The Best NES Accessories That Failed Big

When it comes to Nintendo video game consoles, the most popular should be the original NES. Officially called the Nintendo Entertainment System, it was considered the best when it came to 16-bit video games in the 1980s and early 1990s. Back then, if you have a Nintendo, kids would come to your house to trade games with you. But like I said, that was years ago. My original NES is safely stored in my cabinet, along with its many accessories. Oh yeah, the NES had plenty of accessories too, just like Nintendo’s Wii, Sony’s Playstation 3, and Microsoft’s Xbox 360. And let me tell you, the NES probably has the most accessories ever made for a single video game console. . Unfortunately, there are only a few accessories that I find successful, such as the NES Max and NES Advantage controllers. The others are obvious failures.

So, since I’m feeling nostalgic, let’s discuss the best NES accessories that failed. Great time.

1. The Power Gauntlet

Surprisingly, Nintendo didn’t actually make the Power Glove. It was designed and manufactured by Grant Goddard and Cooper Davis and brought to life by Mattel. It looks like a glove with an NES mini controller on the wrist. Supposedly, the Power Glove allows you to grab objects or move the cursor on the screen. Only two games were released for this accessory, Super Glove Ball and Bad Street Brawler. Out of curiosity (and the TV commercial looked awesome!), I actually saved all my lunch money to buy the Power Glove. The only game I got was the Super Glove Ball; It’s basically just a game that allows me to use the Power Glove to catch and throw balls on the game screen. The glove doesn’t work all the time anyway, and has been hailed as Nintendo’s worst console accessory ever.

2. The Roll&Rocker

If you look at LJN’s Roll&Rocker, it’s the predecessor of the Wii Fit. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like Wii Fit. I personally didn’t have one since my parents, although it was ridiculous. Plus, they couldn’t stand their only daughter playing video games instead of playing Barbie dolls! In any case, I’ve seen a friend wear this on a Saturday night and boy was she disappointed. The thing doesn’t work at all. However, I’m not surprised; LJNs have a reputation for making bad games, so I’m not surprised by the Roll&Rocker’s performance.

3. The Konami Laser Scope

The Konami laser sight is what my brothers hated the most. Hated because it destroyed his childhood dreams of experiencing what it’s like to be a fighter jet pilot. Well, the Laser Scope looks kind of like a pilot’s helmet, so you’ll probably want to use it while playing fighter jet games. The only bad thing is the way of shooting; you literally say (or yell) “FIRE!” which is really annoying, especially if you try to play your NES at night. Imagine a Sunday night where you’re playing stealth with your laser sight and yelling “Fire!”. A surefire way to get you in trouble with your parents!

4. The Light Zapper

Hope for? The Light Zapper? How did this get on the list? Well, you might be surprised to know that I have five Light Zappers in my cabinet and they all used to work for a few days or months only until I literally gave up when the fifth one broke. The Light Zapper uses a light system that freezes your TV screen black with the target color white. When light reflects off the Zapper, it connects to the target on the screen. But this comes out completely random; which means you can miss your target even if you aim the Zapper close to the target. Although I’m not sure if it has something to do with the model of the TV.