A goat tier console feature was how the Xbox would let you set your camera to inverted automatically. But they abandoned that for some reason.
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Bizarre, poorly advertised, obsolete, or underutilized console features
- Thread starter Theorymon
- Start date
The DS4 touchpad isn't even the worst Sony touchpad. I don't know what they were thinking with the rear Vita touchpad, it was clear from the system's reveal it would only be used for incredibly gimmicky uses, like Tearaway (the only decent use of it), and would be nigh unusable for normal gameplay.
The original Playstation models had a parallel port built in but there was never an official addon or product released for that port.
The first model also had an absolutely oversized but amazing audio interface included and is still getting used as high-end CD player by modern audiophiles.
The first model also had an absolutely oversized but amazing audio interface included and is still getting used as high-end CD player by modern audiophiles.
I dread any time I have to use it because it's so unresponsive on mine (maybe just a problem with my Vita?), and I'm mostly only using it to emulate shoulder button presses in remote play of RPGs where there's no time pressure.
Weird under-utilized feature that I just remembered! The Famicom in Japan: second controller had a microphone built in; it was how you defeated Pol's Voice enemies in Zelda. I don't think the Famicom had anywhere near the processing oomph to analyze sound input beyond "yup, sound is happening" and looking at the games that used this function that seems to be the case.
Same thing with the first model of PS3.
Earlier models of the Gamecube allowed you to pop off the jewel (the name of the plate with the logo where the disc tray opens) and swap them with different ones. I don't think anyone ever thought to do this or make replacements until long after the fact.
I own one and I forgot this was a thing. I think it's for the better so people don't come in thinking it's a tablet since it has no features of a tablet.
You just reminded me of a neat feature that I doubt many people used - with some PS1 titles you could remove the game disc when loading was done and insert your own music CD instead.
This was the best thing. Not having to set it in every game was so nice. It's so sad that the next generation didn't adopt this. If they could do stuff like subtitles and other settings as well that'd be so nice.
That's awesome. I loved Pac-Man Vs., and I actually had 3 siblings with GBA's. I got this game for them and link cables for us to play. I'm glad there's options in 2020 to do something like this now.
I think about growing up and having the Sega Channel, basically a subscription service where you can play a rotating assortment of Sega Genesis games via coax cable. It's just incredible to think that Sega was 15-20 years early when it comes to a Gamepass sort of service.
Wii Remotes contain internal memory to which you could save Mii data, and Smash used it to store controller configs, but that's pretty much all it was ever used for and I daresay 99.9% of players didn't know it was even a feature. The amount of memory was absurdly small, like 4kb or something, so maybe if it'd been bigger it would have seen more implementation.
The concept of amiibo was massively squandered, but the people buying them don't care that they don't do anything so why should anyone else?
The concept of amiibo was massively squandered, but the people buying them don't care that they don't do anything so why should anyone else?
The Wii could send demos of games to the DS, but they only put out a few and they were for mostly mediocre games. Then they just quietly stopped doing them and never bothered to do more.
Wii U to 3DS functionality was also never really used by anything
Wii U to 3DS functionality was also never really used by anything
My friend lost his remote and uhh its been 2 years and to this day uses his wii u gamepad as the tv remote to switch to other systems or to tv. Even uses it for volume etc.
Yeah, I always wondered why they didn't make those available directly via DS, even if only on DSi via DSiWare or something. I recall them doing them for a while, I think Sonic Colors was the last one I tried.
On a similar note, there was at least one Wii game (MaBoShi for WiiWare) that let you download a version to your DS via download play.
The Saturn allowed 12 players! Though I'm only aware of Bomberman supporting 10 at most.
You forgot to mention it had a mic! Bizarrely they did allow some voice chat in games, but it was extremely limited to things like the lobby in Mario Kart.
I did video chat some friends on the Wii U. Worked well enough and it was fun to draw on their faces...though they usually got annoyed.
I actually like the Wii sensor bar. Would set up the gamepad next to my desk and use it as a mini Wii. It also meant you could play 2 player Pikmin 3 and both people could use the superior Wii remote controls.
Supposedly they had lots of expansions planned for the 3D controller, but....yeah.
Yes! I had this thing. Might be buried somewhere in my boxes of cables...Anyone remember the Neo Geo Pocket link cable for the Dreamcast/?I think it only worked for like 5 or 6 games. And it didn't really do much besides unlocking art. I still have one somewhere in my closest
I'll add that the Wii also let you view photos on your SD card. And the Wii U browser had an API for its gyroscope and accelerometers, so people could program a site to use the the Gamepad to the fullest. Honestly that browser was fucking crazy.
I feel like half the features of newer Nintendo consoles would be completely unused without Pokémon and Smash Bros
Those two seem to push themselves to use every possible console gimmick they can get
Those two seem to push themselves to use every possible console gimmick they can get
Why the hell is there a camera on the vita, I just brought it out thinking about a persona 4 play through and was like damn what a waste.
Same with 3ds and dsi honestly
Same with 3ds and dsi honestly
They also briefly experimented with implementing the "Folding@Home" distributed computing project onto the system, but it was removed in 2012.
I really wish Sony works with Stanford's Pande Lab in bringing back Folding@Home because that was awesome and also bring back Live With Playstation with the Live Channels feature.
Came here to talk about this.
VMU had some interesting features that 99% of developers didn't use them, like playing games outside of Dreamcast controller.
Yo, the first person mode with gyro aiming is good and made me sad it didn't ever get VR support / side game.
My "patch" for this in R2 was to play in cinematic mode using the PSVR, and tilting my head with the controller sitting atop it.
