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You are here: Home / Archives for Power Glove

Power Glove

The Nintendo Power Glove: A Blast from the Past

June 20, 2024 By ausretrogamer

I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad

Ah, the 1980s. A time of big hair, neon colors, and the birth of some of the most iconic video games and gadgets. Among these was the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which captured the hearts of gamers everywhere. But let’s not forget one of the quirkiest and most ambitious peripherals of its time: the Power Glove.

A Revolution in Gaming

In 1989, the Power Glove hit the market, promising to revolutionize the way we played games. It was a bold statement in the gaming world, offering players a taste of the future with its motion-sensing technology. This wasn’t just a controller; it was a way to physically interact with your favorite games.

The design was straight out of a sci-fi movie, with its sleek black and grey exterior, and buttons spread across the forearm. Strapping on the Power Glove felt like gearing up for an epic adventure. The idea was simple: wear the glove, move your hand, and your in-game character would mimic your movements. It was the stuff of dreams for any young gamer.

The Reality Check

However, the reality didn’t quite match the hype. The Power Glove’s motion controls were far from perfect, often leading to frustration rather than seamless gameplay. The calibration process was complicated, and the games that were compatible with the glove didn’t always provide the best experience.

Despite its shortcomings, the Power Glove became a cult classic. Its appearance in the 1989 film “The Wizard” cemented its place in pop culture history. The scene where the character Lucas Barton declares, “I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad,” is iconic and resonates with fans to this day.

Why the Power Glove Matters

The Power Glove might not have been the game-changing device it set out to be, but its impact on the gaming world is undeniable. It paved the way for future innovations in motion-sensing technology, inspiring the development of devices like the Nintendo Wii Remote and VR controllers.

Looking back, the Power Glove represents a time of experimentation and bold ideas in the gaming industry. It’s a reminder of how far we’ve come and how important it is to dream big and push the boundaries of what’s possible.

A Collector’s Treasure

Today, the Power Glove is a sought-after collector’s item. Its legacy lives on as a symbol of innovation and the 80s’ fearless approach to new technology. Whether you’re a retro gaming enthusiast or just a lover of all things nostalgic, the Power Glove is a fascinating piece of gaming history.

So, next time you’re reminiscing about the good old days of gaming, don’t forget to give a nod to the Power Glove. It’s quirky, it’s iconic, and it’s a testament to the imaginative spirit that continues to drive the gaming industry forward.

The Power Glove: it may not have been perfect, but it was undeniably cool. And sometimes, that’s all that matters.

“Go ahead, make my day”

Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: 80s, 8bit, 90s, Classic Games, I love the Power Glove - it's so bad, it's so bad, Lucas Barton, NES, nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo Power Glove, Power Glove, Punch-Out!, Rad Racer, Retro, Retrogamer, retrogaming, The Nintendo Power Glove, The Wizard

The Retro Gaming Vault – August 2021

August 30, 2021 By ausretrogamer

As we come out of a long (southern hemisphere) winter, we look long and hard into the vastness of our retro gaming vault and come out with a number of juicy nostalgia-inducing classic gaming bits and pieces, starting with a couple of pretty cool, but useless NES peripherals!

We also have the mighty Neo Geo featured this month, with its interchangeable console and arcade memory card that we use on our AES and MVS. For the Nintendo fans, we have DK on the NES and a snippet of Super Mario World (you gotta look hard). For the really old school fans we have the Futuretronics Galaxy Invader 1000 tabletop and the cool Space Shuttle Game Watch we used to love strutting at school. The Contra lads make an appearance as well, as does the DynoVisor VR headset we use on the PC-Engine. Last but not least, our all time fave C64 compilation.

Enjoy the nostalgia and we”ll see what we find in the vault next month!

All images are copyright of ausretrogamer




Filed Under: History, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: ausretrogamer vault, gamers, gaming, Geek, Gyromite, NES, nintendo, nostalgia, oldschool, Power Glove, Retro Gamer, retro gaming vault, retrogames, retrogaming vault, ROB, tbt, throwback, vault, Video Games

NES Classic Hoodie: Now You Can Wear The Power!

July 14, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Merchoid, the videogame merchandise specialist, has revealed their new official ‘Nintendo NES Classic Hoodie’.

Inspired by the classic gaming console, which saw a limited re-release last year, the hoodie is available to preorder from Merchoid now for £44.99/€54.99/$54.99 and ships in September (shipping is free to anywhere on the planet!). Featuring clean lines, body panelling, two front pockets and NES button detailing on the front, its elegant design will ensure it becomes an instant classic.

Merchoid’s Community Manager Jessica Adams says of the new hoodie “Re-enter an 8-bit 80s wonderland, where Mario is king, gloves are controllers and some of the best gaming experiences are a cartridge push away. And what better way to embrace your 80s nostalgia than representing your favorite console in one stylish hoodie? Now you’re playing with power!”

