Here to defend the StickStation. For those of us that spent many hours using one of those controllers, holding the controller in one hand and pressing the fire button, while using the stick in the other was a pain, to the point it was addressed and newer versions of the Stick were released with suction cup feet, allowing you to mount it to the desk. But even those feet would fail over time, one pull on the stick to hard and "pOp", off it came. Having a big heavy piece of wood solved both issues. Now, my father wasn't stupid enough to order a piece of wood, so when he saw it in the magazine, he made his own, and it was awesome! The stick was always where you wanted it to be and your other hand was free.
Yeah, the Stick Station looks awesome! The only thing that would make it better would be places to put two joysticks side-by-side, for Robotron type twin stick games (like Llamatron). The suction feet on many joysticks of the era were utterly hopeless. Anyone who has bad things to say about the Stick Station hasn't noticed the design of arcade style sticks. Big wide heavy base!
I've owned a Sega 3D glasses for years and it's actually really AWESOME. The 3D effects are pretty cool. Also, the games do NOT appear to move at "half speed". My favorite Sega 3D game is Space Harrier 3D and there is a way to switch that game from 3D to normal mode and the game plays the same way (it does NOT look like it's running at half speed in 3D mode). The only significant problems with the Sega 3D glasses is that they don't fit all heads (people with big heads are going to have to modify it) and it has to be used on a CRT TV only for it to work. Finally, the Sega 3D glasses are usable on the Sega Genesis using the power base converter (which allows the vast majority of Sega Master System games to be played on the Sega Genesis. The Sega 3D glasses and 3D games work well on the power base converter while in a Sega Genesis).
Yeah, I own them as well , remember playing the *Rambo video game* . Only used it like once , I was into *Double Dragon and Zillion 2* on the SMS , barely used it
Onimusha games have tank controls, and you only use the left stick or the dpad to move, and you don't use the right stick for anything. i think it'd work alright enough, but clearly it's just a fun gimmick collectible more than anything else.
anyone who doesn't understand the stick station has never played atari 2600.. That is the most uncomfortable controller in history. not having to hold the controller with your left hand and wrapping your thumb around it is INFINITELY better than snapping your wrist.
@4:58 If the Stick Station had been made to hold two joysticks instead of just one. Then it would actually have been a really neat idea. Take an Arcade game like Robotron: 2084, where you move your character around with one joystick, while using a second joystick to choose in which direction your character is shooting. Something which is close to impossible to achieve with joysticks only designed to be held in one hand while operated with the other. However, if they were both firmly held down onto a table with a big old log of wood like this, that would actually make a game with such a control feature playable. And if the fire buttons were moved to the top of each stick, then even more so. - BTW... That would be "The North American video game crash of '83", as it wasn't really felt at all in the rest of the world.
Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought the Atari stick station was made as a way of early “arcade emulation” to make it feel like you had a full arcade machine console to play on in an era where at-home arcade style fighting stick controllers (like the pro street fighter & tekken ones) weren’t really a thing yet. Still a dumb piece of wood, but I wonder if that may have been the end goal? I duno
The weirdest one I can think of is the sewing machine that interfaced with the GBC (I'm think it was the GBC, but I'm not 100%. Definitely some 90s Nintendo system)
It absolutely makes sense when you think about it. Most computerised sewing machines used a z80 processor and the game boy had a z80 processor. It also had a bigger, better screen (let that sink in) than many computerised sewing machines which often just had led segmented displays and a printed list of sewing stitches. If the sewist had a gameboy around the house, then it could have provided a serious saving.
AHHHHHHHHH I AM NOT AI I PROMISE!!!!! I'M ME! ME!!!! lol. Look this is an improvement on the people who think I sound like Tucker Carlson. Honestly, it's a compliment, I'll take it.
