The First Motion Controller Ever Can Poison You - Rerez

[@rerez]

We got a lot of comments and questions about what kind of mercury was used in the controller. Unfortunately outside of the very large warning presented in the manual (You can see that warning at 2:08 in the video) there was no indication of what kind was inside. The only way to open the controller from what we could see would damage it. We simply didn't want to break it open and ruin a piece of gaming history and also risk breaking the mercury switches. We spoke to chemical engineers about Le Stick and they recommended caution while using it. We also spoke to gaming historians about the controller and found little information beyond what we researched and presented. Since the product was released in 1981 to consumers and sold in stores like Sears we assume it was safe to use. In the video we demonstrated that the controller was fully functioning which means the mercury was still intact in it's hermetically sealed switch. Mercury can be far less dangerous to use in products and as we mentioned in the video it's used in multiple devices. The gloves and mask were mostly for dramatic purposes and do not represent the proper safety gear you would need for handling very dangerous forms of mercury. Regardless though mercury even at it's safest is still something you should keep out of the reach of children and be safe with. TL;DR: Mercury can be safe but it is always important even at it's most harmless to be cautious while using any product that utilizes it.

[@BRoyce69]

It's likely just elemental mercury (Hg) as you said it was used as a liquid conductor

[@rerez]

@@BRoyce69 that is what we assume however without being able to confirm it we still advocate caution while using Le Stick.

[@thugasaurusrex6004]

Well... I appreciate the safety precautions but your mask wouldn't have done anything. Good on the gloves and the sort tho. I mean, you probably didn't need it, since I really doubt it was some kind of organic mercury, but still, it's nice to see some safety.

[@RESULT_OF_A_BROKEN_CONDOM]

Injested? What the f

[@Nightowl_IT]

Your gear is not protecting you against mercury fumes.

[@jamesgrove1237]

I swear that controller is made from an unused bicycle handle.

[@Windows98R]

James Grove somehow I can vividly imagine you saying that comment with that face

[@independentquebec3500]

@@Windows98R Your comment with your profile picture is perfect.

[@double-helix-22x22y]

my god you`re right!

[@marctremblay2244]

I used to have a BMX with this type of bicycle handle. I had couple of blisters too

[@xavyishvalda3608]

@@Windows98R Is your profile a Kancolle reference?

[@DudeTheNinja]

"Le Stick" sounds like something you hear in a 2009 rage comic.

[@KhromeXx]

That was 1 decade ago damn

[@MollietovGaming]

Damn that makes me feel old and I'm only 16

[@KhromeXx]

@@MollietovGaming im 21 lol

[@Gammera2000]

a horny onr

[@formerlygrimagikoopa]

1981: le stick 2009: le stick 2016/2019: le monke

[@markkoetsier6475]

"Le Stick" Datasoft was not only the first to do motion controls, it was also the first to do old memes.

[@mark030a]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@boxogoxo3899]

( •~•)

[@colingznetworkplus4618]

Lé is sophisticated sounding though.

[@rl3d2008]

le meme

[@mystari4445]

le voices are getting louder

[@dusso4231]

Rerez: *puts on hazmat suit* Codys lab: “let me taste this”

[@rumahhafidzahbekasi1354]

lol

[@bap5741]

was gonna say you dont need so much protection for mercury, atleast the hand and eye protection, I think

[@uselesscrap2701]

It was just rubber gloves and face mask. In reality that kind of mask won't do well against mercury fumes .

[@donvoltonus8898]

To be fair, Cody knows his mercury is pure. Who knows what kind of old crusty mercury is in Le Stick.

[@starcrashr]

@@donvoltonus8898 Of course he does. He distills it himself.

[@YowLife]

Wasn't the original title "The First Motion Controller Ever Can KILL You"?

[@DJL396]

Well, technically everything can kill you if you creative enough. :|

[@shanonfree8210]

@@DJL396 You're not wrong.

[@keijijohnson9754]

I remember that being the original title. Not sure why he had to change it.

[@xx-mreba-xx4051]

@@keijijohnson9754 KZbin most likely sent him a nice letter

[@jacobdesio]

@@keijijohnson9754 KZbin flags words like that

[@Cuestar]

The the stick

[@aliceakosota797]

Can you drop it off and pay me?

[@nikguimont8546]

That’s what I was thinking

[@Thespokenone]

The fact that he doesn't address this makes it all the more irritating

[@DavidLee-df888]

Cool, 2 of my fave KZbinrs here. Just need techmoan, LGR, nostalgia nerd, binkov and Doug de Muro. And geography now and.....

[@NoisyRogue]

Lol that’s what I was thinking

[@RockMongler]

If it works in all directions, I'd figure that means the mercury switches are all intact. If it were broken, you'd have a broken axis that wouldn't work.

[@LiEnby]

RockMongler good point!

[@HiddenAsbestos]

Mercury vapour is also pretty bad too!

[@RockMongler]

@@HiddenAsbestos Mercury vapor is generally the most dangerous part. It's a lot easier for you to absorb it via your lungs than skin when it vaporizes. Still not great to touch though.

[@Riiludragon]

​@@HiddenAsbestos Mercury vapor isn't cyanide gas, you just open a window in case you spill mercury and it wont be able to really harm you. People really overestimate the dangers of mercury, while yes it's deadly when ingested, it's not dangerous to come in contact with unless you have a cut where it touches, and mercury vapor takes some time to build up to hazardous levels.

