The Power Glove.
1989. In an era of Nintendo-mania, toymaker giant Mattel unleashes a bold technological experiment to
an eager public. The POWER GLOVE: the first video game controller that allows players to operate
Nintendo games with intuitive hand gestures.
Despite immense hype surrounding its release, the product is a critical failure, disappointing
thousands of children with its subpar gameplay. Nearly three decades later, however, dedicated fans
continue to repurpose the Power Glove for art pieces, hacking projects, electronic music, and more.
For the first time ever: the story behind the world's most notorious video game controller.
Now Available
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Previous Screenings
Clip From the Film
About
IT'S SO BAD. The Power of Glove is a feature documentary that chronicles the history and
legacy of the Power Glove, a 1989 Nintendo controller that promised to forever change the way
humankind interacted with technology. Originally released by Mattel, the Power Glove was the first
mass-marketed, gesture-based video game controller, and its hype was immense.
Immediately after its release, however, gamers were disappointed by the Power Glove, and critics
panned it as a worthless gimmick. Yet unlike many gimmicks and critical failures of the past, the
Power Glove has not been simply swept under the rug. Nearly three decades after its release, the
Power Glove continues to resonate with video gaming and technology fans, becoming the focus of art
pieces, songs, videos, hacking projects, and other forms of cultural repurposing.
The Power of Glove is the story of how and why the Power Glove lives on.
The Creators
The Power Glove's history is one which covers a vast array of interesting characters,
complexities, and compromises. In order to uncover the multifaceted history of the Glove, the film
features interviews with with the Power Glove's developers in its hardware, firmware, game
design,
and marketing departments. By approaching the Glove from such varying angles, the film is faithful
in revealing the full journey of the Power Glove from its original concept to on-the-shelf reality.
The Creatives
Nearly 30 years after its release, the Power Glove has been culturally repurposed and reinvented by a
small but dedicated legion of fans. The Power of Glove features those artists and hackers who have
refused to let the Power Glove die. Witness how these passionate enthusiasts have transformed the
Power Glove from a nearly-forgotten piece of technology into a cultural phenomenon.
Long live the Power Glove!
Backers
Below is a list of the awesome Kickstarter backers that made this film possible!
- ADA Sport
- Eric Agena
- Alex
- Jay Äl Es
- analog monster
- Richard Anaya
- Paul Arden
- Logan Arias
- Dana Avard
- AzumiChan
- baccata
- Kevin Bachus
- Alex Bair
- Aryn Bandoly
- Wade Barger
- Camie Bargerstock
- Humberto Berra
- Monica Berra
- Olivia Biehle
- Bryan Black
- Jay Blackman
- Avery Brooks
- Max Brown
- Ryan Brush
- Josh Buschbacher
- Christopher Butler
- Captain Crazy Productions
- Jason Carpentier
- Rafael Castro e Alves
- Christian Catalan
- Tony Ceccarelli
- Chasen R. Chandler
- Alain Chappaz
- John Choi
