6 of the Most Useless Video Game Accessories Ever Released

Video game accessories are always popping up with the promise they will heighten your gaming experience. Some of them deliver, turning out to be fun and useful. Other products are ridiculous and a waste of money. Nintendo seems to be the king of useless accessories, but other consoles have had their moments of failure. Here are some of the most useless video game accessories ever made.

R.O.B.
When the first Nintendo Entertainment system was released in the US, one of the bundles included R.O.B. the robot. Packaged with the game Gyromite, R.O.B. was suppose to help you lift the columns so the character can make it through the level. Unfortunately, R.O.B.'s movements were slow. While you were waiting for the column to lift, enemies were attacking and your character didn't have weapons. I remember being mad, not only because it was so slow, but also when my dad showed me how to play without R.O.B. I couldn't believe this cool robot was useless.

Power Glove
This Nintendo licensed product was released in 1989. Worn like a glove, it tracked hand movement. It also had more buttons then anyone knew what to do with. There was only two games, Super Glove Ball and Bad Street Brawler specifically released for it. More games were announced but never released. The confusing control scheme turned off many gamers as did the $100.00 price tag. What's the point of wearing a bulky glove when the regular controllers worked better?

Wii Remote Sports add-ons
This one is a no-brainer. These accessories screamed "useless" from store shelves. Sure, Wii Sports is fun and you get to play games like bowling and golf. If that's not enough you can always waste your money on attaching plastic tennis rackets, golf clubs, and baseball bats to the end of the Wii Remote. They don't help, improve your score or offer a new way to play. All they did was make the remote heavier and clumsy. If you want to relearn how to use the Wii remote, then you should give them a try. For me, they're pointless and don't add anything but frustration.

Sixaxis Controller
Maybe the Sixaxis isn't totally useless, as I still use mind as a regular PS3 controller. But, the motion controller part is horrible and there was no rumble feature. By tilting the controller you were suppose to be able to quickly complete tasks. Unfortunately, it doesn't work. The movement is jerky and never balanced. I can't remember how many times I died while playing Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction. There's a few parts like when Ratchet is falling where you have to tilt the controller so he avoids objects. It either didn't react fast enough or overcompensated my movements. At least the Sixaxis isn't used on PS3 games anymore.

Power Pad
It's another Nintendo Entertainment System product. Players ran, jumped, and danced on this pad. It worked okay for awhile, but trying to actually beat the Track and Field game by using it as intended was impossible. Kids and adults everywhere had to resort to kneeling next to the pad and pounding it with their fists. There was no other way to get the gold. The Power Pad is another example of early Nintendo experimentation that didn't work in their favor.

Sega Activator
An early motion control featuring an octagon shaped sensor that was placed on the floor, the Activator seemed like it would make playing fighting games easier. Instead, it didn't work right and actually trying to pull off a Fatality in Mortal Kombat was easier with a regular controller. Since it used infrared laser beams to send the movement, any disturbance would mess up the signal. Fans, curved ceiling, or mirrors could render the Activator useless.

While some of these accessories might have seemed like good ideas, others were just ridiculous from the start. Accessories for the Nintendo systems seem to be especially overpriced and useless. Before buying any video game accessory, it's important to do research and not waste your money.