Video Game Features that Players won’t Miss

The video game industry is in a constant state of evolution, which is both good and somewhat bitter sweet depending how old you are. On one hand, new advancements result in prettier graphics and more comfortable controllers, while on the downside, a number of beloved features got the axe, which disappoints nostalgic players with fond memories of the good old days.

With this in mind, it’s obvious that some things had to go, so here are a handful of video game features no one will miss. 

Notes sections in manuals 

We can’t help but sigh when new games don’t come with manuals, especially ones from Nintendo; the company continued to publish full color booklets after the rest of the industry went black-and-white and then nixed them entirely. At the same time, we never had much use for the Notes sections at the end. Sure, you can jot down tips for beating bosses, lengthy password saves and codes, but that’s what Nintendo Power (RIP) and the Internet are for. Besides, writing in video game manuals was a surefire way to bring down the value for collectors. That said, please don’t write in your mint and complete copy of Panzer Dragoon Saga for Sega Saturn. You’ll make us cry. 

Password saves

Kudos if you never had to endure these monsters. A select number of games (Snake’s Revenge on NES in particular) forced players to write down long passwords to save their games, as opposed to cartridges with built-in batteries. Not the worst thing in the world, except for when we accidentally wrote a password incorrectly and lost our save, or had to use one from several hours prior.  This crude process forced us to check and then recheck passwords several times over, which probably explains our obsessive compulsive disorder at such a young age. On a side note, we beat Snake’s Revenge. 

Controller cords 

Remember when controllers came with six-foot cords? Yes, some were longer (the original Xbox comes to mind), but good luck relaxing on the couch with the TV and console just out of reach. Most of us played on the floor and had to improvise to make the position comfortable; thank the video game gods for cheap bean bag chairs. Some publishers, meanwhile, didn’t put these cords in the best places. For whatever reason, Sega attached the Dreamcast controller cord on the bottom instead of the top. That aside, we’ll take wireless controllers all day. 

Memory cards 

To be fair, we filled the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One 500 GB harddrives faster than expected, but at least there’s the option for external harddrive storage that always beats using a memory card.  While portable, these tiny peripherals were often full of data or lost, which resulted in us tearing apart our rooms desperately searching for them to continue from where we left off.  The last thing you want is to misplace a PlayStation One memory card at the very end of a long RPG.  

Batteries

If you grew up in the 80s or 90s, you may have dark memories shoving six AA batteries into a Sega Game Gear (same with the Sega Nomad or Atari Lynx), only to have the portable suck them dry in less than 10 hours. The agony! The expense!

Thankfully that’s no longer the case. The Xbox One and Xbox 360 controllers take 2AAs each, and you have the option of purchasing a Play & Charge Kit. The DualShock 3 and DualShock 4 don’t take external batteries, and no one remembers the last time they charged Nintendo’s Wii U Pro Controller, which lasts for 80 hours on a single charge. These days you don’t need batteries at all, and controllers don’t lose juice faster than a Nomad, so we’re in a great spot. 

Expensive peripherals 

Keep in mind that publishers still release add-ons for their systems. Nintendo, for instance, still sells the Wii Wheel for Mario Kart 8, but that’s nowhere near as crazy as the 32X for Sega Genesis, the Power Glove for the NES or the motion-activated U-Force (also for the NES). Some of these oversized products were almost as expensive as the consoles, and there was no end to the AC adapters you had to plug into wall sockets and power strips to make these items work. Of course, the Internet either did not exist or was a shell of its current self (no Amazon customer reviews), and advertising being what it was in the 80s and 90s, we wound up purchasing every Sega CD, Activator and Super Scope 6 we got our hands on. Bottom line, you don’t want to see our closets, or maybe you do. Source

What don’t you miss about classic gaming? Let us know!

Now join us for a look at video game box art through the years.