The 10 stupidest gaming peripherals

The gameboy camera was nothing but oodles of fun!

Pretty poor article. Dual Shock best ever? What ever...ugh.

Not to mention the GameBoy Camera was actually quite impressive for the time.

I'll second the GB Camera. It wasn't too bad. Is the Nintendo "Scope" supposed to be the Super Scope? That thing was ok too.

I did own a Power Glove, but got my dad to take it back a day or two after we got it. Even as a 5th grader I was smart enough to know it sucked.

Now the original Game Genie...THAT thing ruled. I remember going over the border to Canada while on vacation with my family and "smuggling" it back over since Nintendo was still blocking it in the United States. I was the coolest kid for months because I had this crazy Nintendo thing that hooked to the games and let you jump over the flagpole in SMB.

They seem to have missed the Wiimote.

don't talk smack about the GB Camera, or this guy will hunt you down:

http://www.tapir.org/gbc/

#3

Its kinda hard to judge something that hasn't come out yet. Why don't you hold up on calling it "BEST EVER!!1!" till you have it in your hands and have used it for more than a year or two.

The Nintendo "super" Scope was great!! i loved blasting those moles

this will be revised in 6 months to include the Wiimote.

Hells yes. I remember I totally tried playing World Champions with an Activator. That was awesome.

nine comments and two bashing a controller not even out yet?
Roflmao. Get a life. Damn fanboys.

ummm, did anyone notice that 5/10 of them where from Nintndo?

So the Wiimote... is you glass half full or half empty?

Fuck that. GB Camera was AWESOME.

Of course there were peripherals that were a bit impractical such as the Scope for its large size, but they are fun to have.

Maybe they should say the Power Pad because you can't DDR with it.

The games that game with the gb camera were awesome too.

Damn, I want that Activator thing. I'd have to stand a whole 3 feet away to calibrate it, though. Thankfully my house is bigger than a cardboard box, or it might be "tricky".

The Power-Pad flat out sucked. How many of us ended up kneeling behind it and hitting the pad with our hands drum-style to win the 100 meter dash? Or score an insane long jump? That is my only memory of that infernal peripheral.

I take issue with #6... Sure the original xbox controller was a large (and for the record, I prefer the s-type by far), but I know A LOT of people who consider it the best controller ever made for one simple reason; it fit their hands.

Also removing it would have made space for the FPS Master: http://www.gamesterusa.com/xboxfps.html

OMG Why does everyone always rag on the original XBOX controller!??! I personally loved it, maybe it's because I have massive hands?

The Game Boy Camera was great. I think i still have mine somewhere.

As for the Dual Shock 2 ben the best ever... Wha? Whats so special about the Dual Shock 2? Its the same as the first one, ffs.

whoa chris and darryl, dont be all bitter about the wiimote cause you know it'll be the only way you could play with anybody. I know its inevitable but c'mon, lighten up.

GB camera shouldn't be on the list. So I thought I would open up my Gaming Hacks book and share a few things you can do with your GB camera.

Transfer your pictures to your computer using a Game Boy Xchanger.

You can even make your GB camera photos color! Here is the link that gives instructions on how to do this:

http://www.ruleofthirds.com/gameboy/process.html

5/10? Try 3/10.

Three were actually made by Nintendo. There were others for the NES, but not manufactured by Nintendo.

By your logic, every bad game made for the NES was Nintendo's fault.

Reading! It's essential.

"ummm, did anyone notice that 5/10 of them where from Nintndo?"

No. And neither did you. The U-force and the Laserscope weren't made BY Nintendo....but FOR them. Strike one

The other three were just what the article said they were....peripherals. As far as main controllers go, I'd say Nintendo has a pretty good track record. (Shoulder buttons, d-pad, analog stick, Trigger, etc) Strike 2

You think "hellogamer.com" is an authority on quality just because they posted any article? Strike three

Your credibility is out.

I didn't mind the original Xbox controller until I got carpel tunnel syndrome. Just kidding but it did remind me of a third party Sega Dream Cast Controller. They were those huge controllers and they came in various colors.

I loved the Game Boy Camera and the original X-box controller. I'm really ticked that I can't find one, all I can get are the s-types. GB Camera minigames were so fun, and it was fun to take pictures of people. The GB Printer was a stupid peripheral, I'll give them that, but I don't see why they have to group it with the Camera.

I actually liked the Super Scope. Mine broke, though, so I can't really say it's a quality piece of hardware.

The Actuator looks like it would be perfect for (and/or was ripped off to produce) Para Para Paradise.

At least the Sega Activator led to Samba de Amigo!

Let it be noted my hands are actually pretty small, and I still prefer the original controller.

