Plug-ins are Becoming a Nightmare!

When we got our first "plug-in" (one of those battery-powered joysticks that plug right into the TV and plays a just few games) we thought it was the coolest thing. The kids were particularly impressed, and I liked the fact that there were no discs for them to lose/scratch/break/frisbee. But over time we've accumulated so many of these things they've become a nightmare. We've got at least a dozen of them in a perpeptually tangled mess under the TV, half of which have dead batteries from being left turned on. What started out as convenience is now far more hassle than the good ol' NES.

Interestingly, the Disney plug-ins now have the concept of a 'game key'. The game key is just a little cartridge that may be inserted into a port on the side of any Disney brand plug-in that causes it to play a different set of games than are built into the unit. It's funny how these things have evolved back into essentially the same thing we had with the NES so many years ago.

Anyway, given that these silly things are now the kids' preferred form of gaming it seems they are here to stay. Anybody have any tips on keeping these things from getting out of hand?