UNUSED FEATURES. Mainly that thing next to the DS headphone jack.

[Endocrom]

So I was looking at my DS lite today and decided to finally find out what that rectangular port is that's next to the headphone jack. It's pretty clear from the placement and the icon of a mic'd headset that it's intended as a microphone jack... but there's a microphone built in to the machine itself, hmmm, maybe there's another reason, Google Ho!

Well, that didn't help, I can't find any reason for it to be there or anyone who has ever used it. All I could find were some news articles from back before the original DS released where someone had asked a nintendo rep about it and what they said was to the effect of "It's a secret", which ended up being a mic for the mic-less regular DS.

I'm guessing somebody just got lazy and copy-pasted the design from the regular DS, or maybe they had bought/manufactured too many units of that jack/mic combo that they needed to use them instead of trashing them.

This got me thinking. This isn't the first time we've had unused ports, remember all that crap that you could take off of the N64 to reveal some kind of LAN or online plugins? Sadly, I do.

So to make this an actual thread and not just some rant, can anyone else think of other hardware-based empty promises or pointless bureaucratic additions like these?

Edit: 666th post }: )

 

[A3Bf72rVWE5hA]

would the memory card slot on the old xboxes count? i mean, sure, they actually had memory cards, but hardly anyone used them and microsoft basically stopped supporting them in favor of usb drives.

 

[smearyllama]

There's been tons over the decades, but as the proud owner of an original DS I must inform the OP that it did, indeed, (*checks to make sure*) have its own mic.

Personally, I gotta ask what the serial port on the back of the original PS1 was used for. I was young, but I don't remember any accessories ever plugging into it. They always took up one of my precious controller slots.

EDIT: There was a serial port and a "Hi-Speed port" on the bottom of the Gamecube. One of them was used for the GBA Player; the other one I have no clue what it was used for.

But I've never been a stickler for accessories anyway.

The Hi-Speed port may have been for the network adapter that existed, though I think only a few games supported it.

OT: What's with those fans on the 360? They clearly serve no purpose, except to make the system sound like a jet taking off.
I joke, I joke.

There's that charger cable port on the back of 360 controllers that I have never found a use for, since the cables are tres expensif and I have access to many, many batteries from CostCo.
Maybe they'd be alright if they let you use the controller on a PC, but they only charge, and don't actually form a wired connection.

 

[Neverhoodian]

If you have a Nintendo 64, turn it over sometime. See those four small holes in the corners? That was intended for the Nintendo 64 Disk Drive, an ambitious project to increase the console's power and provide online support.

The N64DD project pretty much sputtered and died due to numerous delays. It was only released in Japan, had a library of exactly nine games, and was a commercial flop.

 

[Endocrom]

...as the proud owner of an original DS I must inform the OP that it did, indeed, (*checks to make sure*) have its own mic.

...there's definitely a mic in the original DS

Really? Well that makes it two generations of un-needed features.

Nintendo. Leader in innovation.

Oh, and I meant Gamecube had those panels on the bottom for LAN and whatever. I forgot all about that N64 disc drive.

 

[Buzz Killington_v1legacy]

Personally, I gotta ask what the serial port on the back of the original PS1 was used for.

It looks like there was a cable [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_Link_Cable] that plugged into it that allowed you to link up two PlayStations for multiplayer without splitting the screen. You needed two TVs, though.

 

[Nickompoop]

So I was looking at my DS lite today and decided to finally find out what that rectangular port is that's next to the headphone jack. It's pretty clear from the placement and the icon of a mic'd headset that it's intended as a microphone jack... but there's a microphone built in to the machine itself, hmmm, maybe there's another reason, Google Ho!

AHA! You are correct in assuming that the funky square port is indeed a mic jack. According to Wikipedia, there was a proprietary Nintendo DS headset that plugged into both the standard headphone jack and the funk-ass square one.

Also, I had no idea the N64 had a disk drive as an accessory.

 

[Melon Hunter]

There was a really hard-to-remove panel on the back of the original PS2 labelled 'expansion port'. As far as I'm aware, it had no use other than as a hidey-hole (it took up roughly a third of the console's volume; seriously, Sony?)

So I was looking at my DS lite today and decided to finally find out what that rectangular port is that's next to the headphone jack. It's pretty clear from the placement and the icon of a mic'd headset that it's intended as a microphone jack... but there's a microphone built in to the machine itself, hmmm, maybe there's another reason, Google Ho!

AHA! You are correct in assuming that the funky square port is indeed a mic jack. According to Wikipedia, there was a proprietary Nintendo DS headset that plugged into both the standard headphone jack and the funk-ass square one.

Also, I had no idea the N64 had a disk drive as an accessory.

I thought it had some relation to a similar rectangular hole next to the mic jack on the PSP, although that was used with a special pair of headphones bundled with the console that had a collection of buttons about halfway up the wire that controlled volume and music playback. The headphones had a wider connector that slotted into both the headphone jack and rectangular hole. Well, now I know better. Thanks!

 

[Solo-Wing]

There was a really hard-to-remove panel on the back of the original PS2 labelled 'expansion port'. As far as I'm aware, it had no use other than as a hidey-hole (it took up roughly a third of the console's volume; seriously, Sony?)

Nope. It was used for the Online adaptor (Built in on the Slim PS2) and the 20 GB Hard drive in Japan. It was actually used!

 

[Endocrom]

There was a really hard-to-remove panel on the back of the original PS2 labelled 'expansion port'. As far as I'm aware, it had no use other than as a hidey-hole (it took up roughly a third of the console's volume; seriously, Sony?)

Good place to hide a stash?

Sony. We know our audiance.

 

[Melon Hunter]

There was a really hard-to-remove panel on the back of the original PS2 labelled 'expansion port'. As far as I'm aware, it had no use other than as a hidey-hole (it took up roughly a third of the console's volume; seriously, Sony?)

Nope. It was used for the Online adaptor (Built in on the Slim PS2) and the 20 GB Hard drive in Japan. It was actually used!

Oh! That makes sense. I'd heard of a network adapter for the PS2 for online play, but I'd never really thought of how it would connect to the PS2. Thanks for that!

 

[Solo-Wing]

There was a really hard-to-remove panel on the back of the original PS2 labelled 'expansion port'. As far as I'm aware, it had no use other than as a hidey-hole (it took up roughly a third of the console's volume; seriously, Sony?)

Nope. It was used for the Online adaptor (Built in on the Slim PS2) and the 20 GB Hard drive in Japan. It was actually used!

Oh! That makes sense. I'd heard of a network adapter for the PS2 for online play, but I'd never really thought of how it would connect to the PS2. Thanks for that!

Yeah it went right in there.

That is the adaptor with a HDD ^^

Only really usefull thing to come out for consoles. Luckily now a days consoles just use USB for add ons now. Thank god. I mean something like another 32x would be an eyesore.

Oooo somehting made for like 10 32 bit games and a CD player add on. what a good way to spend your money!

 

[keideki]

The control port for the little remote on the PSP headphone set? Did anyone actually use that little dinky circular sliver remote? I just set my music on shuffle and let it go.