U-Force

Last updated
U-Force
U-Force Controller cover.jpg
Developer Broderbund
ManufacturerBroderbund
Release date1989 (1989)
Platform Nintendo Entertainment System

The U-Force is a game controller made by Broderbund for the Nintendo Entertainment System. [1] It employs a pair of perpendicular consumer IR sensor panels to translate the user's hand movements into controller signals.

Contents

Reception

The U-Force was ranked the eighth worst video game controller by IGN editor Craig Harris. [2] 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." [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GameCube</span> Home video game console by Nintendo

The GameCube is a home video game console developed and released by Nintendo in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in PAL territories in 2002. It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 (1996), and predecessor of the Wii (2006). In the sixth generation of video game consoles, the GameCube competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox. Flagship games include Super Smash Bros. Melee, Luigi's Mansion, Super Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Mario Kart: Double Dash, Pikmin, Pikmin 2, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, Chibi-Robo!, and Animal Crossing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game controller</span> Device used with games or entertainment systems

A game controller, gaming controller, or simply controller, is an input device used with video games or entertainment systems to provide input to a video game, typically to control an object or character in the game. Before the seventh generation of video game consoles, plugging in a controller into one of a console's controller ports was the primary means of using a game controller, although since then they have been replaced by wireless controllers, which do not require controller ports on the console but are battery-powered. USB game controllers could also be connected to a computer with a USB port. Input devices that have been classified as game controllers include keyboards, mouses, gamepads, joysticks, etc. Special purpose devices, such as steering wheels for driving games and light guns for shooting games, are also game controllers.

<i>The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time</i> 1998 video game

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is an action-adventure game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan and North America in November 1998, and in PAL regions the following month. Ocarina of Time is the first game in The Legend of Zelda series with 3D graphics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Power Pad</span>

The Power Pad is a floor mat game controller for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a gray mat with twelve pressure-sensors embedded between two layers of flexible plastic. It was originally developed by Bandai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii</span> Home video game console by Nintendo

The Wii is a home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released on November 19, 2006, in North America and in December 2006 for most other regions of the world. It is Nintendo's fifth major home game console, following the GameCube and is a seventh-generation console alongside Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rumble Pak</span> Haptic accessory for the Nintendo 64

The Rumble Pak is a removable device from Nintendo which provides force feedback while playing video games. Games that support the Rumble Pak cause it to vibrate in select situations, such as when firing a weapon or receiving damage, to immerse the player in the game. Versions of the Rumble Pak are available for the Nintendo 64, the Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo DS Lite. A select few Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance (GBA) games use a similar technology built into the game cartridge. Force feedback vibration has become a built-in standard feature in almost every home video game console controller since.

The Turbo Touch 360 is a series of aftermarket third-party controllers made by Triax for the Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and Sega Genesis. The Turbo Touch 360 was first shown off at the International Consumer Electronics Show in late 1993, but the controller never replaced the D-Pad in later consoles because it was reported to be overly sensitive and uncomfortable to use.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WaveBird Wireless Controller</span> Radio frequency-based wireless controller for the GameCube

The WaveBird Wireless Controller is a radio frequency-based wireless controller manufactured by Nintendo for use with the GameCube home video game console. Its name is a reference to Dolphin, the GameCube's codename during development. The WaveBird was available for purchase separately as well as in bundles with either Metroid Prime or Mario Party 4, which were exclusive to Kmart in the US.