The Gameboy Camera was awesome!

http://www.bendependent.com/urinal.html

whoops, my comment got cut off - that's a short "film" me and two friends made with several gameboy cameras. check it out if you are bored.

That Sega Activator thing i'm fairly sure in saying didn't make it to the uk, but that video is the funniest shit.

Makes me a little worried for the Wii though.. :(

That activator commercial sure does remind me of a nintendo console thats about to come out. Hmmmm...... the nintendo (stupid name here) as a gimmick, nahhhh never that, right fanboys????

Really surprised the SEGA Menacer didn't make the list, way worse than the Super Scope 6. Also no power glove?

I've owned 7 out of 10 of the items on the list, kind of sad... always wanted a U-force, lol.

#3 - Is the Nintendo "Scope" supposed to be the Super Scope?

Yes. If you read the article outside of Europe where I asssume the article is based it was called the "SuperScope"

I also disagree with the Gameboy Camera. It's no lightgun but it doesn't deserve 10 worst position.

I have large hands and I do appreciate that the XBoxcontroller was larger then previous models. I DO think it was too large. That's not why I think it's trash though. A LOT of people hate that controller. Not all of us hate it just because it's too big.A lot of us don't like it for other reasons. HOw about the hideous d-pad and the gigantic useless logo.

Chris... you are aware that only three of those were actually made by Nintendo, right?

I'm a bit surprised that the GB Camera made the list... silly, but it was entertaining. It wasn't a world-beater, but it had its moments. It's a shame that the slots aren't arranged better - I'd have tons of fun with that for the DS (especially if combined with some variety of Photoshop using the touch screen).

Also, while the Super Scope had its issues, it wasn't as bad as to make a list of Ten Worst Peripherals (especially since the Power Glove, various programmable controllers, and older floor pads missed the list). Mediocre, yes, but not that awful.

I'm a little surprised that they didn't include one of those vests that would give feedback whenever your character on screen got damaged. Those things always looked like a bad idea in search of a lawsuit.

Is it just me, or did it look like a young Reggie Fils-Aime in that Activator video?

ok for god sake I get it.

3 were made by Nintendo but they were still gimmicks for a Nintendo machine. You missed my point in a haze of fanboyism.

Chris, Do I really care if it will be a success or not? I just want to have fun playing video games, if that means playing the 360/ps3 instead of the wii then I don't care.

I just want to play something different for the current gen which means there are two ways I can achive this, The Super High-Definition graphics of the PS3 or 360 or the New gameplay of the Wii. I want to try both and see which one will be more fun. Heck I don't care if i need to play all three of them (when i can afford them all).

Apparently all you care about is if the Wii fails. Yes it is a risk, but with risk comes either great success or devastating failure. Same with Sony's strategy of making a very expensive all-in-one entertainment center. I just want whatever is fun and be able to play it. Not which makes more money or has more market share or even if it fails.

Anyways these peripherals are pretty crappy. There are a few that are a bit more opionated but most are useless. I have problems with the super scope being on there because it was really fun but I agree that it was a bit complicated and had problems, although it did make you feel like you were using some big type of gun. The original xbox controller was big, but it was something you could get used to (I have small hands, yet I didn't have an extremely hard problem with it) now it wasn't made with kids to play it I admit. Then again what games are really popular that are made for kids for the xbox? Yeah the Gameboy camera was a bit of a long shot but if you had all the things needed for it then it wouldnt be that bad.

What an awful list O.o The gb camera, super scope and xbox controller should all be removed from it. I would also say that perhaps the negcon should be removed.
The gb camera and super scope should require no explanation as to why, they both worked very well and were good fun.
The original xbox controller while yes stupidly large and having some strange quirks is still far from being in the top 10 worst peripherals. It was still a usuable controller it just wasn't as comfy as it should be. Im still not entirely sure whether the ps2 or original xbox controller is worse. I mean at least when shrunk in size the original xbox controller is comfy, the ps2 one just sucks.

And the negcon ok yes the lack of buttons is pretty stupid however this explanation ''The trouble with this controller was that it made you look like a right idiot when using it. You didn’t use an analogue stick, but instead, had to twist the whole controller to steer, which made you look like you were having a seizure or dancing to some disco music. ''
Erm what? Since when was twisting your hands a bit something insane? I would speculate that the person to write this article is the worst dancer ever. Seriously most people move a bit when using a normal controller and this doesn't sound like it would require much more than that.

Agree with the activator though, surely doing a quarter circle on it without hitting one of the imbetween buttons is impossible O.o;

"You missed my point in a haze of fanboyism."

