The Absolute Worst Video Game Hardware Gimmicks

What's dumber than stomping on a big plastic mat to J-Pop and calling it dancing? Stomping on a big plastic mat to generic 8-bit tunes and calling it running. But what made Nintendo's Power Pad truly insufferable was that it didn't even work all that well. Everyone knew that if you wanted your character to truly book it in World Class Track Meet, you had to get down on your knees and pound on that mat with your stupid little fists. And what are you trying to do anyway, make my dining room chandelier fall out of the ceiling? Oh, is that so? We'll just see what your father says about that smart mouth of yours.

Have you ever been in the middle of a video game and thought to yourself, "This is fun, but I wish there was something else to look at. Something black and white, low-resolution and only tangentially related to the action on-screen."? Of course you have! That's why Sega created the VMU in 1999. An overpriced memory card that lodged itself in your Dreamcast controller, the VMU could also act as a portable console, featuring Tamogotchi-caliber games.