9 "Must-Have" Video Game Peripherals (That Instantly Flopped)
3. R.O.B. - NES
What it was: The result of an absolute genius marketing strategy drafted by Nintendo.
Following the catastrophic video game crash of '83 in North America, the Big N, as well as every Stateside retailer in existence, had doubts over the financial viability of a new games console in the West.
As a means of circumventing the industry's then-fragile state in 1985, Nintendo decided to release R.O.B. alongside the NES in the States to make the pairing appear as that of a novelty toy, rather than a games console.
Why it flopped: As is abundantly clear, video games regained their popularity in the West thanks, in no small part, to the success of the NES, but R.O.B., the poor, soulless bot, never really had a hand in the recovery.
Just two games, Gyromite and Stack-Up, were released for the peripheral, leaving its usefulness severely lacking. Today, it's a highly sought-after collector's item and fetches a far higher price than its original RRP.
Nintendo continues to acknowledge R.O.B.'s existence in various games, most notably in Super Smash Bros.