The Glade 4.0

I saw the choosing console thread and this got me thinking about some of the classic controllers I've had the luck of possessing over the years:

Atari 800 Stick. A button on top, a button on the base. Not the classic looking one, this one was shiny red plastic and predates that design. It actually looked suspiciously phallic. My first gaming device, it graced my hands somewhere between 11 and 24 months old.

Sega Genesis Mega-Drive 6 button original controller:

To this day, it's still my all-time favorite. The best d-pad I've ever touched. Playing SF2: CE and SSF2, I was able to rip off Shoryukens and Spinning PileDrives by merely thinking it. This was the first and probably only controller to ever bridge the gap between me and the game to make it near seamless. Great button placement, extremely comfortable.

Microsoft Sidewinder:



Digital goodness. Wow, Falcon 4.0, Jane's IAF and a host of other flight sims were my ***** thanks to this thing. I loved it. Eventually, the laser positioning construction **** itself and it became basically nonfunctional, but what a great toy.

Logitech Wingman Force:



This thing was GIGANTIC. The footprint left no room for soda cans or Doritos anywhere else. Highly recommended for those who can't stop snacking and playing at the same time. All mechanical construction and bulletproof. I bet if I dug this beast up, it'd still work. My first FF stick, the best stick I ever owned. I cry thinking about how much this thing cost back in 1999 or whenever it was I got it. The cable drive feedback design was so perceptively subtle and capable of brute force. Amazing for such an old piece of history.

ACT Labs RS, Pedals and Shifter:



By far the coolest toy I ever owned for racing games. The gated 6 speed shifter was only supported by a select few games, but the ones that did support it ... the experience beat anything else out there. The pedals were perfect, the motion was somehow more akin to an actual car where the pedal moves up and away from you rather than away and down. Clutch, brake and throttle placement were perfect for heel toe downshifting, very close to that of a Honda S2000. Better than my current Subaru The construction was also bulletproof, and the wheel never lost any centering tension. Best company ever for making racing wheels. IMO, it blew the Logitech wheel out of the water. Was available w/ FF also, good luck finding one.

Intellimouse Explorer 3.0:

Everyone knows this guy. I killed 3 or 4 in the course of a year playing CS. Poor suckers. They just got destroyed throwing them into boxes and duffel bags to go to LAN parties.

Razer Mamba:

Apart from the occasional operational quirks, most comfortable moues I've ever used. Shape is great, the texture is perfect, button placement is awesome. It's precise and has the versatility to be both wired and wireless. Rechargeable battery and recharge docking station. Completely overpriced.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Does this count? :p


The VRX MACH 4. The Triple LCD Display provides a true visual sense of speed by surrounding the driver with in the driving environment, allowing racing fans and automotive enthusiasts to experience the thrill of virtual racing like they never have before!

Turn-key setup includes:

4 Microsoft Xbox 360’s
4 Copy's Forza Motorsport 3
Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter
Microsoft Force Feedback Steering wheel
3 Sharp Aquos 37" LC-D62U 1080p HD LCD displays
Adjustable rear view Power Acoustik (PTM 750) 7" LCD display
Bose Acoustimass 10 series surround sound system with subwoofer
Harmon Kardon AVR-144 Surround Sound receiver
1500 Watt Tactile Vibration Feedback System
1900 Watt Tactile Power Amplifier
Virtual Wind System powered by 2 dual Honeywell fans with chrome shroud
1" CNC machined polished aluminum foot assembly that connects to the front of the VRX
Universal triple screen aluminum mounting bracket that excepts LCD displays from 20" to 40"
Adjustable aluminum and tinted acrylic component shelves
On board power bar and unique wire way system conceals cables
Polished chrome chassis with powder coated wheel mount and pedal mount
CNC billet aluminum Speaker Mounts and Seat Wing
Front and rear non-slip aluminum vibration dampeners
3M automotive chrome trim concealed edges
Italian Sparco Monza racing seat (choice of Red/Black or Black/Silver)
Sparco automotive seat slider
Suspension seat base
3/D epoxy coated graphics
Velcro and machined rubber grip blocks "prevents wheel and pedal movement"
10" diagonal and 8" horizontal wheel adjustments
Polished Aluminum Speaker Mounts
LED Lighting effects
Beverage Containment System

Ok, that would be fun.

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“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Bad ideas...

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wasn't there a robot peripheral for the original NES? Looked like just about the stupidest addition to any game system I ever saw.

Whoa, forgot about this guy:

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Can't forget about the Power Glove.



I think that can fall under both the best and worst, it was the coolest most bad *** looking controller ever, but the actual implementation didn't live up to it's looks, I bet they could make one with a good implementation for the Wii though.

You rang?

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That's the one someone custom made right? I remember seeing that.

Imagine how awesome controller they could make like that now though, like actual OEM from nintendo, of course they would need to make a left handed "nun chuck" version too, it would be one bas *** controller I bet.

ITS SO BAD!

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Holy shitsnacks!

Have to throw in more power glove pics!





I also just noticed that the power glove in nintendo's magazine ads has completely different buttons than the actual power glove. Strange!

[youtube]KZErvASwdlU[/youtube]

I loved this controller Still have it somewhere in a tote...

one of the best controllers Ive ever used imo

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I remember the NES Max, that was my fav controller back in the NES days.

Midge, that set-up looks sweet. They went to incredible detail to encompass all the details to create a full racing experience. However, they are missing two key senses that anyone who's done even a track day will immediately notice, one of which they could add with some work, the other which I have no idea how they'd simulate it:

The smells of rubber laid on the track, unburned hydrocarbons, clutch and metal on metal from various components etc.

The other is accelerative forces on the body.

That Sparco bucket is probably worth $1000 by itself. I was going to get either Sparco or Recaro buckets in my car with 5 point harnesses, but after looking at how much it would cost (total of nearly $5k) I rethought that quickly.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones

Those pictures are so dated. Why did we ever think that was cool?

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

Lightgun and it's older brother Superscope

Fun times, except for that **** dog.

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Buckle your pants or they might fall down.

Go buy a car!

Because it was cool! Back when we were young and dumb and thought stupid things were cool.

But, that's the point of the setup. It's supposed to make it so I can sell my car and buy a fake car, like a Smart FourTwo.

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"It's real, grew up in trife life, the times of white lines
The hype vice, murderous nighttimes and knife fights invite crimes" - Nasir Jones