I remember the Donky Konga game. Gotten that for my nephews that Christmas when it came out. It was actually a lot of fun at the time. Didn't know there were a couple of follow up games. As for that chainsaw controller, I wonder how many people actually used that as a controller and simply got it as a collector's item/display piece? I am guessing that if they did, it was probably just the one or two times to see if it actually worked and then decided, "Yup, it works, but I think I'll go back to the stock controller!"
The DK Bongos worked with 3 (NA) or 4 (JP) Gamecube games. I have two sets. My son had fun using them with Dolphin and a converter to play Mario Kart controlled by the Bongos. He also used DDR pads to play Mario Kart.
When the RE4 chainsaw controller came out I wanted one so bad because I knew it’d be a collectors item one day, but of course in those days I didn’t have $50 to “invest”
6:00 You know, the Stick Station might have been onto something IF it had added arcade-style buttons on either side mirroring the joystick's button. I could see the appeal of an arcade joystick setup in the home, especially with arcades so popular at the time. But trying to use this with the dinky little joystick button would be ridiculous.
Neat video! Always nice to see more people talking about the strange and obscure world of peripherals. I noticed I was credited with one image of the Pocket Sonar (the one with the yellow Game Boy). It's actually not mine. I found it years ago on someone's blog and linked to it on my own. Unfortunately, the original blog is long gone, but Google Images makes it seem like I'm the source! Sadly, I didn't save the original url of the blog, just the url of the image, so I don't know who took that photo.
Related to Nintendo's Gamecube Bongos are a third party variant by Pelican, which was actually pressure-sensitive tops instead of using large buttons, meant to feel more like "real" bongos. I have one of these and they certainly work as advertised, but you quickly learn WHY Nintendo used large buttons when you hands are slamming into a hard plastic surface constantly. Nintendo's official product is definitely the safer option if you want to have a long gameplay session.
Honestly the only thing about the Stick Station that seems all that bad is that its core is the Atari Joystick. It's clearly trying to go for the arcade joystick panel feel and while Timmy and his argumentative brother Tommy are a bad market for it I could see someone older who wanted a more arcade experience and no woodworking skills grabbing this long before we had the wonderful market of arcade fightsticks we have today. That said, it's mostly just trying to solve a problem that would be better solved with the gamepad Atari released much later.
The stick station stops hand cramps, it says it on the advertisement. I had an Atari 2600 and it was the least ergonomic control ever. I'm shocked I didn't have carpal tunnel at 7 years old. Having one of those would make it work more like stationary arcade controls. I 100% get it.
The Glasstron, along with it predecessor The Visotron, were not made for gaming. Glasstron had a slight exception because MechWarrior 2 had a special mode that supported them, but that was bout it. Both the Glasstron and Visotron were made for connect to a device like a portable DVD player. Sony still make these devices, with the Sony HMZ-T Series (there a multiple) Personal Viewer being their latest models. Other brands in the 90s made these too.
The DK Bongos were awesome. Had a friend that had a set and everyone that went to his house wanted to play them. I think if you actually played with them you like them but everyone else is left scratching their heads. I think I found out about them late or they were not sold long because I wanted them for Christmas and my Mom couldn't find any anywhere.
you forgot the gameboy sewing machine thingie XD with embroidery programs and stuff you had to put into the gameboy.. it was a full fledged sewing/embroidery machine
The part about the stickstation is incredibly wrong, it has a VERY important use. It's way more ergonomic than holding the controller while using a full size stick, without that base it hurts to play with after a while since you have to have a very tight grip of the controller with the other hand while also managing button presses. It says no more hand craps right there! It's by FAR the most useful device here. Back in those days you had a slew of controllers with suction cup bases for this very reason. A premium looking heavy wooden base that holds onto the arcade style stick for you? That's a world of a difference. Can you get a piece of wood for cheap at the hardware store? Sure but it'll look like crap unless you spent a lot of time and money on it. The same is true for small light low quality fight sticks that don't have a nice heavy nonslip base.
i dont understand your confusion with the Stick Station thing. It just exists to give a more arcade feel with your joystick. you really have to wrench around some of those joysticks and having a heavy base flat base save your wrists lol. you could get the same effect from just gluing a controller to a 2x4 lol nowadays its definetly useless as much more than a collectors oddity since u can just buy or make an arcade style controller. there was something else with a similar idea but smaller and way less quality. i cant seem to find the name but it was pyramid like shape with a square hole for the joystick at the top. now that thing deserves to be on this list. there were also large oversized ball tops that would just plonk on top of the joystick shaft. those things looked pretty garbage too.
