u/FurtherOutThere

Quick 50 second summary of this console and Coleco.

Quick summary of the xbox controller's origins.

I've noticed as a collector that while there are many videos around gaming software and great preservation work around hardware schematics there is almost no clear, concise videos of the hardware itself. To fill that gap I've been working on an archive of clear, consistent, 4k 360° videos of gaming hardware. I plan to archive consoles, handhelds, controllers, peripherals, game mediums (carts, cards, disks, etc.), boxes, etc..

I'm hoping this format can spark curiosity for people new to gaming history and this hardware as well as be a resource for everyone who's been in the community for decades.

If anyone has rare/interesting hardware and would be willing to contribute feel free to reach out!
retrohardwarearchive@gmail.com

Thank you!

I’ve been working on an online 4K archive / mini-museum of the video game hardware I’ve collected, and I wanted to share the NES Zapper video that went live today. This is the first video of the ~15 light guns I own.

As a collector, I’ve found a lot of great long-form videos about gaming software and history, but far fewer concise, clean looks at the hardware itself. I’m hoping this will be a resource that can help spark curiosity in people new to video game history (out of the 25 shorts I’ve posted so far, about 13% of viewers have been under the age of 24), while also being useful or enjoyable for other collectors and longtime fans.

It’d be nice to do deep dives on various topics, but for now these short archive videos are what I’ve been able to make consistently alongside other time commitments, including starting a physical video game museum.

Thank you for checking it out!

I’ve been working on an online 4K archive / mini-museum of the video game hardware I’ve collected, and I wanted to share the Atari 2600 video that went live today.

As a collector, I’ve found a lot of great long-form videos about gaming software and history, but far fewer concise, clean looks at the hardware itself. I’m hoping this will be a resource that can help spark curiosity in people new to video game history (out of the 25 shorts I’ve posted so far, about 13% of viewers have been under the age of 24), while also being useful or enjoyable for other collectors and longtime fans.

It’d be nice to do deep dives on various topics, but for now these short archive videos are what I’ve been able to make consistently alongside other time commitments, including starting a physical video game museum.

Thank you for checking it out!

I’m building a visual archive of home gaming hardware, with short 4K 360° videos and a history write-up for each system in the description. My newest entry covers the original white PC Engine, CD-ROM² drive, and Interface Unit setup.

For those who know the PC Engine well:

• What are the most interesting lesser-known stories about Hudson and NEC’s partnership?
• What was it actually like to own or use the CD-ROM² system in Japan during the late 1980s?
• What common PC Engine claims or myths are misleading?
• Are there developers, games, magazines, advertisements, or interviews that you’ve found especially interesting?

My current write-up is linked in the comments. Corrections and obscure details are very welcome - I’d like the archive to become more accurate as I learn from people who know each platform closely.

I’ve been working on a small YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

I just posted a 360° view of the Sega SG-1000 from 1983. This one is the rare early black-stripe variant, sometimes nicknamed the “German flag” SG-1000 because of the black, red, and yellow striping before Sega switched to the more familiar blue design.

The SG-1000 is especially interesting to me because Sega’s hardware design still reflects the experimentation of the second console generation, while Nintendo was defining the hardware and gameplay formulas that would drive commercial success through this generation and the next. With the SC-3000 computer released on the same day and the SK-1100 keyboard released the next year Sega was still experimenting with the computer/game console crossover questions that Intellivision, Bally Astrocade, and others we're debating in the second generation. With the joystick controller on the SG-1000 Sega was following design from the previous generation, as well. The releases of the SG-1000 II, Sega Mark III, and Master System variations make for an interesting series of consoles playing catch up while also exploring ideas Nintendo wasn't touching.

More history in the YouTube video description!

I’m adding reference links in the description, so I’d love suggestions for good SG-1000, SC-3000, early Sega hardware, repair, or Japanese console history resources.

I’ve been working on a YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

I just posted a 360° view of several Intellivision expansions: Intellivoice, ECS Computer Adapter, ECS Keyboard, Music Synthesizer, System Changer, and the modern IntyPort controller expansion. I'm still missing a few peripherals in my collection - PlayCable, the data cassette drive, printer, compro videoplexer (would like to pick up one of these some day!), etc..

