Nostalgia Nerd

Nostalgia Nerd's Gadgets, Gizmos & Gimmicks

Hello folks,

It's been four years since Nostalgia Nerd's Retro Tech was launched, so it's time for a new book; Nostalgia Nerd's Gadgets, Gizmos & Gimmicks. This one is aimed squarely at personal tech; the tech that we used to carry around, or use regularly and which is now largely covered by our mobile/cell phones.

Had a blast writing this one. I will of course, be opening up signed copies for Patrons asap, and you're welcome to enter the competition in this video (UK resident...

The Dark Side of Yahoo Chat

Hello folks.

So, I wanted to do a retrospective on Yahoo Chat, but it kinda ended up turning into something much darker and weirder. 

So here we are. I hope you enjoy?

Sega Electro-Mechanicals at GamesCom

So a couple of weeks ago I went to GamesCom in Germany; Europe's biggest gaming convention. Primarily I was there to help out Quang at this Indie stand, but I also wanted to experience the vastness of this expo, and boy was it vast.

This video is really an overview of what I saw at GamesCom, as well as taking a deeper look at the Sega Electro Mechanical arcade machines they had on display.

Bit of a break from the norm, but I hope you enjoy.

The Creeper Virus

Hello folks. Hope you're doing well.

I'm about to leave the country and head to Gamescom in Germany for a week. So before I did that, I thought I'd better drop a video.

There's a slight audio problem near the start of this Patreon preview, so apologies for that. I am again, at the mercy of Corel VideoStudio and don't have time to correct it.

I'm hoping to do some livestreams from Gamescom, so I'll post updates in the Discord as and when that is likely to happen.

Until ...

I'm not Done with Youtube

Hey folks. Posting this here, to make clear I'm not quitting YouTube. I've just got a few things to say.

In other news, I've got some exciting stuff around the corner in respect to a new space. You'll be the first to know about this, of course, and get all the insights.

The Max Headroom Incident

Now here's a subject I've been meaning to cover for years. There were a flurry of videos about it a few years back, so I put it off a little bit, but now feel the time is right.

For those unaware, the Max Headroom incident was a television intrusion which occurred in Chicago in 1987, where a character dressed as Max Headroom appeared on live TV and began sprouting nonsense.

To some it's hilarious. To others it's terrifying.

To me, it's just interesting.

Bert is Evil: The Original Internet MEME

Hey folks, 

It's been a minute! But at last, I think I'm back in the groove. At least, this is the opening ceremony for what I hope to be a groove.

Kicking things off with Bert is Evil. One of the original internet memes/fake news. It spread around the web in the late 90s, causing perhaps one of the strangest pieces of convergence culture the world has ever seen.

Inexplicably

I didn't upload a Patreon version of my last video. So huge apologies for that. For those still waiting for it, here it is.

For everyone else, still waiting for a new video, it is in the works. 

FINALLY!

Hey folks,

So, finally, I have posted a new video. It's about the Star Trek eXtreme 3D system, and 3D glasses of the early 00's, but you can see that already. 

So, I thought I'd make this into a quick catch up post.

Firstly, I'd like to apologise for the radio silence. I think taking a break after Christmas really reminded me how much I was in need of a break. But I've also been tidying up a few loose ends. One of those being my 2nd book, which is out in August this yea...

Konix Multi System

Now here's a story I've been meaning to cover for YEARS; The Konix Multi System. A gaming console created by the Welsh joystick manufacturer, Konix, that was poised to take over the world at the end of 1989. The only problem was, despite it appearing at various shows and exhibitions, it was never commercially released.

So then, let's dive in and find out the situation.

Thanks for those who helped out with voices in this one. Your names will be included in the public release, I'm j...

CD Gaming on the Speccy

This is a thing I've been meaning to make a video on for years. It always fascinated me how you could get games from CD to load onto the humble Spectrum (and C64 of course).

So here's a dive into the Codemasters CD Games Pack, along with a bit about it's production and failure.

Microvitec Cub: The Monitor that taught a nation

Anyone who went to a UK school in the 80s will be familiar with the BBC Micro; a machine that we would spend the odd hour on, usually playing some kind of simulation game, that "taught" us real life scenarios. But what people often forget is the thing we were staring at throughout; The Microvitec Cub Monitor.

So why was this monitor always used with the Beeb?

Let us explore my favourite monitor from the 80s.

Big thanks to Johnny Blanchard and John B (not the same person) for...

Did This Computer Act as a Conduit to the Past?

In 1984, a man called Ken Webster apparently began communications with someone from the 16th century, using his BBC Micro. Strange perhaps, but then, the content of the messages was perhaps stranger in both it's structure and information. To many, it seemed impossible that this could have been faked, especially to Ken Webster, who wrote a book about the ordeal; The Vertical Plane. In this video, I delve deep into The Vertical Plane and the mystery of the Dodleston Messages.