I don't think it's that bad of an idea. The stick station could make it feel more like an arcade. And the atari controller did cramp your hand. I wouldn't buy it, but I've seen worse ideas.
I am having trouble wrapping my brain around what ever thought process that lead to the stick station. It big and bulky and might have ended up in a weapon in any video game triggered brawls. Mind it would have helped a bit with some of the 2600 controllers flaws but not enough to justify that price and it's also bigger than it needed to be to do what it does..
Don't dis the wood, you obviously never used the controller with its bubble switches. Thankfully Atari sold replacement parts for the joy stick as well.
Well, game cabinets were popular during the Atari years. I can only assume the stick station allowed for more precise joystick control and simulated the hand feel of playing at a cabinet machine at home.
That’s the idea. Only problem is that most TVs were not placed at standing height. You would need a table at kneeling height or put your TV above sitting height to make the most of it.
I had the LazerScope forgetting it was Konami. Maybe the only failure by Konami in the 80's. Got it on clearance so I can't complain too much. Wanted the PowerGlove but not because of that stupid cheesy Fred Savage movie. I would have never watched anything that had Fred Savage in it. Instead the U-Force showed up under the Christmas tree. It was such a useless piece of junk I took it back and got the newly released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Arcade Game.
I'm not sure why the Sega Scope glasses that were actually pretty great get a mention here, but Nintendo's garbage robot that only supported maybe 4 games doesn't.
![กิโลเมตรที่ 0 เดินทางรอบโลกไม่ใช้เครื่องบิน [Around The World Ep. 1]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/toJG9oofLFY/mqdefault.jpg)
Here to defend the StickStation. For those of us that spent many hours using one of those controllers, holding the controller in one hand and pressing the fire button, while using the stick in the other was a pain, to the point it was addressed and newer versions of the Stick were released with suction cup feet, allowing you to mount it to the desk. But even those feet would fail over time, one pull on the stick to hard and "pOp", off it came. Having a big heavy piece of wood solved both issues. Now, my father wasn't stupid enough to order a piece of wood, so when he saw it in the magazine, he made his own, and it was awesome! The stick was always where you wanted it to be and your other hand was free.
I would have loved that stick station. I'm only 40 too late.
Plus after a few hours of play and trying to hold onto the blocky 2600 joystick you'd end up with the mother of all blisters.
Yeah, the Stick Station looks awesome! The only thing that would make it better would be places to put two joysticks side-by-side, for Robotron type twin stick games (like Llamatron).
The suction feet on many joysticks of the era were utterly hopeless.
Anyone who has bad things to say about the Stick Station hasn't noticed the design of arcade style sticks. Big wide heavy base!
The one where you put the Atari stick into a wooden block is actually pretty cool it makes your Atari stick and to just like an arcade experience.
I've owned a Sega 3D glasses for years and it's actually really AWESOME. The 3D effects are pretty cool. Also, the games do NOT appear to move at "half speed". My favorite Sega 3D game is Space Harrier 3D and there is a way to switch that game from 3D to normal mode and the game plays the same way (it does NOT look like it's running at half speed in 3D mode). The only significant problems with the Sega 3D glasses is that they don't fit all heads (people with big heads are going to have to modify it) and it has to be used on a CRT TV only for it to work. Finally, the Sega 3D glasses are usable on the Sega Genesis using the power base converter (which allows the vast majority of Sega Master System games to be played on the Sega Genesis. The Sega 3D glasses and 3D games work well on the power base converter while in a Sega Genesis).