- Iain Clark
- Adam Clarke
- Megan Condis
- Joel Cook
- Liz Cook
- Sarah Cooke
- Niki Coppola
- Joe Cornelius
- Cory
- Aaron Costello
- Travis Cox
- Mary M. Dalton
- George Davey
- Graham Dawes
- Marcello C. De Feo
- DeafTard
- DeathWarden
- Dein Dehouwer
- Mark DeLoura
- dennis
- Joshua Jack DiBartolo
- Dietmar
- Digital Hero Games, LLC
- John Dimatos
- Story Division
- Renee Prejean Douglas
- Paul Dufrene
- Jean-Marc Duong
- Michael Eades
- Anas Ebraheem
- Benjamin Eckel
- Devin Egan
- David Eggleton
- Ehtonal
- Michael J. Epstein & Sophia Cacciola
- Quentin Lancelot Fagan
- Nick Fajardo
- Michael Farah
- Florent
- Flushing Noodle
- Brandon Folkman
- Blake W. Ford
- Jim Ford
- R G
- Gaelen
- Andrewis Gaey
- John Gannon
- Jeanette Garcia & Daryl Rodriguez
- Kert Gartner
- George Gaspar
- Christopher Gentile
- John Gentile
- Geondp
- John Gerva
- Dave Gibson
- Daniel Gintner
- Ivy Beth Gladstone
- Adam F. Goldberg
- Brandon Goldman
- goodpilotfish
- Jeremy Gordon
- Trevor Gould
- Martin Grahn
- Joe Granato
- Randy Greenback
- Spencer Griffin
- Jason Griffith
- Beau Gunderson
- Romain Guy
- Hamsta
- Edd Hannay
- Thomas Haymes
- Eero af Heurlin
- Akira Hidaka
- highadventures
- Adam Hill
- Michael Hirschorn
- Hung Hoang
- Diane Hodson
- Eric Holland
- Fredrik Holmqvist
- Palmer Holton
- Chris Hopkins
- George B Hopkins
- Horace
- Andrew Huff
- Benedict Huhnke
- Banni Ibrahim
- iNCEPTIONAL
- Tetsuya Ishibashi
- IAN J HOOK
- Shareef Jackson
- Daniel Jackson
- Jake
- Michael Johnston
- Justin Jones
- Justin Jones
- Eric Juth
- Takeshi Kano
- Ken
- John Kiniston
- Roland Kippenhan
- Steven Knauer
- Knight of Words
- Amy Knotts
- Paul Koerber
- Joseph Konsouls
- Marysia Kosowski
- Sylvia Kosowski
- Veronica Kosowski
- Charles Kramer
- Boris Kretzinger
- Jan Krieg
- Kuku Lele Studio
- Joshua Kulinski
- Kathleen Kuo
- Gary Kurkewich
- Brian C. Ladd
- Francois Sebastien Lambert
- Tim Lapetino
- Richard lavanture
- Glenn Le Marchant
- Michael Leidefors
- Filip Lenrick
- Matt Leone
- Siqi Li
- Lirsumis
- Johnson Liv
- Stephen Loiaconi
- Mike Lonesky
- Lostelf
- lowpolycount
- Jasmine Luoma
- LukasM
- Michael MacIntosh
- Mike Madigan
- Signe Bøgh Madsen
- Nic Magnier
- Alex Mangione
- Matthew
- Mattroid
- Rob McCallum
- David McCrindle
- Marty McFly
- Kelly McKenna
- Mark McKibben
- Daniel McMillan
- Socrates Mendez
- Grant Meredith
- Bryan Meyerovich
- michelle
- Mighty Rabbit Studios
- Mat Miller
- Sebastian Miller
- Mindtrip, LLC
- Antti Moilanen
- Ned Moore
- MT
- Chrissy Murderbot
- Jason Murrell
- Robert Neal
- Chris R. Nelson
- Michael Beach Nichols & Christopher Walker
- Erik Nilsson
- Reed Olsen
- Oyashiro-Sama
- Katy P
- Alex P
- Markus Palcer
- Cassie Parkes
- pete
- Candace Petrik
- Cory Dylan Petruska
- Stephen Pikey
- Mike Polk
- John Pompa
- Paul Ponte
- Tim Potter
- Andrea Prejean
- Prizm
- MILK PUNCH Games
- Jonathan Quilter
- Chris Quinn
- The Reasons I'm Broke
- Rebecca
- Mike Redman
- David Reeves
- Johan Renberg
- David Resseguie
- Warners Retro Corner
- Jacob Riddle
- Lindsey Rivait
- Rob
- William Robinson
- Iain Rockliffe
- Michael Patrick Rogers
- Adam Rosenfield
- Jeff Rowberg
- Larissa Rüdiger
- Steve S
- Danilo Sanchez Jr.
