Last year, or I suppose it is now the year before last, we saw the Retrode, a little device that let you easily create ROM files from your SNES and Genesis cartridges. Useful, but sort of a one-shot device if you’re not a serious collector. The team behind it has created a new device, the Retrode 2 naturally, that is a bit more useful to the average retro-loving gamer.
Instead of just forming… → Read More
Do you need a little something for your retro-gaming man cave? Something that says “I’m a classy guy, but that doesn’t mean I can’t beat Contra in one life,” perhaps? This lamp might be your style. → Read More
I’ve always been slightly bothered by the updated graphics in Super Mario All-Stars, but at the same time I can’t deny that it’s a fantastic cartridge to have around. Hacker Callan Brown apparently felt the same way, and decided to do a little investigation into perhaps remedying the situation. The result? A sweet megacartridge with an old-school way of selecting which game you want. → Read More
Here’s a cheerful little item to help advance your week towards Friday. Technicians at the Politecnico de Torino (a university in Turin, Italy) have managed to bring an original Apple I back to life. These extremely early examples of home computing are nearly impossible to find, and indeed this one was purchased by a wealthy collector for over $200,000. They cleaned the contacts, tested the… → Read More
This is the twee-est disk drive I’ve ever seen! Those of you who are old enough will remember the Atari 400 and 800 systems, with their separate disk drive, the 810. This Rossum character has put together a working replica of the 810 that takes MicroSD cards – at about a hundredth the size. → Read More
I can’t be the only one that occasionally prefers the look of scanlines to the pixelated or filtered upscaling one sees on modern emulators and virtual consoles. I mean — think what you played Metroid on originally. It sure as hell wasn’t a 50-inch LCD TV upscaling using a proprietary algorithm and doing inter-frame interpolation.
If you want that old look while playing your classic games… → Read More
Last week we heard about the SupaBoy, a sweet Ben Heck-esque hack of a Super Nintendo console into a SNES controller shape. It’s got all the ports you need, plays cartridges, and everything. At the time there was no info on price or date, but Hyperkin has just sent out a press release rectifying that. → Read More
If you lived through the 80s, you’ll probably want to check out this line of shirts. I mean, there’s no shortage of logo or retro T-shirts, but how often is it you see an Accolade one, or NeXT? → Read More
Here’s a great way to fritter away your Friday afternoon. Remember those little LCD games you used to play before Game Boy? With only like two or three buttons, and the static graphics? Well, this site has collected about a dozen of them, photographed the assets carefully, and remade them for you to enjoy. → Read More
Gadget-related art is a bit hard to find, but every once in a while something crosses my desk (like the Facade printer, man-powered clock, or high-voltage imagery) that’s just too cool to pass up. These “Luminant Point Arrays” by Stephan Tillmans are photos of the pattern created when you switch off certain old CRT monitors. You know you’ve seen it. You’ve probably… → Read More
Have you ever wanted to own every SNES game ever (or at least the NTSC ones)? Well you’re in luck, if you’re also rich. A lot of all 720 games released in the US is on the block at eBay, a refreshing change from the many NES lots of the same type. It’s the ten thousand dollar price tag that gives me pause. → Read More
I don’t know what to tell you other than that this pixel art come to life would be fun to have around the house. Unfortunately it doesn’t fire mega buster or spread shot bullets, since it’s just solid wood. CMYKilla is all right but I’d have called it the “Dirty Squarey.” Pick one up over at Etsy for fifty rupees. There are also daggers. [via Nerd Approved] → Read More
If you’re a part of the Nintendo Club, a rewards system they have for registering products and filling out surveys, there’s a sweet new prize you can take aim at. This replica Game & Watch is “a faithful reproduction of Nintendo’s first handheld gaming system, originally released in 1980.” Pretty awesome. → Read More
No, these really aren’t any different from regular red-blue 3D glasses. If anything, they’re of lower quality. But it’s just fun to revel in the fact that you could do 3D back in the day (in such an awesome game, no less, plus these worked on 3D WorldRunner), so that makes these glasses just plain sweet. [via GameSniped] → Read More
Lomography’s latest camera is a bite-sized guy with a panoramic lens and, of course, manual film advance. It’s called the Sprocket Rocket, and it’s about as simple as cameras get these days. The lens is extra-wide-angle to capture extra-full-bleed on the film (i.e. you can print the sprocket holes and numbering), and there are two knobs, for forward and backward film scrolling. → Read More
