U-Force
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The U-Force was a game controller made by Brøderbund for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It employed a pair of perpendicular infrared sensor panels to translate the user's hand movements into controller signals.
From a print advertisement circa 1989[1]:
Introducing U-Force, the revolutionary controller for your Nintendo Entertainment System. So hot, no one can touch it. Now you can feel the power without touching a thing. It's U-FORCE from Broderbund - the first and only video game controller that, without touching anything, electronically senses your every move, and reacts. There's nothing to hold, nothing to jump on, nothing to wear, U-Force creates a power field that responds to your every command--making you the controller. It's the most amazing accessory in video game history - and it will change the way you play video games forever. It's the challenge of the future. U-Force. Now nothing comes between you and the game.
[edit] Reception
The U-Force was ranked the eighth worst video game controller by IGN editor Craig Harris.[2] ScrewAttack put it on the top of their list of the worst game peripherals ever.[3] MSN listed it as one of the top 10 worst game peripherals, writing "Second only to the Sega Activator in terms of all-out crappiness, the U-Force also used infrared sensors to create a truly nightmarish controller...'Don’t Touch' said the adverts for the device, in a rare example of an advertising campaign that got it spot on."[4]
In their list, ScrewAttack specifically cited the fact that there was no specifics as to what you could do with the U-Force. As a result, it was impossible to use even with the flight stick attachment packaged with the U-Force.
[edit] References
- ^ [1] Original advertisement
- ^ "Top 10 Tuesday: Worst Game Controllers". IGN. 2006-02-21. http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/690/690449p1.html. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^ ScrewAttack (May 8, 2007). "The Best and Worst Gaming Peripherals". GameTrailers. http://www.gametrailers.com/player/19276.html. Retrieved Dec. 13, 2009.
- ^ "U-Force". MSN. http://tech.uk.msn.com/gaming/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=149506348&imageindex=9. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
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![[1]](http://web.archive.org/web/20100303120639/http://www.nesretro.com/hardware/UForceAd.jpg){kind=link}