The Useless World of PS1 Accessories - Caddicarus

Storyline / Framing

• The video is structured as a “journey” through the most useless and/or bizarre PlayStation 1 accessories Caddicarus can find (mostly from eBay and other sources).
• It contrasts the few accessories that were actually useful or entertaining with a long parade of gimmicks, region-locked oddities, and near-nonfunctional hardware.
• The narrative repeatedly emphasizes the PS1 era of experimentation—Sony and third parties trying to innovate with peripherals—while showing how often those attempts either didn’t work well, only worked with certain games, or failed entirely.

Gameplay Highlights & What Each Major Accessory Was For

Early “Not All Bad” Peripherals

• PS1 Multitap (4-player adapter)

  • Purpose: Lets you plug multiple controllers in for local multiplayer.
  • Highlight: Praised as a rare “genuinely straightforward” PS1 accessory—enabling extra local play (4-player).

• Two-player CRT “multiplayer” setup (umbilical-style link)

  • Purpose: Enables multiplayer across two big CRT TVs (only a tiny subset of games worked reliably).
  • Highlight: Framed as extremely annoying compared to simply playing normally on one screen or using a second controller.

• PS1 Mouse

  • Purpose: Point-and-click support for compatible titles; also used in some FPS situations.
  • Highlight: Mostly positive for the kinds of games it supported, and used as a smoother/alternative control experience.

Pocket Station (Japan-only “Tiny Console”)

• Pocket Station
  • Functions: Memory card + mini portable console + alarm clock + extra features for compatible PS1 titles.
  • Highlight: Favorite parts are its mini-game support and additional compatibility—but it’s largely Japan-only, with most compatible games needing Japanese discs.

Portable Display / “Crown Jewel” Tier Hardware

• PS1 LCD screen

  • Purpose: Portable-ish PS1 display with speakers and a headphone jack.
  • Highlight: Treated as one of his favorite accessories because it lets you play PS1 discs away from a TV.

• Net Yaroze development kit PS1

  • Purpose: A matte-black PS1 dev kit allowing homebrew development connected to a computer.
  • Highlight: Presented as key hardware history; notes rules/discretion requirements and the “birth” of memorable PS1-era tech culture.

“Mobile Phone Adapter” (Phone as a Retro-Smartphone-ish Extension)

• PS1 + 90s cell phone adapter
  • Purpose: Connects a compatible phone to your PS1 with a software disc, letting you use phone features (contacts/office/internet browsing via TV).
  • Highlight: Described as “ridiculous,” with the phone network acting like a new kind of interface.

Train Controller (“Why Would This Exist?” Peak)

• Blair the Train Simulator bundle + special train deck controller
  • Purpose: Designed for one train game, only.
  • Gameplay behavior:
    • Menu control uses pulling/pushing the “mushroom/horn” style input.
    • Main driving: speed/brakes are basically tied to lever movement.
  • Compatibility attempts:
    • Works poorly or breaks in many games; some games boot oddly (e.g., language changes) or become unplayable.
    • With certain 3D titles, inputs map weirdly per control notch/position, producing chaotic movement.

Resident Evil and Specialty Pads

• Resident Evil themed controller (for RE games only)
  • Purpose: Button/weapon actions mapped specifically for that franchise.
  • Highlight: Weapon/fire mapped more directly, but it’s still heavily game-specific.

Memory Card Weirdness (Third-Party “Customization” Disasters)

• Third-party memory cards

  • Some have useful extras (like a digital display of memory blocks).
  • Others are “looks over function”: branding errors, upside-down labels, weird logos.

• Tomb Raider character memory card

  • Purpose: Still saves data, but as a sculptural/unnecessary collectible design.
  • Highlight: Treated as one of the most absurd collectibles—functional, but visually ridiculous.

Namco Twisting Controllers (NegCon / JogCon)

• Namco NegCon (twist controller)

  • Purpose: Twist the controller for actions (steering/blocks/etc.).
  • Highlights:
    • Some games become surprisingly playable (e.g., default mapping for Ridge Racer).
    • But many games don’t map correctly for intended gameplay mechanics.

• Namco JogCon (wheel-for-a-controller meant to be sat with)

  • Purpose: Spins like a jog wheel/record player.
  • Highlights:
    • Works with only a very small number of titles (Ridge Racer Type 4 / Breakout / V-Rally 2 mentioned as working).
    • Often unusable for most PS1 games, and can be overridden by game logic.

Light Gun Ecosystem & “Modern TV” Limitation

• PS1 gun peripherals (Namco G-Con / Time Crisis / Point Blank)

  • Highlight: Authentic aiming experience, but with CRT requirement.
  • Tip: Needs an old CRT to function properly on flat-screen TVs.