The ‘Nintendo: NES “Console Inspired Hoodie’ is available to preorder from Merchoid.com now.

Key features of ‘Nintendo: NES Console Inspired Hoodie’.

  • New design based on the NES Console
  • Available to preorder from Merchoid.com now for £44.99/€54.99/$54.99
  • Officially licensed by Nintendo
  • Releases September 2017

source: Merchoid

 

Filed Under: Announcements, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: gaming attire, Merchoid, NES, Nintendo Entertainment System, Nintendo hoodie, Nintendo NES Classic Hoodie, Official NES Classic Hoodie, Old School, Power Glove, Retro Gamer, Retro Gaming

Power Glove Hacked: It’s So Bad

July 7, 2016 By ausretrogamer

PowerGloveUniversalHID_TitleForget Lucas Barton declaring his love of the Power Glove because it was so BAD. Yep, the Power Glove was a terrible peripheral, but goddammit, it was so damn cool! What’s there not to have liked about it when you looked like a cyborg with it on!

Now imagine if the Power Glove was a useful peripheral! Imagine no more, as computer engineering genius, Nolan Moore has devised a Power Glove UHID (Universal Human Interface Device) project to overhaul Nintendo’s peripheral with modern sensors and wireless communication to provide the ability to use gesture and motion controls with almost anything you can think of, but in style!

Check out the video below of what has been achieved thus far with this oh so bad peripheral! Keep up to date with the project by visiting Hackaday.io. Thanks to Nolan, we can (at last!) say that the Power Glove is sooooo good!


source: HACKADAY

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: diy, hackaday, Hacking the Power Glove, NES, Power Glove, Power Glove Universal HID, retrogaming

So Bad, But Oh So Cool Retro Gaming Peripherals

July 22, 2015 By ausretrogamer

The Power Glove, it will go down in video gaming history as the epitome of a peripheral being so bad that it is actually quite cool! The Power Glove is a useless piece of kit that you can’t go without (Ed: Relax, put those pitchforks down, we love the Power Glove).

This oxymoron is not lost on gamers – there have been a number of terrible peripherals released over the years, some worse than others, but all equally desirable to have (Ed: who could also forget the unreleased Atari MindLink and the doomed Konix Multi-System!). We have managed to scrape the bottom of the peripheral barrel to bring you the coolest bad peripherals to add to your collection. Put on a bib and wipe that drool!

Peripheral: Sega Action Chair | System: Mega Drive / Genesis | Use: Control gameplay via leaning
CoolBad_SegaActionChair

Peripheral: Power Glove | System: Famicom / NES | Use:Super Glove Ball & Bad Street Brawler
CoolBad_PowerGlove

Peripheral: Quickjoy Foot Pedal SV-129| Systems: Atari, Commodore & Amstrad | Use: Programming joystick functions to a pedal
CoolBad_joystick_quickjoy_sv_129_01

Peripheral: Virtual Cushion | System: PC-Engine | Use: In game (b)ass force feedback
CoolBad_VCushion

Peripheral: R.O.B. | System: Famicom / NES | Use: Gyromite & Stack-Up
CoolBad_ROB

Peripheral: Game Boy Pocket Sonar | System: GBP | Use: Sonar to locate fish
CoolBad_GBSonar

Peripheral: Sega BH-400 | System: Sega Mark III | Use: Hang-On handlebar
CoolBad_SEGA_BH-400_Bike_Handle

Peripheral: Menacer | System: Mega Drive / Genesis | Use: T2: The Arcade Game, Mad Dog McCree, Body Count, Who Shot Johnny Rock, Mad Dog II, Corpse Killer, Crime Patrol, Menacer shooting gallery
CoolBad_Menacer

Peripheral: Aura Interactor | System: Various 16/32/64-Bit | Use: wearable force-feedback vest
CoolBad_interactor_kit

Peripheral: Sega Activator | System: Mega Drive / Genesis | Use: infra-red motion detector for fighting games
CoolBad_sega-activator

image source: provided on demand

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Game Boy Pocket Sonar, Menacer, Power Glove, Powerglove, Quickjoy Foot Pedal, R.O.B., retrogaming, Sega Action Chair, Sega BH-400, Virtual Cushion

The Power Of Glove: A Power Glove Documentary

July 15, 2013 By ausretrogamer

ThePowerOfGlove_570

Nintendo’s Power Glove – it’s so bad, that it’s so damn good! The Power Glove may not have worked as promised, but it’s legacy in pop culture is undeniable. Three film-makers (Adam Ward, Andrew Austin and Paula Kosowski ) have embarked on creating a documentary that chronicles Nintendo’s notorious game controller.

Check out the official trailer below of ‘The Power Of Glove‘ documentary.

We are not alone when we say, we cannot wait for this to be released!

 

Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Film, nintendo, Power Glove, retro gaming documentary

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