The Power Glove is a joke, and it’s a joke for a reason. It was part of a truly legendary moment of overreach on the part of Nintendo, a demonstration that ambition is only rewarded when it can be achieved. But that said, the story behind it, and the attempt to change gaming it represented, is a fascinating story, and it’s finally getting its due.
Specifically, from the documentary The Power Of Glove, which actually digs into how the Power Glove was designed, why it was released, and why it failed:
Honestly, this documentary is probably going to be worth it just for the clips of clueless news anchors trying to use the thing. But there is actually a lot of meat here; it’s not just a story about nerds loving a cheesy old peripheral.
Keep in mind, motion controls in 1989 were pretty much science fiction. The designs were there, but the hardware was slow, unreliable, and expensive. In fact, Nintendo wasn’t even thinking about it: They just licensed the glove, and the actual development and design were done by Mattel. It says something about how the concept captured the popular imagination that it became a meme well before the Internet took off, and despite being a total failure with consumers.
There’s no word yet on a release date, but it looks like production is moving along. Now, how long before we get a documentary about the Power Pad?