• Sinden light gun

  • Mentioned as a modern workaround using a USB camera approach on PC/emulators.
  • Caddicarus didn’t manage to capture the footage before the video went public.

• “Looks like a real handgun” gun controller

  • Emphasis: Realistic appearance + vibration “feel every shot.”
  • Still generally tied to outdated display requirements.

Steering Wheels & Other “Wheel Overload” Peripherals

• Mad Catz PS1 wheel

  • Highlight: Praised as reliable; supports driving games including Silent Hill (as a themed driving scenario).
  • Tip: Acceleration pedal behavior may be mapped in an unintuitive way (gas can act like sprint/run).

• Ultra Racer / Top Drive Reactor / Formula Racer / other off-brand wheel-like devices

  • Theme: Many wheels either:
    • don’t centralize,
    • don’t accelerate,
    • only work with 1–2 specific games,
    • or are awkward/unsafe/heavy/bulky.
  • Net result: Wheels are either surprisingly good (Mad Catz) or comically unreliable.

Music/Rhythm Peripherals: Guitar + Keyboard-like Instruments

• PS1 guitar peripheral (Guitar Freaks-style)

  • Highlight: Expected “Guitar Hero-like” control, but tests (e.g., Dino Crisis) show strumming/fret behavior failing or not mapping.
  • Sometimes better fit: Driver 2 using guitar controls for specific actions.

• Konami Beatmania-style keyboard peripheral

  • Highlight: Works as a primitive DJ rhythm experience (more for its rhythm function than broad compatibility).
  • Some games can’t fully leverage the disc scratching area for proper turning.

Baby/Novelty Controllers (Toddler Toys That Barely Function)

• Microphone baby/toy controllers (e.g., Pooh/Teddy-like games)

  • Purpose: Microphone input for shouting/blowing, plus shoulder-button mapping.
  • Highlight: “Works with basic intent,” but can feel gimmicky or overly sensitive (mic triggers on any noise).

• Kid Station-style child controller

  • Purpose: For tiny hands.
  • Constraint: Only compatible with games using that system’s branding.

• PS1 fishing rod controller

  • Purpose: Casting/reeling motions.
  • Highlight: Casting works and sometimes maps to other games’ mechanics, but many games won’t respond properly or create audio/menu issues.

• Baby chewable/standalone controller concepts

  • Mentioned as real and niche, designed for Japan-only game bundles tightly tied to specific releases.

The “Extra Absurd” Accessories & Final “What Is Even This” Moments

• Motion controller systems (Gamestar Evolution Motion Sensitive Control System / wrist attachments)

  • Purpose: Map tilts to buttons.
  • Outcome: Mostly frustrating because you can’t reliably turn off axes—requiring mapping every direction and causing accidental inputs.

• One-handed programmable joystick

  • Purpose: Assign actions/buttons to movements.
  • Highlight: Clever accessibility idea; best with simpler games, while Doom/complex mapping becomes messy.

• PS1 controller shaped like a Wu-Tang Clan logo

  • Purpose: Themed controller; used for PaRappa the Rapper.
  • Outcome: Extremely uncomfortable and misaligned buttons—painful even if “it works.”

The Ultimate Punchline: The PS1 Glove

• Official PlayStation control glove (PS1 glove)
  • Purpose: Physical arm/wrist levering to translate movements into on-screen actions.
  • Outcome: He tries multiple games and none work in a way you’d want; concludes it’s an uncomfortable gimmick.

Key Strategies / Tips Mentioned (Practical Takeaways)

• Most accessories are not universal: compatibility is often limited to specific games, sometimes even specific regions (JP vs US).
• CRT dependence is recurring: especially for light guns—flat-screen TVs won’t work.
• Expect weird mapping: twisting/wheels/motion controllers can repurpose axes in unintuitive ways, and some games override controller modes.
• When it works, it’s usually because the peripheral matches the game’s design, e.g.:
  • certain racing titles for wheel/twist controllers,
  • Pocket Station-compatible games,
  • the train controller for its own bundle.

Gamers / Sources Featured (Named at the End)

• Tony Hawk
• David Cage
• EA
• Mad Catz
• Jerry (unnamed in-video memory, referenced as “Jerry, we need…”)
• Mario Andretti
• Markiplier
• Wu-Tang Clan
• Nicole Sherzinger
• Coolio
• Tupac (referenced in lyrics)
• Caddicarus (the presenter/creator)

Sources mentioned for products/shops/services:

• PlayStation / Sony
• eBay
• NordVPN (sponsor mention; promo code given)
• Sinden (light gun mentioned)