These days, gaming peripherals are fairly standard and utilitarian. Custom controllers, extra storage, and maybe an arcade stick or steering wheel for specialized games are about the limit of what you can expect. Back in the day, though, companies were willing to experiment with all kinds of hardware to enhance the gaming experience.
Nintendoconsoles of the ’80s and ’90s had their fair share of iconic peripherals. While some were certainly more successful than others, they have an undeniable nostalgia factor that means even the flops can make fun collectors' pieces today. Here are some of the most notable, and what they’re worth.
We usedpricecharting.com,which tracks collectibles sales around the world, to determine the prices for these items. Their values are subject to change.
$11.48
$31.61
$67.38
Why would a cartridge-based system need a memory card? The Controller Pak was part of the initial strategy for the N64, and while ostensibly it could be used to transfer save data between two copies of the same game, its main use was forsaving files externally, freeing up space on the cartridge itself.
While a few games require the Controller Pak by design in order to save data, the idea was phased out relatively quickly as developers opted to simply use cartridges' onboard storage.
$22.49
$62.49
$79.99
The Power Pad didn’t have many games available for it, but its heart was in the right place. Originally released in Japan as theFamily Trainerin 1986, its intent was to blend video games and fitness. Players would jump and stomp on the pad’s buttons according to the inputs on the screen.
It’s not a particularly rare item, but it’s a fun accessory, especially taken as a precursor to theDance Dance Revolutionpad.
$72.50
$102.52
$114.99
Despite being seen as backwards for sticking with cartridges over CDs, the Nintendo 64 was a very powerful machine for its time. With 4MB of RAM, it outpaced its biggest competitor, the PlayStation, which had only 2MB.
Yes, that’s MB, not GB. It was a lot back then.
For some games, though, notablyMajora’s MaskandDonkey Kong 64, the console needed even more processing power. That’s where the Expansion Pak came in. Slotting this accessory into the consoleadded another 4MB of RAM, rendering these big titles playable and enhancing the performance of others.
Today, an Expansion Pak still holds value even if it’s not sealed or complete-in-box, since it’s necessary to play some classic games on original hardware. That makes it more utilitarian than a pure collection piece.
$19.36
$44.64
$138.00
We expect modern controllers to have a vibration feature built-in, but that was new and exciting technology in the mid-90s. The N64 controller couldn’t vibrate on its own, but instead had a peripheral slot where you couldinsert the Rumble Pak(sold separately, of course).
The Rumble Pak made games likeStar Fox 64all the more exciting, but it also added a lot of weight to the top of the controller, making it unwieldy. Still, for many gamers it was the first glimpse of a feature that would become standard going forward.
$40.47
$77.50
$127.00
The release ofPokemonbrought the Game Boy back from the brink, and as the handheld’s ten-year anniversary approached new accessories were still being developed for it. Gadgets like the Game Boy Camera were little more than novelties, but they’re emblematic of Nintendo’s quirkiness.
A standard Game Boy Camera is usually pretty easy to come by, but true collectors will want to find alimited-editionLegend Of Zeldagold version.Only 2000 were made, and they were available by mail order from Nintendo Power Magazine. Obviously, they’re extremely rare, andsell for thousandswhen they surface.
$18.73
$74.91
$145.98
The precursor to the modern arcade stick, the NES Advantage was a heavy joystick controller thatused both of the console’s ports. Its standout feature was itsadjustable turbo buttons, which allowed you to button-mash simply by holding A or B, and using the dials to set how fast you wanted the input to go.
Despite its name, the controller only provided an “advantage” on some titles, and even then it was more a matter of preference compared to the standard thumb controller. It does have a very satisfying weight to it, though, and if you just want to try it outa loose unit is fairly inexpensive.
$49.99
$127.89
$150.33
One of Nintendo’s weirder accessories, the Game Boy Printer used thermal paper to create low-resolution images. A few games were compatible with it, but it was mostly used with the Game Boy Camera, another peripheral for the aging handheld.
The Game Boy Printer is a fun addition to a retro gamer’s collection, but if you’re lucky enough to get a sealed unit, itcould be worth getting it gradedif it’s in good shape.. Highly-graded Printers have sold foraround $1500when they’ve turned up in the past.
$14.74
$81.63
$228.51
The Zapper light gun is themost iconic NES accessory; you never forget the satisfying feeling of blasting targets in Duck Hunt, Hogan’s Alley, or my personal unappreciated classic of choice, To The Earth. The gray Zapper was part of the original NES package in North America, released in 1985, while theorange version was available separately from 1988.
While both versions are easily available to collectors if you just want one out of the box, asealed or in-box orange Zapperwill cost a bit more to get your hands on than the original model. This islikely because fewer were sold overall; most NES owners had a gray Zapper that came with the console, and would only have bought an orange one if they needed a replacement or felt like dropping extra cash on the alternate color scheme.
$26.83
$59.26
$241.63
Long before the Switch merged a handheld and a home console into a single, convenient unit, theSuper Game Boy(PAL version pictured above) astounded players by bringing their portable games to the TV screen - in color, no less! By slotting the SGB into a Super Nintendo console, then putting a Game Boy cartridge into the SGB, you couldplay the game without having to squint over a two-and-a-half inch, non-backlit screen.
A few Game Boy games, notably the parallel releaseDonkey Konghad their own color palettes and custom borders preloaded onto the cartridge, while older games let players customize their look with four-color options. Best of all, it didn’t require batteries.
$60.60
$125.85
$403.00
The Super Scope 6 was a great idea on paper; the Zapper had worked well for the NES, so why shouldn’t the Super NES have its own super light gun? Everything about the Super Scope went bigger; its design went from a pistol to ashoulder-mounted bazooka, and it was packed in with a cartridge that included six shooting games.
Developers weren’t keep on making games for the Super Scope, though, and only a handful of titles from the SNES’s extensive library ended up using it. A complete set, with the cartridge, gun, and all the components, is a pretty good find nowadays, though.
