Game Boy Printer and Camera
In retrospect this little add-on gadget was ahead of its time in 1998. Snap a photo and print it out, so simple! I remember waiting endlessly to try this incredible innovation out as a kid at an in-store demo and was not impressed. Getting the photo right was one thing but waiting on the printer was another. Sure it was fun one or two times but only so many effects can be applies to a photo of your cat before it gets old.
Konami Laser Scope
FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FFFFFFFF! Basically yelling each time you wanted to shoot in a game was a bad idea, especially for poor mom and dad. I think this would have made a better role playing prop than a game accessory but at the time as a kid you sure KNEW you looked like a total badass with one of these strapped to your head!
Sega 32X
Right before the release of...THE PLAYSTATION (dun-dun) was this little UFO like add-on for the Sega Genesis. Boasting to pump up your Sega to a ridiculous 32 bit gaming goliath. In the end it was a dud. I recall getting one for Christmas one year and ended up returning it to Toys R Us due to my inability to properly get it to work. Probably for the best.
Super NES Superscope
Incredible! Thats what every kid thought when seeing this thing for the first time. Unfortunately this "advanced laser gun" looked a lot cooler than it functioned. My Superscope extended its play-life for years by becoming one heck of a fun play gun for couch battles though.
Sega Activator
My god what can be said about the Sega Craptivator...err Activator. Absolute rubbish. You spend hours setting the thing up and "calibrating" then you step into the ring expecting some of the most incredibly advanced gameplay imaginable only to be tortured by unresponsive actions. If you played the included "Eternal Champions" game you basically spent the entire time watching the computer beat the hell out of you as you watched in red-faced frustration. I did have an Activator as a kid and was so, so disappointed by it. I tried to like it, tried to control my character with kicks an uppercuts but mostly all the led to was the character jumping over and over. Here is a video on how the "calibration" worked.
Sega's execution was poor, but their ideas were light years ahead of the market. I skipped the 32X but am a HUGE fan of Sega CD. Never got the Activator, but a friend of mine down the street had one, which was great for me, because his insistence on using it meant my skill level was suddenly superior to his.
ReplyDeleteAgree the ideas they had were really advanced and showed promise, I dont think the technology was there unfortunately. The Dreamcast was the same way and is one of my all time favorites.
ReplyDeleteIt was always funny watching other people try to use the Activator then like you said beating the hell out of them in-game as they flailed around.
http://cinemassacre.com/2008/05/14/nes-accessories/
ReplyDeleteThis has a lot of good classics. Also how bout the Game Gear TV(with generic football players on the tv screen)?