U-Force

The U-Force was a Nintendo-licensed game controller made by Brøderbund in 1987 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It employed a pair of perpendicular infrared sensor panels to translate the user's hand movements into controller signals.

From a print advertisement circa 1989[1]:


 * Introducing U-Force, the revolutionary controller for your Nintendo Entertainment System. So hot, no one can touch it. Now you can feel the power without touching a thing. It's U-FORCE from Broderbund - the first and only video game controller that, without touching anything, electronically senses your every move, and reacts. There's nothing to hold, nothing to jump on, nothing to wear, U-Force creates a power field that responds to your every command--making you the controller. It's the most amazing accessory in video game history - and it will change the way you play video games forever. It's the challenge of the future. U-Force. Now nothing comes between you and the game.

Both the manual and the reference card include a chart that suggests playing Metroid in the Mode E (Flat) configuration of the device. (It additionally note that Mode E games can be played in the Mode A (Standard upright) position.)