Yeah, I own them as well , remember playing the *Rambo video game* . Only used it like once , I was into *Double Dragon and Zillion 2* on the SMS , barely used it
Hori is not a console manufacturer, they just make peripherals.
9:06: had that for *the Sega Master System* , used it only once with the Rambo game 😅
I mean the Stick Station is great for putting your soda/beer while playing your Atari.
LOL. Fair point.
That katana looks so impractical with how the buttons are all spread out. Fun video!
Seriously. And thank you!!
Onimusha games have tank controls, and you only use the left stick or the dpad to move, and you don't use the right stick for anything. i think it'd work alright enough, but clearly it's just a fun gimmick collectible more than anything else.
anyone who doesn't understand the stick station has never played atari 2600.. That is the most uncomfortable controller in history. not having to hold the controller with your left hand and wrapping your thumb around it is INFINITELY better than snapping your wrist.
I had no problem uaing the Atari Joystick. It has a short throw, very tight, & responsive.
You are from another planet or have a warehouse of them. Stock? Issues at home, Lòl.
Imagine sitting in a crowded apartment complex yelling, "Fire! Fire! Fire!"
@4:58 If the Stick Station had been made to hold two joysticks instead of just one. Then it would actually have been a really neat idea. Take an Arcade game like Robotron: 2084, where you move your character around with one joystick, while using a second joystick to choose in which direction your character is shooting. Something which is close to impossible to achieve with joysticks only designed to be held in one hand while operated with the other. However, if they were both firmly held down onto a table with a big old log of wood like this, that would actually make a game with such a control feature playable. And if the fire buttons were moved to the top of each stick, then even more so.
- BTW... That would be "The North American video game crash of '83", as it wasn't really felt at all in the rest of the world.
TWin stick 2600 games would rock
Maybe it’s just me, but I always thought the Atari stick station was made as a way of early “arcade emulation” to make it feel like you had a full arcade machine console to play on in an era where at-home arcade style fighting stick controllers (like the pro street fighter & tekken ones) weren’t really a thing yet. Still a dumb piece of wood, but I wonder if that may have been the end goal? I duno
Nothing wrong with the Sega 3D glasses at all, considering when they came out and how cheap they were they were an exceptional accessory really.
The weirdest one I can think of is the sewing machine that interfaced with the GBC (I'm think it was the GBC, but I'm not 100%. Definitely some 90s Nintendo system)
I cannot believe I missed this.
It absolutely makes sense when you think about it. Most computerised sewing machines used a z80 processor and the game boy had a z80 processor. It also had a bigger, better screen (let that sink in) than many computerised sewing machines which often just had led segmented displays and a printed list of sewing stitches.
If the sewist had a gameboy around the house, then it could have provided a serious saving.
Almost Something sounds like really good AI 😂🎉
AHHHHHHHHH I AM NOT AI I PROMISE!!!!! I'M ME! ME!!!!
lol. Look this is an improvement on the people who think I sound like Tucker Carlson. Honestly, it's a compliment, I'll take it.
I remember the Donky Konga game. Gotten that for my nephews that Christmas when it came out. It was actually a lot of fun at the time. Didn't know there were a couple of follow up games. As for that chainsaw controller, I wonder how many people actually used that as a controller and simply got it as a collector's item/display piece? I am guessing that if they did, it was probably just the one or two times to see if it actually worked and then decided, "Yup, it works, but I think I'll go back to the stock controller!"
Right? Like...you can barely use the thing!!
There's also an Amiga joystick shaped like a grenade!
LOL. Between this and the sewing machine I clearly missed some winners.
@@AlmostSomething Nintendo did an April Fools advert over a NES powered Knitting machine, funny how it pretty much came true a few years later :D
Ohhhhhh. Well I mean sounds right basically at this point !!
