A functional controller, a reliable television, and access to Channel 3 were just about all we needed to complete our gaming sessions back in the day.

But if you thought your Nintendo 64 palm blisters were rough, wait ’til you see some of these wild (and often impractical) devices released for popular home consoles.

These 10 offbeat gadgets and gizmos prioritized “cool factor” over functionality, cementing them in gaming history alongside other now-laughable toys and tech.

Miracle Piano Teaching System (1990)

On paper, bringing otherwise-dull piano lessons to your kid’s favorite console seems like a reasonable compromise. But the Miracle Piano Teaching System wasn’t a runaway success. Who would’ve thought?!

In 1990, the Software Toolworks kit was priced at $500, a figure that contributed to consumers’ collective indifference — and thrilled execs at Casio.

Hori ‘Dragon Quest’ Slime Controller (2005)

Hershey’s Kiss? No. Unbelievably inconvenient game controller? Yes!

Released for the PlayStation 2 in the early 2000s, this branded controller is the spitting image of Dragon Quest‘s Slime. Flip him over, and he’s a fully operational gamepad. He’s a cutie but a clunker, and I can’t imagine any game is easy to tackle with this thing.

Game Boy Camera (1998)

If you’re hoping to take some horribly deep-fried photos, the Game Boy Camera is your best bet.

Insert this camera cartridge into your handheld and start snappin’, but not before you get ahold of the Game Boy Printer, thermal paper, necessary cables, a floppy disk or two…

Follow us on MSN for more content you love.

Sega Action Chair (1992)

This super-rare Sega Action Chair was an accessory released for the Sega Mega Drive in the early 1990s. Only a few hundred seats were ever manufactured, which contributes to the gaming chair’s high resale value.

The chair acts as a D-pad; lean to the left, and your player character heads that way, too.

Meh. It’s easier than crunches, I guess.

Konami LaserScope (1991)

Konami’s LaserScope was a wearable peripheral crafted for Laser Invasion.

Yeah, it would’ve been cool to feel like Frieza as a kid, but how many uses are you getting out of this? This one, like a lot of other retro accessories, feels more gimmicky than useful.

Sega Dreamcast Fishing Controller (1999)

Just what fishing simulators need — immersion! You can really feel like you’ve been waiting hours for a nibble with Dreamcast‘s fishing rod controller, a quirky tool sold for Sega Bass Fishing in 1999.

Around the start of the new millennium, tech brands tried so hard to capitalize on the “it’s the future now” consumer sentiment. But here we are, 25 years later, cringing.

PS2 EyeToy (2003)

Wait, bring that Game Boy Camera back!

PlayStation’s novelty EyeToy webcam attached directly to the PS2, capturing live footage of players and putting them right into compatible games like EyeToy Play and…EyeToy Play 2.

Cool.

NubyTech ‘Resident Evil 4’ Chainsaw Controller (2005)

Let’s be honest with ourselves: You’re throwing this into storage and going back to your traditional controller. Don’t throw it out, though — it’ll be a great Halloween costume accessory when October rolls around.

Again, more of a collector’s item than a practical peripheral.

N64 Voice Recognition Unit (2000)

Indecipherably holler for Pikachu with Nintendo 64’s eyesore mic attachment.  The dull gray box plugged into the console’s controller slot, picking up and interpreting garbled voice signals from players.

I remember this one well, and I cherish every minute of the hour of fun I had!

CTA Wii Bowling Ball (2009)

As if Wiimotes weren’t responsible for enough black eyes and shattered screens already, CTA released a bowling ball peripheral intended for the Nintendo Wii‘s Wii Sports.

Regardless of skill, you’re bowling a perfect game with one of these bad boys. “Who do you think you are? I AM!”

Follow us on MSN for more content you love.

Read more:

• 10 Video Games Set in Political Dystopias
• ‘Schedule I’ and other offbeat ‘simulation’ games your library needs