History CondemnedByHistory / VideoGames

* Dedicated controllers for home {{Rhythm Game}}s were once a staple of the genre. Many ''VideoGame/{{BEMANI}}'' ports on [=PS1=] and [=PS2=] have associated official controllers for them, most notably the ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' mat, and ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' would popularize this concept to the West with its dedicated guitar controller, with ''VideoGame/RockBand'' further expanding on this concept with a drum controller as well. However, this trend went away in the 2010s as the latter two series faded out and Konami stopped producing ''BEMANI'' games for consoles. Nowadays, all but the most dedicated of rhythm game players snub their noses at the idea of having to buy a specialized controller to play their favorite game, and instead prefer something they already have, such as a keyboard, gamepad, or the capacitive touchscreen on smartphones and tablets. In fact, the few rhythm game dedicated controllers that are produced today are arcade controller replicas that, while [[AwesomeButImpractical undoubtedly an unmatched way to enjoy a particular game at home, are exceptionally expensive and run for at least 500 USD]] as opposed to the more "regular non-rich customer" controllers of the 2000s that go for 30-80 USD instead.

* Dedicated controllers for home {{Rhythm Game}}s were once a staple of the genre. Many ''VideoGame/{{BEMANI}}'' ports on [=PS1=] and [=PS2=] have associated official controllers for them, most notably the ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution'' mat, and ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' would bring this concept to the West with its dedicated guitar controller, with ''VideoGame/RockBand'' further expanding on this concept with a drum controller. However, this trend went away in the 2010s as the latter two series faded out and Konami stopped producing ''BEMANI'' games for consoles. Nowadays, all but the most dedicated of rhythm game players snub their noses at the idea of having to buy a specialized controller to play their favorite game, and instead prefer something they already have, such as a keyboard, gamepad, or the capacitive touchscreen on smartphones and tablets. In fact, the few rhythm game dedicated controllers that are produced today are arcade controller replicas that, while [[AwesomeButImpractical undoubtedly an unmatched way to enjoy a particular game at home, are exceptionally expensive and run for at least 500 USD]] as opposed to the more "regular non-rich customer" controllers of the 2000s that go for 30-80 USD instead.

* The RailShooter genre, including the LightGunGame sub-genre, was once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature and [[TechDemoGame predispositon to showing off their respective hardwares' graphical capabilities]]. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games with less emphasis on ScoringPoints and more emphasis on storytelling became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be a "trip down Anachronism Avenue," and not in a way he liked. Rail shooters still have their fans, but they are few and far in between, even compared to its sibling genre, the 2D ShootEmUp.

* The RailShooter genre, including the LightGunGame sub-genre, was once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature and [[TechDemoGame predispositon to showing off their respective hardwares' graphical capabilities]]. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games with less emphasis on ScoringPoints and more emphasis on storytelling became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be a "trip down Anachronism Avenue," and not in a way he liked.

* The RailShooter genre, including the LightGunGame sub-genre, was once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature and [[TechDemoGame predispositon to showing off their respective hardwares' graphical capabilities]]. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games with less emphasis on ScoringPoints and more emphasis on storytelling became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be something that was best left behind as a nostalgic memory.

* The RailShooter genre, including the LightGunGame sub-genre, was once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games with less emphasis on ScoringPoints and more emphasis on storytelling became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be something that was best left behind as a nostalgic memory.

* The RailShooter genre, including the LightGunGame sub-genre, was once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be something that was best left behind as a nostalgic memory.

* The RailShooter genre, including the LightGunGame sub-genre, was once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be something that was best left as a nostalgic memory.

* The RailShooter genre, including {{Light Gun Game}}s, were once a solid hit in arcades due to their thrill ride-like nature. However the novelty wore off over time due to the development of the FirstPersonShooter allowing a more immersive experience where one not only shoots but also navigates in first-person as opposed to being on a fixed path, as well as rail shooters being an arcade-ish game genre with all the loss of trendiness that entailed in the 90s as long-form games became the norm. [[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]] in his ''WebVideo/ZeroPunctuation'' review of ''VideoGame/ResidentEvilTheUmbrellaChronicles'', for example, found the game's rail shooter formula to be something that was best left as a nostalgic memory.