[@memberberry6177]

And the micro amount that's in those switches couldn't kill anyone unless they drank it all maybe.. In the old days all thermometres were filled with mercury. Even the ones you'd stick in your mouth or arse to see if you had a fever.

[@PhilXavierSierraJones]

Usually the mercury capsules are enclosed in resin so even if they break the mercury is contained, but it's often omitted in cheap devices.

[@lolcat]

Thanks Mr. Meeseeks, very cool!

[@Nad_0618]

Well, considering the Quality of le stick, It's probably got those. But better safe than dying of Mercury poisoning

[@izicial7469]

@@Nad_0618 Even if you got some on his hands as long as there was no open wounds and he washed them the Mercury would have done nothing to him.

[@TNTMans]

@@Nad_0618 Mercury is completely safe. you will have absolutely no issues dunking your hands in it. if you just wash your hands, you'll be fine. you only have issues with mercury vapor, and mercury compounds.

[@0Raik]

Liquid mercury is safe even to handle with bare hands (as long you properly wash your hands after). It's mercury compounds or vapor that causes harm. Mercury salts are terrible and organic mercury is stuff of nightmares. Just don't eat mercury or get less than a mile from organic mercury.

[@gaelchavez130]

“Le Stick” sounds like a French porno

[@TundraBeats_]

StEp BrO wHaT aRe YoU dOiNg?

[@Eden-Valentine]

HoNhOnHoN

[@robertcortez4956]

It even looks like a prop for a porno

[@TundraBeats_]

@@Eden-Valentine Kon kon kon

[@conradojavier7547]

A French Porno that kills you with Mercupes.

[@NaudVanDalen]

As long as there's no mercury leaking out of it, you can safely use it. But it's of course funnier with the protective gear.

[@GraveUypo]

as long as you have skin, it can leak and it will still not do you harm. only does harm if you ingest it or let it into your bloodstream.

[@Overly_Hydrated]

I have a feeling the mercury container is just a glass tube like in thermostats. Pretty easy to shatter.

[@NaudVanDalen]

@@Overly_Hydrated That's true, but it has a protective plastic shell.

[@jakedill1304]

My dad mentioned somebody at some point way back that was working with a particular kind of Mercury.. and she put the wrong gloves on, and pretty much died very badly because of it.. a particular kind of mercury I don't know the details but, like just the idea that it goes right through a glove is saying something right there, even if it's the wrong glove.. obviously, any gold miner in Columbia kind of test that normally this is not the case as they're playing around with it in their hands trying to get the gold out, and I'm just sitting there like why oh oh don't know don't do that don't no don't don't do that.. I don't know I suppose it's better to go insane and die decades maybe even longer you know or shorter depending.. then you know not eating.. like that that actually does compute but.. you know Mercury's one of those things, it's just like the more you play with it the more fun it is and the less you think about anything really, or perhaps the more? Of everything? Most heavy metals are incredibly toxic but Mercury really is that special something.. and it just had to be like the most damn fun looking thing to ever want to go touch and licking and you know just just slide across the carpet and just slide across the table and just you know slide it back and it's like a little metal friend! It's alive, it's got feelings it's got you know it's got all the things.. we just we just can't be friends and we can't hang out.. it's just not not how it's supposed to be apparently and I feel bad cuz it'd be helping us out finding that gold and telling us what temperature it is and desperately trying to get people to actually play video games and rather than programming them to play for you like we've been stuck in for 20 years.. seems like we're pretty good at making our own selves dumb but, maybe with our friend Mercury could do it together it's going to happen anyways right? I mean I mean you know like it's happening we're doing it.. winner of the dystopian predictions is brave New world 100%.. the vapid one.

[@ValderCorpOfficial]

@@jakedill1304 tf is this

[@cpudraner]

I didn't know they ported Russian Roulette to the Atari...

[@craftnut]

lol

[@ConnorRB]

That controller looks like a damn bike grip with a cable.

[@jamesslick4790]

It FELT like a bike grip too, LOL! - But a good bike grip!

[@independentquebec3500]

HAHA

[@Cheapdrift]

Yes

[@TheHylianJuggalo]

Le stick. Resurrecting 1970s tech and 2009 memes at the same time. Le cringe

[@PersimmonHurmo]

Le nostalgia

[@thebetaman]

Le stupid

[@PantsYT]

Le ghhhhh

[@CoolPepper-ey7xc]

Le bruh

[@KSR3]

Le cope Le seethe

[@mr.mysterious186]

Boss: Alright we need to come up with a new Controller! Datasoft: I have an Idea! It's a Motion Controller! Boss: Interresting... What do you call it? Datasoft: *Le Stick*

[@lucky.komaeda4518]

Boss: Get tf out of my office!

[@acetenyt699]

*puts on hazmat suit for mercury* Cody’s lab *puts hand in mercury* Me : wtf Update : Cody's lab just drank mercury.....

[@---tw1kt]

did you know that there is more than one type of mercury? basic mercury is just a stable liquid metal but there is isotopes, oxides and worst of all organo's also what is a joke?

[@DiscountMiku]

@@---tw1kt a joke is something that is supposed to be funny,maybe

[@oh2446]

@@DiscountMiku A joke should be humorous to be considered one.

[@reagandow850]

AceTenYT - I think all of that crap was complete overkill. Give me a break.

[@hdog4032]

Ha ha

[@oscarmuffin4322]

That dust mask isn't doing you any good against mercury vapor. This whole thing also seems excessively dramatized. Mercury is of similar toxicity to humans as lead. People have the idea that mercury is this super-toxic killing agent but that just isn't the case.

