Your favorite gaming novelties?

[BetaWolf47]

Are there any innovations that companies did, which you really enjoyed, but never really caught on?

I'm a fan of connectivity between consoles and handhelds. I've never done NGPC to Dreamcast, but I really like how well it was used on Gamecube. Animal Crossing, the Pokemon games, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, etc. all benefited from it. It's rather disappointing that current-gen systems aren't using it more, especially considering you don't need to buy any extra hardware this time.

I also like Nintendo e-reader. I'm not sure why I find it so cool, but I bet it has something to do with being able to get cards en-mass for less than an actual retail game. Plus, there was connectivity using it with Animal Crossing and the Pokemon handheld games. Apparently the thing was well-received in Japan but was short lived in other countries.

[Agressivadue]

Dreamcast.

It is still such a joy to play the better games that made it out in the US. PSO was definately my favorite in it's day.

[Steve W]

If I ever founded my own company and made a console, I wouldn't do online, I would only do wireless console connectivity up to a mile away, depending on how wireless technology had advanced to that point. And make the connectivity daisy-chainable. So you could have a network of hundreds just in your area. Rather than deal with anonymous strangers on the other side of the continent or even other continents, you'd play with locals everyday, develop more community ties, get to know your neighbors, make friends, that kind of thing. It would be far more social than playing with people you don't know.

[understatement]

Dreamcast.

It is still such a joy to play the better games that made it out in the US. PSO was definately my favorite in it's day.

I don't think the Dreamcast would be considered a novelty the VMU would be but not the Dreamcast.


Anyway mine would have to be the Game Boy Camera & Game Boy Printer same with the DSI.

[LaughingMAN.S9]

If I ever founded my own company and made a console, I wouldn't do online, I would only do wireless console connectivity up to a mile away, depending on how wireless technology had advanced to that point. And make the connectivity daisy-chainable. So you could have a network of hundreds just in your area. Rather than deal with anonymous strangers on the other side of the continent or even other continents, you'd play with locals everyday, develop more community ties, get to know your neighbors, make friends, that kind of thing. It would be far more social than playing with people you don't know.


gayest thing i've ever heard.

[todesengel]

gayest thing i've ever heard.
You must be an XBox Live user.

[Agressivadue]

I don't think the Dreamcast would be considered a novelty the VMU would be but not the Dreamcast.

No, but it was an innovation that I really enjoyed, that never really caught on.

[Clownzilla]

The Virtual Boy would be my #1 pick. Sure, it was system but most people viewed is as a novelty and curiosity. This thing could of really made it big if it were given more R&D money and time. I am still convinced that the Virtual Boy "idea" isn't dead at Nintendo and I believe that they will give it another shot (this time correctly engineered) in a decade or so.

[jb143]

I would say virtual reality in general. It was really popular when the technology wasn't ready for consumer use. Now that the technology can handle it, the fad is over.

[Agressivadue]

I would say virtual reality in general. It was really popular when the technology wasn't ready for consumer use. Now that the technology can handle it, the fad is over.

Good call. I really enjoyed watching videos of it on TV, since I never got to play a VR game. It was quite the novelty.

[YoshiM]

I would say virtual reality in general. It was really popular when the technology wasn't ready for consumer use. Now that the technology can handle it, the fad is over.

Gotta second that. I know I was salivating over it, even after playing that Dactyl Nightmare (or whatever it was called) VR game.

[scooterb23]

Would 2600 paddles be considered a novelty? I always thought that paddle-based and driving controller games were tons of fun (yes, even Video Olympics). I know that paddles have made brief appearances in later consoles, but they never caught hold as much as on the 2600. Much to my chagrin.

[Vectorman0]

Would 2600 paddles be considered a novelty? I always thought that paddle-based and driving controller games were tons of fun (yes, even Video Olympics). I know that paddles have made brief appearances in later consoles, but they never caught hold as much as on the 2600. Much to my chagrin.

I wholeheartedly agree. Some games just can not be done [well] without paddles.

[Game Freak]

I fourth the VR. I remember a long time ago when we went to Disney World, they had a game were you raced as Abu in a Virtual Reality game against 3 other people. It was amazing, and I really wish that it would make a reemergence, perhaps in the home market.

[vivaeljason]

Speaking of console/handheld connectivity, don't forget about the Super Game Boy. That thing was not only a favorite novelty, it was just awesome.

[Pantechnicon]

Would 2600 paddles be considered a novelty? I always thought that paddle-based and driving controller games were tons of fun (yes, even Video Olympics). I know that paddles have made brief appearances in later consoles, but they never caught hold as much as on the 2600. Much to my chagrin.