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s, once a major cornerstone of the game industry, have gone this way over the decades: They were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team, ExecutiveMeddling pushing the devs to rush out a half-baked product to market, or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it due to insuffcient hardware power or having to transition the gameplay from a dedicated controller to a conventional gamepad.\\

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s, once a major cornerstone of the game industry, have gone this way over the decades: They were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it due to insuffcient hardware power or having to transition the gameplay from a dedicated controller to a conventional gamepad.\\

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s, once a major cornerstone of the game industry, have gone this way over the decades: They were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it.\\

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s, once a major cornerstone of the game industry, have gone this way over the decades:
** They were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it.
** However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], they sell nowhere near as much as console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire.
** Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers (such as ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''[='=]s iconic dance pad, ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}''[='=]s washing machine-shaped controller, or ''VideoGame/TaikoNoTatsujin''[='=]'s taiko drum). Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad is far more BoringButPractical."
** As a business model, arcades are not really viable anymore in many parts of the world, due to rising utility and rent costs that make it prohibitive to maintain an arcade, especially with all the high-powered machines that comprise them. Once, standalone arcades were a staple of childhood life, now children just enjoy games on home platforms. The only way arcades thrive in this day and age is if they're attached to bars as part of the "barcade" model (which by its alcohol-serving nature excludes children) or entertainment centers that also include other activities like bowling and billiards. The UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic further put the kibosh on many arcades due to many government mandates discouraging or prohibiting in-person social gatherings.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Genres and Trends]]
* Full-motion video games/{{Interactive Movie}}s. When ''Videogame/DragonsLair'' emerged in arcades in the early 1980s, a game with movie-like animation done by Hollywood director Creator/DonBluth really stood out among game cabinets with 8-bit graphics. When CD-based consoles like the UsefulNotes/ThreeDOInteractiveMultiplayer and UsefulNotes/SegaCD first hit the shelves, a deluge of FMV games followed because of the increased memory space. After the novelty wore off, gamers caught on that the "gameplay" offered by FMV games was shallow, with their interactivity being a series of [[PressXToNotDie quick time events]] or clicking through menus. Since FMV games were expensive to create, developers were stuck with awful acting, poor video quality, and excessive use of StockFootage. In general, FMV was only executed well when it was wholly segregated from the actual gameplay in [[{{cutscene}} cutscenes]], as in the ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'' and ''VideoGame/WingCommander'' series, which remain fondly remembered today.\\

The genre was dead by the late 1990s, as the one selling point of FMV games was their "graphical edge" and that was gone when other games could look great while offering actual gameplay. That didn't stop developers from trying to revive the genre during the TurnOfTheMillennium with the advent of the DVD: ''Love Story'' was an FMV game by Creator/{{Enix}} [[TechDemoGame made to demonstrate DVD-ROM technology]] which was heavily promoted by Sony for the Japanese launch of the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, but drew unfavorable comparisons to the FMV games of the '90s and never left its home country. Four years later, ''The Guy Game'' (a softcore porn FMV party game) bombed upon release and was pulled from shelves when one of its models turned out to be underage, [[GenreKiller sinking the genre for good]]. Certain FMV games like ''Dragon's Lair'' and VideoGame/RoadBlaster are still well-remembered for their graphical prowess, but most examples of the genre are seen as a failed experiment. The only other FMV title people remember is ''VideoGame/NightTrap'', and that's mostly remembered [[OvershadowedByControversy for its infamous trial]] that led to the creation of the [[UsefulNotes/EntertainmentSoftwareRatingBoard ESRB]].\\

FMV games are still being made to this day, but only by indie studios, and they are much more story-driven and are designed more like {{visual novel}}s than the simple point-and-click games they used to be. The Interactive Movie genre also still exists, but features in-game graphics instead of pre-rendered cutscenes allowing for greater flexibility of gameplay.
* CapcomSequelStagnation in [[FightingGame Fighting Games]] is considered to be an obsolete model. During the golden age of fighting games in the '90s, due to the games being released straight first to [[UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame arcades]] before being ported to consoles, it was common for the more popular games to get [[UpdatedReRelease updated releases featuring rebalancing of the gameplay and new characters]]. Since they were not wholly new games, they typically got denoted with new subtitles to reflect that they were updated versions of the original games. This method of updating games continued into UsefulNotes/TheSixthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames, but by that point, the trend was growing increasingly unpopular. The arcade scene saw a massive decline in the West while fighting games as a whole saw diminishing returns into their commercial success.\\

