The Power Of Glove

Nintendo recently confirmed that it has canceled plans for its bizarre “Vitality Sensor” add-on for the Wii, because the device—which was supposed to attach to your finger and monitor your vital signs—only worked properly for nine out of 10 people. Mattel had no such compunction back in 1989 when it released the Power Glove, a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System that worked for zero out of 10 people. The Power Glove is remembered now mostly as an icon of ’80s retro-future consumer electronics and for its cameo appearance in the Fred Savage vehicle The Wizard. (“It’s so bad,” marvels a character in the film, giving the device its unofficial slogan.) A trailer for an upcoming documentary called The Power Of Glove suggests that there’s more to the story, although not much more. The clips include one guy who has a lot of Power Gloves and another who bedazzled his Power Glove. The Power Of Glove looks flashy but thin, which would make it a fitting tribute to its subject.