Released in 1989, the Power Glove was an officially licensed third-party controller for the Nintendo Famicom (marketed as the NES outside Japan). The Japanese Power Glove was manufactured by PAX and the US version by Mattel.

The glove features a full controller on the wrist, plus 'program' buttons to allow different methods of translating movement into commands. The position and orientation sensing is done by two ultrasonic transmitters (mounted just behind the knuckles). Three microphones mounted around the TV triangulate the ultrasonic pulses to determine the glove position and orientation. Carbon-based flex sensors allow flexing of the four main fingers to be determined with a two-bit resolution (four positions for each finger).

Only two games were ever released specifically for the Power Glove: Super Glove Ball (a puzzle maze game), and Bad Street Brawler (a beat 'em up). Both games were playable with the standard NES controller, but included moves that can only be used with the glove. Both games were marketed as part of the 'Power Glove Gaming Series', although Super Glove Ball was never released in Japan. Two more games, Glove Pilot and Manipulator Glove Adventure, were announced but never released.

The Power Glove sold approximately 100,000 units in the US with gross sales totalling $88 million. The two games specially designed for the Power Glove sold poorly and the Power Glove itself was a critical and commercial failure. It remains something of a cult favourite, largely due to it's prominent featuring in the Nintendo-produced film 'The Wizard'.

"… the Power Glove was an odd controller for the NES that required you to wear a huge glove that really did very little, but the movie treats it with such awe, such holy reverence that all of the witnesses to its mighty power are left speechless. That is, until Lucas gives us one of the film's most memorable lines: 'I love the Power Glove. It's so bad!'"
— Mutant Reviewers from Hell