Come the UsefulNotes/TheSeventhGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames, patch updating and paid DownloadableContent became the new norm for doing upgrades to existing games and new characters would be released this way. Capcom, the namesake of this trend, caught an increasing flack for continuing to rely on the classic "arcade-first" methods of doing a new release rather than rebalancing the game through patches and DLC. They eventually did adapt to this by offering an upgrade path through DLC for ''Ultra Street Fighter 4''.\\
\\
Finally, by UsefulNotes/TheEighthGenerationOfConsoleVideoGames, CapcomSequelStagnation got phased almost completely out in favor of fighting games adopting a season pass model, in which each year of the game's duration would be dedicated to a new season of releasing new characters and balance patches for it. This is due to the arcade decline finally catching up to Japan as well. Many fighting games saw their releases made first to Console and PC, and the arcade ports now had an internet connection, meaning that there was completely no excuse to give a game an updated rerelease. Some of the last games to follow the old method were ''[[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Guilty Gear Xrd]]'', and ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'', which all offered upgrade paths through DLC. Meanwhile, Capcom did release two "upgraded" editions of ''VideoGame/StreetFighterV'', but all of their content was also added to the base version for free (although their new characters had to be unlocked or purchased), so their purpose is just to give newcomers a more cost-effective entry point into the community, rather than something that obsoletes previous editions.

[[folder:Consoles and Peripherals]]

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s, once a major cornerstone of the game industry, have gone this way over the decades:
** They were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it.
** However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], they sell nowhere near as much as console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire.
** Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers (such as ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''[='=]s iconic dance pad, ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}''[='=]s washing machine-shaped controller, or ''VideoGame/TaikoNoTatsujin''[='=]'s taiko drum). Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad is far more BoringButPractical."
** As a business model, arcades are not really viable anymore in many parts of the world, due to rising utility and rent costs that make it prohibitive to maintain an arcade, especially with all the high-powered machines that comprise them. Once, standalone arcades were a staple of childhood life, now children just enjoy games on home platforms. The only way arcades thrive in this day and age is if they're attached to bars as part of the "barcade" model (which by its alcohol-serving nature excludes children) or entertainment centers that also include other activities like bowling and billiards.

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], they sell nowhere near as much as console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers (such as ''VideoGame/DanceDanceRevolution''[='=]s iconic dance pad, ''VideoGame/{{maimai}}''[='=]s washing machine-shaped controller, or ''VideoGame/TaikoNoTatsujin''[='=]'s taiko drum). Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad is far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features, sometimes becoming PortingDisaster outright either due to the incompetence of the dev team or the game just not translating well to consoles no matter how they tried to slice it. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], they sell nowhere near as much as console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad is far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], they sell nowhere near as much as console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad is far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original with fewer stages and characters and some missing features. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], they sell nowhere near as much as console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad are far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], most of them now play second fiddle to console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced, shallow novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth arcade game when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad are far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], most of them now play second fiddle to console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced novelties that are good for a weekend night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth novelty when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad are far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], most of them now play second fiddle to console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are widely seen as overpriced novelties that are good for a night out with friends at best -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth novelty when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad are far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986), polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992), and {{Light Gun Game}}s where one uses a simulated gun to aim and shoot rather than having to clumsily use a D-pad or analog stick to point and shoot. Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], most of them now play second fiddle to console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are seen as overpriced novelties -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth novelty when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad are far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off [[TechDemoGame technological spectacles]] that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986) and smooth polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992). Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], most of them now play second fiddle to console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are seen as overpriced novelties -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth novelty when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even then, the "unique gimmick" aspect of arcade games is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think the standard gamepad are far more BoringButPractical."