Sure, I looked like a buffoon... but it was amazing to jump off a giant structure and fall through the clouds, past the main city, all the way to the slums.
Yep :(
Endless Ocean 1 and 2 with custom soundtracks were glorious.
Speaking of the Switch touch screen, I was playing Assassin's Creed Rouge and was surprised when I accidentally touched the map screen and it did something!
It works for scrolling and zooming.
It works for scrolling and zooming.
The vita had an extra proprietary port that afaik was never used. Was it supposed to be for TV out or something?
What game besides 1,2 switch uses the ir sensor? Why is it placed on the bottom of the joycon? You can't even point with it :(
I think the Wii channels probably count. Photo Channel was probably used a fair amount by people, but you also had the Weather & News Channels which...sure did exist. I did try to use the Weather channel a couple of times but it was always out of date and the News Channel I dont think anyone has ever used for any reason.
Also the ability to, I don't know, have separate channels interact with a game? I guess that's what you'd call things like the Mario kart channel. You installed it off the disc, I think, and after that you could interact with the game through that for all sorts of online features like the tournaments, ghost trading or even jump straight into a race. I assume the reason no other games really had this was because they just had all that functionality into the game proper (MK7 notably put it all in a separate mode still called "Mario Kart Channel" but it wasn't a separate app) but the idea of a separate app or channel or whatever able to interact with games on teh wii seems really novel to me.
The only other instance I can think of is the Skyward Sword Patch channel (side note: pretty sure this is the ONLY instance of patching in the entire system's history?), which is kind of different.
Also the ability to, I don't know, have separate channels interact with a game? I guess that's what you'd call things like the Mario kart channel. You installed it off the disc, I think, and after that you could interact with the game through that for all sorts of online features like the tournaments, ghost trading or even jump straight into a race. I assume the reason no other games really had this was because they just had all that functionality into the game proper (MK7 notably put it all in a separate mode still called "Mario Kart Channel" but it wasn't a separate app) but the idea of a separate app or channel or whatever able to interact with games on teh wii seems really novel to me.
The only other instance I can think of is the Skyward Sword Patch channel (side note: pretty sure this is the ONLY instance of patching in the entire system's history?), which is kind of different.
It was never widely used but Kid Icarus Uprising used play coins for the figurines, Smash Bros let you use them in place of gold for the trophy shop, I think Bravely Default could use them for that weird village builder mode. I think a number of earlier 3DS titles in particular used it, in general, for litle odds & ends but they never saw wide use and less and less games used them as time went on..
Labo uses it extensively. I feel like there's at least one other game that uses it as well but I can't recall.
Weirdly enough, if you place a Xbox 360 upside down the lights around the power button will change orientation.
I think Animal Crossing used them to buy special items. The Sims 3 Pets & the Resident Evil games also used them but I forgot what for though.
Also this was tucked away into the "Nintendo Channel" so it was eays to forget if you weren't interested in the other nintendo news on the channel.
Interestingly it could also distribute event data to certain games and by that I think it was just special event battle cards for Mega Man Star Force...3? Maybe 2. There's a laundry list of POkemon titles and spin offs this would have been a godsend for but...no. Just star force.
This is so baffling to me. And coding the UI to reach to touch is, while not trivial, certainly one of the absolute easiest things to implement in the game. Navigating the interface in games like Splatoon and Smash, where 90% of the interface use huge, touch friendly buttons, practically feels unfinshed in portable mode, just because it looks so designed for touch.
Asynchronous gameplay on the Wii U. It made local multiplayer games so much fun, but I can't think of any games outside of Mario Party 10, Nintendo Land, or Game & Wario that embraced it.
It was twice as bizarre on Wii U. Like Smash U in particular has very large UI buttons but there is one (1) instance of touch screen compatability and it's....the title screen. and ONLY the title screen. Not a single menu item or anything.
Wow..so you mean that after the console went into production the firm who sold Nintendo the license to the tech sent out the press release indicating that its tech was in the product when it actually wasn't? The forward looking health warnings on the press release take on a new meaning but it is still really misleading and their shareholders should have sued...
The Wii Remote does not have a microphone, but it does have a very low quality speaker.
Could also party watch on Netflix on the 360.
Semi-unknown (at least not commonly known) fact. The Xbox 360 memory card games were not copy protected. They were instead licensed to the media type. You could freely copy them to another memory card with third party tools.
PS4 did the faceplate thing as well.
OG Genesis had an expansion port as well. Got dropped tho.
The Sony PlayStation/Vita TV in general.
It just always felt like it was thrust out into the wild to die. It almost becoming a running joke amongst various outlets, that retailers couldn't givethem away.
Now, ironically, I'm interested in having one, and they're no longer affordable...
It just always felt like it was thrust out into the wild to die. It almost becoming a running joke amongst various outlets, that retailers couldn't givethem away.
Now, ironically, I'm interested in having one, and they're no longer affordable...
The same thing happened with the Watch Disney XD app on 360. Got forcibly uninstalled from consoles. Blew me away when I noticed it had happened. Officially they had stopped supporting it like 6 months earlier, but it still worked. Luckily the season of Star Wars Rebels has already ended, since that's all I used it for, lol
Not so much of a bizarre feature but more of a bizarre omission of one. Launch xbox 360s didn't support HDMI at all, I think if you wanted HD you needed to use component.
People have already mentioned the gamecube digital out port being used by the component cables but that only applies in america/japan. No pal games support the use of those cables making the port entirely unused in those territories despite pal gamecubes still having the port.
People have already mentioned the gamecube digital out port being used by the component cables but that only applies in america/japan. No pal games support the use of those cables making the port entirely unused in those territories despite pal gamecubes still having the port.