Back in the day, not only were these bits of iron the latest gadgets, but they were a means of gaining character. By which, of course, I mean scars. Nowadays you’d be charged with reckless endangerment if you even let a kid try these things on. → Read More
Why no one wanted to pay hundreds of dollars for this NES made out of wood is beyond me. It’d go well with my wooden horse, my wooden shoes, and my wooden teeth. Hello, I’m George Washington, and I approve this message. → Read More
This is a true artifact of gaming history. The notebook of Toru Iwatani, creator of Pac-Man, complete with sketched-out pixel art, prototype mazes, and ghost movements. My god! Remember when you could sketch out an entire game on a page of graph paper? More here. [via 1up and Kotaku] → Read More
If you’re a nostalgic person, and you enjoy novelty watches, I can only imagine the levels of joy you’re feeling right now. This Mixtape watch from EOS features not only the classic cassette tape look, but the classic mixtape motion. The tape dials actually spin, which I suppose reduces battery life — but so what?! → Read More
This week at CrunchGear, we’re looking back at some of our favorite gadgets from the not-so-distant past — old phones, computers, media players, toys… those devices that still stand out in our memories despite their obsolescence. Feel free to contribute some of your own nostalgia. I want to be clear here: I’m not just celebrating the Super Nintendo in general — I do… → Read More
The charm of vintage cameras is easy to understand. Their metal build, satisfying shutter action, and funky old lenses make for a fun photography experience. What’s more, they can be bought for unbelievably low prices on eBay or at junk and antique shops. Unfortunately, they’re rarely in the best of shape, having likely been abandoned in a trunk for several years before being dragged out and sold… → Read More
The whole time I was watching this Mega Man 10 fauxmercial, I was thinking “something about this is wrong.” And yes, it’s all wrong, of course, but specifically… it’s 16:9. Man, there ain’t no NES commercials in 16:9! [via Reddit] → Read More
Who would have thought that all that practice blowing on NES games would pay off? Now all I have to do is learn how to play the harmonica really well, and I can finally quit this blogging business and begin the exciting and lucrative life of the hobo! → Read More
Vince Briel, computer creator, has rebuilt the original Altair 8800, the world’s first home computer, and added a VGA and PS/2 keyboard. The computer emulates Intel’s 8080 processor with an Atmel AVR microcontroller and it has a full complement of exciting lights on the front for you to impress your friends with. → Read More
Hot on the heels of our celebration of the BBS, here’s a pair of retro stories to ease your transition into the weekend. First up is “Pascal Spoken Here“, by Ian Bogost about the subtle shift over the years in how we view computers. Back in 1977 the advertising clearly identified the connection between using, exploring, and learning a computer in ways that you simply don’t see any more. Next up is… → Read More
You’d never get a kit like this on the market today. Too many tiny, delicious pieces. Kids these days all want to know what an objective mirror tastes like; it’s almost like that rarest of delicacies, unicorn flank. But I digress, and this isn’t a cryptoculinary blog. This kit, from way back in 1977, actually let you assemble a real SLR (slightly smaller than standard, but still 35mm), and not… → Read More
Hand-held electronics are marvels of miniaturization. The ones that existed before I was born, even more so. Anyone who played Blip might be interested to know two things. First, despite being titled “The Digital Game”, it was in fact 100% mechanically driven. Second, the game was, as you may have claimed many times, actually impossible to beat. → Read More
It wasn’t too long ago that I whined that these days, old-school de-makes of games are better than the new-school re-makes they’re meant to promote. It’s not really a problem, since these old-style games are fun as hell, but it’s kind of embarrassing for the industry. As far as I’m concerned, the more retro throwbacks the better. That’s why I was pumped to hear that they’re doing a Sonic the… → Read More
Retro chrome stuff is in demand here in Seattle. It seems like everyone is trying to establish their home as some sort of shrine to “Mad Men.” I even caved and bought this awesome projector screen — trouble is, most of this stuff is super expensive. And one thing I’ve always wanted but have never seemed to find at a decent price is a retro-style clock with the little… → Read More
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