- Lieven Scheire
- Michael Schiciano
- George Schmalz
- Gene Schoensee
- John Schuman
- Mike Serritella
- Joe Sgro
- Marshall Shaffer
- Joel Shapiro
- Shawboy78
- Sato Sho
- Romain Simiand
- Andrew Simpson
- Monty Singleton
- Sara Smith
- Carlos Soto
- Krystal South
- SpaceBooger
- Matthew Stanosz
- Nathan Staudinger
- Juliet Stephenson
- Michael C. Stewart
- Christian Dannie Storgaard
- suriyel
- Michael Tedder
- Sonca Teng
- Michael Towns
- Michael Trakhtenberg
- Matthew Trevino
- Rosa Tyhurst
- Tyler, Robert, Jackie, Suzanne
- vampireishtar
- Philippe van Nedervelde
- Eric Vdp
- Victor
- Bob Vila
- David Vogeleer
- Big Vulture
- Adam Wade
- Rob Wagner Else
- Jack Ward
- Charles Waring
- Dan Warren
- eirik watz
- Gustav Wedholm
- Josh Weiland
- Jason Wells
- Justin Wheeler
- Jordan "The Tiger" Whitley
- Jeff Williams
- Xeon Xai
- Viking Horror
- Vincent Yula
- Zane
- Tieg Zaharia
- Christopher Zaluski
The Filmmakers
Directed by Andrew Austin & Adam Ward
Produced by Andrew Austin, Adam Ward, & Paula Kosowski
Adam Ward
- Hometown: Gastonia, North Carolina
- Favorite video games: Tetris, Mass Effect 2
- First Power Glove sighting: Age 9
- About: Adam is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Asheville, where he
majored in Multimedia Arts & Sciences. He brings his graphic design and cinematographic
expertise to the team in a refreshingly uncharacteristic manner, as he chooses to construct
the film's titles and effects through use of a modified Power Glove instead of a
traditional computer mouse. Adam was one of the directors of Gamers of the Lost Ark, an
official selection in the RiverRun International Film Festival.
Andrew Austin
- Hometown: Lake Charles, Louisiana
- Favorite video games: Ms. Pac-Man, Mario Kart 64
- First Power Glove sighting: Age 10
- About: Andrew is a director & editor based in Atlanta. Besides having served as
an expert Power Glove hand-model during the production of this film, his previous work
includes creating the Full House Without Michelle viral web series, as well as editing the
ESPN 30 for 30 Short “When the King Held Court.”
- Website: https://andrewaust.in
- Email: andrew@andrewaust.in
As Mention In...
Press Release
The Power of Glove, a feature documentary about the infamous Nintendo Power Glove, is now
available via Amazon Prime Video, Steam, Vimeo On Demand, and DVD.
Film Synopsis
The Power of Glove is a documentary chronicling the history & legacy of the notoriously
"bad" Nintendo Power Glove, the first mass-marketed gesture-based video game controller.
Released by Mattel in 1989, the Power Glove was the brainchild of the optimistic pioneers of the
1980s virtual reality frontier, and it was hyped as a revolutionary device that would change the way
humans interact with computers. Unfortunately, we humans were in for disappointment, since most kids
& critics thought the Power Glove just plain sucked. The reality didn’t live up to its hype, and
it was quickly relegated to bargain bins as a worthless gimmick. Nearly three decades after its
release, however, a small but dedicated fanbase has brought new life to the Power Glove by hacking
& repurposing it into musical instruments, art projects, virtual reality devices, and a slew of
other creative ends.
Featuring original music by Magic Sword and never-before-seen interviews with the original creators
of the Power Glove & its modern-day repurposers, The Power of Glove is a gripping story over 30
years in the making.
Credits
Directed by Andrew Austin & Adam Ward
Produced by Andrew Austin, Adam Ward, & Paula Kosowski
Original Music by Magic Sword
About the Film
An independent passion project years in the making, The Power of Glove was partially funded by a
successful Kickstarter campaign, and the film has enjoyed a successful festival run over the past
two years, including screenings at the New Orleans Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, and
RiverRun International Film Festival. The film has also garnered positive reviews from websites such
as Polygon, Film School Rejects, and Geek.com
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Media Contact
Please direct all media inquiries to: media@thepowerofglove.com
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