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Raddest Gaming Accessories of All Time

Raddest Gaming Accessories of All Time

If you walk into a game store (or gaming section of a department store), you’ll mostly run into things like third-party controllers, adapters, cases, and other practical parts when you look at the “accessories.” But not too long ago, things used to be a lot more colorful, to say the least. Video game consoles are basically little computers after all, which means electrical engineering paired with outside the box thinking can lead to consoles using devices nobody in charge ever accounted for. In some cases, the weird ideas came from the console makers as well. So from R.O.B. to the GlucoBoy, here are the strangest gaming accessories out there.

Image Credit: MrGreenface

R.O.B.

R.O.B.

When the Nintendo Entertainment System first came out, the great gaming crash of the Atari-era had already happened in America. Because of this, Nintendo initially struggled to get anyone interested in its Family Computer device. So the company opted to try to sell the NES as a toy, instead of a video game console when it first launched. A big part of that was a little robot that didn’t do much, but totally looked like an awesome toy. We love R.O.B. in this household.

Sega Activator

Sega Activator

Fighting games are cool, but what if they were more like actual fighting? This is a question nobody actually asked, except for the people behind the Sega Activator. This device was meant to facilitate a more immersive environment when playing games like Mortal Kombat or Altered Beast . It’s an early motion control idea, but one centered around throwing punches and kicks. We all know how that worked out, although I have seen similar ideas implemented in arcades well after the Sega Genesis.

Steel Battalion

Steel Battalion

You’ve probably heard of the game with the $200 controller before. In Steel Battalion , you play the role of a pilot of a mech suit, and the controller strived to be as “realistic” as possible. This thing has all kinds of buttons and switches, and it is meant to accurately replicate the experience of controlling a massive combat machine. Just look at that thing!

Game Boy Camera

Game Boy Camera

What if the Game Boy, a device that has less horsepower than the NES, had a camera? What if that camera could be used to make videos? Yeah, the idea here is practically nonsense, but Nintendo did it anyway. Not only that, but Nintendo also utilized the link cable to introduce a printer for saving your creations. All of them looked fuzzy and blocky, but the software was so quirky people loved it.

GlucoBoy

GlucoBoy

The story of the GlucoBoy is incredible. Its creator pitched ideas to Nintendo several times over several years, because he wanted to help children with diabetes through the process of upkeeping their blood sugar. The GlucoBoy software included games across several genres, even including a fully-fledged RPG game. It only made it to market in extremely limited capacity, but recently the Video Game History Foundation got its hands on the software.

Inflatable Wii Kart

Inflatable Wii Kart

Playing Mario Kart on the Wii, with the wheel accessory, was a big deal. Somehow, that little plastic shell for your Wiimotes went over huge with people. In response, third-parties went hard in working around that success, to make the world’s gaming retailers as miserable as possible. Enter the inflatable kart, to which you could attach your Wii wheel. Imagine having a kid who wanted to drag that out whenever they played Mario Kart .

NeGcon

NeGcon

Speaking of weird racing game accessories, have you heard of the NeGcon? I sure hadn’t, until I researched this list. Made by Namco, the NeGcon was meant to provide new control options for fans of racing games who weren’t quite hardcore enough to shell out for a racing wheel. This controller had a strange axel in the middle that had players actually twisting the controller to sort of approximate using gas/brake pedals. I have no idea if this controller was popular, but well, I haven’t seen a twisting controller before.

Power Pad

Power Pad

The Nintendo Entertainment System sure did have a lot of weird accessories. Familiar with Konami’s Dance Dance Revolution ? Well, tossing an impact-sensitive mat on the floor and trying to play video games with it predates the arcade dancing sensation. The Power Pad was used for games like Konami’s Track & Field , and most people just sat down on the floor and smashed at it with their hands to win.

Trance Vibrator

Trance Vibrator

This device, which was released in conjunction with iconic music-based game Rez , isn’t actually that bizarre. It’s just a little device you plug into your console that vibrates along to the music. It’s part of ideas of expanding the sensual experience of music games, which have progressed through last year’s Tetris Effect . Of course, what makes it weird is people making it weird. You know what I’m talking about.

Speedboard

Speedboard

This is another device I just learned about when looking into console history for this list, and it might just be the most bafflingly stupid video game accessory I’ve ever heard of in my life. The Speedboard for the NES is a hunk of plastic that holds the NES game pad. The idea is that if you place the pad into the Speedboard, that enhances your ability to press buttons fast. Sure! Yeesh.

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