A Look Back

Fascinating Look Back at the Triax Turbo Touch 360, a Controller from the 90s That Put Touch Sensors in Place of Buttons

By Bill Smith April 30, 2026

Gamers in the 1990s sat through plenty of marathon sessions on consoles like the Super Nintendo as well as SEGA Genesis, and their thumbs suffered as a result of continual pressure on rigid directional pads. Triax had a solution for the problem in the Turbo Touch 360. They abandoned the traditional movable plastic directional pad in favor of a flat octagonal plate with capacitive sensors underneath. So all you had to do was lightly lay your thumb on the surface, and it would register the direction you were attempting to go in.

Fascinating Look at Tandy’s Gobble Man, a Handheld Maze Game That Lit Up Pockets in 1983

By Bill Smith April 24, 2026

Back in the early 1980s, Radio Shack sold a variety of gadgets that caught the eye of both curious children and tech enthusiasts. Among those goods was Gobble Man, a small handheld game that placed maze chases directly into your palms years before the larger portable consoles that came later. Bandai first released this in Japan during 1981 as a game known as Packri Monster. Tandy then scooped it up, licensing the design for its US stores before selling it as Gobble Man in 1983. To add to the confusion, Tandy sold the exact same units under the titles Hungry Monster and Ogre Eater.

Gamer Meticulously Restores Wild Gunman Arcade Game from 1974

By Bill Smith April 20, 2026

Photo credit: 2 Warps to Neptune
In 1974, Nintendo kicked off their coin-operated arcade era with Wild Gunman. This game required players to step up, pull a handgun from a holster, and face off against some unfriendly live-action gunslingers on a projection screen. Footage came from authentic film reels filmed on site in Japan, capturing the wild west-style shootouts in all their gritty grandeur. Timing was everything here. You could only draw and shoot after your eyes flashed and the word “FIRE” appeared on the screen. Get it right, and you’ll come out on top. If you mess up, draw too soon, or miss your shot, you will lose the duel.

Fascinating Look Back at the HTC Universal, a 2005 Pocket Computer That Unfolded Into Laptop Territory

By Jackson Chung April 12, 2026

HTC released the Universal in the third quarter of 2005, and it immediately set a new standard for what a handheld device could accomplish. It launched during a time when phones were rather simple, as they made calls and sent the occasional text, while other devices handled all of the organizational tasks, such as calendars, notes, etc. Instead, the Universal’s owners received a single, all-in-one device that was essentially a productivity powerhouse.

Nerf Arena Blast from 1999 Refuses to Quit Even Today, Here’s Why

By Bill Smith April 11, 2026

Jumping back into Nerf Arena Blast today provides the same adrenaline that captivated players all those years ago in 1999. People are still loading patched versions of the game onto their modern machines and connecting to active servers, where matches are quickly filling up. This game has always managed to transform what would otherwise be a bunch of kids playing with foam darts into full-fledged digital competition that still feels new 27 years later.

Gamer Restores the Original PlayStation Portal From Two Decades Ago

By Bill Smith April 6, 2026

James Channel continues to shed light on old, forgotten gaming gear that still has a few tricks up its sleeve. His latest segment delves deeper into a device from 2003 that appears to be an early prototype for the PlayStation Portal. More specifically, the Intech Controller and Game Screen (model PS2-750). It’s an odd combination of a full PlayStation 2 controller and a little built-in screen and speakers that allows you to play on the go, away from the big living room TV.

Fascinating Look Back at the RCA Colortrak 2000, the CRT Television from 1982 Hidden Behind Glass

By Bill Smith April 5, 2026

Photo credit: This-Profession-1680
Collectors frequently pause for a second when they see one in a thrift store or internet listing. A 1982 RCA Colortrak 2000 stands there with that 25-inch CRT screen behind a full tinted glass panel that swings open like a cabinet door, seeming almost like a piece of furniture at first glance. It protected the tube from dust and made darker scenes appear much more dramatic in well-lit spaces by reducing reflections.

Back in the Late 1980s, NASA’s JPL Building 230 Held the Keys to Voyager’s Journey

By Jackson Chung March 30, 2026

Back in the late 1980s, a group of engineers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) grabbed a camera and decided to document their workspace before the computing landscape changed around them. The resulting footage is a remarkable walk through Building 230, the room responsible for keeping Voyager, Galileo, and Ulysses on course through the solar system, guided by a staff member who clearly knows every piece of equipment by heart.

Inside the Rarely Seen Sony DKC-C200X Passport Camera That Prints Photos Wirelessly

By Bill Smith March 29, 2026

Long before phone cameras became the answer to almost every photography need, Sony released something in 2003 that took a very different approach to the whole idea of a camera. The DKC-C200X was built for one job and one job only, capturing passport and ID photos on the spot. Designed to work as part of Sony’s UPX-C200 system alongside a dedicated printer, the whole setup operated as a self contained unit with no cables or connections required, making it exactly what post offices and ID processing centers needed to turn around photos quickly and reliably

Fascinating Look Back at BlackBerry’s PlayBook, the Compact Tablet From 2011 That Had Real Promise

By Jackson Chung March 28, 2026

BlackBerry entered the tablet market in the spring of 2011 with the PlayBook, a 7-inch tablet that had to compete with larger offerings from Apple and others. People who picked one up quickly noticed how portable it was, fitting easily into a bag or coat pocket for on-the-go use.