Every time some new technology in the gaming world flops, what’s usually the first thing you hear? It was ahead of the time, dude! Indeed, it’s the most common excuse in the book. The tech was too advanced at the time it was released and that’s why it didn’t succeed. Sure whatever makes you sleep at night. But seriously though, sometimes a tech is actually too advanced for its own good and fails because the rest of the world hasn’t caught up to it yet. Nintendo Technologies and Sega have experienced this so many times.
1 . Virtual Boy
The Virtual Boy was supposed to be the next big thing in gaming back in the 90s. Sure, it ended up being one of the rare fails from Nintendo, but it wasn’t all bad. OK, it was mostly bad, since it didn’t do anything it promised. Nevertheless, it did lay the foundation for what was to become virtual reality. This futuristic device was supposed to take players and put them inside their favorite video games, which were fun and so genuine in contrast to modern sophisticated yet spiritless titles. But all it finally managed to do was really put you in the horrible mess of red-tinted graphics, and the console itself was just incredibly uncomfortable. Nintendo had the right idea with the Virtual Boy. Unluckily for them, it was way too soon. The Technology of the 90s was not good enough for VR yet. And it showed as the Virtual Boy ended up being ahead of its time by a good 20 years.
- You have a great chance to reunite with your favorite Nintendo characters now. And you don’t even have to own a physical home video game console from the past. All you need to do is install a dedicated emulator onto your modern device and download a couple of your favorite games in the form of Super Nintendo, Game Boy, or Nintendo DS ROMs. The emulator and great ROMs of the best Nintendo retro games will help you re-experience the happiest moments.
2 . Power Glove
Almost nothing screams the 80s as loud as the Power Glove. On paper, the power glove sounded incredible, because it enabled you to play games using motion controls. Just imaging – motion control in the 80s! It’s obvious that the Power Glove was way ahead of its time. But the execution was lacking. There isn’t a game out there for the Super Nintendo that actually worked well with the Power Glove. Sure, that tech looked cool and futuristic at that time. But it was just as gimmicky as you could get. Nowadays, it’s just a relic of gaming’s past that sells for a good chunk of change online. That being said, the Power Glove was an official technological forerunner of motion control in gaming, which is worth a lot of praise. Nintendo would learn from their mistakes and dominate sales with their laudable Wii and its much-improved motion controls many years later. So, it’s safe to say, it all worked out in the end.
3. Power Pad
Nintendo had the Nintendo Power magazine, the Power Glove, and even the Power Pad. It’s safe to say, they liked the word ‘power.’ The Power Pad is pretty much exactly what you’d expect. It was a pad you’d lay down on the floor and play games by stepping on buttons. Nintendo heard all the criticism from parents of gamers far and wide. They claimed video games make kids fat and lazy. So, Nintendo said, ‘Hold my beer’ and ventured to create a device that would make video gamers spend more time moving. They released the Power Pad to give it to all those criticizing the lifestyle of their gamers. Sadly for Nintendo, their Power Pad flopped. Its games didn’t sell well at all. But what’s one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Konami would later use the Power Pad as inspiration to make their own game known as DanceDance Revolution. And the rest, as they say, is history.
And there were lots of other devices that were too revolutionary and ahead of their time back when their inventors decided to launch them. Though the ideas behind them were fresh and ingenious, neither the public nor the supporting techs were ready to welcome and develop them into something more useful and successful. That being said, we still reminisce about these relic gadgets with nostalgia and don’t forget to pay tribute to them when such an opportunity presents itself.
