Gamertell

Yes, the DS is a unique little handheld system, but it apparently isn’t unusual enough for some Japanese video game developers and publishers. They decide that it isn’t enough for their games to just have touch screen support, they need to branch out into uncharted territories. They need crazy, potentially useless, peripherals.

When compared to other handheld systems across the ages, the DS has acquired a collection of the most outlandish devices ever to be jury-rigged onto a system. So far the only useful additions have been a web browser and TV tuner, and sadly the TV tuner only works with Japanese television stations.

Not all of the peripherals are as insane as the others. It is a gradual slope from a cute gimmick to what-were-they-thinking. The thing is that the success or acceptance of one outlandish peripheral seems to encourage the creation of another.

So let’s look through the DS’s sordid past and discover just what people have been shoving into the GBA slot. Our journey begins with the Oshare Mahou Card Reader, and will take us through face training cameras, slide controllers and far too many paddle controllers.

Oshare Mahou Card Reader

Our adventure begins with a peripheral which was originally popular and successful on the Game Boy Advance. The Oshare Mahou card reader came with a dancing game titled Oshare Majo Love and Berry.

In Japan there are, or rather were since this game debuted in November 2006, Oshare Majo Love and Berry arcade games. Players would dance as the characters, and depending on how they did, the machine would reward them with various cards. The cards would have a barcode on the back, and a picture of an article of clothing on the front.

So when Oshare Majo Love and Berry for the DS was released, players could scan the cards to load the various outfits on them into the game. They could then dress their characters in various outfits for dance battles.

There aren’t really any other games which used the reader though, and since it used the GBA cartridge slot it ended up making Game Boy cards useless. So the Oshare Mahou card reader earns a place on today’s list. If you’re interested in the game and reader for collecting purposes, Play-Asia carries the bundle for $19.90.

Slide Controller

The slide controller is a strange little peripheral which has never been seen outside of Japan. This device fits in the GBA cart slot and creates a stand which fits between the DS and a hard, flat surface. When a player slides the DS back and forth, forward and back, on the surface, the characters on screen follow.

This peripheral was created solely for the game Slide Adventure: Mag Kid. The concept feels similar to the old Kirby Tilt and Tumble title. By moving the DS, Mag Kid will move around his world. Sliding at the proper speed and angle can destroy enemies, help him get through mazes and even conquer simple puzzles.

No other titles have been released which use this funny little device. It still seems fairly practical though, when compared to later peripherals, and did enhance the whole gameplay experience. Like the Oshare title mentioned above, Play-Asia has this bundle on sale for $19.90.

Taito Paddle Controller DS

The next peripheral is also the latest one to hit stores in Japan. To coincide with, and complement, Arkanoid DS, Taito created the paddle controller DS. To refresh people’s memories, Arkanoid was the very first version of Alleyway, Brick Out, Woody Pop, Nervous Brickdown and a slew of other paddle and ball brick destroying games. Arkanoid DS is a remake of the original 1986 game.

So rather than making the title one where players controlled the paddle on the bottom screen, Taito decided to create an additional controller. When plugged into the bottom GBA slot, the ds paddle controller allows the player to move the paddle on screen back and forth with a circular knob.

The reason this peripheral gets further down the list of weirdness is Taito’s apparent paddle push. Rather than just including a single paddle with a game bundle, Taito has released DS paddle controllers by themselves. So if you just can’t get enough of the paddle the game comes with, you can get an extra in black, silver, pink or white. The bundle of the game with paddle costs around $50, and a DS paddle peripheral costs around $20.

Face Training Camera

The last peripheral on our list is not only the strangest one in existence for the system, it also comes with the strangest game. The face training camera is a device which slides into a DS’s GBA slot, holds the system upright sideways, like a book, and films your face on the touch screen. The only other device I can possible think of that is similar would be the Playstation 2 Eye Toy.

There is only one use for this camera. Don’t even think it is for taking pictures - that would be practical. This camera is to help people perform face exercises with the Otona no DS Kao Training game/application. People who actually pay money for this game are supposed to use it to firm up their facial muscles.

You set up the whole device, get on face level with it and then proceed to make faces at your DS. On the left hand screen is the face the program wants you to make, and on the touch screen your face is displayed.

The fact that there would be a camera device created for the DS which can not be used for taking pictures is simply ludicrous. That is why there is absolutely no other device which can possibly top this one. If for some reason you crave a portable Eye Toy with only one compatible game, this bundle can be found online for $49.

COMING NEXT WEEK: We’ll look at the practical PSP peripherals.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables covered the Must-Import PSP game.

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