[@MrMagichobo21]

Yeah, just wash your hands if you come into contact, don't eat it, and avoid the vapors.

[@dablakh0l193]

If you had actually opened up the controller you would have seen that it would have taken someone to smash the controller with a sledgehammer or drive over it to break the capsules, and then because how they are encapsulated it still probably wouldn't leak.

[@QuintinPlays]

On his Discord he said he wasn't sure of the procedures that should be taken, so he worked with what he knew. He didn't mean to over-dramatise it

[@Kimarnic]

@@QuintinPlays why didnt he google it?

[@jimmyclimer594]

And if the mercury capsules where broken the controller wouldn't work at all.

[@vcrbetamax]

This is meme magic friends. It’s Atari era motion controls, that looks like dildo, could kill you with poison; and it’s called “Le stick”. How many stars had to align and first borne sacrificed for this to happen?

[@kauske]

One star didn't, elemental mercury is a shitty poison, unless you vaporize it. Mercury switches are also commonly encased in resin. The type of mercury that makes you dead and gives you dementia is methylmercury, which can even penetrate gloves. Pure elemental mercury, like the silver liquid? You could drink a gallon of it, and you'd just poop it out without much harm. It's just not soluble in your body like other compounds of mercury.

[@stunseedordeesnuts]

Looks like a bomb detonator

[@minigungaming5915]

@@kauske "You could drink a gallon of it" *cough* Shi Huangdi *cough*

[@kauske]

@MinigunGaming Cause of death is actually unknown, blaming mercury pills is just speculation. Also, the exact composition of those pills is unknown too. Modern chemistry can tell you that pure elemental mercury isn't particularly dangerous, unless you vaporize it.

[@inverted_paradox4170]

12 dozen eggs sacrificed to how to basic

[@KingDuken]

Clearly, Shane, Mercury is a planet, not a poison. How can a giant rock be poisonous? (yes, I’m being sarcastic)

[@SlavicUnionGaming]

KingDuken No, Mercury is a car dealership

[@bradleypearl2986]

Mercury's a car company.

[@Andux]

Mercury's a music artist, idiots. (satire)

[@TenguToshi]

You silly gooses! Mercury is clearly a god!

[@coctilecrocodile1293]

You unintelligent pickles, Mercury is actually a club located in the lower east side of New York City. Get your facts straight!

[@megafan1137]

Imagine your epitaph reading: "played Donkey Kong with Le Stick"

[@tammid8423]

@Ivan Parra no im playing with another stick

[@xmxlyyy]

"The Le Stick"... *The The Stick*

[@giornogiovanna7316]

XD

[@MD-ts2tg]

Gave you a dislike

[@MD-ts2tg]

Both of you

[@lol-wr2ni]

Now I can finally die a gamer

[@sillygoose2878]

Yee

[@PyroResort]

Same

[@PyroResort]

No regret

[@srekoslav]

EPIC

[@RineYFD]

Literary.

[@RetroBerner]

That thing looks like a cartoon detonator. A bit dramatic with the safety though, eh?

[@cosmicjenny4508]

+Steve Martino Mercury is extremely poisonous, though... It can actually kill you.

[@DCGMatthew1]

@@RetroBerner Who would be sticking mercury up their arse?

[@SMGJohn]

You can flick that controller so hard while screaming and some mercury might go into your mouth turning you into godzilla, never underestimate the gamer.

[@RetroBerner]

@@DCGMatthew1 It was a joke, but those old school rectal thermometers had some in them.

[@Zareldo]

Prolonged skin exposure or if you have a wound can kill too

[@johnrickard8512]

That has to be the only motion controller from that time that's actually usable.

[@pinkcigarette]

I remember the title being "The first ever motion controller can kill you"

[@jasondavis2804]

Same

[@scapheap]

@OhYeahYeah Either a) KZbin reasons or b) mercury isn't that poisonous. You don't need that much to enter your body, but to get that amount, you need a lot mercury laying about which a hand held length of switches doesn't have. For example, a normal mercury thermometer contains more then 10 times the fatal amount, but if you break one, the advice isn't 'run for the hills and call the professionals'. So unless you are breaking it open and drinking the fluids, at most its give some health issues.

[@JanoyCresvaZero]

Can’t say kill or die or other bad, bad words in your video titles anymore! KZbin is Orwell’s 1984!!!

[@JanoyCresvaZero]

@@scapheap If it were organic mercury, then it’s EXTREMELY dangerous!

[@nthgth]

@@JanoyCresvaZero so like, mercury carbide or something?

[@ToploadedGaming]

Its a bike grip.

[@KuraIthys]

I honestly can't decide whether it's a bike handle or a sex toy. The overall appearance says 'bike handle'. But the packaging and name says 'sex toy'. XD

[@speedysandisk78]

I literally had the same handles on my BMX bike when I was a kid, just a different color.

[@GAMESTERVISION]

Yep. BMX

[@bradlunsford2161]

@@KuraIthys why not both?

[@SunnyShuklathedoctor]

Sure

[@chuckp3986]

*not as dangerous as you make it out to be. Use caution. Don't lick it.

[@Trimint123]

Just to fix your comments for a reason why, it's a liquid mercury, which are safe to grab with bare hands and only poison if you eat it.

[@crazyluigi6664]

Don't use as a dildo either. I'm sure that should be mentioned also for those having funny ideas with it...

