, and we’ll have to see what kind of pack-in deals make the Zeemote an attractive concept for people who play mobile games. If the device comes with a new gaming phone, it might find its audience. However, if people have to pay a lot for the Zeemote, and there aren’t enough games that will work with it, this novel idea could add up to Zee-ro.

• Sega Trademarks New Sonic Title
• Wii Review: Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity