11 Old-School Gaming Accessories That Used To Be Essential

May 9, 2026 - 22:41

Before online multiplayer and cloud saves, gaming was a physical experience. You didn't just download a patch; you plugged in a plastic peripheral. These 11 old-school accessories were once considered essential, and they helped define how we played.

First up, the light gun. Whether it was the NES Zapper or the Sega Menacer, pointing a plastic pistol at a CRT screen felt revolutionary. Games like Duck Hunt turned the living room into an arcade. Next, the memory card. For PlayStation and Dreamcast owners, this tiny slab of plastic held your digital soul. Without it, you were starting Final Fantasy VII from scratch every time.

The Rumble Pak for the Nintendo 64 changed immersion forever. Feeling a controller shake when you crashed in Star Fox 64 was a revelation. Then there was the Game Boy Camera and Printer. Taking grainy, pixelated selfies and printing them on thermal paper was absurd, but it was also pure creativity. The Sega Genesis 6-Button Arcade Pad was a fighter's best friend, making Street Fighter II combos actually possible.

Don't forget the NES Advantage joystick, a massive arcade stick that let you crush buttons with your fist. The Game Genie was a cheat code brick that slid into a cartridge, letting you skip levels or have infinite lives. For racing fans, the Xbox Steel Battalion controller was a behemoth of switches, joysticks, and pedals that cost more than the console itself.

The Atari 2600's Paddle controllers were perfect for Breakout, while the NES Power Glove, though clunky, made every kid feel like a cyborg. Finally, the PS1 Multitap was a plastic hub that let four friends crowd around a tiny screen for games like Crash Team Racing. These accessories were bulky, wired, and often ridiculous. But they were also the reason gaming felt like an event.