[@truji2582]

but money

[@datyoshi]

*licks*

[@drummer4hire12]

.....I needed this advice on my prom night......

[@nathanbent7307]

1:46 this isn't a kids toy It's an adult's toy

[@5roundsrapid263]

First thing I thought, too!

[@thejay8963]

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@voidyt9939]

Dildo?

[@glowing_galaxy]

@@voidyt9939 Le diugh

[@stupidmarioplushchannel6388]

@@5roundsrapid263 same

[@razi_man]

"Just don't let kids play with it." Gonna write that one down in my memo.

[@AlyssaAnim8s]

@@thisisdeathhec I deleted the comment. Are you happy now?!?

[@AlyssaAnim8s]

@@thisisdeathhec ok 👍

[@RetroRoulette]

Side note PSA: There is also mercury vapor in CFL bulbs (little spiral ones). Better off with LED or Incandescent in case you break one and have a hazmat situation.

[@PunakiviAddikti]

True. You shouldn't use CFL bulbs or tubes anyways these days, they're outdated. Fun fact: the reason why these bulbs break and make a loud POP isn't because the bulb itself breaks. They break because an electrolytic capacitor inside ruptures from the generated heat. If you replace that failed capacitor, the bulb will work again.

[@lucian1311_]

@@PunakiviAddiktiCFL bulbs were great for the time but nowadays LED is the way to go unless you're lighting an office or something, then you'd use CFL bars or whatever they're called

[@PunakiviAddikti]

@@lucian1311_ While CFL tubes are still used in offices and factories, LEDs are also quickly displacing them. LED fixtures are significantly more expensive than CFL tubes, but they last much longer and don't need replacing.

[@lucian1311_]

@@PunakiviAddikti huh TIL, thanks for the info

[@KingEurope1]

Mercury in electronics is perfectly normal... The motion control Game Boy Advance cartridges have mercury too...

[@greenaum]

Nah it's not, mercury is used in very little these days. The GBA carts presumably either use a weight on a spring, some some other sort of mechanism, or MEMS sensors. If one ever contained mercury it'd be a knockoff Chinese one, but I even doubt that.

[@earnirplaygames9172]

AAAANNNNDDDD I’m using emulators!!!

[@greenaum]

@Vice TOLUCT Why would a GB cartridge, or any computer game cartridge, have paint at all? They're made of unpainted plastic and a printed paper label!

[@PSPMan]

Big props for donating this to a museum man, mad respect.

[@shroomie108]

0:25. I wanted a sega activator as a kid... my friend got one.. I no longer wanted one after 2 seconds using it.

[@ressljs]

Any motion controls Pre-Wii were a terrible idea not just because of questionable performance, but because the games weren't being made for them. If games are designed around the motion controllers, they can be great. But if the motion controller is just attempting to recreate the same inputs as a joystick, what's the point? Even with the Wii, you can see examples of games that should have been normal control pad input, but they jammed in motion controls much to the game's detriment. Castlevania Judgement is probably the best example.

[@RettMikhal]

The activator does not even come cloooooooose to being motion controls. It was just a Sega controller spread into a hexagon with IR beams using TV remote control technology to detect button presses. It just changed pushing your thumb on the button to your arm OVER the button... except you could not tell which was which. If they labeled them and you practiced it might work but they billed it as full on virtual reality. Fuck that thing. Came with Eternal Champions though which I did not return when my parents sent it back 7/10.

[@nathanmead140]

@@ressljs the ps3 has good motion controls too i played gta 4 and gta 5 with them on

[@ressljs]

@@nathanmead140 I never had much experience with the PS3. Not counting the PS Move titles, how did they implement the motion controls in normal games?

[@VOAN]

As a kid, I remember doing the hokey pokey with the Activator once in MKII and it accidentally trigger Liu Kang's fatality (not the dragon one).

[@Zigtec]

Le Stick was originally going to be a Russian roulette sex toy. Change my mind

[@---ng7ke]

I love mercury up my ass.

[@CardZed]

@@---ng7ke i loled so hard at this, how.

[@j.h-j5j]

"Le Stick" sounds like something out of a meme.

[@gracekim1998]

So the first meme before the Internet

[@robertharris6092]

@@gracekim1998 memes are ancient. A older but modern one is killroy was here

[@Pehmokettu]

I never understand people who throw the controller or other items when they are frustrated. But that is probably because my parents never bought me a new toy if I broke one so I really had to be very careful with my toys and video games.

[@TehNewParalyzer]

That's exactly why. As a Kid I had what I had and if it broke then usually it was gone forever. I've never cracked a cell phone screen because I treat them like priceless artifacts. My wife however had a different upbringing. If her phone broke her father would run out and pick her up a new one. Now she's an adult who goes through multiple phones a year. Whereas I try to use my cellphones to the point where they die of age.

[@kenetickups6146]

I had to buy all my own electronics and I've thrown my controllers my whole life

[@LendriMujina]

The one time in my life that I was intentionally rough with a controller, it ended badly. It was a GameCube WaveBird, and I kept getting frustrated at the signal going all screwy. My logic was what's known on TVTropes as "Percussive Maintenance". Needless to say, it made the problem worse and became totally unusable. I regretted doing it right away.

[@MystPlaysGamesMPG]

I used to just yell at them

[@Espeon5]

I slammed my joy-cons when they had the drifting issue. I eventually just bought new joy-cons.