* UsefulNotes/{{Arcade|Game}}s were once ''the'' place to check out the latest new game, because up through TheNineties, arcade machines could pull off technological spectacles that at their respective times were too costly to implement in home consoles, such as the super-scaling sprites of ''VideoGame/SpaceHarrier'' (1985) and ''VideoGame/OutRun'' (1986) and smooth polygonal graphics of ''VideoGame/VirtuaRacing'' (1992). Even without the gimmicks, arcade hardware then was much more powerful than console hardware; if you bought a console port of an arcade game, it was more often not watered down compared to the original. However, as console gaming technlogy caught up to arcade game tech and the video game industry shifted more in favor of long-form, story-dense games meant to be played over an extended period of time over the course of multiple sessions, arcades started to lose their place in gaming culture, with gamers favoring big-budget games that are more akin to an epic novel or a feature-length film rather than trying to play for score or how many levels they can beat. And while arcade ports for consoles started to become more and more [[ArcadePerfectPort accurate]], most of them now play second fiddle to console-exclusive games for all of the above reasons, with the exception of {{Fighting Game}}s due to the [[UsefulNotes/FightingGameCommunity competitive scene]] that they inspire. Today, arcade games are seen as overpriced novelties -- "Why would I pay $1-2 a session for some low-depth novelty when I can spend $60 on a game that I feel has much more love put into it?" -- with only a small niche of gamers still finding them relevant, mostly RhythmGame players due to many arcade rhythm games using specialized controllers. Even the "unique gimmick" aspect is now seen as a minus rather than a plus -- "I don't want to have to use some expensive dedicated controller to play this one game, I think gamepads are far more BoringButPractical."

As a result of the bad press, Microsoft pulled an AuthorsSavingThrow in late 2013 by announcing they would patch out the DRM and Kinect requirements for the Xbox One. In 2014, Microsoft would offer a cheaper version of the Xbox One that excluded the Kinect as a means to bolster system sales to compete with the [=PS4=]. It didn't work; [[https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/15/23306068/microsoft-xbox-one-sales-lifetime-versus-ps4-sales the PS4 would end up selling more than twice as many consoles as the Xbox One did]], even after the Kinect was gone. This, combined with the continued lack of any software beyond mini-game collections and dance simulators, lead to the peripheral being discontinued altogether in 2017. These days, the Kinect is seen as, at best, an interesting experiment that only managed short-term success. At worst, the Kinect was a useless gimmick that heralded an AudienceAlienatingEra for the Xbox brand. As such, the chances of the Kinect returning to the marketplace would take nothing short of a miracle.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bubsy}}'' was rather popular upon his game's initial release, with his first game doing well enough in both sales and reception to kickstart several sequels and a pilot for a [[WesternAnimation/{{Bubsy}} cartoon]]. Even the now-notorious ''Bubsy 3D'' received only mixed reviews at the time, likely due to being one of the first 3D platformers. What caused many to turn on the bobcat was hindsight, as numerous internet reviewers (most notably ''WebVideo/JonTron'' and ''Creator/{{Seanbaby}}'') brought attention back to the original games, the cartoon, and ''Bubsy 3D''. These reviews were not at all kind to Bubsy, exposing many of the problems (poor level design, FakeDifficulty, and Bubsy himself being annoying) to a wider audience, which would subsequently cause Bubsy to become a notorious punching bag. Whatever good rep he had from his first game all but disappeared. When Bubsy was briefly brought back during the late-2010s, the common reception from people at the time was "''Why?''" This new game got torn to shreds by critics, citing that all of the problems that people had complained about for ages still hadn't been addressed, and Bubsy was promptly swept back under the rug. A spin-off was released to somewhat better reviews, but it was nowhere near good enough to save Bubsy's reputation. These days, few people will admit to playing any of Bubsy's games, and even fewer will admit to ''liking'' them, even if the first game isn't quite as notorious as the others.

