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Windows 3.0-style file browser lets you navigate like it's the 90s
Microsoft has released the source code for File Manager, the computer-navigating interface that debuted in Windows 3.0 and persisted through most of the 90s. Remember clicking rightwards through different folders, all nested in a single massive rectangle? Now you can run the interface in any version of Microsoft's operating system, including Windows 10.
The C64 Mini review: Nostalgia’s not enough
Memory's a weird thing, isn't it? Your brain records every moment in your life and locks it away forever. And then suddenly, a sound, a smell, a piece of beige plastic can send you tumbling back to a different time. Sitting on the floor of my office, unboxing the C64 Mini, I wasn't 33 anymore but eight, sitting at the blue formica table in the corner of my bedroom. In front of me was a hand-me-down Commodore from my neighbor, an engineer who taught himself BASIC in his semi-retirement. He chain-smoked cigars and was never without a tin of stout in his hand, smells that permeated the skin of this computer, never to be washed away. It's these pangs of nostalgia that British company Retro Games Ltd. is looking to take advantage of to sell a "mini" version of the Commodore 64. For the uninitiated, the microcomputer was the computer of the '80s and the first machine that many folks ever got their hands on. Even in Great Britain, which had been the crucible of the Sinclair vs. Acorn battle, Commodore holds a special place in millions of hearts. My own Commodore 64 was hooked up to a 10-inch, black-and-white portable TV with a bent aerial. White-out was painted on to mark the tuning locations for BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV, and I vividly remember playing (Pac-Man knock-off) Radar Rat Race purely because I had the cartridge, which loaded faster than games on cassette. I used that battered, beige machine for so long on that TV that, when I finished unboxing and turned the C64 Mini on, I was actually surprised to see it output video in color.
In ‘Ready Player One,’ the real world doesn't matter
When Steven Spielberg introduced Ready Player One at SXSW this year, he made a surprising statement: "This is not a film that we've made, this is -- I promise you -- a movie." And really, there's no better way to put it. It's a pop-culture-driven, nostalgia-inducing blockbuster that works best as a ride, but it falls apart the moment you think critically about it. It's not something that'll be taking any deep stances on VR, and it certainly doesn't have time for much social commentary (aside from some heavy-handed moralizing at the end).
Internet Archive is saving all your favorite handheld LCD games
The Internet Archive has been saving gaming history for a while now. It's archived Amiga games (and apps), Macintosh stuff from the '80s (including Space Invaders) and a ton of other retro games you can play for free. Now the group has started collecting handheld games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Space Jam while also making them available to play in your web browser via MAME emulation.
Atari's retro console has a new name, but remains a tease
Atari's retro Ataribox console has been more sizzle than steak since it was first unveiled last summer, with delays and a distinct lack of game announcements dampening the enthusiasm. And unfortunately, that trend is mostly continuing today. The company has announced that it's rebranding the Ataribox as the Atari VCS in a nod to the 2600's little-used full name and plans to show prototypes of the system, the Classic Joystick and the Modern Controller at the Game Developers Conference this week. However, that's about all it's showing.
Casio revives its musical, game-playing calculator from the '80s
Back in 1980, Casio released a musical, game-playing calculator cleverly named the MG-880. Apparently, kids went wild for the thing, playing a mini Space Invaders-inspired game with just numbers on the LCD screen. Now, Casio is releasing a revival of the calculator -- the SL-880 -- in Japan on March 23rd.
The Nokia 8110 Reloaded is HMD's latest retro feature phone
Many companies descend on the annual Mobile World Congress event to plug their first smartphone launches of the year. It's an established routine, but HMD Global undeniably stole the show in 2017 with, of all things, a new feature phone. Flexing its newly-acquired license to the Nokia brand, HMD put on a marketing masterclass by announcing a re-release of the iconic Nokia 3310. This year, it's attempting a similar trick, preying on '90s nostalgia with the new Nokia 8110 Reloaded.
When tech nostalgia goes too far
Nintendo had a bonafide smash on its hands with the NES Classic. And it looks like the SNES mini console will fly off of store shelves just as quickly. But it's not the only company looking to cash in on your nostalgia. Nowadays, there are reboots of TV shows like Twin Peaks and MST3K. Oh, and how about Netflix's Stranger Things, a series that's basically a love letter to the 80s? These are all examples of nostalgia products done right. But not everything we've seen in recent years has been as great as you would have hoped. Because, seriously, do you really want one of the Furbys pictured above watching you sleep? And who would be caught dead toting around a Tamagotchi in 2017? You know what, maybe that is you, and who are we to judge? But if you ask us, these 10 things probably took our retro obsession a little too far.