[@SneaVal]

This is what true gamers play games with 😤😤😤

[@nocturnelux3391]

"You wanna be a true games player?"

[@edwinr.3588]

I love the risk of death when I play my games

[@Numbingbird]

I may look fly with le stick but I want to die

[@KingStr0ng]

@@edwinr.3588 I got the highest score in Russian Roulette. 😩👌

[@gracekim1998]

No I would rather not die early 😅

[@donnierussellii4659]

If you really want to avoid mercury, be careful where you get your fish and hold your breath at the dentist.

[@kauske]

Amalgam used in dental fillings is fairly safe, while you're alive at least. It's deadly as hell if you die and get cremated though. Several workers in crematoriums have suffered mercury poisoning due to all the dental fillings that are now being incinerated with the dead.

[@kauske]

Dental amalgam is banned in many countries now, but there are still tons of people out there with existing amalgam fillings. Some also choose to go to the dentist and have amalgam fillings replaced with newer polymer and ceramic ones. Some countries do still use amalgam for fillings though, since it's super cheap.

[@Bonswally]

Oh god, mercury isn't that dangerous in this scenario.

[@blinkachu05]

Better safe than sorry, since mercury CAN be toxic. To clarify, apparently Rerez doesn't know what type of mercury is used here, whether it be the safer Ethylmercury or the more dangerous Methylmercury. Unknown chemicals are better not messed with.

[@Psevdonim123]

@@blinkachu05 It can, but amounts of mercury in these switches are not going to hurt you that much...

[@dungeoneerofphilosophyphd172]

@@Psevdonim123 mercury doesn't absorb through skin either.

[@eng3d]

Even drinking the mercury of a thermometer is not too dangerous but it is not recommended

[@uselesscrap2701]

@@Psevdonim123 long exposure to mercury causes: paranoia, schizophrenia, depression, loss of vision and hearing, loss of IQ, loss of memories, paralyzed limbs, lost contact with world, and finally complete shutdown of nervous system, resulting in death.

[@geebeepman]

"Le Stick" I'm Le Dead

[@war10zx98]

I'm Le Dad

[@Tactical_Hotdog]

Does it bug anyone else how he keeps calling it "the le stick"? He's essentially saying it's called "the the stick" :\

[@ESMProductions]

It's like when people say ATM machine effectively (automated teller machine machine)

[@residentalien818]

It's poetry, I'm offended

[@arthilas_]

or the dreaded LCD displays and PIN numbers, which areoften found in tech magacines and almost every webdesigner has heard of "CSS stylesheets"...xD

[@fernoshader1363]

Ever heard of Chai Tea Or Naan Bread? Yeah I love eating bread bread while drinking tea tea.

[@chedarmentosbrown5922]

And taco tacos lol I really laugh out loud when I hear that one.

[@buddykiller]

"because mercury is poison!" *cut to cody's lab playing with mercury* mercury is actually pretty safe.

[@Froggievilleus]

I learned something new today. I had no clue they used mercury to determine tilting in pinball machines. The more you know. :)

[@tux7174]

I can't find any reference to mercury being used in pinball tilt switches. The typical pinball tilt switch to this day is a plumb bob with a ring around it. When the bob touches the ring, it completes a circuit registering a tilt. There is also often a lift switch, in which a ball rolls down a track and touches a contact when the front of the game is lifted.

[@0Raik]

Was present in AC control thermostats, that old as dinosaurs dial to control the room temperature in a office.

[@ryankeith4078]

If you cheat, you die. The machine ll throw mercury on ya.

[@dablakh0l193]

Very early Gottleib machines used a combination of mercury and plumb bob switches to sense slamming and lifting the machine. The mercury switch was mounted on an adjustable bracket that was originally designed so it could be adjusted if the floor wasn't level front to back. However, some unscrupulous arcade owners would adjust them so that the slightest nudge would cause the machine to register a tilt.

[@tjsynkral]

I have 8 pinball machines from various eras. None use mercury tilt switches. They use lead plumb bobs :)

[@StuartKReilly]

I swear I thought the manual said "The Shit Stick"

[@stinger51505]

When I was in grade school the teachers would put mercury on a piece of paper and have us make designs by BLOWING the mercury with a straw! Lol

[@TundraBeats_]

Lol my teacher showed us a video and made us do a worksheet

[@TundraBeats_]

@Pinkamena Pie mercury is dangerous if you are exposed to it for long periods of time

[@TundraBeats_]

@Pinkamena Pie you dont have to touch it all you have to do is inhale it. It messes with your nerves and everything.

[@expendableindigo9639]

That is... not good.

[@jamesstewart5005]

Mercury isn't that dangerous as a liquid, just don't arosolize or smoke it. I played with it as a kid and I don't have any dain bramage.

[@ressljs]

Yeah, it's one of those things that's not that bad but since no one really has any contact with it anymore, mercury is now assumed to be on the same level as plutonium.

[@kauske]

"Dain bramage" That was golden.

[@officialclownbusiness7788]

My friend smoked mercury once, and he almost jumped out the window convinced that my dirty clothes were coming to life on my floor and trying to kill him. Apparently, mercury is an ingredient in hand warmers. I had a hand warmer that broke open in my pocket, and I dumped it out on my table. My friend thought the stuff on the table was tobacco, and proceeded to roll himself a cigarette which made him trip the fuck out.

[@kauske]

@Chromer Pimpson This sounds made up.

