Lincoln Kelly: Peripheral company 'Power Play' shares accessories that will never be

Friday, December 24, 2010

Peripheral company 'Power Play' shares accessories that will never be

Power Play attempted to join the crowded Wiimote accessory market, and had designs on expanding to other consoles, with the intention of creating products of a higher quality than the usual cheap items -- "even if it meant a higher price point," according to Power Play CEO Paul Holcomb.

The company's first release, the "Riiflex" dumbbells for Wii Remotes, came out in 2009. The Riiflex is an only child: Power Play shut down before any more products could be put out. According to Holcomb, "In the end, this proved to be the company's downfall because retailers and distributors gravitate towards cheap plastic novelties rather than high end products," due to the high margins of those cheap items.

In addition, existing relationships between some peripheral companies, distributors, and retail buyers make it surprisingly hard to break into what seems like a wide-open market. Holcomb said that some companies are "joined at the hip" with distributors, and "entrenched in almost every major retail chain."

Holcomb sent Joystiq designs for what were to be Power Play's future products, including adjustable Riiflex dumbbells designed by Holcomb himself, the "Riiflex Kick," designed by Creature and Enginuity Works, a step attachment for the Wii Balance Board that also included storage and acted as a carrying case, and some interesting iPhone controllers, including a gamepad designed by Greg Aper with assistance from Enginuity Works and a gun shell designed by Holcomb (which was intended either to interface with an iPad or iPod -- or include its own secondary screen!) Check our gallery to see the premium accessories that won't ever find their way onto or around your consoles or controllers.

Gallery: Power Play peripheral designs