As a child of the 80s, I grew up with all the classic consoles. From Atari to Sega, consoles were truly the pinnacle of gaming. Aside from the ground-breaking technology at the time and the incredible games that spawned the sequels of today, of all the budding game systems, Nintendo was truly king. Now that we're anticipating the Nintendo Switch 2's launch and hoping for plenty of upgrades, it's a good time to look back at what we used to love.

Whether classic gaming was as good as you remember, one thing’s for certain: Nintendo came up with some pretty fun and weird accessories for their consoles. While some are memorable because of how weird they were (looking at you, Power Glove), others are far more impressive because of their impact on gaming in general. Or maybe they’re just fun. Though times have changed, and some of the features these accessories offered are now built right into the controllers nowadays, that doesn’t stop me from missing the simpler times.

6 SNES mouse and pad

They aren't just for computers

I’ll be real with you; the SNES mouse and pad add-on was only as good as the game that came with it. But what a game Mario Paint was! It was way more amazing than the Paint program on any computer, featuring fun Mario-based art, animation, music composition, and a fun little fly-swatting game. Aside from Mario Paint, though, plenty of SNES releases after the product’s launch were compatible with the mouse, like Wolfenstein 3D. Still, most were Japan-only or educational games like Mario’s Early Years: Fun with Letters.

Speaking of shortcomings, on top of limited compatibility, the cord was super short. So, if you did want to use it, you had to be close to the console. Despite its limited reach, I still miss having the mouse and pad simply because it was the only way to play Mario Paint, which made it all worth it. Of course, there are way better mouse options today, but aside from hacks and emulators, there’s no other way to make music using Yoshi heads.

5 Rumble Pak

Instead of just watching yourself fail, you can feel it too

Back in the old days, your controller didn’t have a built-in vibration feature. Instead, we had the Rumble Pak, an accessory players could purchase for the Nintendo 64 that could be attached to the controller, as if it weren’t bulky enough. This clunky add-on would activate the rumble feature in certain games, like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, which caused the controller to “rumble” in your hands. This force feedback vibration added a whole new level of immersion to gaming, and it was cleverly used to indicate where secrets were hidden, as punishment if Mario fell from too high of a cliff, or simply when your character takes damage.

The Nintendo 64 wasn’t the only console with this accessory; the Nintendo DS and DS Lite also had Rumble paks. Having the accessory wasn’t enough, though. You had to put AAA batteries in the N64 version to work. But that didn’t stop people from buying it. The feature was so popular that it’s included in most console controllers today.

4 NES Power Pad

Run, Lola, run

Way before Dance Dance Revolution had an at-home dance pad, Nintendo had the Power Pad. Nintendo has always tried to get into the fitness game, and this was their ticket in. The Power Pad, or Family Fun Fitness, was a large floor pad that players would use as a controller for memory, running, and coordination games. But like so many other accessories the NES put out, not many other games used this add-on.

It attached to the NES console using a controller plug, and the idea was that two players would compete alongside each other. Just hope you have the NES placed on a stable and sturdy shelf because if not, the vibrations from stomping on the controller could easily knock the power out of the console. The buttons weren’t the most reactive, and I mainly remember using the Power Pad to play Athletic World and cheating by kneeling and hitting the buttons with my hands rather than using my feet. The Power Pad may be obsolete thanks to new tracking technology, but it was still fun.

3 Balance Board

The Wii Fit instructor was just prepping for Smash Brothers

While we’re on the subject of fitness, the Wii Balance Board is a more recent addition to the Nintendo accessory graveyard. Like the Power Pad before it, the Balance Board’s sole purpose was to encourage exercise, and it was sold as a bundle with Wii Fit on the Wii and Wii U consoles. Running on AA batteries and Bluetooth, the board was a step up in the fitness world, but this time, it’s a solo venture. Only one person can use the board at a time. While primarily used for Wii Fit, the Balance Board is compatible with a ton of other games, primarily snowboarding and other exercise–focused titles.

While it was one of the popular accessories, Nintendo has moved on to the Ring Fit, leaving the Balance Board to its fate on the Wii/Wii U. Still, I love bringing it out occasionally.

2 Game Boy Camera / Pocket Printer

Smile! You're on Game Boy Camera

Nintendo has always cornered the market on gaming handhelds, so it's natural that their first portable console, the Game Boy, would have some awesome accessories. This one might have been a pure gimmick, but it was a lot of fun. While you can take plenty of screenshots, pictures, and videos on our phones now, we used to be able to capture pictures with a Game Boy. The Game Boy Camera lets users take pictures in grayscale, even selfies; you could edit, add your own art, and print them out. It could even take video clips, which was amazing for the time.

The Game Boy camera wasn’t just tied to your Game Boy. You could connect the camera to various other systems, like the Nintendo 64 or GameCube, provided you had the proper cables and accessories. If you had a Game Boy Printer, or Pocket Printer, it was possible to print out any of your pictures or creations. The printer was also fun printing out game-captured images on thermal paper from games like Link’s Awakening DX and Pokémon Yellow: Special Pikachu Edition. In typical Nintendo fashion, though, these accessories were all sold separately.

1 NES Zapper

I can still hear that dog laughing

There have been many different versions, but the Zapper is one of the best Nintendo accessories. It's a light gun used in many classic shooter games, and because of it, Duck Hunt became a legend. While there is no need for actual gun accessories since gaming technology has improved vastly since 1985, there’s just something about the Zapper that is just fun. While the aesthetic changed from classic gray Nintendo coloration to a more bright, toy-like design, this accessory (along with marketing the NES as a toy) helped relaunch video games.

While the gun itself interacts with on-screen targets, Nintendo released several accessories for the Zapper, including a scope and a headset, to make the experience even better. The big problem was that the design stopped functioning properly with newer televisions. While other “zappers” have been released by Nintendo, none hit quite the same. The only place you can get the same experience is at an arcade nowadays.

Just a few blasts from the past

Time marches on, and all things come to an end. Still, it’s fun to remember where video games started and what fun accessories we used to have. Of course, current-gen consoles incorporate some of these ideas into present-day controllers and systems. Plus, Nintendo is always coming up with new accessories for us to throw money at. Still, I fondly look back at these old accessories and games, and can’t wait to see what the future holds with the Nintendo Switch 2.