Video game consoles are no stranger to weird and unusual gimmicks. Some of these features unexpectedly grew into system-selling successes, while others were forgotten for a reason. But not every good idea gets the recognition it deserves, especially when some of the best console features have been sorely underused.
Here are some of the best features in gaming hardware history that went thoroughly under-utilized.
5The 3DS Brought Games to Life With AR
When the 3DS first launched, itsaugmented reality (AR)camera initially seemed like one of the handheld’s most promising features. If you aren’t familiar with augmented reality, it refers to software that can overlay a camera display with virtual 3D models. At its best, AR can make virtual objects and characters appear as if they are inhabiting real-world spaces. This technology is also used in apps likeGoogle Search’s 3D viewerandPokémon GO.
One of the best uses of the 3DS’s AR camera isAR Games, a tech demo that came pre-installed on the system. By scanning the AR cards that come bundled with the 3DS,AR Gamesuses your surroundings as a stage for minigames themed around archery, mini-golf, fishing, and a variety of smaller widgets. Certain AR cards can be scanned to take pictures of iconic Nintendo characters—includingyour own Miis.
Similar AR modes appeared in other 3DS games, though most of them used the AR camera as a 3D gallery or a photo mode for taking pictures of characters. Games likeBravely DefaultandKid Icarus: Uprisingeven released special AR cards themed after objects and characters from their respective games, but even these cards were exclusively used inphoto modes.
There were a few AR games on the 3DS that didn’t require AR cards.Face Raiders—another app that came preinstalled on the 3DS—is a shooting game in which you battle flying enemies based off pictures of people in your photo gallery. Similarly, the horror gameSpirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir—a spinoff of theFatal Frameseries—requires players to use the 3DS camera to photograph murderous spirits lurking in their real world surroundings.
Although the AR camera wasn’t used for much, the games it supported were consistently entertaining. Seeing a dragon pop out of your kitchen counter or posing characters for goofy pictures never gets old, even after nearly 15 years since the 3DS’s initial release. However, after the success ofPokémon GOand the countless games it inspired, it’s abundantly clear that AR is better suited for mobile games.
4The Wiimote Can Transfer User Data
At a time when other consoles were beginning to shift their focus toonline gaming, the Nintendo Wii set itself apart with itsconsistent support for local multiplayer. Along with the console’s vast library of couch co-op and competitive multiplayer games, the Wii remote—also known as the “Wiimote”—carried a convenient multiplayer feature that most players ignored.
The Wiimote includes a 16-kilobyte EEPROM memory chip, which can be used to save user data onto the remote. Two kilobytes are available for storing up to 10 Miis, allowing you to use your favorite custom characters on someone else’s console without needing to recreate them from scratch.
Another four kilobytes can be used to store other data from specific games. There weren’t many games that used the Wii remote’s memory chip, but it was mostly used in games that allowed you to create and share custom characters and other user-made content.
Monster Hunter TriandCarnival Games: Mini Golfallow you to store avatars made using theircharacter creators.My Sims RacingandFortune Streetfeature similar customization options, but also allow you to access unlockable content stored on your remote. Competitive games likePokémon Battle Revolutionand2010 FIFA World Cup South Africaallow you to transfer full teams into the Wiimote to face off against other players.
There were other uses for the Wiimote’s storage, such as being able to save a custom controller layout inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl, but the feature was largely ignored throughout the Wii’s lifetime. Whether it was due to the growing popularity of online multiplayer or the fact that most Wii owners didn’t even know this feature existed, the remote-based storage never returned for Nintendo’s later consoles.
3Nintendo’s Famicom Includes a Built-In Microphone
Years before the GameCube and PlayStation 2 attempted to deliver their ownvoice controlled games, Nintendo included a surprisingly functional microphone for one of its earliest home consoles,the Family Computer(also known as the “Famicom”). The Japan-exclusive console features two hardwired controllers, one with access to the “Start” and “Select” buttons, and the other containing a built-in microphone.
The Famicom microphone was mostly used for minor gameplay gimmicks and secret features. For example, certain enemies in the Japanese version ofThe Legend of Zeldaare vulnerable to loud noises and can be stunned by yelling into the second controller. Similarly, you may “negotiate” with merchants inKid Icarusby speaking into the microphone. Other Famicom games found similarly clever uses for the microphone.
