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Tech Hunters: Opening up new worlds with the Nintendo GameBoy
You have to hand it to Nintendo: the company knows how to change the way people play video games. As millions of gamers getting to grips with the Switch, which delivers A+ games on-the-go as well as it does docked at home, many will remember the console that pioneered the concept of portable gaming: the GameBoy. Launched in Japan in 1989, the GameBoy sold over 300,000 in its first two weeks and over 100 million in total. The 8-bit handheld console supported small interchangeable cartridges and its monochromatic display could screen render games in four different colors of gray, but thanks to titles like the side-scrolling Super Mario Land, Kirby's Dream Land and Tetris, consumers just couldn't get enough of it. With so many units sold, there's a plethora of handsets still available to quench your retro gaming needs, as Julia Hardy discovered in Croydon. But what if we could open up new worlds on the portable brick? We'll hand it over to Simon Ellis from Retrogamebase to see what else we can get it to do.
Tech Hunters: Looking back at Nintendo's failed Virtual Boy
Long before the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, Nintendo was experimenting with a VR headset of it own. At first glance, the black-and-red Virtual Boy looked every bit as capable as the virtual reality headsets that were popular in the 90s, promising access to stereoscopic 3D worlds from the comfort of your living room. However, Nintendo got it wrong -- really wrong. With its two-legged stand, which led to many a bad back, and uncanny ability to induce eye strain, the Virtual Boy was gamble that never paid off. Released in August 1995, the Virtual Boy sold over 750,000 units during its brief life span. For some, that would be considered a success, but Nintendo was riding high from the success of the SNES, which had shifted over 20 million units by the time the 32-bit console hit North American shelves. Within six months, Nintendo had discontinued the system and shifted its focus to the development of the Game Boy Pocket and the Game Boy Color. Even though it's considered a failure for Nintendo, the Virtual Boy has become an intriguing collector's item for gaming enthusiasts. In this week's Tech Hunters episode, Julia Hardy tracks one down to find out more about the headset that was perhaps a little too ahead of its time.
Tech Hunters: Bringing the Tamagotchi back to life
These days, Pokémon has the cute creature-based game market all sewn up, but back in the 90s it was a completely different affair. Phones still had some way to go towards being anywhere near smart, so it was up to tiny pocket devices like the Tamagotchi to keep little ones entertained. The Tamagotchi -- a portmanteau of the Japanese words for egg (tamago) and friend (tomodachi) -- was created by Bandai employee Aki Maita and formally introduced by the company back in 1996. The toy required kids (of all ages) to care for a virtual pet, allowing them to experience the responsibility of feeding, cleaning and maintaining the health of their cute digital companion. They pooped and they died when you forgot to feed them, but you were always safe in the knowledge that you could always start again. After huge success in Japan, the Tamagotchi went on to be sold in over 30 countries, shifting more than 76 million units. The brand grew to include books, clothing, movies, TV shows and a Nintendo video game, eclipsing the Beanie Baby fad at the time. Because the virtual pets came in dozens of different shells, collectors scour the globe and online marketplaces for the rarest models. Julia Hardy met with one superfan, Natalie, to find out more about the keychain craze and why the Tamagotchi is still so loved.
Tech Hunters: How the Walkman changed the way we listen to music
Today, billions of people have access to portable music, mostly thanks to smartphones. The world's music catalog is at our fingertips thanks to Spotify, Apple and Amazon's online store, but it's not always been that easy. It wasn't until 1979 that music lovers could finally get their hands on a true portable player: the Sony Walkman. Even though Sony wasn't the first to introduce magnetic cassette technology, the Walkman was the device that made it popular. The introduction of the Sony Walkman TPS-L2 allowed consumers to carry their pre-recorded tapes -- which were normally bound to car stereos or home music centres -- and place them inside a stylish 14 ounce, bluish-silver player with big buttons that could be strapped to their belt. Initially, Sony believed it could sell 5,000 units a month, but it smashed all expectations by shifting more than 50,000 in the first two. Fast forward to 2010 and the Japanese electronics giant had sold 200 million of the things, with cassettes easily surpassing vinyl record sales on the way. Although the Walkman brand is still alive today, thanks to an updated range of digital music players, it was at its most popular in the 80s and 90s (so much so that the word "Walkman" entered the Oxford English Dictionary in 1986). It's a design classic that revolutionised the world of music, at least until Steve Jobs reinterpreted it for the modern age. Julia Hardy hits the audio highway to find out what a good Walkman can cost now.
Tech Hunters: Feeling the need for speed with the Sinclair C5
Sometimes, technology can be too far ahead of its time. That's the excuse many people will give for the Sinclair C5 electric tricycle, which appeared 30 years before car makers like Tesla and Nissan made us believe in an EV future. Launched in 1985 by Sir Clive Sinclair, the C5 featured a injection-moulded polypropylene shell and a chassis developed by Lotus. Its on-board battery could deliver up to 19 miles of range and propel the tricycle to a whopping top speed of 15 miles per hour. Front-mounted handlebars allowed the rider to steer as they reclined. At launch, the Sinclair C5 received mixed reviews. Some saw it as the future of personal transport, while other dismissed it as a toy. At £399 (£1180 in today's money), the rideable certainly wasn't cheap, especially for a vehicle that required its owner to pedal when they wanted to go uphill. Its low profile also made it difficult to see oncoming traffic and it didn't require a license or a helmet, meaning anyone over the age of 14 could operate one on Britain's roads. About six months after launch, Sinclair ran into difficulties and production of the C5 stopped, leaving a large number of vehicles unsold. Still, a lot of people still have a fondness for the battery-powered pedalling machine, like Vicky who shows Julia Hardy around Blackpool in the diminutive motor.
