The Power Glove wasn't great. We know it, you know it, everyone knows it. It's infamous for being one of the worst controllers ever. Yet that doesn't stop people from being fascinated with it and trying new things out with the peripheral.
- Further reading: Feature: Uncovering The Unlikely Story Of The World's Worst Controller In The Power Of Glove
User napabar has sent us a demonstration of the Power Glove connecting to the Switch and getting the controller to play Switch games, the most impressive of which is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. The reason napabar — who runs the YouTube channel Will It Work? — wants to get the glove controlling this mixed reality game is because it will involve using the tilt controls of the glove to actually move a physical object around the house without touching it.
One of the challenges napabar faced was that Mario Kart Live only controlled using the control stick as opposed to giving the player a D-pad option. Fortunately, napabar was able to bypass this problem with relative ease. The other problem was that modern-day consoles don't just recognise any old USB controller — it has to be an officially licensed one — and while the Power Glove is a Nintendo controller, it's also pretty darn old. So napabar had to pick up the Titan One USB adaptor, on top of the NES to USB adaptor he'd already acquired, to get the Switch to recognise the controller.
After configuring the controls by moving the hand in the direction you would move the analogue stick, napabar then tests out the Power Glove with Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and it works! Then he moves on to the main event, and we've got to be honest, it's pretty impressive seeing the little plastic Mario in the kart move around the floor according to the directions napabar is moving his hand in, though to accelerate, he did need to write some extra code into the Titan One USB adaptor to enable auto-accelerate just like in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
So, hey, if you have a Power Glove, this is something you might want to try out for yourself! There are some things you can't do, like remap the finger controls, but it's a pretty ingenious and goofy way to play video games that we approve of.
You can watch the whole video on how to set up the Power Glove on the Switch, and see how Mario Kart Live works with this legendary controller.
Thanks for sharing this with us, napabar!
Comments 7
All this does is remind me that I still need to buy a power glove again. Still bitter I sold mine as a child.
Also pretty certain my luigi would get into a terrible wreck if I used the power glove to control him. It would look like a horror movie.
Someone must acquire the rights to the "Power Glove" brand and release a 2022 version.
The good old Nintendo fists of glory. Good to see that the worst accessory ever made is still the longest lived one!
Now where's my Power Pad mat?
I love the Power Glove. It’s so bad! 😎
I HATE the blue shell. It’s so BAD!!! 🤬
I once worked a show for a power metal band called Powerglove that just did covers of videogame and anime songs. Never thought I’d hear 400 metal heads singing along to the Pokémon theme song but there you have it.
“Now you’re playing with power!”
@Deady i actually love the fact theres a band like that, but am constantly saddened that the pokemon theme is like the only song they actually do vocals for. instrumentals alone arent enough for me.
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