IR pointer.

Playing games like Metroid Prime 3 and Sin & Punishment Star Successor felt fucking incredible with pointer controls; you could aim with speed and accuracy that's simply impossible with analogue sticks.

PSVR2 controllers are touch sensitive. Not sure about pressure sensitive, but resting your fingers on the button is used in many games. It also detects your other fingers, closed or open palm.

As for features that may never return:

Instant on, no rest mode bullshit (pita with regular power interruptions)
CD player functionality
Card reader
A/V connection options (separate sound out is still very useful)
Ad free UI
No faff local multiplayer (as in no profile bs, press X to join without signing in)
Multiple save slots are quickly disappearing, need multiple profiles now for different concurrent playthroughs.
Cheat codes
Included extras on the disc (behind the scenes footage etc)
Instruction manual / maps etc.

Agree with most of this tho Switch doesn't have ads on the UI. DMC5 does have the live-action cutscenes which is BTS but you're right it's a far cry from Rogue Squadron on Gamecube or FF12 having a BTS-making of disc. That stuff should come back. Bayonetta Art book came with a making of the game DVD but that is a separate purchase.

Speaking of BTS. Demo discs. Sure they had game demos but sometimes esp the Sony demo discs they had interviews with people making the games.  I also like demo discs as sometimes it was a demo of a game that never came out. Now they just delist it.

Yeah regular editions used to have all kinds of stuff. Catherine for example has a great art book in the case.
PC games used to have even more stuff, big boxes with extras. All regular editions with figurines, maps, poster, color manuals, code wheels lol.

Also being able to play the game music from the game disc in any CD player (from track 2 onwards). Wipeout 2097 for example, also with PC games like Settlers.

Game magazines with demo discs! Are there still game magazines at all?


One thing I forgot, more than instant on, I miss instant off. I regularly move consoles to different spots. It takes forever to shut these modern behemoths down. (and you can't go from rest mode to off, resume first then shut down ugh)

Unplug too soon and they have to do a whole file system check again. (Which is actually faster then resuming from rest mode then wait for shut down...)

Sadly, we will most likely never have this again without a full camera VR interface.   Wi pointer controls for MP3, Scarface and others was just incredible.  Imagine Cyberpunk 2077 with accurate Wii style motion controls.

Enhancement chips inside game cartridges that added extra capability; most famously the Super FX chip used to power SNES games like the original Starfox, Yoshi's Island, and Doom.

It was kinda cool back then how it allowed for games that would be impossible on the base hardware.

Jesus this was the only feature I came here to mention... XD

-Sprites
- 8 bit music
-Plug-in cartrige games like NES, Super NES, GameBoy, etc

-Toxic gaming stuff like the opening scene of Double Dragon, where the tough guy slugs the girl in the gut and carries her off over his shoulder.  Nowadays they'd never show something like that.  I'm not complaining because what is the point?  It's just different.

Having the save game on the cartridge was also helluva convenient.

Expansion slots in general. Now we have pro consoles, got to buy a whole new console for a bit of extra power.