The NES Lockout was a device attached to the open bay of a front-loading NES system that prevented game play. The idea behind the device was to allow parents to keep kids from playing the Nintendo when they weren't supposed to. It had a combination lock, and grabbed the console like a vise to prevent a determined gamer from taking the whole box apart to remove it. This device represented the height of Nintendo hysteria, seeing as how the same result could be accomplished simply by locking the Nintendo in a closet rather than spending $20 on a dubious accessory.