Category: Retro

I love classic arcade games from the 1980s. Not only did they define my youth, there’s just something special about how much enjoyment you were able to eke out of games with such simple gameplay mechanics.

Not too long ago, I moved into a new decade of life, and am feeling a bit long in the tooth – especially after seeing how many candles were on my birthday cake. I suppose I might not have cared so much if the candles were as cool as these ones.

Due to graphical limitations, video games from the Nintendo 8-bit era pretty much played out on a 2-dimensional plane. But now, you can play some of these classics in 3D, thanks to an application called 3dSen.

Do you love retro arcade games? I certainly do. While the pixel art character sprites get a whole lot of love, the fonts used to display your score and life status deserve much more appreciation. Typeface designer Toshi Omagari’s book catalogs dozens of the chunky pixelated fonts used in arcade games from the 1970s through the 1990s.

These days, lots of people are replacing their bedside clocks with smartphones or other mobile gadgets which keep time. But there’s something about being able to just open an eyeball in the middle of the night and glance at the time that makes me still prefer a standalone clock.

It’s been about two decades since I had to use a 3.5″ floppy disk for anything. I used to have boxes and boxes of the things packing everything from Microsoft Windows ridiculously bloated installers to various “warez” that I really shouldn’t have had in my possession.

The Vocoder was wildly popular in the disco era, and was given a new lease on life by Daft Punk and other electronic bands. But it turns out that there was a similar device that was used all the way back in the 1940s, called the Sonovox.

Most of us are too young to remember when TV sets were made in wooden cabinets that basically were a standalone piece of furniture. While this was popular in the 1950s and 1960s, it largely died out by the mid 1970s.

So you’ve collected all of your 1-up, fireball and super growth mushrooms in the real world. Now it’s time to chop them up and throw them on a pizza. Don’t use just any cutting board. Use this awesome NES Cartridge cutting board from CuttingBoredom.

Is there a love for video games in your household? Then consider celebrating your family’s passion for gaming with one of these fun, custom-made family name signs from Mozug Woodworking. Each sign is laser-cut from baltic birch plywood, and features your family name prominently in a chunky, pixelated 8-bit font.

Everyone’s high scores will be toast with the latest Nintendo toaster console (yes, this isn’t the first we’ve seen). It is the work of Finnish artist Jarno Kotavuopio who has made several custom Nintendo consoles. He has made two in the form of toasters, including this one.

The Nintendo GameCube and Wii both offered up lots of fun and classic video games. But neither console was particularly portable, so the only way you could play those games on the go would be via software emulation.

If you are a fan of the various Nintendo consoles, but especially the original NES and Famicom, you are going to love these World of Nintendo plush toys. They are soft and cuddly and full of retro 8-bit awesomeness.

Designer Love Hulten has created some truly amazing pieces of retro-inspired technology, from arcade cabinets, to computers, to giant LEGO replicas. Love’s latest build is unlike any that has come before it. The EvoBoxx is a visual synthesizer that’s designed around the classic cellular simulation Game of Life.

Creative director Matthew Stevenson said that when they were kids, he and his brother were frustrated by the confusing maze that is Metroid. Recently the title’s pun with the DC Metro came to his mind, and with it his childhood frustration. 

Gamers, here’s a sweet accent light for your gameroom, living room, bedroom, or any other room that could use a splash of color. This LED cube lantern is covered with images of classic video games, and is sure to be a great addition to any space.