Saturday, July 5, 2014

Getting Used to the Top Rider Motorcycle Controller is Something you Need to Devote, like, a whole Weekend to.


I have added another oddball Famicom controller to my collection: the Top Rider inflatable motorcycle!

This is definitely one of the most interesting Famicom controllers ever made.  It is about what you think it is - an inflatable motorcycle that you ride on.  The handlebars, which are removable, are the only actual functional controller, with start/select buttons and the gas/brake control built into the handles themselves.

Its actually a pretty cool controller, hooking it up it reminds me a lot of motorcycle games that I have played in arcades.  The controls work pretty smoothly.

There are, however, two caveats.  One is that it is a massive pain in the ass to actually blow the thing up, especially if you aren`t used to doing so like me.  I thought I was going to pass out by the time I got it fully inflated.  Therefore this is one game that probably isn`t going to be played with very much in my household, neat though it is.

The other thing is that this controller was designed for 7 year old Japanese kids rather than 37 year old, 6 foot tall foreigners.  If you fall into the latter category, this is what you will look like when riding it:

For comparison`s sake please note the similarity:

It is massively uncomfortable for an adult to use the controller as a result, which is too bad. Of course it is possible to use the handlebars without the motorbike so I might stick to that.

Its kind of a must-have item for anyone collecting oddball Famicom stuff.  It was never released outside of Japan, and even in Japan it is a hard one to find (this is the first one I`ve ever seen, I won it on Yahoo Auctions).  This one doesn`t have the box which made it within my price range, with it I don`t think I could have afforded it!


15 comments:

  1. Cool piece!

    Hats off to you for committing to the post and posing for the photo! ha!

    :)


    Keep on gaming,
    Sohail

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey!

    I been following your blog for a while, great stuff!

    Also a question! I recently moved to Fukuoka and I am having a hard time finding stores with retro games and was wondering if you could tell me where to find any good stores (besides the obvious Mandrake), since you used to live here. I mostly collect handhelds such as Gameboy, Wonderswan and Neo Geo Pocket but I have a genuine interest in most retro game systems so really anywhere they sell anything would be a good start for me.

    Thanks! / Myra

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks Sohail! A blog post about this controller would not be complete without an in-action photo!

    Myra - Hey, cool. Fukuoka is a great city to live in. Unfortunately the best shop for retro games there, Omocha Souko in Kaizuka, closed down a couple of years ago. Actually, most of the game shops I shopped at when I first got into gaming in 2008 in Fukuoka have closed. Of those that were left when I moved 2 years ago, the Manga Soukos (there is one in Dazaifu and one in Kaizuka) are pretty decent, definitely the one in Dazaifu has better prices, I did a post on it a few years ago which includes a map here http://famicomblog.blogspot.jp/2012/04/manga-souko-very-good-famicom-shop.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, I guess I have to take a look at Kaizuka first since Dazaifu is a bit far. :) Keep bloging!

      Delete
  4. What a neat peripheral! I have 3 nephews, consider this a tool to get them away from terrible smartphone gaming. :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yeah, I think this would be great for little kids. Actually we are going to be adding a little boy to our family in a couple of months and the main reason I think I`ll hang onto this is to see if he wants to play it in about 5 years!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Whoa whoa whoa, you're having a kid?! Congrats! You're gonna be a great dad. I bet that kid's gonna be surrounded by Famicom games!

      Delete
    2. Thanks! He is going to grow up surrounded by Famicom games, I hope he doesn`t get sick of them :)

      Delete
  6. The FC has some strange accessories but this takes the cake. Too bad this stuff doesn't exist on modern consoles!

    I need to get one of these.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yeah, I think this is the oddest of all, even beating out the Power Glove!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Haha, this post made my afternoon. Too bad we didn't have this kind of stuff for NES. Power Glove...phff...

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wonder if you can play mach rider with this
    also whos that man on one of the pictures on this post?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Replies
    1. no, the one that is sitting on the bike thingy

      Delete