Why did handhelds get screwed out of arcade controls?

[Jayinem81]

I mean how cool would have it been to play this?

With these

Or use this

To shoot at this

And finally this

To play this

So many missed opportunities.

 

[UltraSUPRA]

I mean how cool would have it been to play this?

With these

Man would cower at the sight.

Or use this

To shoot at this

Man was not built for such a height.

And finally this

To play this

We will build heroes.

 

[slaphappygamer]

I KNOW the gameboy color will be awesome with....

the picture didn’t attach the first time, so...it’s less funny.

 

[Veho]

I mean how cool would have it been to play this?

With these

I know it's not exactly the same but there's this:

 

[FAST6191]

Has anybody in the history of ever wanted to play mario kart in any kind of competitive or even just for fun with a wheel?
I can sort of see some of the really nice wheels and wrap around monitors doing for a simulation game.

Anyway wireless controls were hard around the time those things were released (even by the DS* things were still all about custom RF rather than bluetooth. To the person thinking about bringing up IR then think long and hard before you do that one.) and wired controls into that sort of thing is a dubious prospect (all those damaged controls/ports/consoles...).

*which we might also want to remember did not have full wifi until a firmware update to enable it. That might have been patents/licensing concerns, and some of the same might be said for bluetooth.

The general lack of TV out is pretty shameful though, even as a secondary device.

 

[AmandaRose]

And finally this

To play this

So many missed opportunities.

But we had arcade controls for the gameboy as far back as the early 1990s.

 

[FAST6191]

But we had arcade controls for the gameboy as far back as the early 1990s.

Does buttons on a lever stick really count?

 

[AmandaRose]

Does buttons on a lever stick really count?

Well the reviews of it I have read seem to think it counts. Here is just one as an example

In at Number 1 is the Hyperboy for the original DMG. This is a rare bit of kit when it comes to GameBoy accessories, and we were lucky to come across it when we did! You might be wondering what the heck this thing is, which is good because otherwise, I wouldn’t have anything to talk to you about. This little device made by Konami basically turns your original GameBoy into an arcade machine. We’re talking about recreating those nostalgic moments down at the arcade, blasting through the best Neo-Geo games and button mashing to your heart’s content. The unit itself is pretty simple to work – just slot your DMG in and you’re good to go. If you’re looking at playing your favourite titles on a screen and don’t want to purchase the Retron Jr then this could be a neat little accessory for your collection.


https://retrododo.com/gameboy-accessories/

 

[FAST6191]

That might be the first time I have ever seen a controller overlay device, much less one on the end of a lever rod, be dubbed worth the effort. It is rare enough that you get an utterly passive clip on rigid (silicone type stuff tending to be written off more as protection than comfort) shell that is worth the effort.

 

[Jayinem81]

I know it's not exactly the same but there's this:

When I'm in public I want the realism of a huge steering wheel to turn the kart on a tiny device.

 

[AmandaRose]

I was rather surprised to find there was a steering wheel for the GBA called the GBA Rally Wheel.

 

[CanIHazWarez]

It was rather surprised to find there was a steering wheel for the GBA called the GBA Rally Wheel.

View attachment 209705

It was awful. It wasn't an external controller at all, just a more labor-intensive way to press left and right on the d-pad.