[@ressljs]

@@officialclownbusiness7788 What?! Seriously, WTF?! You're friend doesn't seem to be very good at, well, living. I'm having trouble seeing how anyone could mistake the contents of a hand warmer for tobacco. And I doubt there's mercury in that, but god knows what other chemicals.

[@JohnSmith-ns8si]

Reminds me of that kid's science kit with actual uranium in it.

[@LiEnby]

John Smith uranium is perfectly safe and all over the place lmao its only when it's super refined

[@0Raik]

@@LiEnby You stole mah replay!

[@wizard3z868]

@@LiEnby www.ripleys.com/weird-news/gilbert-atomic-energy-lab/

[@countspider6488]

URANIUM FEVER HAS GONE AND GOT ME DOWN

[@caav56]

@@LiEnbyIt's still toxic, though. But yeah, as long as the kit is handled properly, there's no actual danger from it.

[@haruruben]

Hehe the “le stick”... that sounds like a ... ahem... personal massager

[@paleocat6354]

I was literally just about to comment that

[@awetistic5295]

It even looks like one!

[@yangashi]

"Ok, team we have 10,000 bike grips. What can we do with them?"

[@Just_Some_Yonko_With_A_Beard]

*holds Le Stick while the same hand is wearing a Power Glove*

[@TundraBeats_]

Your power level: ITS OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAND!!

[@ruler_of_everything]

while sitting inside the activator

[@joshuaham1022]

The problem with old motion controls is that they use the motion controls to replace the joystick/dpad and not things like camera(which wasn’t around yet)

[@lqu]

Rerez does know that "le" means "the", right? Because he's just saying "The The Stick".

[@TheN64man]

assumably for comedic purposes. Le Stick isn't the most intuitive name.

[@czarnakoza9697]

tru

[@czarnakoza9697]

also wtf i see you here? i rember i saw you channel and spamed hate comments :P

[@lqu]

@@czarnakoza9697 Uh, excuse me..? When did I spam hate comments?

[@czarnakoza9697]

@@lqu i spammed the comments XDDD

[@chedarmentosbrown5922]

Everyone go watch Cody's Lab. He has tons of mercury experiment videos. He has handled mercury a lot and is not dead.

[@mork6668]

yeah,that is a good example!!people believe in everything these days!!

[@invicktusimperium]

@@mork6668 well it can't kill you but it can harm you.

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

@@invicktusimperium If you're injured, if you ingest it, or if you're really stupid and lock yourself in an unvenhilated room with mercury vapor. Mercury's harm is over exaggerated like the effects of black mold.

[@beautyforashes2022]

1:13 "Le Stick", in its box, looks a little like it could be something other than a game controller...

[@itstimeforMario64PLAYER]

A certain device for woman

[@RetroFrito]

"This isn't a kid's toy." You're right, it's a bicycle handlebar grip

[@scottp.548]

Great video Rerez never heard of this controller. Side note, that paper mask is useless for your application & is more or less like wearing no protective mask at all.

[@andrew-ht3nq]

I actually think he used the mask only for comedy

[@0Raik]

Liquid mercury is safe even to handle with bare hands (as long you properly wash your hands after). It's mercury compounds or vapor that causes harm. Mercury salts are terrible and organic mercury is stuff of nightmares. Just don't eat mercury or get less than a mile from organic mercury.

[@nathanmead140]

A air tank would be better

[@mchomelessful]

The controller was dusty hahahahaha

[@subzero8679]

Shut up Scott

[@VachicorneOld]

They should have called it "Le baguette".

[@chedarmentosbrown5922]

@Frumpysnorfls he is obviously referencing French Canadian baguette. They make them about the size of the Le Stick. Also his name is more French, so he probably knows.

[@Malcadon]

I was thinking "Le Bâton" myself. Or even "Bite Noir de Vader". ;)

[@WhoAREyou-22iv]

They should have called it "Le Gode"

[@tunatezer8902]

La baguette*

[@waluigicultmember2539]

I love the Power Glove. It's so bad.

[@rodneyfan701]

I have no idea why I didn't expect that

@@DavidLionGuitars so so baddddd

[@PANZERFAUST90]

okay...

[@eagles_s]

2:30 this dude was prepared for 2020.

[@simplyalonso]

shush

[@danwoodward23]

When I was a kid I broke open a thermometer and I was playing with the beads of mercury in the palm of my hand

[@mariozzi5819]

me too same thing it was like magic ..i learned what it does when i took one big bottle at schools chemistry class and everyone started shouting at me like i was holding a bomb..

[@DownloadeousMaximus]

@Vice TOLUCT Bahrain damage???

[@washyourmouthoutwithpope1334]

@Pinkamena Pie afaik it depends on the mercury.

[@schindlerteejay94]

le stick, looks like le bicycle handle with a button on it.

[@PineaFan]

Le button*

[@BapoBoompa]

1:27 damn if 40 bucks for a controller was expensive in the 80s they'd have a heart attack seeing how much the switch joycons

[@larrychilders6599]

Just $60

[@Roid33]

@@larrychilders6599 and you say that like it can't afford a meal for a whole damn village in some countries

[@GameSack]

Great video Shane. Very well done!

[@kovyvuri]

woa

[@reyinsarcade]

Who are you

[@blacksox28]

Joe? Dave?... Jave?

[@luiscanamarvega]

Stupid Game Sack

[@biglumby153]

you did it! you broke comedy down to it's bare essentials!

