1. The Sharp pocket computer
image source: reddit.com
The Sharp PC-1500 was all we had in the 80s at a time we couldn’t carry the internet around in our pockets on our phones. This pocket computer was mainly a portable calculator, but you could also write code on it for basic programming features. These days, of course, you’d have no need for this retro piece of tech!
2. The Casio Databank wristwatch
image source: reddit.com
The Casio Databank was one of the very first digital watches, released in 1983. It was even capable of storing data, and eventually developed to include features like calendars and scheduling, which was a big deal back then – nowadays, it’s no biggie when our phones can do that!
3. The Kodak Fling disposable camera
image source: flickr.com
Ah yes – the days of having to physically go to the photo shop to have your pictures developed and tentatively waiting to see if your finger was covering the lens the whole time. The original Fling disposable camera in bright yellow was the big thing of the late 80s.
4. Motorola MicroTAC
image source: reddit.com
There have been many retro phones over the decades – including massive bricks – but the Motorola MicroTAC was the first phone to have the mouthpiece at the bottom of the phone, as well as being extremely lightweight for its time. Nowadays, it’s all about how big a screen you can get.
5. The Chess Challenger board
image source: reddit.com
These days, you can download a chess app, no problem. Back in the 80s, playing chess using software instead of a traditional board was harder to come by. The Chess Challenger was the most well known electronic AI board, where you could play against the computer.
6. The Air Popper
image source: reddit.com
Before the time when we’d stick popcorn in the microwave, the Air Popper was the go-to way to make this favoured snack. The popcorn popper, powered by air, was pretty revolutionary in the 80s, mainly because it was rare to be able to have your own popcorn at home rather than having to buy at the movie theatre!
7. The Onkyo ZAC-55 stereo system
image source: youtube.com
Stereos were huge in the 80s before the times of Spotify, and the Onkyo ZAC-55 system was one of the best. This model was one of the lightest compared to systems that were notoriously heavy. It also included a handy carry case as well as a bass booster.
8. SEGA Master System
image source: reddit.com
One of the biggest games consoles in the 80s was the SEGA Master System, an 8-bit console that went up against Nintendo to be the biggest. This console even offered 8-bit versions of popular games like Sonic, while releasing games exclusive to this console. It wasn’t a console that continued to be big, though, which is why most have forgotten about it.
9. Super Betamax
image source: reddit.com
VHS was big in the 80s, and there were many brands and companies competing for the top spot. The reason Betamax is probably the one forgotten about is because it wasn’t as successful as the competition, which were VHS tapes that outdid the Betamax’s offering of analogue recording.
10. The Clapper
image source: reddit.com
Though this one was more big in the US, it’s known all over the world, and even more so these days because of the rise of smart tech. But back before you could control through Bluetooth, you had to physically clap in order to control the lights, but the novelty soon wore off and got left behind.
11. Sony Walkman
image source: reddit.com
So many music-related gadgets are forgotten because of what we have today, but back in its day the Sony Walkman was one of the best. It was the perfect way to listen to your cassettes on the go, the ideal size to slip into your pocket and pair with those small pairs of headphones.
12. Game Boy portable console
image source: reddit.com
If you weren’t a portable music kind of person, you might have been a portable game lover instead. In the 80s, the Game Boy was the console of choice, and it was a whole experience back in the 80s when portable game-playing was a new and exciting thing!
13. VHS and VCR players
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If DVDs are becoming more and more obsolete thanks to streaming, then VHS and VCR players certainly are! Who remembers having one of these chonky players by their TV? Or even the TV-video combi sets that came later? The worst part was having to rewind the tape afterwards…
14. Discman for portable CDs
image source: reddit.com
If you had CDs to play instead of cassettes, then you of course needed a portable Discman for those long bus journeys. The Discman was the very first portable CD player released that became popular in the mid 80s, and especially with teenagers wanting to listen to their favourite tunes!
15. Floppy discs
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How to store data has changed immensely since the 80s, and where we now have our information floating somewhere in the Cloud, back then we only had floppy discs – physical square discs that we had to put into our PC towers in order to save documents and photos.
16. The Talking Tutor Robot
image source: pineappleretro.co.uk
Because kid’s toys should be fun and educational after all! But nowadays these clunky educational toys wouldn’t be as popular, and there’d probably be a YouTube version instead. The Tomy Talking Tutor Robot came with 50 cards that had questions on them to test youngsters.
17. Star Force
image source: wikipedia.org
Sure, the graphics were terrible, but we didn’t know that back in the 80s, because back then it was a sci-fi escape and a fun electronic space battle to play. This is truly an 80s collectible item, so if you’d forgotten about it before now, you might want to try the eBay listings…
18. Fisher Price Sing Along Radio
image source: reddit.com
In the days before karaoke booths and when it felt like something to entertain the kids on Christmas Day, Fisher Price released this Sing Along Radio, complete with microphone (which would probably be sold separately these days) but without songs on demand, you just had to hope you liked the one on the radio!
19. Astroshooter Pinball
image source: reddit.com
Pinball games and machines aren’t as popular now as they were in the 80s, but with a full retro arcade vibe, the Astroshooter Pinball was a winner back then – simple yet effective. It was big enough so you could see what you were doing, but not too big that it wasn’t portable!
20. My Portable Computer
image source: hackaday.com
In the days before tablets and mainstream laptops, you have toys pretending to be computers. The My Portable Computer was more focused on being an educational portable toy, with the opportunity to test out word skills across a broad range of subjects you could then type out.