The DK Bongos worked with 3 (NA) or 4 (JP) Gamecube games. I have two sets. My son had fun using them with Dolphin and a converter to play Mario Kart controlled by the Bongos. He also used DDR pads to play Mario Kart.
Not me standing behind my cousin yelling "fire fire fire fire" while he tried to play 🤣
When the RE4 chainsaw controller came out I wanted one so bad because I knew it’d be a collectors item one day, but of course in those days I didn’t have $50 to “invest”
6:00 You know, the Stick Station might have been onto something IF it had added arcade-style buttons on either side mirroring the joystick's button. I could see the appeal of an arcade joystick setup in the home, especially with arcades so popular at the time. But trying to use this with the dinky little joystick button would be ridiculous.
Neat video! Always nice to see more people talking about the strange and obscure world of peripherals.
I noticed I was credited with one image of the Pocket Sonar (the one with the yellow Game Boy). It's actually not mine. I found it years ago on someone's blog and linked to it on my own. Unfortunately, the original blog is long gone, but Google Images makes it seem like I'm the source!
Sadly, I didn't save the original url of the blog, just the url of the image, so I don't know who took that photo.
Ha! First, thanks. Second, shoot! Well, at least I tried. I appreciate you chiming in!
Related to Nintendo's Gamecube Bongos are a third party variant by Pelican, which was actually pressure-sensitive tops instead of using large buttons, meant to feel more like "real" bongos. I have one of these and they certainly work as advertised, but you quickly learn WHY Nintendo used large buttons when you hands are slamming into a hard plastic surface constantly. Nintendo's official product is definitely the safer option if you want to have a long gameplay session.
9:36 had those glasses for missile Defense 3D. I remember the blinking, it must not have been great cause I barely played it.
Dude, totally wanted a Glastron back in the day, and oddly, still kinda want one in the present.
Honestly the only thing about the Stick Station that seems all that bad is that its core is the Atari Joystick. It's clearly trying to go for the arcade joystick panel feel and while Timmy and his argumentative brother Tommy are a bad market for it I could see someone older who wanted a more arcade experience and no woodworking skills grabbing this long before we had the wonderful market of arcade fightsticks we have today.
That said, it's mostly just trying to solve a problem that would be better solved with the gamepad Atari released much later.
Timmy and Tommy are dead, killed in a woodworking accident, sadly.
The stick station stops hand cramps, it says it on the advertisement. I had an Atari 2600 and it was the least ergonomic control ever. I'm shocked I didn't have carpal tunnel at 7 years old. Having one of those would make it work more like stationary arcade controls. I 100% get it.
The Glasstron, along with it predecessor The Visotron, were not made for gaming. Glasstron had a slight exception because MechWarrior 2 had a special mode that supported them, but that was bout it. Both the Glasstron and Visotron were made for connect to a device like a portable DVD player. Sony still make these devices, with the Sony HMZ-T Series (there a multiple) Personal Viewer being their latest models. Other brands in the 90s made these too.
These are all stupidly awesome. I have the stick station. Definitely would have bought the sonar if it was available in the US.
Another great video my friend!!! Keep up the good work!!!
Thanks so much!!!!
The DK Bongos were awesome. Had a friend that had a set and everyone that went to his house wanted to play them. I think if you actually played with them you like them but everyone else is left scratching their heads. I think I found out about them late or they were not sold long because I wanted them for Christmas and my Mom couldn't find any anywhere.
you forgot the gameboy sewing machine thingie XD with embroidery programs and stuff you had to put into the gameboy.. it was a full fledged sewing/embroidery machine
Onimusha isn't a fighting game, but alright. interesting video nonetheless, and that sword controller looks cool as hell.
Dude, have you not bought any wood lately? That StickStation would be right on the money in 2024 dollars. Lumber is fucking expensive.
Oof, those ancient time jokes really hit home here😂😂
Do your knees hurt, but are starting to hurt more? If so, we're in our 40s!!!
