The Top 10 Original Nintendo Accessories

The original Nintendo Entertainment System (or NES) is considered by many to be the greatest video game console ever created. Not only did it usher in a gaming revolution in the 1980s, but it created many iconic characters and titles that have withstood the test of time. Nearly 25 years after its conception, people still purchase games with characters like Mario, Link and Kirby. The system and characters have lived on, but the accessories for the system have been a perpetual hit or miss. Below are listed just 10 of the greatest, oddest and most obscure accessories ever created for the NES.

The NES Advantage

An arcade-style joystick introduced in 1987, this is probably one of the better-known accessories for the NES. This was many gamers first introduction to the concept of a turbo button, as well as a slow-down feature (that in reality was just the controller hitting pause really quickly over and over again). A mainstay for NES gamers, this brought an arcade feel to many classic games and was compatible with every game ever released on the NES. The NES Advantage is probably most famous for being used by the Ghostbusters to steer the Statue of Liberty in Ghostbusters II. The NES Advantage can be found on www.ebay.com for $5.00 or less in most instances.

The Power Pad

While every gaming system seems to have multiple workout and fitness games available nowadays, the Power Pad was the first attempt at combining exercise with video gaming. The pad sported two 3' by 5' sides with two different layouts for a variety of gaming, and was introduced bundled with the NES in 1988 along with the game World Class Track Meet. Unfortunately, despite its durable nature and innovative design only 11 games were ever made for the Power Pad, and only three of them were released in the states. Our local gaming store recently put on up for sale at $15.00, but www.ebay.com has been known to list them as low as $4.00.

The Zapper Light Gun

The ultimate NES accessory. If you owned a Nintendo, chances are you owned the gun and used it to try to shoot the snickering dog on Duck Hunt every chance you were given. The Zapper Light Gun had a long cord and a wild, futuristic design that screamed it was made in 1985. Despite only having 18 compatible games (Bayou Billy, Hogan's Alley and Gumshoe, to name a few) the Zapper was one of the longest offered accessories in video game history, being available well into the early 1990's in its revival red and gray color scheme (the original was all gray). Due to its immense popularity, the gun is a common item on most auction sites.

The Power Glove

Introduced in 1989, the Power Glove was an aptly named gray glove worn on the right hand, complete with a full set of NES controls and number pad. The glove contained a pitch sensor that registered when the wearer moved his or her hand. The glove was featured in the Nintendo-sponsored film The Wizard starring Fred Savage in 1989. In it, the villain Lucas Bar says he, "loves the Power Glove. It's so bad." Unfortunately, he was right. While the Power Glove boasted that it could work with nearly every game in the Nintendo library, and even came out with the Power Glove series of games, many found that the gloves sensitivity didn't work well with the majority of Nintendo games out there.

The glove was found to really only work well with three games, RC Pro Am, Rad Racer and Top Gun. Despite its bold fashion statement, the glove hasn't held up well. Nowadays many consider it a trophy or obscure fashion item rather than a controller of choice. The glove is currently featured on www.EBay.com for $7.00 to $15.00.

R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy)

R.O.B. Was released in a bundle pack with the NES in 1985 and featured heavily into the launch advertising campaign for Nintendo. The idea was that whatever R.O.B. did in real life, the game on screen would mimic. For example, if R.O.B. decided to pick up a block and set it down in a certain place, a giant block would appear on your screen. While a novel concept for 23 years ago, R.O.B. was limited in terms of what he could do.

Ultimately dismissed as fodder by many gamers, R.O.B. was only offered during the initial launch phase of the N.E.S. While many accessories for the Nintendo only worked with a handful of games, R.O.B. was only compatible with two: Gyromite and Stack-Up. Due to his rarity and limited offer period, R.O.B. in the box can go for as high as $75.00 on EBay.com.

