retro
Retro’s Rubbery Curse
Many retro computing enthusiasts have to deal with the headaches of decayed rubber and plastics. Here’s some advice from museum professionals and lab members.
Old Computers, New Inspiration
Some of the best highlights from the 2019 edition of VCF East, the long-running retro computing event that puts vintage machines in a modern context.
Songs In The Key Of Baby
Pondering the unusual association serious electronic composers had with children’s music in the 1960s—especially Raymond Scott.
Totally Tubular
The surprising modern status of the vacuum tube, a vintage technology that continues to maintain its value and use case in a world full of transistors.
Silicon Persistence
Decades after Silicon Graphics' heyday, its supercomputers have found themselves a new home with a small community full of enthusiasts—some just teenagers.
The Ballad of Yo! Noid
In the '80s and '90s, advertisers got the idea to market products to kids through video games. The games aren't half-bad (mostly), but they're still ads.
TV’s Hidden Math
How the calculus of ’80s television programming lives on into the present day—and why the Disney Channel always seems to cancel shows after 65 episodes.
Command Line
Nearly 40 years ago, DOS reshaped computing on the IBM PC. These days, nostalgia for that era—and a dose of fresh creativity—is keeping its legacy alive.
Nintendo Still Rocks
How music from the 8-bit video game era has inspired an entire generation of modern musicians and created new musical genres.
It’s New To You
The story of FuncoLand, the retailer that made the used video game market a thing—and how GameStop, which bought Funco, sort of bastardized that mission.
Fall Of Voodoo
In a few short years, the graphics card company 3Dfx Interactive provided a polygon-laden shock to the PC world—then fell apart, fast. What happened?
Super FX Turbo Mode
How an enterprising console hacker figured out that the Super NES’ 3D graphics, seen in Star Fox, could look a whole lot better with a little overclocking.
The Keys To Success
A lot of early video game consoles secretly wanted to be home computers, too: Their makers either sold keyboard add-ons or failed miserably in the process.
A Warped Mindset
How the Nintendo Times, a Nintendo fan site, is covering the release of the NES in real time—three decades after its original release.
COBOLed Together
An essential part of the computer era’s birth, the programming language COBOL still hangs on—which is good for would-be retirees who know the language.
The Many Lives of Packard Bell
When it was a radio-maker, Packard Bell had a reputation for quality products. When a PC clone startup bought the name, that reputation fell apart—fast.
Eye Of The Tiger
Tiger Electronics' LCD-based games shouldn't have been as successful as they were against the Game Boy. But the company was anything but a failure. Why?
The Lost (And Found) Levels
Video games are full of unused content that developers assumed would never been seen. A group of digital archaeologists, however, are proving them wrong.
The History of Internet Explorer Hatred
Microsoft's Internet Explorer was one of the earliest things that made tech users really freaking mad. It gave those users something to fight against.
Tales Of The Interwebs
Protecting internet history is an important task, so we've taken it upon ourselves to save some of the best stories.
8-Bit Archaeology
Retro gaming is a culture that holds a soft spot for any kid born in the '70s or '80s. Here's a deep dive into the world of retro gaming enthusiasts.