Awesome 1980s

Retro Games is bringing back the 1980s classic ZX Spectrum computer, along with a variety of upgrades to the original. It has 48 built-in games, save and rewind game functions, four USB controller ports, HDMI output, and a classic mode with BASIC programming and virtual cassettes. Coming to Europe 11.22.2024. No word yet on a US release date.

One of the biggest bands of the 1980s new wave movement is back with their first new material in almost 30 years. Led by a decidedly less coiffed Mike Score, A Flock of Seagulls’ 2024 track Some Dreams is a return to form with a catchy mix of retro synth and driving guitar rhythms. There’s a special orchestral version on August Day’s Orchestral Eighties CD box set.

The 1983 New Order song Blue Monday incorporated plenty of synthesized sounds. Polaroids of the Pyramids thought it might be fun to play the track entirely on those lo-fi Casio synthesizers of the era. They recorded this multi-track rendition on instruments like the VL-1 mini keyboard, SK-1 sampling keyboard, DG-20 digital guitar, and DP-1 drum pads.

Gearheads will love this book from the folks at Bring A Trailer. It features original photos, details, and specs from 80 of the best 1980s cars that have been auctioned by the company over the years. The 11″ x 14″ coffee table is hardbound, and all proceeds from sales will go to the American Diabetes Association.

This upcoming game from developers Beethoven and Dinosaur and consistently great publisher Annapurna Interactive is a Gen Xer’s dream. Set to the soundtrack of the era, the artful adventure drops players into a 1980s world where they live out life in an interactive coming-of-age movie. Coming to PS5, Xbox, and PC in 2025. Wishlist it now on Steam.

Filmmaker HR Pao created a fantastic documentary of life in the 1980s. The video collage was made from bits of movies, TV, music videos, and other sound bites. Now he’s hoping to make a feature length version of his “Docu-Musical” by raising funds on Kickstarter to secure licensing rights to the music and to pitch it to streaming services.

UK shop ReadyPlayerTwo creates these nifty 3-dimensional logo signs inspired by classic video game and computer systems. Each one is 3D printed from PLA plastic to accurately replicate the original color scheme, and has neodymium magnets securely mounted inside.

A trailer for a new Beetlejuice and a new Beverly Hills Cop movie on the same day? It must be the 1980s again! We’re hoping Eddie Murphy and his co-stars can capture more of what made the first movie so great. Look for a blend of comedy and action as Axel F returns to the West Coast to save his daughter with the help of a new partner and some old friends.

This coffee table book from author and video game expert Mike Diver and Numskull delves into the brief but wonderful history of electronic table-top games. The book features pristine photography and information about sixty such games from the 1970s and 1980s, each designed to bring the video arcade experience to your home. Ships 7.2024.

Postmodern Jukebox dusted off The Romantics’ 1980 hit What I Like About You and sent it even further back in the time machine. Their fresh interpretation gives the pop hit a 1960s sound, straight out of Motown, and clearly inspired by The Way You Do the Things You Do. That’s singer Tia Simone belting out the soulful vocals.

Turn your living room, man cave, or any room into a game room with these fun retro rugs from Dreaming Alien. They come in vibrant geometric patterns that look like they came out of a 1980s video arcade – minus the cigarette burns. Our faves are the Galactic March and Earth Bound styles. They’re available in sizes from 24″ x 36″ to 96″ x 120″.

(PG-13: Language) Actress Mia Goth and director Ti West completed their X horror trilogy in record time. MaXXXine is about an adult film actress trying to break into Hollywood during the 1980s. As if that wasn’t hard enough, there’s a serial killer on the loose, and they seem to have ties to Maxine’s tragic childhood. Premieres 7.5.24.

8BitDo’s latest retro computer keyboard is inspired by the Commodore 64. The 87-key mechanical keyboard is finished in C64 grey with rainbow graphics. It offers Bluetooth, 2.4GHz, and USB wired connections and comes with a joystick and jumbo-sized buttons. Compatible with Windows and Android. Pre-orders start shipping on 5.28.24.

It’s easy to find an original Apple Macintosh on eBay, but it’ll look used. Kevin Noki built a new replica of Apple’s 1984 computer from scratch. He started by measuring the case from a Macintosh Plus, modeling its parts, then outputting them on a 3D printer. Inside, it runs a Linux thin client running a modified version of the Mini vMac emulator.

Artificial intelligence has become a major subject of today’s technology conversations. In 1983, one company marketed an early smart home product designed to control home appliances via voice control like Siri or Alexa. Kevin from Popular Science got his hands on the costly Butler in a Box to explain how it worked without Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or the Internet.

NECA’s 10″ tall version of OmniCorp’s ED-209 crimefighting robot perfectly matches the one on-screen. It’s fully poseable with a moving head, legs, arm wing panels, and cannon arms. It’s the perfect match for NECA’s 7″ RoboCop figures, and it makes mechanical sounds and speaks, “Warning: throw down your weapon. You have 15 seconds to comply.”