5 Most Ridiculous Video Game Products

Video game companies have been innovating to find the next best thing long before Nintendo invented the Wii and Nintendo DS. In fact, one of Nintendo's first systems was the virtual boy, a simple virtual reality helmet designed for gaming. It eventually was discontinued, but the Virtual Boy was a completely normal idea next to some of these ridiculous video game products.

Nintendo NES Powerglove

Released way back in 1989 and laying the foundation for the Nintendo Wii controller many, many years later, this strange glove controller was supposed to make gaming more natural feeling. With the full buttons of an NES controller and programmable finger flexing and hand motion within it, the Powerglove certainly sounds cool. But why did this geeky controller flop on the market? Well because it didn't manage to be an easy to use and accurate controlling device--and that is what a controller is supposed to do.

Konami Laserscope

This helmet-controller was specifically designed for the 1991 NES game Laser Invasion. However, this NES gun-helmet works with any gun that requires the NES gun, including the famous Duck Hunt. The catch? Well this helmet is operated by yelling the word "Fire!" making you essentially seem insane to those walking through your house while you're gaming. Since the helmet is noise activated, you can actually yell anything at all, so the only real advantage is the ability to enjoy shooting your enemies and taunting them at the same time. The real problem with this device is that ANY background noise will set the gun off--this means your mom vacuuming becomes misfire mayhem. It didn't last long on the market.

R.O.B.

Chances are you've met this guy in the most recent Super Smash Bros. video game and thought with a shrug that he was probably from some game you've never heard of. Originally built in 1985 as the Famicom Robot, he eventually made it to America under the new name R.O.B. for Robotic Operating Buddy. He only worked with two titles, Gyromite and Stack-Up. For those two, he was a sort of controller that responded to signals from a special box that went along with the games. R.O.B. was a fun toy, but not a very well thought out idea for a video game accessory. He was discontinued and then started to make appearances in popular Nintendo games as a minor character. This includes the Star Fox series, where he is best known.

The SOM (NSFW)

It is hard to explain what this device does without crossing the line in what is considered decent and appropriate internet talk, but still this definitely is worthy of being on a list of the most ridiculous video game products. This hand-shaped device was designed to go along with the erotic video game Cross Days. It activated itself during the more intense scenes of the game in order to bring the action on screen to the male player, if you understand my meaning. Luckily this ridiculous device never became popular for a mainstream audience.

The Sega Activator

This octagonal machine for the Sega Genesis was supposed to be the first completely hands free controller. Built out of an octagon that you assemble on the floor and step inside of, this device was marketed for martial arts video games. The idea was that the infrared beams sent by the panels on the floor would be broken by your arms and legs, signaling the game to tell it whether you had just kicked or punched. The device worked fine in theory, but it was too unwieldy to last long as an actual viable controller.

These are just five of the many failed ridiculous video game devices. Maybe you've tried some others.

Sources: http://www.joystickdivision.com/2010/05/fisted_reasoning_-_the_5_most.php ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega_Activator#Peripherals ; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.O.B.