Failed Controller-Free Gaming Devices of the Past

adeelarshad82 writes "While Microsoft does get points for innovation, Kinect for Xbox 360 isn't the first attempt to make gaming a hands-free affair. Decades before Microsoft would release its depth-sensing camera system, other companies tried to take the gamepad out of the gaming equation. PlayStation, Dreamcast, NES and Sega have all been there. These attempts varied in usefulness, ranging from somewhat functional to laughable and pointless, and from the forgettable to the downright infamous."

Power Glove

[mister_playboy]

I love the Power Glove... 'cuz it's so bad.

Re:It's that time again, eh?

[Anonymous Coward]

I too owned one. They actually worked pretty good. The problem was I didnt have arms of steel. I could play using one for maybe 20-30 mins tops.

For those who dont know what I am talking about take your arm hold it out in front of you. Now do that for 20 mins. By the time min 20 rolls around your arm will be in some serious pain.

Good idea took some tweaking. With the wii they got it right. The control was light and you could hold it anywhere. The glove you had to hold it pretty much 'just right' for it to work and pretty much in front of you.

Re:It's that time again, eh?

[davester666]

But he'll be happier once he reaches puberty to have a stronger right hand/arm!

EyeToy was no failure

[FromWithin]

From the article: "Sony dabbled twice with console-based webcams over the last two generations, and it only got any success after it introduced the Move."
From Wikipedia: "As of November 6, 2008, the EyeToy has sold 10.5 million units worldwide.".

10.5 million sales is most definitely a success by any definition.

The whole article strikes me as a Kinect advert: "Despite the occasional misinterpreted gesture, Microsoft's Kinect offers impressively immersive game controls and voice commands, all without needing to lay your finger on a single button."

Re:The real question:

[parlancex]

Correct, which is one of the main reasons I can't see it ever catching on. In order to control anything you're going to have to make huge motions with your entire arms like a god damned gorilla, with all the accuracy and subtlety that entails.

Re:The U-Force worked

[Renraku]

This all seemed like advertising shill to me. It was like.

"X device sucked, unlike Kinect."
"Y device sucked, unlike Kinect."
"Z device sucked, unlike Kinect."

If they would have put, "unlike Kinect, Wii, or Move." it would have been more neutral.