Gaming technology has advanced dramatically since the first home console launched in 1972. What started as basic,pixelated entertainmenthas evolved into a global industry fueled by innovation and rapid technological growth. Consoles have become more powerful, games more immersive, and access to gaming more widespread than ever before.
As the industry has progressed, many once-cutting-edge features have quietly faded. Cartridges turned into discs, now replaced by digital downloads. Memory cards, wired controllers, and bulky manuals have given way to cloud saves, wireless tech, and built-in tutorials. These shifts reflect a push toward more streamlined, user-friendly experiences focused on speed, convenience, and seamless play.
10Wired Controllers
Here’s Hoping Your Controller Reaches The Couch
Over the years, we’ve seen a wide variety of innovative controllers, from the three-pronged Nintendo 64 design to the sleek PlayStation controller and even the infamous Power Glove. Despite their differences, most early controllers shared one thing in common: they were wired. It wasn’t until the release of the Nintendo Wiimote and Nunchuck in 2006, and Sony’s DualShock 4 for the PS3 in 2013, that wireless play became standard.
Today,wireless controllers are the norm. We lounge on couches or sprawl out in pillow forts, unbothered by cable length or tangled cords. But not long ago, your range of movement depended entirely on the reach of your controller cable, not your room’s layout. Just don’t forget to recharge your controllers!
9PlayStation Multitap
Party Game! If You’re Lucky…
Video games have a long-standing tradition of multiplayer fun, but in the days of wired controllers, your player count was limited by the number of available ports. For the PlayStation and PS2, that meant just two — hardly enough for a real party.
Enter the Multitap. This accessory plugged into one of the console’s controller ports and expanded it to support up to four controllers and memory cards. With two Multitaps, you can connect up to eight players for some true couch co-op chaos (although it didn’t work well all the time). It was a game-changer for party games and sports titles, paving the way for themultiplayer experiences we take for granted today.
8Memory Cards
Lose The Card, Lose Your Game
While modern gaming consoles come equipped with internal memory similar to computers, this wasn’t always the case, especially during the era of disc-based systems. Back then, gamers relied on memory cards: small external devices used to store save data. These cards were first introduced with the Neo-Geo AES console, released by Japanese game company SNK Corporation, and quickly became standard for consoles like the PlayStation and GameCube.
While most cartridge-based gaming systems didn’t require memory cards, some Nintendo 64 games needed a special memory card called the Controller Pak, which was inserted into the controller instead of the console.
Today, memory cards have been replaced by built-in storage that allows players to save game data and download full titles directly to the console. While convenient, this system has its drawbacks. Without cloud backups, saved data can’t be easily transferred between consoles, and if a console becomes damaged, there’s a risk of losing all stored progress. Although internal memory simplifies gameplay, it also makes data more vulnerable without proper backup solutions.
7Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter
Wi-Fi Is Great When It Works
Today, we take easy internet access for granted. Whether working at a local coffee shop or gaming at home, connecting devices to Wi-Fi is quick and seamless. But in the early 2000s, this wasn’t the case. While Ethernet gaming, connecting consoles or PCs with cables, was common, reliable wireless access was still a challenge.
Microsoft’s answer was the Xbox 360 Wireless Network Adapter, a USB dongle with a small antenna reminiscent of old TV “bunny ears.” In theory, it offered a convenient solution for going wireless. In practice, it was notoriously temperamental. The USB had to be plugged in just right, and the antenna needed to be perfectly positioned to maintain a signal. Heaven forbid a light breeze jostled it in the middle of your gaming session. Despite its flaws, it paved the way for the built-in Wi-Fi support we now expect as a standard feature.
6Worm Light
A Personal Light That Illuminates Most Of Your Screen
Nintendo’s Game Boy revolutionized handheld gaming with its portability, accessible price, and wide library of games. Compared to home consoles, it offered a more affordable way to play on the go, quickly becoming a fan favorite. However, it had one major drawback: the screen wasn’t backlit. In well-lit areas, this wasn’t a problem, but in low light, like car rides at night, you often struggled to see, timing your gameplay with passing streetlights.
