Technology of the 1980s/90s/2000s (Decade), How I Love Thee

[FromEquestria2LA]

In a world that feels more chaotic every day, I’ve found a haven in something simple but powerful: technology from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. There's something so special about these old devices that takes me back to simpler times. Here's a glimpse of what I’ve been diving into lately:
-Old Game Boys: There’s just something magical about the portability and simplicity of the classic Game Boy. Whether it’s the original gray one or the Color and Advance models, they never fail to bring back memories of gaming on long car rides and lazy afternoons. No fancy graphics, just pure gameplay. It’s a feeling that modern systems can’t quite replicate.

-Laserdisc Player: I picked up a Laserdisc player recently, and wow, the nostalgia is real. The massive discs, the sound of the player whirring to life, and the specialness of watching a movie on something so unique. It’s like stepping into a time machine. It’s a piece of tech that was ahead of its time but never truly caught on, and there’s something about it that feels more personal than modern streaming.

-Laptops with Win 98, 2000, XP: I’ve also gotten my hands on several laptops from the late 90s and early 2000s, each running Windows 98, 2000, or XP. The user interface, the nostalgia of the sounds, and the nostalgia of how slow everything runs—it’s like visiting an old friend. They might not be able to handle the demands of today’s internet, but they make me feel connected to a time when everything seemed a bit more straightforward.

There’s just so much joy in these old items. When the world feels overwhelming, I find myself turning to them as an escape. It’s not just about the technology; it’s about the memories, the simplicity, and the feeling of being a kid again in a less complicated time.

Anyone else find joy in older tech? What’s your favorite retro gadget?

 

[Rocco]

My favorite retro gadget is my 1990 Camaro and a 2001 PS2 (PlayStation 2), followed by my dvd player and finally the Wii.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I actually have a Sinclair working ZX80 from the 1980s. Fully expanded to 64 K (not meg or gig).

I also have functional Ham Radio equipment from the 1960s and 70s.

I have a hybrid device which is the shell of a 1947 Sears tabletop radio with a raspberry pi computer inside with gigabytes of mp3s of radio shows and songs from the 1930s - 1970s that play on shuffle. So it's kind of like an audio time machine.

 

[Angular Chap]

PS2! I love all the consoles from that generation. I have the original Xbox and Dreamcast just waiting to be refurbished and modded.

My favourite of all is the PS2. I’ve modded it to play the games from an internal hard drive to avoid putting strain on the disk drive. I also added a fan to keep it even cooler to hopefully prolong it’s life even longer, and some LEDs.

I actually have a Sinclair working ZX80 from the 1980s. Fully expanded to 64 K (not meg or gig).

Nice, I can’t beat your ZX80, but I do have a ZX81. Unfortunately, the previous owner fried the ULA.

 

[Misery]

NES, SNES, Gameboy, and the Atari 2600.

Always been a huge fan of them, still play them to this day.

Though, I use emulators instead of the actual devices, because having 5 zillion cartridges around wouldnt work.

Also, arcade games. Mostly from the "golden era". I keep an archive of every arcade game created before... 2006, I think it is? Half of this PC is dedicated to the archive.

I also like DOS-era computers, but I dont have any. Granted, I can emulate those as well. And whaddya know, I've got a second archive on here.

A lot of my interest in modern games is really influenced by all these older ones, it's one of the reasons I stick to indie stuff these days (mostly).


As for non-gaming tech, uhhh... there's stuff I like & miss, but I dont have any of them in any form. At home, when an upgrade is made, the previous device is usually out and gone. My parents were never big on the idea of keeping stuff like that, they often see it as hoarding. I dont think there's an older piece of tech anywhere in this house or over at my mom's place either.

 

[Shevek]

I like my not-modern tools just fine. I recently re-built a 1991 CAFE-inspired car despite the struggle to find parts because since then, they have only gotten heavier and harder to fix. I really miss my 80s palmtop computer with docking station that I used for engineering. For most basic problems, it was far faster and easier to use than anything I've seen since. My house is mostly 50s and 60s stuff for nostalgic comfort and economy, except for computers everywhere and different light bulbs.

 

[FilterFreq]

As much as I love the nostalgia effect (and maybe even high?) that technology from the past gives us, I think we're living in the best time to enjoy it all. Emulated, simulated, you name it -- nothing's a hassle to hook up anymore, and I can put all of the good retro games on a single handheld device -- and people keep porting things over to make them handheld / controller-compatible. I can't be thankful for it enough.

I see SBCs being mentioned here, too (with good reason!) -- don't give me XP, give me a Pi 400 with Raspbian. Python (particularly Pygame) replaced BASIC and made it a million times less cumbersome for the modern paradigm. Maybe I'm weird (wait, no -- I am!), but the modern era is the best place to soak it all in. For me, anyway.

 

[Shevek]

I can't even set up a new computer any more. I'm just limping along after the last crash. As far as I can tell, the new stuff comes with zero privacy and is 95% advertising of one kind or another. Using wireless is just another layer to the troubleshooting onion, and an invisible one at that. The 'net peaked around '05, just before Facebonk ruined it.

 

[Rachie]

Things for me in those decades was really about computer games and then computers more at home.
My dad used to buy computers for my brothers. As sisters we got privy to use them. For me brother one like StreeFighter and none of us have a bit of violence in us. I used to like to play Chun Li and then there was the Princess in Nintendo Mario as well. Also, I like to play my brother with Super Tennis. I doubt if I ever won against him lol. The good the days.

Music had a technology of its own and those eras was buzzing with it. Soul II Soul. Its missed.

 

[Mono]

I'm very nostalgic for VHS tapes (both rental and retail), Mega Drive games and big box PC games. VHS rental tapes for the big boxes and often beautiful cover art. I was lucky to obtain a nice small selection over the years, mostly movies my parents would rent me and my brother way back. I still have some of the VHS tapes my parents bought for us as well. Some Tom & Jerry ones, for example. I kept a selection of my childhood Mega Drive games and collected some more as well as a number of big box PC games I'd gotten rid of a number of years before.

But I'm with FilterFreq, I also believe that now is the best time to enjoy it all The stuff I listed above, I love looking at it in my cabinets. But I don't actually use any of it anymore. I'd forgotten to mention my DVD's, I have nostalgia for some of those as well. The Tom & Jerry tapes I had digitally transferred, so I can watch them in the same grainy quality I'm used to without having to worry about destroying the tapes. For the PC games I now have most of my favorites in my digital GOG collection. My Mega Drive games (and lots of other 8 and 16 bit console games), I play all of those on Wii via emulation.

I'm now a litle over 40 years old, just yesterday I watched a VHS transfer of my 1st birthday. It's really surreal (in a fun way) to watch that after first having seen photos of it. Nice to see my parents, brother and family and friends without having to worry anymore about destroying the tape.