Buzz
Technology is often designed with a specific function in mind, and a gadget built for one particular purpose typically outshines one that includes the feature as an extra. For example, you’d expect a digital camera to outperform the camera in your smartphone, because the digital camera isn't weighed down by the added complexity of a phone.
Yet, there are times when devices defy expectations, offering a fantastic secondary feature that can outperform or even surpass more expensive, purpose-built alternatives.
10. Xbox Controllers
Instead of investing millions in creating custom controls for their devices, the US Army uses Xbox and Wii controllers to operate their drones. These controllers are so well-designed and intuitive that there’s practically no reason to use anything else.
In a British Army recruitment video, a sharp-eyed viewer spotted a quick shot where a soldier appears to be using an Xbox controller to pilot a drone. When the viewer inquired about it, the Army responded by claiming it wasn’t actually an Xbox controller. They had just coincidentally developed something identical because it worked better than any other available option.
This also means that war is increasingly resembling a video game, but as long as our army excels at that video game, we’re probably safe.
9. Gran Turismo
Unlike the other items on this list, this one is a game, not a piece of equipment. The Gran Turismo series stands out for its years of refinement as a driving simulator. It's so realistic now that it outperforms even actual driving simulators, with professional race car drivers using it to train for real races. In fact, graduates from GT Academy, where the best players are trained using Gran Turismo simulators, have been banned from amateur racing because their training gives them an unfair advantage.
This ban occurred after one such player entered a gentlemen’s racing tournament and almost won, narrowly losing to professional drivers with actual sponsors by just a few seconds. But it’s not just amateurs who benefit from the game; professional race car drivers have been known to play Gran Turismo to study specific tracks. It’s so realistic that the simulators they’ve spent years developing can’t compare to a game they can buy for $60.
8. The Wii Balance Board
Despite being classified as a toy, the Wii Balance Board is one of the best tools for accurately measuring your center of pressure. If you're wondering what that is, it's simply how you stand when relaxed. This information is crucial—it can impact everything from your walking pattern to your likelihood of falling. Putting too much weight on one leg or foot can cause serious problems, and to detect and correct this, you need either specialized equipment or just a Wii Balance Board.
A study by the University of Nevada found that the Wii Balance Board isn’t just an excellent tool for measuring your center of pressure—it’s essentially the only device on the market capable of doing so without costing thousands of dollars like a professional, clinical-grade machine. In fact, the study even recommends it as a more affordable option for doctors to use.
Here’s where the Balance Board outshines the other devices: Not only can it easily determine a person’s center of pressure with a simple modification, but it’s also incredibly beneficial for people undergoing rehabilitation after events like strokes—something that the other machines simply can’t do.
7. The Sony Playstation
The PS3 came with a built-in Blu-ray player, the PS2 featured a DVD player, and the PS1 included a CD player. At the time of each console's release, each of these devices on their own would have cost several hundred dollars. Remarkably, the PS1’s CD player wasn’t just good—audiophiles swear by it, claiming it’s the best CD player money can buy, even holding its ground against thousand-dollar CD players designed specifically for that purpose—also made by Sony.
For instance, in one review, an audiophile compared a Playstation console (which you can pick up for around $20) to his brand new, “Class A+ rated” Sony CD player, and the Playstation more than held its own. How does that even make sense? Why would anyone choose anything else?
6. The Kinect
Despite being several years old and costing just a few hundred dollars, the technology behind the Microsoft Kinect is incredible. The device’s 3D-mapping software can accurately and affordably map large areas. Although it can only map a space a few meters in front of it, its lightweight design allows it to be easily adapted to a portable handheld device, mapping entire areas for a fraction of the cost of comparable LIDAR devices. In fact, archaeologists have already begun using the Kinect for this very purpose.
Although the Kinect lacks the raw power of a LIDAR machine, its portability more than compensates for it. Plus, the ability to buy 30 of them for the cost of renting a LIDAR machine is a pretty sweet bonus.
5. Playstation 3
Not to be outdone by its predecessor, the PS3 has a secret weapon: It can be transformed into a makeshift supercomputer that rivals systems costing thousands more, provided you have a few consoles and the knowledge to link them together.