The brown/gold ECS Computer Adapter, Keyboard, and Music Synthesizer shown are the harder-to-find European/PAL-market variants made to match the original brown/gold Intellivision styling rather than the white Intellivision II look that came out in the USA.

I’m adding reference links in the description, so I’d love suggestions for good Intellivision peripheral history, ECS, Intellivoice, System Changer, PlayCable, homebrew, or repair resources to include.

Some links I've included already:
https://history.blueskyrangers.com/hardware/index.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entertainment_Computer_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellivoice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayCable
https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5869/IntellivisionHow-a-Videogame-System-Battled-Atari
https://papaintellivision.com/pdfs/CCF10232011_00016.pdf
https://www.intellivisioncollector.com/

My earlier Intellivision 360 videos:
Intellivision Model 1 / Master Component:
https://youtube.com/shorts/a2fFeYW7lWc?feature=share

Super Video Arcade:
https://youtube.com/shorts/1YRrMfLNJnY?feature=share

I’ve been working on a small YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

Released 10 years before the Game Boy, the Microvision is the first handheld with interchangeable cartridges. This handheld was designed by Jay Smith who also created the Vectrex.

The Microvision is unusual by modern handheld standards. Instead of a high-resolution screen and standard controls, it used a tiny 16x16 pixel LCD and game cartridges that slid onto the front of the unit. Each cartridge included its own faceplate/overlay, changing the artwork and labeling/layout for the "buttons" mapped to the touchscreen underneath. The system also included a spinner-style control knob, giving the system an extra unique and unusual input besides the touchscreen buttons. With so few pixels, the games had to be built around interesting mechanics rather than graphics.

Only about a dozen games were released, and working units can be hard to find today because the LCD and internal components often don’t age well.

I’m adding reference links in the description, so I’d love suggestions for good Microvision, early handheld, or Jay Smith/Vectrex-related resources.

I’ve been working on a small YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

I just posted a 360° view of the Nintendo Game & Watch Donkey Kong Jr. Panorama Screen from 1983 and thought this sub might appreciate it as an unusual early handheld design.

The Panorama Screen series is interesting because it creates a bright “color” handheld effect without using a modern color screen or backlight. When playing, you are not looking directly at the LCD. You are looking into an angled mirror in the lower half of the device. Ambient light enters through the translucent top section, passes through the internal LCD and printed color artwork, and the resulting image is reflected back to the player.

It makes the device feel almost like a tiny fold-up arcade cabinet rather than a standard LCD handheld.

I’m also adding reference links in the video's description, so I’d love suggestions for good handheld gaming history, Game & Watch, LCD game, or Panorama Screen resources.

I’ve been working on a YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

I just posted a 360° view of the Elektronika Nu, Pogodi! from 1984 and thought this sub might appreciate it. It’s one of the best-known Soviet Game & Watch clones, replacing Micky and Minnie from the Mickey Mouse Game & Watch with the Wolf and Hare from the popular Russian Cartoon Nu, Pogodi! / Well, Just You Wait!

Here's my Nintendo Mickey Mouse Game & Watch video as a comparison.
https://youtube.com/shorts/wrwGJ2WzCmM?si=gkYoLG3BOlokF2cG

I’m adding reference links in the descriptions, so I’d love suggestions for good Elektronika, Nu Pogodi, Soviet handheld, or Game & Watch clone resources.

I’ve been working on a small YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

Today's video is Mattel Auto Race from 1976, the first handheld electronic game. Following Auto Race, Mattel Football was a massive hit and drove the first generation of handhelds before Nintendo’s Game & Watch era.

I’m adding reference links in the video description, so I’d love suggestions for good handheld gaming history websites.

I’ve been working on a small YouTube archive / mini-museum of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

I just posted a Coleco Telstar Alpha recording and thought this sub might appreciate it, since the Telstar line is such a big part of Coleco’s pre-ColecoVision history. I’m also adding resource links in the description, so I’d love suggestions for good Telstar / Coleco history or general reference sites.

I’ve been working on a YouTube archive of gaming hardware: short, clear 4K videos documenting the hardware itself.

I just posted the Sears Super Video Arcade (my favorite looking model) and thought this sub might appreciate it. I'm planning on adding videos of my other Intellivision peripherals and models in the future, as well. I’m adding resource links in the description, so I’d love suggestions for good Intellivision history or general reference sites.