One Of Nintendo 64's Prototype Controllers Was A Motion-Sensor Wrist Watch
The Nintendo 64 served up a harsh taste of reality for The Big N. Fresh off of trouncing the Sega Genesis with its Super Nintendo Entertainment System, it wasn't long until the Sony PlayStation was giving the Japanese giant a taste of its own medicine (via Nintendo Life). If Nintendo learned one thing from the experience, it was that gamers were done with paying higher prices for cartridges.
Still, the Nintendo 64 also brought plenty of good things to the table. From the medium-redefining quality of games like "Super Mario 64" and "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time," to the introduction of a fully functional analog stick and rumble support, the multiplayer machine was far from a total loss for Nintendo or the gaming industry as a whole. All the same, it would seem that Nintendo once had a much stranger idea for the Nintendo 64 controller when the system was still being focus-tested.
The motion sensor wrist watch even made it to play testing
Did You Know Gaming did one of their signature deep dives on "Super Mario 64" and, along the way, they unveiled one of the strangest tidbits about the development behind the Nintendo 64. Apparently, one of the controller prototypes was a wristwatch with a motion sensor.
More surprising still, the watch worked so well that Nintendo filed a patent for it. Alas, when Nintendo put the watch in the hands of gamers for testing, they were so confused by it that the research and development team had to scrap the idea completely.
Of course, as a result, we got the iconic Nintendo 64 gamepad with its four camera buttons, z-trigger on the back, and its palm-destroying analog stick. Even though the idea for the motion-controlled wristwatch was ultimately shelved, it's easy to imagine one of the prototypes fetching a pretty penny if it ever came to light.
As for Nintendo itself, while the motion-sensor watch was never released, the company did return to the motion controller idea with its popular Wii console. Even better for fans of motion controls, though, is that The Big N is still innovating with this type of technology to this day on the Nintendo Switch.