Retro articles

New retro PC gaming launches: A playable Tetris documentary, over a dozen Capcom fighting games, and more

Highly anticipated: Developer showcases over the last few weeks have filled release calendars for 2024 and 2025 with reissues of numerous classic games, some of which are available now. The growing list includes titles that have never been available on PC, haven't been available for purchase in around two decades, or have never been playable in English.

Historic IBM 7090 mainframe hits Christie's auction block

Ultra-rare Nintendo PlayStation prototype controller fetches $35,000 at auction

The Atari 7800+ is a modernized version of the 1986 console with HDMI and wireless controllers

Rediscovered Andy Warhol Amiga artwork on sale for $26 million

Check out MS-DOS running natively on modern hardware, showcasing the incredible backward compatibility of x86

A car wash for floppy disks: This crazy machine entertains you while it cleans

What was Nintendo's first ever product (back in 1889)?

Someone just pushed this decades-old IIyama CRT monitor's refresh rate to 700Hz

Windows developer shares origin story of the iconic NT Start Menu banner

In context: If you were a Windows user in the '90s, you're likely to be intimately familiar with the iconic Start Menu that shipped with Windows NT. That signature vertical banner proclaiming "Windows NT Workstation," or whichever variant you were running, is an image seared into the minds of many PC users from the era, and we have programmer Dave Plummer to thank for bringing the branding element to life.

End of an era: Japan finally removes floppy disks from all government operations

Pocket 386 retro laptop with 40 MHz CPU, 8 MB RAM arrives for under $200

Who manufactured the original Nintendo NES 8-bit processor?

Hobbyist revives the beloved Winamp player into a polished physical marvel

The big picture: Teenagers and young adults of the late 1990s will remember Winamp as the de facto music player on their Windows PCs. If tinkering with electronics and fabrication is your jam, give Linamp a look. It brings Winamp to the physical plane, allowing you to touch this piece of history. It is a testament to one's passion and creativity, taking something old and giving it a new lease on life.

Palmer Luckey's FPGA Game Boy clone lands just in time for the holidays

Something to look forward to: A race between FPGA-based retro handhelds is looming. The Analogue Pocket has been the standard for years, but former Oculus designer Palmer Lucky plans to release a similar device later this year to commemorate the original Game Boy. Meanwhile, hardware modder Taki Udon is currently developing options that could lower the barrier to entry for the emerging FPGA emulation market.

This Saturn handheld borrows heavily from Sega's Project Venus prototype

8BitDo announces IBM M-inspired retro mechanical keyboard, matching keypad sold separately

Iconic 90s messenger ICQ logs off for good after nearly 30 years

Atari buys Intellivision, bringing an end to the original console war

The big picture: Despite being just shadows of their former selves, the Atari and Intellivision brands are still on the market almost 50 years after their original introduction. Atari has now acquired its historical competitor, bringing hundreds of classic games under one common roof.

Dangerous nostalgia: Taking Windows XP online will result in auto-installed viruses in a matter of minutes

Windows XP can run on an Intel CPU from 1989 thanks to dedicated modder

From nostalgia to necessity: why floppy disks refuse to fade away

RETRO-TASTIC It's been close to fifteen years since the last new floppy disk was manufactured by Sony. That's a long time by any standard, and it's especially lengthy in the ever-advancing tech world. But despite the finite number of disks decreasing every year, there are those who still hold on to floppies, whether for nostalgia-fuelled pleasure or necessity.