Retro Nintendo Power Glove Turned Into Cutting Edge Tool
More than 25 years after its official release, the Nintendo Power Glove is finally finding its groove, thanks to a crafty animator named Dillon Markey.
Like many of the best DIY projects, Markey’s creation combines a little sentimentality and practicality to create something every child of the early 90’s would have killed for.
Markey hacked the Power Glove to use in his production work on the Cartoon Network hit show Robot Chicken. Though it’s admittedly a nostalgia thing, Markey said the Power Glove actually has some pragmatic practical applications as well.
“I remember thinking, carrying this USB-attached numeric keypad all around the stage with me, ‘Why don’t I just have this on my arm?’” he says in a new documentary short posted online.
(Vimeo)
The much-maligned device was first released in 1989 and was designed as a wireless controller accessory allowing gamers to throw punches and swing tennis rackets in a simulated method most people know better through the Nintendo’s Wii gaming system that came out several years later.
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(Vimeo)
So, how did Markey transform the antiquated piece of gaming history into a modern design tool? Wired’s Kyle Vanhemert writes:
“With the help of a friend, Markey rigged up a glove that serves as a wireless controller for his animation software of choice, allowing him to navigate frames and capture shots without walking back to his gear. He also outfitted the glove with a clever set of retractable tweezers, secured by magnets, which he uses to tweak the tiny expressions on his characters’ faces.”
Markey teamed up with the engineer spouse of one of his co-workers, installed a new circuit board inside the Power Glove. With no previous electronics experience, he asked around for help and searched the web to find the parts he needed.
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As it turns out, Markey isn’t the first innovator to transform the Power Glove into something different. Technology Tell’s April Marie notes that several DJ’s and musicians have used the Power Glove in their performances. She writes, “It’s incredible to think that someone, somewhere, was the first person to look at a Power Glove and think, “I know what else I could use that for.” I know I wouldn’t have had the creativity or the skills to make that a reality!”
Maybe he’ll tackle the Nintendo Zapper from the classic Duck Hunt game next.
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