“Now you’re playing with power!”
Or so the kids of 1989 thought when this (then) futuristic piece of gaming tech came on the market. Featured in the film The Wizard and on the cover of Nintendo Power magazine (where even the mighty Macho Man Randy Savage had one) the Power Glove looked like it had come straight out of the year 2000, it was the ultimate tool for any Nintendo game player.
The only downside to the Power Glove was the fact it really did not work very well. The pad on the glove was at an odd angle to play games with, while the actual glove itself was very unresponsive to the demands of the gamer wearing it. With only two games to its name, the glove dropped off the grid and was mostly forgotten about until a new breed of gamers came along and embraced it again.
Born in the 80s and early 90s, the tug of nostalgia was strong for these gamers, bringing the Power Glove back in a kitsch and comical kind of way. From the Angry Video Game Nerd using it to blast away his foes, to a documentary called The Power of Glove looking at the cult and creation of the glove, it’s making a comeback – if not in a functional way, then definitely as a pop culture attraction.
Unlike say the Virtual Boy that looked clunky and gave you a killer migraine, the retro style of the power glove means it still has fans. So it was interesting to hear (via WCCFTech) that Sony is thinking of bringing the glove back, albeit in a modified form. For Sony this is actually old news as they submitted their patent way back in 2014, but only now has it been published. This new glove seems to rely on a series of sensors and cameras to help transfer the hand action to the screen. I am no computer expert however, so maybe these illustrations of the new glove will give you a better idea of how it performs.
Game consoles have been constantly striving to reach that next gaming experience, and though these type of motion detection style devices are not new, the design of it certainly looks promising. At a guess this new gaming gadget will be used with Sony’s upcoming PlayStation VR headset and is probably a long way away yet before we see it in stores. Whether it takes off or not will all depend on how adaptable and fluid the use of the glove is when used in conjunction with a game. But the Power Glove was as clunky as heck and that is still talked about today so who knows?
Stayed tuned to Grizzly Bomb for more information on upcoming game related news. If you want to see more news on a wide variety of video games then click here or for retro-based exploits click here. If you just love the 80s and fancy going back in time then look at this great selection of VHS and 80s movie related articles.
Images: Sony Computer Entertainment , Nintendo,
Universal Pictures, Angry Video Game Nerd.
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