The part about the stickstation is incredibly wrong, it has a VERY important use. It's way more ergonomic than holding the controller while using a full size stick, without that base it hurts to play with after a while since you have to have a very tight grip of the controller with the other hand while also managing button presses. It says no more hand craps right there! It's by FAR the most useful device here.
Back in those days you had a slew of controllers with suction cup bases for this very reason. A premium looking heavy wooden base that holds onto the arcade style stick for you? That's a world of a difference.
Can you get a piece of wood for cheap at the hardware store? Sure but it'll look like crap unless you spent a lot of time and money on it.
The same is true for small light low quality fight sticks that don't have a nice heavy nonslip base.
i dont understand your confusion with the Stick Station thing. It just exists to give a more arcade feel with your joystick. you really have to wrench around some of those joysticks and having a heavy base flat base save your wrists lol. you could get the same effect from just gluing a controller to a 2x4 lol
nowadays its definetly useless as much more than a collectors oddity since u can just buy or make an arcade style controller.
there was something else with a similar idea but smaller and way less quality. i cant seem to find the name but it was pyramid like shape with a square hole for the joystick at the top. now that thing deserves to be on this list. there were also large oversized ball tops that would just plonk on top of the joystick shaft. those things looked pretty garbage too.
Oh you start with the power glove scene.
I can see the Stick Station, but you would still need to lock it down to a desk or table.
Stick station was prolly used to keep it stationary without having to hold it
Hey don't make fun of the power glove it was so cool to control the game with your hands rather than having to use your hands to do a controller.
i had the RE4 Chainsaw controler (for gamecube). and it held like a n64 controler
STIck Station Nation Rise up.
and all these gimicks we all still stick to a two stick controller
8:43 check out Jose Gonzares and Antonio Ropez 😆
I've always hated the atari 2600 controller
I don't think it's that bad of an idea. The stick station could make it feel more like an arcade. And the atari controller did cramp your hand. I wouldn't buy it, but I've seen worse ideas.
9:52 Epilepsy warning
I am having trouble wrapping my brain around what ever thought process that lead to the stick station. It big and bulky and might have ended up in a weapon in any video game triggered brawls. Mind it would have helped a bit with some of the 2600 controllers flaws but not enough to justify that price and it's also bigger than it needed to be to do what it does..
"Let's build a controller that also doubles as a weapon!"
"Okay!"
Don't dis the wood, you obviously never used the controller with its bubble switches. Thankfully Atari sold replacement parts for the joy stick as well.
i was expecting to see the steel battalion controller on this list lol
Literally may need to do a part two because of suggestions like these.
Well, game cabinets were popular during the Atari years. I can only assume the stick station allowed for more precise joystick control and simulated the hand feel of playing at a cabinet machine at home.
That’s the idea. Only problem is that most TVs were not placed at standing height. You would need a table at kneeling height or put your TV above sitting height to make the most of it.
@@Davtwan we layed on the floor looking up at the wooden cabinet television or sat cross legged
You missed the $200 Xbox controller for Steel Battalion!
how do you block in exciting boxing?
Onimusha katana 😮
Jose Gonzarer?! Oh Japan.
I had the LazerScope forgetting it was Konami. Maybe the only failure by Konami in the 80's. Got it on clearance so I can't complain too much.
Wanted the PowerGlove but not because of that stupid cheesy Fred Savage movie. I would have never watched anything that had Fred Savage in it. Instead the U-Force showed up under the Christmas tree. It was such a useless piece of junk I took it back and got the newly released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Arcade Game.
I'm not sure why the Sega Scope glasses that were actually pretty great get a mention here, but Nintendo's garbage robot that only supported maybe 4 games doesn't.
PSVR2 is just Sega scope 4
Wheres the audio jack on a Nintendo
Google NES Speedboard
The DK Bongos are actually Dark Souls controllers, not sure what this Donkey Konga nonsense is
LOL. Well done.
No u force?
Good one! I just thought it was more obvious. Went with more random ones.