Peter Suciu

RIP Xbox 360 HD DVD Drive
February 26, 2008

Add it to the Pile of Obsolete Gaming Hardware 

With the death of the HD DVD movie format Microsoft has announced that it will cease producing the HD DVD add-on drive for the Xbox 360. This comes as no surprise, of course, and in recent months there have been hints that Microsoft would even consider supporting Blu-ray. For gamers neither the death of HD DVD, or Microsoft’s possible adoption of Blu-ray, really means much. But for some of us it means yet another piece of obsolete gaming hardware that can be added to the pile of odd and outdated hardware.

Over the years, like any gamer, I’ve amassed no small collection of game systems, peripherals, specialized controllers, 3-D devices and enough other “junk” to fill a small museum. These included joysticks, steering wheels, speaker systems and even a gun mouse. Recently I cleaned shop as I prepare for a move to a new (and thankfully larger) apartment, and while I could have possibly “cleaned up” by posting much of this antiquated hardware on eBay, much of it is now resting peacefully in a landfill. Here are a few of the devices that brought back fond (and not so fond) memories:

Microsoft Sidewinder Freestyle Pro (1998)

Nearly a decade before the Wii and the PS3 had gamers leaning controllers every which way Microsoft came out with the Sidewinder Freestyle Pro, codenamed the Tilt, a PC controller that featured an internal gyroscope. Tilt the Tilt and you leaned or turned in the game. This controller was fantastic, cutting-edge and very innovative … as long as you were playing Microsoft’s Motorcross Madness. With just about any other game the Tilt was a dud. Ahead of its time or just a one-trick-pony, either way the Sidewinder Freestyle Pro earns a fond memory for the hours of nonsensical play with that one game.

Sony EyeToy (2001)

OK, this one is still going, but it never was going strong and, truth be told, it likely never will. It is an add-on that is a pure novelty at best. The games were quirky, silly fun. But after a few minutes of punching the air or doing an impression of “The Karate Kid,” the EyeToy lost too much of its charm. Of course Sony had hopes that the technology would double as a communication device, but in truth the Sony EyeToy barely rated as well as a Web camera. The EyeToy lives on, but for anyone hoping for more it could just as easily be called the Sony EyeSore.

Microsoft Strategic Commander (2000)

Microsoft has a bad habit of introducing controllers that have little need, and were far too specialized (note the Sidewinder Freestyle Pro). We can’t fault the innovation, but maybe Microsoft should have considered whether gamers would embrace the change. Among the innovative, but all too specialized, controllers was the Strategic Commander, a keyboard alternative for real-time strategy games. It looked like a mouse, you held it like a mouse but a mouse it was not. Meant for the off-hand, this device was designed to replace the traditional hot keys on a keyboard. So far so good. The problems were numerous, beginning with the fact that it took much desk space, and even worse was that virtually every game needed to be individually programmed and trying to keep track of these — rather than the more traditional “H” means home hotkey. File this one under “G” for good try, but not what we really needed.

Dreamcast Fishing Controller (1999)

There were many specialized controllers for driving and flight simulations over the years, including everything from super-expensive racing frame chassis and flight controllers with rudder pedals, but for reasons no one can understand Sega introduced a fishing controller! Priced at about $40 it worked with about … oh let’s see, one game! Strangely Sega didn’t produce the only one. Interact jumped in the boat, and provided its own controller (pictured). Unless you were the most hardcore fishing fanatic, this one was cast wide but didn’t get that wide appeal.

Steel Battalion (2002)

OK, this controller was part of a game — a single game, mind you. Steel Battalion could have been just another giant “Mech” combat game, but by including a controller that drove the price up past $150 and Capcom ensured that mere hundreds would be sold. Actually the Steel Battalion controller was very good, but the game, sadly, was not. The learning curve was very difficult in a game that was too high concept and not enough straightforward fun. Lacking a quick play mode, and without adequate multiplayer game play this was a controller that sadly gathered dust all too quickly when the game proved a bust. We have a big mech down, we have a big mech down.

Tomorrow’s Closet Clutter

And here are a few controllers of today that will likely be filling the closest in the not too distant future:

Guitar Hero and Rock Band Controllers

The games might have players rocking out today, but in a few years these could be as embarrassing as disco records and boy-band posters.

Dance, Dance Revolution

While this game has been going strong for nearly a decade, the vinyl mats are not exactly the most space-friendly controllers. But we’re sure these will only take about 1,000 years to biodegrade in a landfill.

Wii Fit

This exer-tainment controller isn’t even out, but we’re sure it will get as much use as most “innovative” exercise devices. We can see the infomercial already!

Have a favorite controller of days gone by? Let us know about it.

Posted by Peter Suciu on February 26, 2008 | Comments (10)