10 Video Game Accessories EVERYONE Owned (Until They Didn't)
Who didn't have a multitap?
With gaming companies always on the lookout for ways to enhance their products (and make money), additional accessories have been around since the dawn of video games. Every 90s kid owned the Super Scope. If you had a NES, you probably bought a R.O.B. robot (despite the fact he didn't really do anything).
Even though gamers tend to get hyped over new gadgets, most peripherals fail to live up to expectations. More often that not, they're imprecise, pointless, or unjustifiably expensive.
But every once in a while, an accessory comes out that doesn't suck. The Multitap allowed PSOne owners to experience four player co-op. With the Super Game Boy, you could play portable titles on the television for the first time. If you had a Game Genie, you could do pretty much anything.
These peripherals were so revolutionary, it felt like they would be around forever.
But one day, they weren't.
Although it's natural for gimmicky gizmos to be phased out, there are some that should have never gone away. Here are the gaming accessories everyone owned (until they didn't).
10. Racing Wheels
There's no company more synonymous with video game peripherals than Mad Catz. For decades, the American-Chinese based corporation released almost any accessory you could think of.
But the one market this organisation firmly cornered was control pads. (They devised 12 licensed controllers for the Sega Dreamcast before the console was even released!)
However, Mad Catz greatest controller was the MC2 Racing Wheel. Unlike other steering wheel-styled controllers, the MC2 came with a foot pedal base, which the player needed to accelerate and brake.
Like a real steering wheel, it's harder to turn the MC2 the more you push it, forcing the player to think more strategically while racing. If you have a Jump Pack support, the wheel vibrates while making sudden turns, adding a bit of realism. The wheel unit had a gear shift lever, forcing you to constantly monitor your speed.
Although these additions could've overcomplicated the the gameplay, it had the opposite effect. While using the Racing Wheel for Sega MT, Need for Speed, or Gran Turismo, you genuinely feel like you're driving your vehicle. After experiencing the precision and smoothness of the MC2, it's tough to go back to using a conventional controller.