The Joyboard is a balance board peripheral for the Atari 2600 home video game console. It was released in 1983 and was used by standing on top of it and leaning in a certain direction. Skier Suzy Chaffee appeared on television and at toy fairs demonstrating its use.
Design
The Joyboard worked by installing the four directional latches of a joystick on the bottom of the board. Leaning in a certain direction engaged these latches, controlling the game. This is done via a standard Atari joystick port placed next to where the cable goes into the board. It can be used in a "plugthrough" manner which saves disconnecting the board when not in use.
Due to similarities in design and function, the Wii Balance Board, Off Your Rocker, another game developed by Amiga, could also use the Joyboard, in place of a normal joystick. Although the game was completed, it was never officially sold by Amiga, and instead the cartridges were sent to a company called Pleasant Valley Video who then sold them to the public. but was not released either.
Guru Meditation
Early in the development of the Amiga computer operating system, the company's developers became so frustrated with the system's frequent crashes that, as a relaxation technique, they attempted to sit perfectly still on the Joyboard so not to engage any of the latches on the bottom of it. This is where the infamous Guru Meditation error originates from in earlier versions of the AmigaOS operating system.
In homage to this, Ian Bogost, founder of video game developer Persuasive Games, has developed the video game Guru Meditation in an attempt "to create a legitimate zen meditation game".