Awesome Retro

Originally released in 2015, the latest edition of ARTCADE is packed with even more images of classic arcade marquee and cabinet art. Each of its images has been restored to capture detail, color, and contrast. In all, 300 coin-op machines are represented. Comes in a limited-edition, glow-in-the-dark storage sleeve.

This might look like some old industrial equipment, but it’s actually a clock. Ren Kitchener of Limaflo designed this unique timepiece that displays hours and minutes on analog gauges. It’s also got an oscillating “pendulum” gauge. Each one is handbuilt in a solid wood enclosure, with authentic Bakelite and glass gauges.

Filmmaker Arthur Cauty takes us inside Bristol, UK shop 20th Century Flicks, one of the last remaining video stores on the planet. After the shop nearly closed, a handful of dedicated film buffs tossed in their own money to keep the store alive in the face of streaming content, maintaining more social approach to renting movies.

The Arcade Guys build reasonably-priced video game machines with a small footprint. They come with Sanwa arcade controls, a Raspberry PI B Plus computer, 32″ display, LED lights, stereo speakers and amplifier, and pre-loaded with thousands of classic games from arcade and home systems. Also available in a 4-player model.

Take a trip back to the 1980s and 1990s with a visit to the Internet Archive’s awesomely retro collection of VHS tapes. The catalog features over 20,000 digitized recordings of old video tapes, ranging from cartoons to workout videos, and everything in-between. While there are some classics, there’s also just a whole lot of weird stuff.

With games like Mortal Kombat, NBA JAM, NARC, and Smash TV to their credit, Chicago’s Midway Games was the bad boy of 1990s arcade gaming. The documentary Insert Coin delves into the story of this incredible game factory, and the creative designers and programmers behind the scenes.

YouTuber Swarki takes us on a trip back through the history of console gaming with a compilation of startup screens and sounds from video game systems from the last 40+ years. Along the way you’ll be treated to classics like the original PlayStation and Xbox, along with rarities like the Halcyon and the Video Challenger.

Petrolicious introduces us to filmmaker and racing enthusiast Niki Byrne, whose car of choice is a 1991 Toyota Previa van, known in some circles as the “Eggvan.” Built during a time when wacky ideas could actually make it into production, this quirky little van has a mid-mounted, supercharged engine, and rear-wheel drive.

New Wave Toys‘ Replicade sixth-scale arcade machine is a playable miniature replica of the original Street Fighter II: Champion Edition cabinet. It’s got a 3.5″ color screen and working arcade controls. You also get a matching miniature USB fight stick. Save an extra 10% with code LOVE10 (expires 2/14/20).

We’re having a hard time resisting this retro alarm clock inspired by 1960s plastic-fantastic style. Created by Penco and TWEMCO, the battery-powered clock features a mechanical flip display, and a shiny orange ABS plastic case with white-on-orange flip tiles. There’s also a less expensive model with black tiles.

This iOS game asks you to play not one, but four retro 8-bit games simultaneously on screen. There are 30 virtual game cartridges to play (with more to come), and you can earn power-ups to slow down games or earn bonus points. Drops 2/20/20 on the App Store.

“Some games even require a Pentium microprocessor!” Google’s Stadia streaming game service hasn’t exactly been off to a great start. But that didn’t stop Squirrel Monkey from envisioning how much worse it would have been had it been released sometime around 1995, cranking out 320×240 graphics at 6 fps.

These days, everyone carries a videophone in their pocket. But before the days of iPhones and Galaxies, calling someone and seeing them at the same time was difficult and expensive to achieve. Techmoan shows off one of the earlier examples of a working video calling system, British Telecom’s VC 7000, which dates back to 1993.

Casio’s classic calculator watch gets a new look at a bargain price. In addition to performing basic math, these retro-modern wristwatches feature an inverted LCD screen, dual time, alarm, and calendar functions. They come wrapped in a durable resin case with a color-matched strap. Available in beige, army green, or blue.

Atari is mounting a comeback, first with a new console, and now with a chain of video game-themed hotels. The hotels will feature retro and modern games, Atari merch, and much more. Phoenix location breaks ground in 2020, and future locations will include as Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Austin, Seattle, San Francisco, and San Jose.

Do you love classic video games? The Video Game Console Collector’s Field Guide is a 320-page compendium that provides a visual guide to more than 900 pieces of gaming hardware, an index of information on systems, and a checklist where you can keep track of your collection. Available in digital or hardcover print versions.

This retro-modern digital clock from NIXT uses old school vacuum fluorescent tubes to display the time, date, and day of week. It comes with eight real VFD tubes, along with colorful LED underlighting. It’s also got GPS-based time sync, alarm, and temperature functions.

Chicago-based Etsy shop Pixelixir makes these adorable 8-bit pixel art flowering plants, perfect for video gamers who lack green thumbs. They’re made from fused beads and each one includes a planter and rocks so they’re ready to display.

Rec Room Masters offers two great ways to build your own full-size arcade system. Their Xtension Gameplay cabinet kits let you BYO Raspberry Pi computer and flat screen TV, giving your system clean, professional looks and real 2-player arcade controls. Available in 24″ and 32″ display sizes.

This unique battery pack lets you play retro style console games while your phone charges. It packs an 8000 mAh battery, a built-in gamepad, and a 2.8″ color screen. It comes loaded with over 400 games from the 8-bit era.

Look Mum No Computer loves to build music making equipment from retro technology. Here he shows off an awesome build – a synthesizer that uses the sound chips inside an old SEGA Genesis (aka Mega Drive) game console to crank out some wild electronic noise.

The Mandalorian certainly owes alot to western films like A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. But what would it have looked like if it actually were a spaghetti western? Kingkida’s stylized trailer does a great job imagining just that, complete with the proper music, typeface, and film grain.

Sonicware’s little electronic music maker cranks out some seriously fat sounds. It packs four synth engines, including 8-bit frequency modulation, as well as a step sequencer, effects, and looping, all for less than 200 bucks. It has 27 keys, MIDI in/out, stereo in/out, headphone out, and can run on batteries too.