Tech Hunters: Refreshing Casio’s classic calculator watch
Thanks to the rise of Fitbits, Apple Watches and other smart trackers, wearables are the new frontier of fashion, often mixing cutting-edge technology with the latest designer trends. However, they aren't a new idea: companies like Casio have been doing the same since the 1980s. Cast your mind back and try to remember the digital Casio watches of yesteryear. Chances are you'll land on the Casio C-80, the original "calculator watch." Billed as "the watch that replaces everything," the C-80 -- with its tiny rubber buttons -- shunned the stylus prized by watch makers like Citizen and Seiko at the time. It also made way for newer Data Bank models that could convert currencies, store phone numbers and, like today's Apple Watch, read your pulse. In 1980, you'd pay $75 for the C-80, which is about £185 in today's money. Fast forward to today and the vintage timepiece can fetch upwards of £400, if it's been kept in mint condition. Casio has released a ton of other calculator watches since the C-80, but they've become a bit boring. Julia Hardy meets up with Jonah Ripley to see if we can make the retro smartwatch a little more 21st century.
Tech Hunters: The PlayStation and the rise of 3D gaming
In the early nineties, the console market was rising to prominence. The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and Sega Mega Drive were popular but were largely dismissed as kid's toys because they featured tiny red and green plumbers and spiky blue hedgehogs. However, that all changed with with the launch of the Sony PlayStation, which featured three-dimensional gameplay and gave millions their first taste of 32-bit gaming. The original PlayStation was a big risk for Sony. It had never developed a computer game, let alone a complete system. In 1991, the company was reeling from a failed partnership with Nintendo -- which would have resulted in it supplying CD-ROM technology for the popular SNES -- so it decided to go it alone. Back then, console makers like Nintendo, SEGA and Atari would develop their own titles in order to showcase what their platforms could do. Sony didn't have its own game development studio, but it did promise powerful new features and flexibility for developers thanks to its disc-based architecture. With the chance to render 3D worlds and deliver stereo CD-quality sound, games studios jumped on board and the rest, as they say, was history. In this episode of Tech Hunters, Julia Hardy traces the history of the console that made gaming the massive industry it is today and takes a look at giving the trailblazing system a modern makeover.
Tech Hunters: the first TV set Britain fell in love with
Televisions might be cheap and plentiful now, but in the 1930s, they were almost exclusively reserved for the middle class. The BBC was the only broadcaster in town and a lucky, elite few were able to watch the Coronation of King George VI and British Movietone News cinema newsreels inside their homes. Then, the second World War broke out and transmissions stopped over fears that TV signals would aid German bombers. It wasn't until the 50s that TV became popular again, with royal events setting the benchmark. Following the death of King George VI in 1952, a young Elizabeth II took the throne and was coronated a year later. The Queen's coronation became a defining time for television in the UK, and a lot of it was due to the availability of the Bush TV22. The black-and-white Bush TV22 launched with a 9-inch screen and cost £35, which is roughly £800 in today's money. It was cheaper and more portable than its bigger hardwood rivals at the time, with art-deco stylings that are now revered by British designers. When the royal family agreed to let the BBC inside Westminster Abbey to broadcast the Queen's coronation in June 1953, it led to a huge boom in television set sales. More often than not, it was the Bush TV22 that people brought home. In this episode of Tech Hunters, Julia Hardy travels to Norwich to find the TV that changed viewing habits in the UK forever. Rob Howard shows Julia round the cathode ray set was a design classic that ushered in the era of television.
Tech Hunters: Rediscovering the Macintosh
Apple may now be the world's biggest technology company, but in the eighties, its position wasn't so secure. The PC was market was small, albeit growing fast, and IBM's perceived dominance had Cupertino worried. Back then, computers were clunky and demanded a steep learning curve. Apple knew things had to change. "Insanely great" were the words Steve Jobs used when he introduced the first Mac, the Macintosh 128K, at the company's annual general meeting on January 24th, 1984. Not everyone agreed with Jobs' declaration at the time, but there's absolutely no denying that the computer helped define the PCs of today.
Tech Hunters: the unstoppable, unbreakable Nokia 3310
Modern day smartphones may shudder at the mere thought of being dropped but for the Nokia 3310, it was just another day at the office. First released at the turn of the millennium, the impenetrable candy bar handset wowed owners with interchangeable covers and its integrated antenna, a rarity for phones during that time. But it was T9 predictive text, customisable ringtones and, of course, Snake that left a lasting impression on the hundreds of millions of people that bought the "indestructible" device during its five-year run.
'Tech Hunters' uncovers the retro gadgets that defined their time
The first mobile phones weighed roughly the same as a small child. Early black-and-white TVs had a tuning knob that you turned to change channel. Looking back on them now, it's almost laughable how low-tech they were when compared to the flagship smartphones and 4K OLED TVs that appear on this site every week. But we owe these devices respect, not just for the technological achievement they represented back then, but for enabling the high-tech world we live in today. Without the PlayStation, you couldn't have the PlayStation 4. Without the indestructible old Nokia 3310, you couldn't have... the new Nokia 3310. To explore that legacy, we're embarking on a journey into the world of retro gadgets. Hosted by TV and radio presenter Julia Hardy, Tech Hunters will uncover the devices we were once obsessed with, looking at how they disrupted the tech industry, and what they're worth today. From the pocket pet obsession with the original Tamagotchi, to mix-tapes and Sony Walkman, Tech Hunters will explore the audio, visual, interactive and transport innovations that have shaped today's culture. The first episode of the 10-part series, produced by Engadget UK and aired weekly, will debut on Wednesday May 24th. We hope you'll join us.