* When the UsefulNotes/{{Kinect}} launched for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 in 2010, it was highly acclaimed for its revolutionary motion-tracking technology which gave potential for new immersive gameplay experiences far beyond what the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii or [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 [=PlayStation=] Move]] could offer. It also sold exceptionally well with its pack-in game, ''VideoGame/KinectAdventures'', becoming the 360's best-selling game. However, the novelty wore off as consumers began to notice that the devices' capabilities were far below [[NeverTrustATrailer what had been initially advertised]], severely limiting its gameplay potential beyond mini-game collections and dancing games. Microsoft would attempt to salvage the Kinect's reputation by announcing that a newer version of the Kinect with a better camera and mic would be bundled with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne when it launched in 2013, with no plans to release a version of the console without the Kinect. This backfired, as consumers saw this as Microsoft admitting they had been misleading regarding the Kinect's capabilities, making none too eager to spend five hundred dollars for the device they were promised three years prior. It really didn't help that shortly after this announcement at E3 2013, Sony's reveal that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 would be one hundred dollars cheaper despite having more power drew more eyes to the Xbox's main competition. Microsoft, meanwhile, doubled down on the Kinect by saying the Xbox One wouldn't work without it, along with announcing other practices that were viewed as anti-consumer, including that the Kinect would always be on even when the console was off. This was so voice commands could work, but it still drew major privacy concerns at the time, when consumer privacy was a hot button issue. While not entirely fair to the Kinect, the fact that all of this happened in a short period of time badly damaged the Kinect's reputation among the general gaming populace.\\

As a result of the bad press, Microsoft pulled an AuthorsSavingThrow in late 2013 by announcing they would patch out the Kinect requirement for the Xbox One, which was the nail in the coffin for the peripheral. In 2014, Microsoft would offer a cheaper version of the Xbox One that excluded the Kinect as a means to bolster system sales to compete with the [=PS4=]. This, combined with the continued lack of any software beyond mini-game collections and dance simulators, lead to the peripheral being discontinued altogether in 2017. These days, the Kinect is seen as, at best, an interesting experiment that only managed short-term success. At worst, the Kinect was a useless gimmick that heralded an AudienceAlienatingEra for the Xbox brand.

* When the UsefulNotes/{{Kinect}} launched for the UsefulNotes/Xbox360 in 2010, it was highly acclaimed for its revolutionary motion-tracking technology which gave potential for new immersive gameplay experiences far beyond what the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii or [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation3 [=PlayStation=] Move]] could offer. It also sold exceptionally well with its pack-in game, ''VideoGame/KinectAdventures'', becoming the 360's best-selling game. However, the novelty wore off as consumers began to notice that the devices' capabilities were far below [[NeverTrustATrailer what had been initially advertised]], severely limiting its gameplay potential beyond mini-game collections and dancing games. Microsoft would attempt to salvage the Kinect's reputation by announcing that a newer version of the Kinect with a better camera and mic would be bundled with the UsefulNotes/XboxOne when it launched in 2013, with no plans to release a version of the console without the Kinect. This backfired, as consumers saw this as Microsoft admitting they had been misleading regarding the Kinect's capabilities, making none too eager to spend five hundred dollars for the device they were promised three years prior. It really didn't help that shortly after this announcement at E3 2013, Sony's reveal that the UsefulNotes/PlayStation4 would be one hundred dollars cheaper despite having more power drew more eyes to the Xbox's main competition. Microsoft, meanwhile, doubled down on the Kinect by saying the Xbox One wouldn't work without it, along with announcing other practices that were viewed as anti-consumer (such as a draconian used-game policy and a system-wide DRM check). While not entirely fair to the Kinect, the fact that all of this happened in a short period of time badly damaged the Kinect's reputation among the general gaming populace.\\

As a result of the bad press, Microsoft pulled an AuthorsSavingThrow in late 2013 by announcing they would patch out the Kinect requirement for the Xbox One, which was the nail in the coffin for the peripheral. In 2014, Microsoft would offer a cheaper version of the Xbox One that excluded the Kinect as a means to bolster system sales to compete with the PS4. This, combined with the continued lack of any software beyond mini-game collections and dance simulators, lead to the peripheral being discontinued altogether in 2017. These days, the Kinect is seen as, at best, an interesting experiment that only managed short-term success. At worst, the Kinect was a useless gimmick that heralded an AudienceAlienatingEra for the Xbox brand.