What are some console (or handheld) features unlikely to ever return?

I will start with one. Pressure-sensitive face buttons. One of the early selling points of PS2 and Xbox was the face buttons like analog triggers were pressure-sensitive. Neat on paper. The problem was few games used it and it wasn't practical. Most people just hammer face buttons. A niche few needed/wanted them. Sony held on for one more generation but again only a handful of games used them.

- Games that are actual complete finished products from launch and don't require massive day 1 patches or half the game to be downloaded from the internet.

- Instant system booting; with no operating system menu or startup sequence, just switch it on and you're directly into your game.

- On the flipside from the above, fun startup sequences like OG Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube.

1) 3D displays.
2) Complete, relatively bug-free games.
3) Hands-free motion controls.

A new Suikoden Game :(

Swappable modems. As far as I'm aware Dreamcast and Gamecube could you swap modems. DC shipped with a 56K but could swap out for a broadband one. Kinda sucks now whatever wifi built into a console you are stuck with. PS4 is slow as hell. At some point my SX/PS5 will feel slow.


Free Online. Remember PS3's boasting PSN was free unlike Xbox Live?

Crazy peripherals/controllers.

Some that immediately come to mind would be the Dreamcast fishing rod, light guns, Gamecube chainsaw controller for RE4, Power Glove, Samba De Amigos maracas, DK Bongos, Dreamcast microphone, and Game Boy camera/printer. I remember there being a card scanner on the GBA too.

Pretty much all were hit or miss, but it was just an awesome level of creativity that has since disappeared. Outside of standard controllers, you'll primarily only ever find arcade sticks, flight sticks, keyboard n mouse, and steering wheels in terms of alternative peripherals for gameplay.

Games that don't have to be installed and run immediately, right off the disc.

Disc yeah. Tho Switch games don't need installs generally. Seems even the early days of Switch of half a game on a cart are gone thankfully.

A/V connectors
PowerPC chips
Joysticks
Tapes, CDs, Cartridges (actual cartridges as opposed to modern game cards)
New medium expansions (like Sega CD, N64DD, 32-X)
VMU/Pocketstation
Wii U Remote
Wii IR Sensor
Link cables
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