To solve this, Nintendo introduced the Worm Light, an external accessory that plugged into the Game Boy’s link cable port. It featured a flexible neck and a small bulb that illuminated the screen, making nighttime gaming possible. While effective, the Worm Light was somewhat awkward. It had to be properly positioned to avoid glare or shadows, and ran the risk of being knocked free. With the release of the Game Boy Advance SP and its built-in backlight, the Worm Light quickly became obsolete.
5Guitar Hero Wireless Receiver
For The Last Time, Don’t Lose Your Dongle
If there’s one lesson the evolution of gaming has taught us, it’s that gaming and dongles don’t mix well. While dongles offer a quick way to connect accessories to consoles, they’re small, easy to misplace, and often essential to functionality. In hindsight, that may have been the point: lose the dongle, buy a new one.
A prime example isGuitar Hero’s wireless receivers. These USB dongles connected the guitar controllers to the console, functioning much like a wireless gamepad. The problem? The guitar is completely useless without the dongle. If you lost it (and many did), you were out of luck unless you shelled out for a replacement. Thankfully, Bluetooth integration in modern gaming accessories has been a lifesaver for those of us who constantly misplace things, allowing for smoother setup, fewer parts, and one less tiny piece of plastic to worry about.
4Component Cables
Are You A Gamer Or An Electrician?
Back in the day, setting up a gaming console felt like an electrical project. There are two main ways to connect your system to a TV: A/V (RCA) cables and coaxial cables. A/V cables had three color-coded connectors for audio and video. Each needed to be plugged into the matching ports on both the console and TV. After that, you had to switch your TV to the correct input source, and if the picture wasn’t right, you usually needed to jiggle the cable a bit.
Coaxial cables were simpler. One end was screwed into the round metal port on the back of the TV, while the other connected to the console’s RF port. Then you’d turn the TV to channel 3 or 4, and you were good to go. It wasn’t exactly plug-and-play, but it got the job done. Compared to all that, HDMI cables feel like pure magic.
3Nintendo 64 Controller
The Controller That Made More Sense On Paper
While we discussed wired controllers earlier, the Nintendo 64’s bizarre controller design deserves special attention. Known for innovation, Nintendo may have gone a step too far with the N64’s three-pronged tripod controller. Unlike other consoles at the time, it featured a left and right gripplusa center grip that housed a miniature joystick and a back trigger.
The controls themselves were groundbreaking. The joystickrevolutionized movement in 3D environments, making platformers like Banjo-Kazooie far more intuitive. However, the controller’s awkward shape left players unsure how to hold it. Despite its functionality, the N64 controller became infamous for its confusing design, sparking decades of debate over the “correct” way to use it.
2Anti-Piracy Passwords
These Games Were Literally Tied To Their Manuals
Starting a new video game today is a simple process: plug in the game, download any necessary files, and hit play. That’s it. But back in the floppy disk era (yes, the icon that looks like the save button), things weren’t so easy. Computer games often came with manuals that explained the story, gameplay mechanics, controls, and, most importantly, included a unique password.
To launch the game, you need to enter that password as a form of copy protection. Sometimes it was clearly listed in the manual; other times, the game would prompt you to turn to a specific page, line, and word. No manual? No access. It was an early attempt to combat piracy and ensure only those who owned the game legitimately could play it.
1Command Line-Based Launchers
Become A Programmer To Play Your Games
In the early days of computer gaming, everything ran through DOS, a disk-based operating system that used command-line prompts instead of icons or menus. This means navigating your system by typing commands, even simply to play a video game.
Imagine just getting the new Duke Nukem game. You insert the floppy disk, boot up your family computer, and instead of a user-friendly desktop, you’re met with a black screen and blinking white cursor. You carefully type out commands to open directories, locate the game file, and launch it. Compared to today’s simple double-clicks or the green “Play” button on Steam, DOS launchers feel like ancient tech, but for many gamers, it was part of the charm (and the struggle) of early PC gaming.
