10 Video Game Console Features NOBODY Used
The PS3 supports printers. Yup.
The next generation of gaming is finally upon us, and true to form, Sony and Microsoft are promising a fleet of features they claim will revolutionise the industry, from SSDs to extensive backwards compatibility, "adaptive triggers," and so on.
But as we all know, so many screeched-about features at launch end up totally forgotten shortly thereafter, such that by the time the generation winds down, they're nothing but a distant memory.
That's certainly the case with these 10 game console features which, while largely interesting, potential-filled affectations, ultimately failed to strike the requisite chord with either devs or players.
Despite being seemingly prominent aspects of their hardware and software specifications, you'd be forgiven for scarcely remembering these features at all, and in some cases interest proved so low that the companies themselves ended up discontinuing support. Ouch.
And so, as we look forward to the bright horizon of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, it's important to remember that not every hyped-up feature will have the staying power necessary to be more than a mere marketing gimmick...
10. Snap Mode - Xbox One
The Xbox One's launch was not good, to be kind, though the console did release with one particularly attention-grabbing feature, albeit one which so few of us actually used in reality - snap mode.
Snap mode allowed players to pin various apps to the right-hand side of the screen while continuing to play, whether snapping your friends' achievements, heading to YouTube to look up a walkthrough, or most practically, using the HDMI-in feature to watch TV while grinding away at a time-consuming achievement.
In our multi-tasking, multi-screen present, it wasn't a terrible idea by any means, though one which simply wasn't adopted by enough players, and also happened to be a massive resource hog for the hardware.
As a result Microsoft discontinued snap mode in early 2017, citing a desire to improve the console's performance, and given the only minimal uproar the announcement caused, it's safe to say that few Xbox One owners made much use of it beyond launch weekend.