I would say paddles should not be considered a "novelty". In light of the viewpoint that the Atari VCS "evolved" out of dedicated home Pong units, coupled with the fact that the system originally came bundled with the devices, I would say that this controller set was integral to the original experience of playing games on the machine. IIRC Video Olympics (which is fun, as you've alluded) might have even been the first game even developed for the console. If so, one could almost - almost - make the argument that the VCS's joysticks were the novelty aberration for that machine.

[Pantechnicon]

To answer the OP's question, I have two types of favorite gaming novelties: Dedicated controllers and console expansion ports.

Dedicated controllers - Meaning, "you absolutely require controller X in order to play game Y", and where X did not come with the original machine. Indy 500, BASIC Programming and Star Raiders* for the VCS all come to mind. And how about that Steel Battalion Controller (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Steel_Battalion_controllers.jpg) for the Xbox? Zomg that thing is like some big sick joke, which is why I had to have one :cool:. Ironically, the reason I haven't gotten into anything like Guitar Hero or Rock Band is because as much as I enjoy dedicated controllers, I'm kind of at my limits of space for them in the house.

Console expansion ports - Not such a big deal in the USB era but back in the 1980's and 1990's I always got a kick out of these. I’ve written about these before on DP so I’m just going to cop out and quote myself:


All that potential future functionality screaming at you..."You're gonna get to plug something really cool in here one day! Just you wait!"...Next thing you know the console is at the end of its life cycle, the games are in the bargain bin and Assembler is displaying the protos of the unreleased peripherals on his website.

* – Actually it’s sort of a fudge to say that Star Raiders “required” the Touch Pad with which it was bundled because functionally the keypad was exactly the same as the keyboard controller for BASIC. This controller function was also echoed again in the Atari Kid’s Controller (http://www.atariguide.com//30/3095b.htm). Hah…one controller in three different casings. That’s got to be some sort of gaming first.

[AB Positive]

Gotta second that. I know I was salivating over it, even after playing that Dactyl Nightmare (or whatever it was called) VR game.

I used to play that all the time in Dieppe at the Crystal Palace - great stuff. too bad even used VR rigs from then go for about 10K USD

[MASTERWEEDO]

I still love the Power Glove. I think it still just equals cool in my childish mind

[Clownzilla]

Gotta second that. I know I was salivating over it, even after playing that Dactyl Nightmare (or whatever it was called) VR game.

I remember playing Dactyl Nightmare (I too don't know the name) at Union Station in St. Louis on a weekend trip with the family when I was a kid. It was amazing at the time but now I look back and I see it as a choppy and simplistic mess. The idea was great though and I really wish the tech continued. I think that home consoles are slowly progressing towards VR helmets again and believe that we will see full immersion technology in the home within 25 years. Sony is even doing preliminary research on how to create (and control) hallucinations through manipulating brain waves for entertainment purposes. Sure, it sounds crazy but it shows that we are slowly progressing into a Jetsons future.

[Kiddo]

The Dreamcast had a load of Dedicated Game Controllers. I've recently come to lovvee the Twin Stick for Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram. It's turned an "interesting" game into an incredibly addictive game, one I'd ranks as one of my absolute favorites.

I hope to get a Dreamcast VS Link Cable - yet another novelty - and maybe another Twin Stick someday, to have the uber-novelty of two Dreamcasts playing Linked Virtual On with Twin Sticks - essentially the closest one can get to replicating the arcade experience.

Dreamcast Maracas were sweet too.

As for a novelty gaming system? Hey, I run Satellablog. It should be obvious how much I've become fascinated with the concept of the Satellaview.

[Agressivadue]

I'm a fan of connectivity between consoles and handhelds.

I feel the need to say that the GC/GBA link cable has a really stupid feature. If you have a Gameboy player on your GC, you can use a GBA as a controller....on it's own games. It even displays a Gameboy player title screen on the GBA, if I remember right.

[vintagegamecrazy]

I haven't gotten into many unique peripherals but I gotta say that the Powerpad for NES is a lot of fun despite only a few ot the games being any good. WCTM is great, it is an unsung great among classic gaming. Now the Roll n Rocker and the Powerglove are just lame gimmicks that don't work well at all.

[Howie6925]

the nes power pad would be my novelty of choice. The thing was a blast to play when you had enough people playing it, especially playing super team games.

[Arkhan]

I Think basically every 3rd party NES attempt at a peripheral was a neat novelty.


theyre all so damn corny.


the best novelty of all though and one I really enjoyed, was the super scope. I still tear that shit up every day or two. It was one of the better doo-dads.