The Virtual Console is a line of downloadable video games for Nintendo's Wii and Wii U home video game consoles and the Nintendo 3DS handheld game console.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii Remote</span> Primary game controller for the Wii

The Wii Remote, also known colloquially as the Wiimote, is the primary game controller for Nintendo's Wii home video game console. An essential capability of the Wii Remote is its motion sensing capability, which allows the user to interact with and manipulate items on screen via motion sensing, gesture recognition, and pointing which is used for the console, using accelerometer and optical sensor technology. It is expandable by adding attachments. The attachment bundled with the Wii console is the Nunchuk, which complements the Wii Remote by providing functions similar to those in gamepad controllers. Some other attachments include the Classic Controller, Wii Zapper, and the Wii Wheel, which has originally been used for the racing game, Mario Kart Wii.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Classic Controller</span> Game controller for the Wii by Nintendo

The Classic Controller is a game controller produced by Nintendo for the Wii home video game console. While it later featured some compatibility with the Wii U console, the controller was ultimately succeeded by the Wii U Pro Controller. In April 2014, Nintendo discontinued production of both the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii Balance Board</span> Accessory for the Wii and Wii U

The Wii Balance Board is an accessory for the Wii and Wii U video game consoles. Unlike the usual balance board for exercise, it does not rock but instead tracks the user's center of balance. Along with Wii Fit, it was introduced on July 11, 2007 at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion controller</span> Video game controller that tracks motions

In video games and entertainment systems, a motion controller is a type of game controller that uses accelerometers or other sensors to track motion and provide input.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GameCube controller</span> Primary game controller for the GameCube

The GameCube controller is the standard game controller for the GameCube home video game console, manufactured by Nintendo and launched in 2001. As the successor to the Nintendo 64 controller, it is the progression of Nintendo's controller design in numerous ways. The contentious M-shaped design of its predecessor was replaced with a more conventional handlebar style controller shape; a second analog stick was added, replacing the C buttons with a C stick and the X and Y face buttons, last seen on the Super Nintendo controller, were reintroduced; the shoulder buttons were changed to hybrid analog triggers. A wireless variant of the GameCube controller known as the WaveBird was released in 2002.

Nintendo 64 accessories are first-party Nintendo hardware—and third-party hardware, licensed and unlicensed. Nintendo's first-party accessories are mainly transformative system expansions: the 64DD Internet multimedia platform, with a floppy drive, video capture and editor, game building setup, web browser, and online service; the controller plus its own expansions for storage and rumble feedback; and the RAM-boosting Expansion Pak for big improvements in graphics and gameplay. Third-party accessories include the essential game developer tools built by SGI and SN Systems on Nintendo's behalf, an unlicensed SharkWire online service, and unlicensed cheaper counterparts to first-party items. In the fifth generation of video game consoles, the Nintendo 64 had a market lifespan from 1996 to 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii MotionPlus</span> Expansion device for the Wii Remote

The Wii MotionPlus (Wiiモーションプラス) is an expansion device for the Wii Remote, the primary game controller for the Wii. The device allows more complex motion to be interpreted than the Wii Remote can do alone. Both the Wii and its successor, the Wii U, support the Wii MotionPlus accessory in games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nintendo Entertainment System</span> Home video game console

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the Family Computer (FC), commonly known as the Famicom. The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American test markets on October 18, 1985, before becoming widely available in North America and other countries.

<i>Sin and Punishment</i> 2000 rail shooter and shooting gallery video game co-developed by Treasure and Nintendo

Sin and Punishment is a rail shooter video game co-developed by Treasure and Nintendo for the Nintendo 64, and originally released only in Japan in 2000. Its story takes place in the near future of 2007 when war breaks out as humanity is struggling with a global famine. The player takes on the roles of Saki and Airan as they fight to save Earth from destruction. The game employs a unique scheme that uses both the D-pad and control stick on the Nintendo 64 controller, allowing players to maneuver the character while simultaneously aiming the targeting reticle. The player must shoot at enemies and projectiles while also dodging attacks to survive and progress through the game.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wii U</span> Home video game console by Nintendo

The Wii U is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.

References

  1. Tricked-out Videogames, BY FRANK VIZARD, Popular Mechanics, Oct 1989, Page 106
  2. "Top 10 Tuesday: Worst Game Controllers". IGN. 2006-02-21. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  3. "U-Force". MSN. Archived from the original on 6 September 2009. Retrieved 23 September 2009.