Retro Gadgets
There are still plenty of cool old gadgets available, here we report on some of the great blasts from the past.
Steampunk Wrist Monocular
Love all things steampunk? You might be interested in the Steampunk Wrist Monocular then, as this unique device will certainly let you live out your steampunk dreams, and heck, it might even help complete your costume for this Halloween. Bear in mind, this is not meant to be a replica or a piece of decoration, this monocular actually works. Yes sir, this is a fully functional, brass monocular that will feature up to 2X magnification – not too impressive, but better than no zoom at all, no?
Heck, there is even a weathered leather arm-pouch that helps keep the monocular at hand all the time, and to make it even cooler, the monocular will open up via a lever movement. Yup, there is no need to press a button as folks tend to do these days, and being a steampunk device, you won’t get a touchscreen display, either. Would you fork out $44.99 for something like the Steampunk Wrist Monocular? Talk about looking into the future through the eyes of the past!
Is it a Plane? Is it a Bird? NO! It’s the Tosy AFO!
Waboba USA is aiming to expand its already amazing family-friendly fun line with it’s launch of the Tosy® AFO™ (Aliens’ Flying Object) which is one flying disc type toy that looks like it’s going to fly off the shelves and fill the sky with hours of fun, during the day and well into the night!
Waboba USA’s Tosy AFO is versatile–a flying disc for a game of catch or a boomerang for solo play; perfect for small yards or indoors on those rainy days, creating “hang-time” competitions; and when the sun goes down… it lights-up! Super bright LEDs automatically ignite when launched, creating a colorful rainbow through the night sky or in a darkened space for a truly unique experience. Continue reading » Is it a Plane? Is it a Bird? NO! It’s the Tosy AFO!
Tetris Link – From the Virtual World to Your Tabletop?
Having just left the crazy and chaotic word of the Toy Fair in NYC, I am still reeling from the experience. Not to mention the cost of parking. I would have to say that it was not the high tech world I envisioned, although there were some exceptions, the trend seems to lean toward, shall we say, more grounded play?
Enter Tetris Link, coming to you live from almost every gaming platform known to man, and in this case, when I say “live” I’m not talking the world wide web, or a handheld, I’m talking your dining room table. Thats right, Tetris has taken high tech and brought it back to the box. In an unusual move, we have found a game originally high tech, remember the green screen days? Now decidedly low tech. Not a battery or a plug in site. Continue reading » Tetris Link – From the Virtual World to Your Tabletop?
Tony Sale’s 60-year-old Robot, George
The guy on the left is Tony Sale, and he is the inventor of George, the guy on the right.
George is a robot that is made from the aluminum and other scraps of a crashed bomber sixty years ago. Apparently, he has spent a large percentage of that time in a storage shed.
However, he had his fifteen minutes of fame in and around 1950 as they showed him pushing a vacuum cleaner. In reality, he wasn’t able to push a vacuum cleaner, but he could pull it. I suppose that the photo was taken to show the world that the future was robots who do all of our housework. What wife in the fifties wouldn’t want one of those?
Continue reading » Tony Sale’s 60-year-old Robot, George
Joytron Singibigi, Old School in more ways than one
What I like about the Joytron Singibigi is that it is very much old school. Not only does it bring back the days when video game controllers were actual joysticks, and buttons were concave and very big, but it brings back the wooden look.
Have you ever noticed that things made of wood are generally considered antique? I’m not talking about that Wal-Mart faux wood furniture which is nothing more than pulp with a plastic sticker over it, real nice solid wood.
It was about time that someone took that look and applied it to video games. I guess since video games took place in the age of plastic, we don’t ever consider ever giving them a wood finish.
Continue reading » Joytron Singibigi, Old School in more ways than one
“Antique” Sofa has a hide-a-bed style pool table built in
What a great idea. This is a sofa which as a pool table built into it hideabed style. Okay, actually, it’s a snooker table, but still. What an ideal addition to an apartment/mancave. According to Craziest Gadgets the couch is about 6 foot long and apparently, it’s quite popular in the UK where they’re fairly cheap.
Continue reading » “Antique” Sofa has a hide-a-bed style pool table built in
The original series Star Trek Tricorder
With the new Star Trek movie finally out, fans are showing their geeky colors a bit more proudly. Not that they were ever really hidden to begin with, but now manufacturers are coming out with new fun gear. For those that like to run around in their blue pajamas costumes and try to look as authentic as possible, there is a new recreation coming out. This Tricorder is the one from the original Star Trek series, which means it’ll have a nice vintage look to it.
Continue reading » The original series Star Trek Tricorder
Sega Mega Drive Twin Player Console
Video gamers have this thing about retro games, and more often than not, they don’t mind going back to the good old days once in a while and indulge in a little bit of nostalgia, where pixelated graphics ruled the day and the gameplay experience coupled with an overactive imagination proved to work better than just flashy graphics. For those who missed out on Sega’s heydays as a home console manufacturer, here’s the Sega Mega Drive Twin Player Console that allows you to go through a bunch of 16-bit classics.
Simply plug it into the telly and you’re away. It might be smaller than the original but the Sega Mega Drive Twin Player Console is preloaded with 15 Sega licensed games, including Sonic and Knuckles, Alex Kidd, Golden Axe and many more. Better still you can bung in all those old Mega Drive and Genesis cartridges that have been languishing in the loft. Indeed, this nifty region-muncher doesn’t care where your games originated.
You will be able to bring home the Sega Mega Drive Twin Player Console for just £39.95 – a small price to pay for those glorious moments of yore without having to contend with the taint of downloading illegal ROMs.