For just $4,000, you can create a supercomputer with immense processing power by connecting several dozen PS3s. While that might seem expensive, consider that renting time on a supercomputer usually costs a dollar per hour. Though that may sound cheap, when you factor in that a single calculation or simulation could take thousands of hours, it becomes clear that the PS3 supercomputer is a far more affordable option. And you can always use it to watch Blu-rays when you're not running simulations.
In fact, when the PS3 was still capable of running Linux, inventive individuals realized they could outsource massive calculations to the millions of Playstations worldwide, using their combined computing power while inactive to tackle challenges like curing cancer. Researchers behind the app that enabled this estimated that just 10,000 PS3s working together could match the power of the world’s most advanced supercomputer. However, since Sony disabled the ability to install Linux on the PS3, this no longer applies.
When we fail to cure cancer, you know who to hold accountable.
4. Smartphones
We mentioned that a dedicated camera would typically outperform the camera built into your smartphone, but smartphones seem determined to prove otherwise. While their camera functionality may not always match up, their tethering capability certainly does.
If you own a smartphone with internet access, you might not realize that you can use it as a portable modem for devices like a laptop, PC, or game console. Although this wasn’t the smartphone's primary purpose, it’s an added feature that surprisingly makes smartphone tethering more reliable than many dedicated USB modems.
In addition to being a phone, smartphone tethering can be a more cost-effective option than a USB dongle, as you get both phone functionality and internet access. In fact, smartphones were so effective at this that many European companies stopped offering unlimited data plans because customers figured out they could pay just a bit more for an unlimited plan and eliminate the need for a separate broadband connection altogether. Since phone companies aren't known for offering great value, they responded by imposing data caps and making phone modems less practical.
However, smartphones remain superior to USB dongles when it comes to cost, portability, and the amount of data they can handle. And let's not forget—you can't play Angry Birds with a USB dongle.
3. Nintendo
If you were to drop your phone right now, chances are it would crack or break. Unless, of course, you bought one specifically marketed as being more durable. But why should you pay extra for a product that can withstand normal everyday use? Nintendo asked the same question, which is why they design all of their products to last and don't charge you more for that durability.
The GameCube can withstand a sledgehammer hit and keep on working. The Nintendo DS was designed to survive a 1.5-meter (five-foot) drop onto solid concrete without damage, and one of the company’s executives wouldn’t let the design go forward until the team could prove it could survive that drop at least 10 times. Nintendo products are so renowned for their toughness that they coined the term “Nintendium” to describe tech that can endure extreme punishment. For instance, take the Gulf War Game Boy, an original Game Boy that survived a bomb blast.
Here’s the thing: Nintendo never brags about the durability of their products. They don’t advertise their Game Boys as bomb-proof or their consoles as tough enough to survive being run over by a car. They simply design their devices with the expectation that humans might drop them, and they build them to handle that. While other companies offer a protective cover for the $600 phone you bought in case it falls, Nintendo just makes devices that can withstand drops in the first place—and they don’t make a fuss about it. That’s how real businesses operate.
2. Wikipedia
Despite thousands of teachers and even Wikipedia’s founder Jimmy Wales advising against using it as a source, people continue to do so. And that’s okay, because in numerous studies, Wikipedia has been shown to be just as accurate, if not more so, than the Encyclopedia Britannica, the ultimate authority on facts. We say 'possibly' because Encyclopedia Britannica disagrees, but Wikipedia’s accuracy in the dozens of tests it’s been put through has been quite impressive.
Considering Wikipedia functions as a dictionary, a database of quotes, and is available in about 40 languages for free, a few errors are easily forgivable.
1. The Pokewalker
Pedometers are supposed to count steps, but they’re often unreliable due to the fact that they tend to pick up on minor bumps and knocks. How do we know you actually walked 10 miles? How do we know you didn’t just strap it to your ankle and jam out to your most energetic dubstep playlist?
In a study conducted by Iowa State University, which included both adults and children for greater accuracy, the Pokewalker—a device that’s clearly meant for kids—outperformed the more serious pedometers that were specifically designed for precision.