The Miracle Piano Teaching System

The idea was incredible for its time (that being 1989); an electric piano that could be used with the Nintendo and Super Nintendo as well as with computer consoles to teach piano to kids using video games. A smart move, but at a high price of $500 US this accessory was shunned by many. Also, due to only being compatible with two games in all of Nintendo's library, and in seeing how the piano itself didn't make any sound (the sound was generated through the Nintendo's Midi generator), the accessory was more of a store shelf fascination than anything else. On ebay.com, the prices have dropped considerably from their original $500 tag, now sporting roughly $15.00 with cartridge.

NES Four Score

When Gauntlet came to the N.E.S., many gamers wondered how a four player game would be handled by a two player machine. The answer was the Four Score, a device that allowed for up to four controllers to be plugged in simultaneously. The system was able to switch between two and four controllers via a button on the device, and support many racing and quiz show games on the NES. While not very practical unless you had a lot of friends over often, the Four Score found its way to the Nintendo in 1990, and paved the way for systems to support four player games for years to come. The Four Score sells for roughly $10.00 on ebay.com.

The NES Game Genie

The Game Genie was introduced by Galoob around 1990 and was instantly met with a failed lawsuit by Nintendo. The Genie allowed for gamers to enter in patch codes on their favorite games, which in turn could grant invulnerability, infinite lives, ammo and even glitches like lost levels that the developers of games forgot to remove from the cartridge.

While considered a must-have upon its release, many gamers soon realized that the Game Genie attachment tended to bend and warp the NES cartridge port to the point of it not working unless a game genie was inserted. The prospect of breaking the very system you were trying to enhance didn't go over well, but the Game Genie continued to sell, and newer version were introduced on the Super Nintendo, the Sega Genesis and a host of hand held systems. Interesting note- the Game Genie had another effect when it came to games which allowed saving; it tended to wipe and/or alter any saved data on the cartridge. While not a problem for most, many Legend of Zelda players still have sour memories of the now bargain bin Game Genie.

The Konami LaserScope

When the LaserScope came out in 1990, it was seen as a limited, yet desired accessory. It was a set of NES headphones that plugged directly into the Nintendo, complete with a microphone that could be adjusted in front of your mouth and a laser scope eye piece that came over the wearers head and sat in front of your eye. The closest equivalent would be the helmets worn in the campy space adventure The Last Starfighter.

When worn, the blue eye piece would display an infrared crosshair to let the user know where the scope was pointed. With a yell of "fire!" the gun would shoot at whatever happened to cross the screen. A rapid fire feature was also included but tended to unintentionally waste ammo.

The LaserScope was designed to work with only one game, Laser Invasion. However, the headset has been found to work with any game that works with the Zapper Light Gun, as well as the game Top Gun. A novel idea and fun to use, the LaserScope tended to fire at any verbal command, not just "fire!". I remember yelling various phrases into the helmet to see what worked and what didn't, only to find that nearly any loud command would trigger it. The helmet retails at around $10.00 on ebay.com.

The U-Force

Released in 1989, the U-Force was a motion sensor pad which looked similar to a laptop when set up on a hard surface. Two infra red screens would try to detect a user's hand motions and translate them into directional commands. While intended for use on games like RC Pro Am and Top Gun, the U-Force was a marketing disaster. The $100 price tag didn't help it, and the fact that it was notorious for missing movements made it little more than coffee table fodder. Still, the concept of independent motion control for the Nintendo wasn't forgotten, and 18 years later it was revitalized in the Nintendo Wii with amazing success.

The Nintendo Entertainment System enjoyed a nearly epic 12 year run as one of the most amazing video game systems ever invented, supporting over 1500 games and dozens of accessories. Many of the items released at the time were limited in their use, however many (like the wireless NES Freedom Deck for example) went on to pioneer the field in infra red and wireless technology that is now considered a standard on video game consoles. While some were quirky and some were downright odd, it can't be argued that the accessories for the original Nintendo have certainly helped to reinforce its iconic image.