While it's easy to think that - through the wonders of subtitles and the Wii Remote - making games accessible to the disabled is a recent trend, it's not. It's as old as the hills.


This is the Hands Free, a controller setup manufactured by Nintendo for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It consists of a bulky controller that is literally strapped to the player's chest. The pro: quadriplegics (or others suffering from debilitating physical conditions) could play NES games! The con: while doing so, they'd look like a Dr. Who villain.

D-pad control is replicated by a long "stick" that's moved by the player's mouth/tongue, while the A & B buttons were ingeniously controlled by "sipping" and "blowing" through a small pipe.


The Hands Free was released in 1989, and even back then cost a ton, retailing for $179 (with a NES) or $120 (for just the Hands Free). These days, you'll find them going for as much as $600.