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It doesn't hurt to try
While it's easy to hop on the bandwagon and poke fun at Nintendo's Wii U-related missteps, have you considered the possibility that the machine is just a few years ahead of its time? History is full of examples of the gaming giant trying something a bit different, only to see mass-adoption of essentially the same idea come to fruition a few years later, usually making loads of money for someone else. How annoying must that be?
7. The Vitality Sensor preceded emotion-reading controllers
At E3 2009, Nintendo revealed the Vitality Sensor, an accessory for the Wii that would measure a players vital signs through their finger. People at the press conference (and indeed all around the world) openly laughed at the announcement, failing to see any practical use for the product. Nintendo eventually cancelled it after allegedly failing to get it functioning properly. Definitely not because it was the most ridiculous thing in the history of all things.
6. The GameCube/GBA connection preceded second-screen gameplay
Back in the Gamecube days, Nintendo came up with the novel idea to connect the Game Boy Advance to the 'Cube via a cable and allow for some double-screen action. It started with the original Animal Crossing, which allows you to travel to a tiny island full of coconuts when the GBA is connected. Then games like Zelda: Four Swords Adventure and Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles made it an integral feature for multiplayer, with up to four friends controlling characters via handhelds. At the time it was fun but costly, because you needed to own multiple GBAs and connection cables (not to mention the Gamecube too) to make it all work. It's a lot to ask for, even for a Zelda game.
5. The eReader predated Near-Field Communication (NFC) and experimented with DLC
When console-based DLC and online gaming as we know it today arrived with Sega's Dreamcast in 1998 and 2000 respectively, Nintendo did little to pursue online gaming in the immediate years that followed. Gamecube did see the release of an optional broadband adapter that allowed you to play Mario Kart Double Dash online, but its adoption rate was pretty much 0% and it was never marketed as a must-have add-on for the machine. Instead, the publisher made DLC you could hold via the Game Boy Advance eReader and its accompanying eCards.
4. The NES/SNES modems preceded online gaming
Imagine, back in the day, that you could have played Super Mario Bros 2-player mode online, with anyone in the world, via a small device that attached to the bottom of the NES. Or, hell, imagine playing The Legend of Zelda as an MMORPG. Those both happened, in a typically Nintendo way. The publisher tried the concept with a few different modems, most notably the NES' Teleplay Modem, but there was one big problem: the technology wasn't nearly fast enough to transfer the data the NES required to make it work smoothly. The Japan-only Satellaview for SNES handled the net a bit better, but it suffered from low sales and few games.
3. The Virtual Boy preceded The Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus
Say the words Virtual Boy to any longtime Nintendo fan and watch what kind of reaction you get. The Virtual Boy is easily Nintendos biggest flop, with garish red graphics, a game library that is pitiful at best, and a price tag that was way too high to excuse its many faults. Plus there's the fact that the Virtual Boys wobbly stand prevents it from being anything like playable on the go. Its a massive black mark on Nintendos otherwise spotless handheld record.
2. The Power Pad preceded DDR, as well as fitness games
Back in the NES days, Nintendo thought your living room floor needed some extra power. Enter the Power Pad, a red-and-blue polka dotted mat with touch sensors for your feet. It came bundled with World Class Track Meet, and the only real function was running in place as fast as you could in order to cross the digital finish line first. Needless to say, parents didnt like all the commotion and kids weren't all that into mixing exercise and gaming, so the Power Pad was a short-lived Power Fad.
1. The Power Glove preceded motion controls
Anyone who watched the so-bad-it's-good film The Wizard knows about the Power Glove, which was actually made by Mattel (and only licensed by Nintendo), but it became so intrinsically associated with the NES, it is an iconic part of Nintendo's history. Of course, the reality of the wearable peripheral didnt measure up to how radical it looked in the film. Simply put, the motion controls barely work, the on-glove button arrangement is weird and you have to type in control codes before playing each and every game. The whole thing is just a mess. It's very telling that the SNES never saw a Super Power Glove.