[@Chilgt]

2:44 "Prepare for your *Examination*

[@Gigabarto]

In Mexico, we used to wear mercury necklaces back in the 90's, ah and that was a kids trend so we could usually buy them outside any elementary school.

[@ericbadder1552]

A rubber glove, seriously. Just put a condom on the controller

[@SamuraiMotoko]

It would fit

[@nathanmead140]

@@SamuraiMotoko probably only if it's for a blk g

[@wizard3z868]

he will after the video hes a real safe gamer

[@WebVManReturns]

Nintendo did with the WiiMote glove.

[@ashertheodore58]

Lol

[@romanoum0465]

>le me buying le stick >That's it

[@KSR3]

Le cringe

[@2Scribble]

2:08 - I just love that 'return your Le Stick for repair' Like, hey, if they injected Mercury then THEY won't be needing their Le Stick :P

[@brad_hensil]

Am I the only one who thinks it’s funny that he called the controller “The Le Stick?” (He’s basically calling it “The The Stick”)

[@SuperCosmicMutantSquid]

It looks less like a joystick and more like....A "JOYSTICK".

[@magentapurpleyap5566]

Badum tsss

[@DrakeDragsaw]

2:48 rerez is prepared for the virus

[@adriantaner7950]

*Hears le stick Thinks about tf2 spy laughing aroused

[@Mernom]

Honestly, metallic mercury is not that dangerous. As long as you don't ingest it.

[@Kohdok]

...Ya know the sight of him putting on a mask might have been a joke when this video came out, but now I don't even bat an eye.

[@user-njyzcip]

0:47 "and that was a really bad device that wasn't very good" Yes, and water is made out of water

[@Cyrus_Nagisa]

I know mercury is poisonous, but I feel you are over reacting a bit here......

[@slipsby2704]

r/woosh

[@coolguy02536]

@Nigsby good grief, don’t you people ever feel shame when you misuse that countlessly...

[@Charlie-pg5wy]

This had the potential to be a pun. "over reacting"

[@Johnveemjanl]

Dusk mask is a joke

[@startedtech]

The Mercury in the switch isn't as dangerous as you make it out to be. You can't be hurt by it unless you swallow it or have an open wound.

[@nikopierrot]

Don’t you get poisoned if you inhale mercury?

[@The_Black_Knight]

@@nikopierrot If you "snort" it, it will be absorbed into the bloodstream through your nose capillaries. If you "huff" it, the vapors will be absorbed through your lung alveoli. A major influx of either is much worse that even an open wound absorption, and over the long term will cause poisoning. It is dependent on the amount entering the body. Keep in mind, there are various types of mercury compounds, other than the most common heavy metal.

[@kauske]

Technically, even if you swallow elemental mercury, you're not going to get that messed up, same with cuts. IT's not good, but it's not like being exposed to methylmercury. Methylmercury is the kind that gets readily absorbed, even through gloves, and makes you go insane and gives you tremors and death.

[@hullstar242]

It looks like a bomb disguised as a bike handle

[@SRBAnimate]

hullstar242 xd

[@gabrieldabriel]

xD

[@PinoyBowlerGS92]

2:15 Too early for Pandemic at that time

[@PeruvianPotato]

Stfu normie

[@artyom2801]

Pretty sure pure mercury doesn't get airborne, it only goes airborne when its burned along with coal, considering that its concentration is small, it means that its weight would be insignificant compared to the force that rising fumes carry, though that mercury eventually rains down and seeping into flora. Look my point is respiratory equippment is kinda pointless with the pure mercury, one of my classmates accidentally broke the mercury thermometer, but there was no real urgency and since we were all chemists in the making, we had a labcoat and latex powdered gloves on and just scooped it up with the remaining glass shards. All of this under teacher supervision.

[@Spock1777]

"The Le Stick" The the stick?

[@nu52927]

The the? Its ME ME BIG BOY

[@Eden-Valentine]

*The* the stick

[@xx-mreba-xx4051]

I just love how the Atari 2600 just keeps getting more impressive with the amount of adding they came up with I love the fact it also has wireless controllers before they became a thing

[@that_one_spaceman4104]

and no one's gonna talk about what it looks like

[@sheriffaboubakar9720]

potatosalmon 64 Looks like a flashbang grenade to be.

[@PANZERFAUST90]

Yeah I don't know where you're going with this.

[@antbertett5257]

A man ahead of its time I saw the way he put on that mask and gloves

[@DustinRodriguez1_0]

You went a bit overboard with the mercury precautions. Mercury switches are entirely safe when intact, and they're not easy to break open, you'd have to some serious severe damage to the controller to affect them. Mercury itself, at least the basic elemental form used in such switches, isn't that dangerous. Touching it is fine, it won't absorb through your skin or anything. The problem with it is that it gives off fumes and the fumes are what is poisonous. It has to be exposed to air and there needs to be a lot of it to produce any significantly dangerous amount of fumes even in a closed room with no ventilation. And it should be obvious that if the motion controller actually still works, the switches are intact. It is not a 'dangerous device with dangerous components inside'. Unless you're going to include stuff like smoke detectors (which contain Americium, a mildly radioactive substance that would cause you severe danger if you broke open a smoke detector and ate it), refrigerators (which contain various different gases in their compressors, none of which are safe to breathe), air conditioners (same), dehumidifers (same), and tons of other stuff around your house in your definition of 'dangerous device', mercury switches aren't dangerous. Mercury thermometers were more dangerous, because they were actually easy to break whereas you would need a hammer or something to break open a mercury switch, and people used those for a century with almost no reports of anyone ever being harmed by them.

