
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


What may seem like a novelty video game accessory from the 1980s actually has a much deeper backstory.
The Nintendo Power Glove, a game controller you wore on your arm, came out in 1989, but its roots go back to the 1970s.
Before it was the "baddest" accessory around, the Power Glove started out as the Data Glove, a high-end instrument used by scientists, MIT, and even NASA.
What began as a $10,000 instrument for a new world called "Virtual Reality" eventually entered the consumer market. Did the data glove have more novel applications? Could this unique device even become a toy...?
But to make it a toy, a redesign and a MUCH lower price point were both critical, and that meant a lot of compromises in both materials and functionality. Even though the Power Glove was launched with a huge boom, did the at-home gaming experience live up to the hype...?
By Jamie Logie | 1980s Pop Culture & Nostalgia4.8
343343 ratings
What may seem like a novelty video game accessory from the 1980s actually has a much deeper backstory.
The Nintendo Power Glove, a game controller you wore on your arm, came out in 1989, but its roots go back to the 1970s.
Before it was the "baddest" accessory around, the Power Glove started out as the Data Glove, a high-end instrument used by scientists, MIT, and even NASA.
What began as a $10,000 instrument for a new world called "Virtual Reality" eventually entered the consumer market. Did the data glove have more novel applications? Could this unique device even become a toy...?
But to make it a toy, a redesign and a MUCH lower price point were both critical, and that meant a lot of compromises in both materials and functionality. Even though the Power Glove was launched with a huge boom, did the at-home gaming experience live up to the hype...?

32,278 Listeners

2,600 Listeners

872 Listeners

1,441 Listeners

566 Listeners

13,995 Listeners

2,068 Listeners

4,756 Listeners

73 Listeners

556 Listeners

391 Listeners

139 Listeners

168 Listeners

3,405 Listeners

99 Listeners