When the Playstation One was launched back in December 1994, it was undoubtedly the pinnacle of ‘modern’ gaming. By 2005, it had become the first console ever to ship more than 100 million units, and with the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 seeing similar success in 2000 and 2006 respectively, it was clear that the tech was only getting better. So much better, in fact, that it’s impossible to find any of these consoles in gaming stores today.
The same goes for plenty of other hardware, even beyond the world of gaming. How often do you see someone walking along the street listening to a Sony Walkman? Or logging onto a Macintosh LC to browse the internet after a long day at work? Over the last couple of decades, hardware that was once revolutionary has become old news, pushed aside for the latest in technological innovation, such as the Playstation 5 or the iPhone 15.
A Sea Change to Talk About
But that’s not to say this retro hardware is completely dead. In fact, just in the same way that vinyl records have seen a massive resurgence in recent years, the same thing seems to be happening to old, retro devices. According to business expert Kate Hardcastle, more consumers than ever have been ‘turning to vintage items for the familiarity, nostalgia, and aesthetic’ over the last five years, choosing to break away from the mainstream consensus of ‘new, new, new’ for something a little more old school.
This shouldn’t be a surprise, of course. Going back to gaming for a second, over the last decade, a fascination for old games has been taking over the gaming industry – specifically in the iGaming sector. The basic mechanics behind the slot machine algorithm have never changed, but more people than ever are playing retro slots solely for the aesthetic and nostalgia, transporting themselves to a romanticised, bygone era that seems so far away in 2024. This romanticisation transcends from software to hardware, with more people preferring the look and feel of older devices compared to their modern counterparts.
The Allure of Retro Hardware
While what’s happening in the iGaming scene can be attributed to nostalgia, however, in many ways, the retro hardware resurgence can be attributed mainly to ownership. As mentioned before, the return of vinyls and CDs has taken many industry experts by surprise, but it’s indicative of the ‘streaming fatigue’ being felt by Gen Z and Millenials.
In 2024, actually owning something has become a luxury. While some retro hardware might be outdated when it comes to modern technological standards, at least it offers complete, offline ownership of the device itself. Even in the world of consoles, one of the latest releases from Xbox was the Xbox Series S, which ended up ditching the disc slot completely in favour of cloud-based, downloadable games. In other words, players who own the Xbox Series S cannot physically own the games that come with it. With a retro gaming console, however, the hardware ensures that everything is yours. Not only do you own the device, but you also own the games that come with it.
Final Thoughts
Bearing all of this in mind, it’s clear that the retro comeback is only going to get bigger in 2024, but it’s hard to tell at this point if it’s going to stick around. When it comes to computer hardware, there seem to be too many benefits of the i7 microprocessor and modern components that make it more of a necessity.
As well as this, while retro hardware is old and outdated, this doesn’t stop a lot of devices from being expensive. Even something as old as the Playstation 1 can go for hundreds of dollars in 2024, and that’s a large amount to spend on something with a limited use case. Despite their price, however, we wouldn’t be surprised if the retro resurgence – at least in terms of gaming and music – continues long into the future. Or at least, we hope it does!
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