[@kurisu7885]

Just a fun big of pinball history ,at one point the tilt mechanism was called a stool pigeon. I should go look up why.

[@voidofspaceandtime4684]

Reference to the tea bobber with the bird?

[@alaeriia01]

A "stool pigeon" was mob slang for what we now call a snitch; they would sit on a stool and sing to the cops, who would then bust your protection racket or whatever. The first tilt device consisted of a ball bearing sitting on top of a little post (sort of like a stool, which lent itself well to the name); too much jostling would cause the bearing to fall off the post and onto a piece of metal, causing a THWACK sound that would alert the bartender to come over and beat the crap out of you. Interestingly, this was the same punishment doled out by the mob for being a stool pigeon (if you were lucky; unlucky squealers would be murdered.)

[@kurisu7885]

@@alaeriia01 And the tilt mechanism snitches on cheaters, ok, I get it now.

[@Kerivity]

I'm a hobby chemist and I think you went overboard with the mercury "protection" lol

[@llsaltll]

Cody's lab laughing in the distance*

[@ExplosionsCentral]

Adults break video game controllers out of rage too. Don't try and deny it.

[@NeonCabaret]

>Sees title >Wow how clickbaity >"Mercury Switches" >MERCURY >that'll do it -Slacker

[@TheChefBoo]

Oh look, 4chan

[@Bootystank99659]

The Chef Boo (Andrew) oh look, gay boi

[@aretard7995]

@@Bootystank99659 no u.

[@TheTheninjagummybear]

Yikes

[@williamgrisard5805]

Bold of you to assume Rerez would make clickbait

[@haxxy40]

Did they recycle a bicycle handle grip to make these? It sure looks like one!

[@alphatrion100]

I had these on my bmx!

[@flexsealman7096]

5:25 He loves the tip 😂

[@matthewlane518]

Course he loves the tip! The tip is the best part! Its all i need or care about😂

[@LamarINH]

Matthew Lane that’s what she said

[@imabandoningthischannelsob554]

Just imagine playing Street Fighter with this. It will be a nightmare.

[@SMG-vx3mu]

The atari had a gun that straight up looks like a actual pump action shotgun. And the zapper hadded to have its color changed.

[@fxgjolteon4781]

This is made from the stock grip that came on my Mongoose bicycle in 1981.

[@GiordanDiodato]

depends on the kind of mercury. Mercury in vaccines = safe mercury Mercury in tuna = BAD mercury

[@CIubDuck]

Mercury is mercury, there's not different versions of it. The mercury in vaccines are just as toxic as the mercury in tuna. But you get way less mercury from the vaccines, so it isn't inherently dangerous to the body

[@kauske]

Actually @deIlluminati, there are different compounds of mercury. The stuff that was once in vaccines, but isn't anymore, was thimerosal, and it is ethylmercury. The kind you get from contaminated fish if methylmercury. The names sound similar, but one is hard to absorb ,and easy for your body to eliminate, the other is easy to absorb, and very, very hard for your body to eliminate. Let's look at two other similarly named chemicals, Ethanol, and Methanol. Ethanol is commonly found in beer, wine and spirits, known colloquially as just "alcohol", it's relatively safe to consume, and wont ruin you unless you go far into excess of consumption. Methanol, while similar in name will make you go blind, forever if you consume small amounts, and kill you in large amounts.

[@GiordanDiodato]

@@CIubDuck you really need to take a class on chemistry...

[@GiordanDiodato]

@@kauske isn't methanol found in moonshine?

[@kauske]

@Giordan Diodato If it is, you can go blind. Methanol was added to ethanol to poison it during prohibition so it could be sold for industrial use without breaking the law, since it wasn't possible to safely drink it. Unscrupulous bootleggers sold this poisoned alcohol as moonshine and killed a lot of people and blinded many, many more. Some tried to distill the methanol out, since the two have slightly different boiling points, but did it clumsily in most cases, leading to temporary and permanent blindness instead of death. All that, to try and stop people from going drunk. Now we just add stuff to industrial ethanol that tastes and smells disgusting, but is safe to consume.

[@mihailyakimov8925]

rerez, don't you know that mercury isn't poisonous if you touch it so you don't have to wear gloves.

[@PANZERFAUST90]

ssshhhh It's a joke

[@The_Black_Knight]

Mercury can be absorbed through the skin especially with repeated exposure, but is more likely that an individual will be poisoned in the long term via vapor (lungs or eyes) or having the mercury enter the bloodstream via an abrasion or cut. It still requires toxicity build up similar to lead poisoning for actual fatality. Most likely an individual will begin to notice symptoms first such as memory problems and tremors and would seek medical treatment. This video is creating an unnecessary red alarm.

[@mihailyakimov8925]

@@The_Black_Knight Yeah, that's true, but what I say is that he won't have a problem because even if he is exposed to mercury, I don't really think he'll be touching it constantly and even if he did he would first have the problems from mercury's vapors.

[@THEGREYGH0ST]

So they took a BMX handle grip and mad it to a lethal controller..lol

[@SJC82]

Datasoft employee 1: Okay, I think to push enough sales we should have it be in a foreign language, I'm thinking French. Datasoft employee 2: le stick Datasoft employee 1: GENIUS

[@wev7196]

They could have used gallium, but the controller would have to be plugged into an AC power outlet, to keep the controller above 80 degrees Fahrenheit.