Most Embarrassing Video Game Peripherals

(Thanks to Alton Breaks for this list of things to avoid at the next yard sale we go to)

We’re living in an era of incredible technology that not only helps us with our day-to-day activities but also soothes our brows when we’re relaxing. Many of us, especially those who grew up in the PlayStation generation, love to unwind by playing video games, and whether you’re a PS3, Wii or Xbox fan, each console has its own plus points.
But what about the lucrative yet sometimes pointless video game peripheral segment of the market? What accessories have been released which just make you look back and cringe? Here we’ll look at some of the most embarrassing peripherals ever released.


Power Glove

If you’re a late 70’s or early 80’s baby, chances are you’ll have had the misery of being socially aware when the Nintendo Power Glove was unleashed upon the world. Released in 1989, the licensed glove – which wasn’t made by Nintendo – was designed for the NES console and it sucked, majorly.
It couldn’t have looked more period-80’s that it did, and when you couple that with shocking functionality and the fact you looked like one of the biggest losers since the beginning of time, it’s no surprise that the Power Glove bombed. Even a co-sign from a popular move at the time couldn’t make the Power Glove look cool.



If you fancied looking like a bad version of RoboCop, then the Power Glove could do that all day long. It’s easily one of the most cringe-worthy video game peripherals ever made.

Konami LaserScope

Take a good look at this picture… we’ll give you a minute.

All done? Good. Are you laughing? Yep, so are we. But what’s even funnier is that this picture is of the then marketing coordinator for Konami, Susan Bach, who, let’s be honest, looks about as unimpressed as a person can look.
The Power Glove was embarrassing but the Konami LaserScope just takes it to another level. Have you seriously ever seen anything as ridiculous? Apparently, the LaserScope was a voice-command light-gun which could fire at targets using the gamer’s voice. Unfortunately, the accuracy was rubbish and the $40 asking price was far too steep in 1990. Also, it didn’t care which word was said, so most people looked insane screaming incoherently at their screens.

Kinect Game Boat

Do you fancy buying a terribly-made, only-good-for-one-part-of-one-game accessory? Then look no further than the Kinect Game Boat. It’s supposed to be the ideal companion for your boating games on the Kinect, but seriously, who’s going to buy this thing and actually use it?

Even kids can see this thing is about as cool as 1990’s tracksuits, so there’s clearly no point in it whatsoever. Avoid at all costs.

Wii Anti-slip Gloves

Are your palms sweatier than Frank Bruno’s back after a gym session? Do you struggle to contain those slippy Wii controllers after hours of intense gameplay? Then meet the Wii Anti-slip gloves – designed to keep you looking like a grade-A idiot with grade-F sex appeal. For $13 the gloves are relatively cheap, but can you imagine ‘suiting up’ everytime you wanted to play on the Wii. It’s a joke- how would you wear your powerglove?

So there you have it, some of the most embarrassing video game peripherals that have ever graced our consoles. Some you can still buy and some you could find on eBay if you wanted a laugh (they’re quite collectable). Let’s hope the manufacturers continue to make these embarrassing accessories so we can keep laughing from afar.