Although the Famicom microphone was an incredibly innovative feature—especially for an 8-bit console released in 1983—its technical limitations made it a fairly pointless addition to the controller. The microphone is designed to detect noise, but its usefulness is limited by its inability to discern specific words or phrases. Even for games that task players with saying specific lines (or singing entire songs, in the case ofthe infamousTakeshi’s Challenge), it doesn’t matter if you follow the instructions or just start yelling—the Famicom mic can’t tell the difference.
The Famicom microphone was too simple to amount to anything more than a gimmick. Most developers chose to ignore it, and the microphone was removed entirely when the Famicom was released overseas as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
2The Sega Genesis Supported Link Cables
The mid-90s saw the introduction of system-link multiplayer in console games. They first debuted in 1993 with the Atari Jaguar’s Jaglink cable, and it later took off in 1995 with the original PlayStation. However, one of the most forgotten early adopters from this era is the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and its “Link-up” cable.
Genesis may not have been the first console to support system-linking, but it’s notable for being the only 16-bit system to use this feature. The link cable was not an official Sega product, having instead been produced by Technopop for its 1994 first-person shooting game,Zero Tolerance. Since Sega had never planned for the Genesis to support system-link multiplayer, the link cable plugs into the console through its second controller port.
Technopop’s Link-up cable was originally slated to support more games—including a canceledZero Tolerancesequel titled “Beyond Zero Tolerance”—but these plans never panned out. That’s largely because the link-up cable was released late in the Genesis’s lifespan—only a few months before the launch of the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. It didn’t help that using the link cable requires two Genesis consoles, two copies ofZero Tolerance, two separate screens, and another person willing to go through this hassle.
The Link-up cable’s niche appeal arrived too late to find an audience, as most players were already eyeing the next generation of consoles. Despite its short-lived use, the Link-up cable is a fascinating demonstration of the Genesis’s untapped multiplayer potential. Imagine being able to playSonic the Hedgehog 2without being forced to share the same screen.Modsandemulatorshave already made that a reality, but the Genesis would have been ahead of its time if it had delivered that experience back in the 90s.
1The Dreamcast’s VMU Is Still the Best Memory Card
Memory cards usually don’t serve any other function other than… well… storing things in memory, but the visual memory unit (VMU) for Sega’s Dreamcast is something special. The VMU features anLCD screenand serves as both a traditional memory card and a portable gaming system. Unlike most other memory cards, the VMU plugs into the Dreamcast controller rather than the console itself. Each Dreamcast controller has two memory card slots at its top, and plugging the VMU into the front-most slot enables it to function as a second screen.
Some Dreamcast games use the VMU’s LCD screen to display useful information during gameplay.Dino Crisisand the variousResident Evilgames display your character’s current health and ammo on the LCD screen. Similarly, the cult-classicbullet hell shooterIkarugauses the VMU to display a combo counter for consecutive enemy kills.Shenmue—another Dreamcast cult-classic—helpfully displays the input commands for performing newly learned moves.
When it’s not plugged into a controller, the VMU functions as a portable file manager and a handheld gaming system. you’re able to download minigames onto the VMU from specific Dreamcast titles, some of which reward you with items that can be transferred back to the console game. VMUs can also be linked together to access multiplayer minigames or trade items with other players. For example,Jet Set Radio—also known asJet Grind Radio—allowed you to swap custom graffiti designs, whileMarvel vs Capcom 2included an option to transfer unlocked characters and stages to other memory cards.
The VMU is one of the best ideas to come out of the Dreamcast, but it was \ let down by a lack of third-party support. Although games likePower StoneandSonic Adventureused the VMU to deliversurprisingly addictive minigames, most developers didn’t know what to do with the device.
These aren’t the only console features that have been undeservedly neglected. Even more recent consoles are guilty of this, with an honorable mention going to thePlayStation 5’s haptic feedback. If I started listing every single console feature that was undeservedly abandoned, we’d be here all day.
Sony DualSense Controller
Offering haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, a built-in microphone, and ergonomic design, the DualSense Controller is the best PS5 controller available today.
Gaming consoles have only become more complicated with each new generation, leading to the introduction of even more experimental ideas that will inevitably be forgotten. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and console gaming’s continued willingness to experiment with unpredictable innovations has inspired many of the greatest (and strangest) gimmicks in gaming history.