Hey folks, h...

Most Horrifying Game Ending Ever

This is what happens when you have Covid for most of the month, and attempt to write a Halloween type script; a feverish delve into a game ending which scarred you in the 90s, and still haunts you today.

I'm feeling a tad better than I was, but this is the only video output I've been able to muster this month. 

I hope you have an excellent Halloween.

The Greatest Console of them all

THE RAMBO TV Game.

A console made in China.

A console released in Eastern Europe.

You know where this is going...

The Internet's Most Prolific Fish

Johnny Castaway might be the best screensaver, but there's one nearly as memorable, and it goes by the name of Mopy, or MopyFish.

I had this running on my PC for months, mainly because I liked the idea of a virtual fish. But it's reason for existing, is a little more corporate than that...

NEW GBR Thrifts! Ball Grinding Escapade!

Well, well, it seems fitting to catch these last days of heat. I say last days, it feels like it's going to continue until the end of time.

Today's destination was AYLSHAM, at the Late One. A car boot that is, well... late. So that suits me!

A few things of interest here, and a whole lot of crap. I mean, a WHOLE LOT of crap. 

Perfecto.e

Mystery of the Scorpion 16

You've heard me banging on about this console before, I imagine. Since first seeing it on Bad Influence in December 1994, it has been on my mind.

Well, I decided to take the plunge and acquire one, and then do the just thing of making a video about it.

Rail Shooters on Inappropriate Systems

Hello friends.

Welcome to another round of P*ss poor ports. This time, the focus is on rail shooters, and their luke warm porting to certain systems.

These titles aren't ALL atrocious. But there's enough gumpf in there to justify a video about it.

Be well, and good day.

I Bought a Piece of Internet History

Morning all (it's 4:15am here),

I've just finished the Patreon version of the above video. What started out as a 10 minute frisk into the MillionDollarHomePage.com, has turned into a bit of a monster, and ended up with me purchasing a piece of it.

The site mentioned within, stablesgallery.co.uk is up and running, although I've still got some pieces to upload before the video goes public.

But, in the mean time, I hope you enjoy!

Please let me know your thoughts as alway...

When Microsoft said Don't Buy a Console

I have a hankering for Windows 95 nostalgia at the moment, specifically the time when Microsoft were trying to ship it as the game platform of the future. So here I am, investigating that era, and looking at two important CDs linked to it; Games for Windows 95 and the CD Games Sampler 2.

Great Racers on Inappropriate Systems

The P*ss Poor Ports episode on Fighters seemed to go down quite well, so here's another one. This time looking at arcade racers, and the somewhat upsetting ports they received.

Why Did Weezer Come with Windows?

Weezer. Buddy Holly. It's as synonymous with Windows as Bill Gates.

Why?

Whhhyyyyyyyy?

Thanks to the excellent Patrons who helped with this one.

The Great Commodore Brand Heist

Do you remember the Commodore PET Smartphone from 2015? Did you get one? 

Have you seen this new apparent "Commodore computer" being brandished about on social media by the same company, called Commodore Business Machines?

This is the great Commodore Brand Heist, and this video explores and unpicks the whole saga, including comment from the current Commodore brand owners.

This video was an absolute mammoth to put together, so excuse me whilst I go and lay down for a cen...

Great Fighters on Inappropriate Systems

Got another one for you!.... Fighting games on inappropriate systems.

It has always fascinated me that games like Final Fight and Street Fighter II emerged on 8 bit home micros and consoles. These were systems desperately underpowered for the ports, but yet here we were.

So I wanted to take a closer look at them, just for curiosities' sake.

Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX

This game has hardly popped up out of the blue. It's been talked about for years, before Sega granted the licence to Merge Games and Janken Team.

So let's take a look, and find out some deep truths about the game, and myself in the process.

Has anyone here got the game btw? What do you think?

Liminal Spaces in Old Games

Here's a concept that was actually introduced to me by my kids. Well, maybe not the concept, but they introduced me to a word for a feeling I've had for many years.

This video explores that feeling, within the space of retro games.

PS/2 Laptop

Hey folks. 

Apologies if you saw the general release version first. Timings meant I had to get this out before the end of May.

Anyway, here's the Patreon version of my latest video about the PS/2  a curiosity of the 90s; the PS/2 laptop. It's strange for a number of reasons, but it also paved the way, quite significantly for the IBM ThinkPad.

Pete

GBR Thrifts Returns!

Lockdown is over, for now, so I felt like getting out and about to see what treasures people had taken out of their lofts. 

This time, with ADDED VILLAGE BARGAIN MAP.

Mailbag

It's that time again. Mailbag. Opening stuff that has been sent in, and there's some incredible goodies in this session.

I'm in the process of setting up a dedicated streaming area for some DOS action on real hardware, so I was obliged to clear down this pile of magnificence before beginnning.