We saw the point you were TRYING to make. We just all think you failed miserably.....probably because you were blinded by a "haze of fanboyism".

the superscope suffered from calibration problems. The lightgun worked because you didn't need it. The superscope failed because you did.

The activator suffered part of that and part "stupid idea".

The Wii (hatethename) sounds like it won't require the calibration. It really will be easy to set up unlike the activator. Since it's not trying to adapt a controller interface it shouldn't suffer from the activator's "trying to be a controller with your body" problems.

The original XBox controller is one of the most overbashed console devices ever. Just because the retards at IGN and EGM incessantly whined about it like little babies, some other people - not bothering to actually try it with games - caught on and somehow presented it as a legitimate problem with the XBox.

The original XBox controller is fine. I guess if you have little T-Rex arms it might not work for you, but other that that...

The R.O.B. really needs to be taken off lists like this. It was a stroke of genius - not because it's a great peripheral, but because Toy R Us and other retailers refused to carry video game consoles after the video game crash. So Nintendo billed the US release of teh Famicom as an "entertainment system" that came with a ROBOT, and managed to get shelf space. Of course, after that, they focused on what it really was... a game system.

Your point, chris, was that Nintendo made bad peripherals. You claimed this list as evidence, and went on to claim the Wii controller would perform badly as well.

If we refute your evidence (your claim that 5/10s of the crappiest controllers were Nintendo-made, and thus Nintendo makes bad controllers), are we missing your point?

OBJECTION!
The Game Boy Camera was stacks of fun! Sure, it's dated now - eight years later - but the technology at the time was pretty good. I swore by it, personally.

Has anyone mentioned that the Wiimote should be on that list? Cuz that's a funny joke someone could make.

I agree with Josh up there, R.O.B. got Nintendo into the stores, just like Ps3 is getting blu-ray into your house (suckers). In a way, the videogame might not have gotten revived when it did had it not been for R.O.B. We all owe that little buddy some apologies.

No one can mock the U-Force. I had one, used it, and enjoyed it. Unlike a great deal of the infrared remotes and controllers than came out, this actually worked to some degree. The flight yoke controller worked awesome with this and it played games with no problems.

I did have a Power Glove and it was a joke. But I was able to exchange it for a copy of Duck Tales and a copy of NES Strider.

I still have my R.O.B. He sits on top of my TV awaiting my command. His complete Gyromite setup is just waiting for the re-release on the Virtual Console. sigh... if only... Seriously, I want R.O.B. to be with me until I die. I want to be old and senile, unable to know who I am, but have R.O.B. sitting on the dresser next to a photo of my family and future kids. NES Deluxe Set FTW!!!

There was no Super Mario packed into MY NES!

wow! the wiimote concept it's almost as cool as the Sega Activator. The way the guys look playing/using the Sega Activator seems like so much fun.

Bad article. The author comes off as a belligerent jerk who consider anything that doesn't suit his narrow perspective to be awful incarnate.

The correct reason to dislike the original Jaguar pad was that it had poor feel. Since the author claims the mouse and keyboard are the 'perfect controller' why then are 12 numbered buttons a bad thing? If you can memoriize the keyboard assignments for a PC game that has more than simple movement and firing, the Jaguar keypad was no problem. The overlay was only there to get you started. You couldn't get very far in an action game if you didn't learn to make inputs without looking down, just as a PC gamer needs to do.

Further, he blames the keypad because he is the kind of person who cannot be bothered to keep a small plastic sheet in the game's box when not in use. Why do I suspect he was the kind of kid who would show up at a used game store with an armload of cartridges but no boxes or manuals.?

On a related subject, the mouse and keyboard aren't the 'perfect controller' for everyone. I personally can't stand them for fast action games. The same keyboard where I can touch type at 60 wpm causes my hands to cramp up when used for gaming. If I were to get into PC gaming I'd definitely be investing in alternatives. Something like the Fragmaster would at least bear examining, although I can think of better choices.

My neices loved the GB Cameras I found for them cheap when Good Guys was going out of the video game retail business. They were disappointed that a GBA Camera hasn't appeared.

My Super Scope worked fine for me. I used more than any other gun peripheral to date. Still have a pair of them in storage.

The Negcon performed exactly as advertised and nobody who bought one for racing games had any cause for disappointment. If the author thought it makes the user look odd, he should consider how anybody looks using a game controller, any game controller. It is a birth control aid, at best.

A full body controller, like the Activator, at least gets you up and moving. It's tiring but in that good way that results in a more fit body. Which makes for an anti-birth control effect. Try it with a young woman who jiggles nicely. Under that circumstance it becomes the finest controller of all time.

Wow, no mention of the Atari 5200 joystick, the TI/99 joystick, nor the Power Glove.

What the hell? The game boy camera was awesome.