Do you think there will ever be a "replica" tech market for old computers & displays? There's exciting progress around reproducing old game consoles & arcades with FPGA, but doesn't seem like old computers get the same love.
I'd like to acquire a large CRT monitor with a high refresh rate this year for example, but seems like it'll come down to luck if I find one that works for an extended period of time. I shouldn't have to learn electronics repair to enjoy retro technology.
@rootcompute The Checkmate Amiga case guy is currently wrapping up a kickstarter for a retro-styled LCD-based display with a bunch of inputs (and potentially a slot for a Raspberry Pi or something similar), so yeah-- maybe not a HUGE market, but probably a market comparable the that for stuff like the various modern C64 logic boards.
@solipsistnation I love projects like these, those computers were before my time but I would still be excited to get my hands on one of them. Anything that can provide an equivalent experience that gets the hobbyist seal of approval is worth a look
@rootcompute do you know the mister fga 'emulates' most old home computers from the 8 and 16 bit era? Unless you're really talking about some obscure platforms, it probably already has a mister core, even 486 msdos pc!
@dirkdierickx Yeah I guess this post was meant more on the product level ie Analogue Pocket for handhelds. Can see how the wording is confusing. Also would be cool to see new sound cards/video cards for windows 98 hardware, stuff like this
@dHeinemann Would be awesome! Someone else was talking about how difficult they are to manufacture, so I'm not holding my breath. There has to be demand out there from people like us, but seems like it's not enough to move the needle
@rootcompute if i am not wrong, the only surviving company that still makes crt's does hardware for medical / laboratory machines, so it's a case of environments where LCD can't be used (like microwave ovens still having incandescent bulbs).
The only future I see is FPGA getting powerful enough to use shaders on OSSC and retrotink, but it's been fucked in prices and availability since the pandemic.
@buru5 That guy really has the best grift going right now. Become world famous and get people to mail you all your favorite toys for free. Then you can cover those free toys in a video and make money from that. Ugh. Asshole
@rootcompute The costs of retooling a CRT assembly line would be high. Without a large enough production run it would not be worth it. Check on YouTube, some old "archive" videos show just how hard it was to make CRTs.
@BunnehUsagiChan It's unfortunate really. It makes me sick to imagine how many of these are in landfills these days after all that effort. I would support any efforts to reproduce these but yeah, I mean the demand is incredibly niche at best.
@amoroso Yeah I saw this a while back. I don't know if it's quite for me, but I do appreciate the thought put into the project. Anything that helps generate interest in old tech like this is good with me
@rootcompute absolutely. Especially after seeing how difficult it is to get a "dumb" TV now, I saw someone saying (it can be EXPENSIVE). Even computer monitors, to find ones that aren't touch, the guy had to remove the touchscreen cover or something. Ugh.
Luckily my brother in law is a dumb pos and is one of those 'has to have the latest and greatest tech' thing so I end up with a lot of extra monitors/TVs from my wife's dad. Brought one home the other night & have one sitting in my toy/game room. Then one was sitting outside from a garage sale for the trash, free. Brought that in, gotta test.
Hope people still try to save stuff from the trash too. That's how I used to find my CRTs hahhaa. For MANY years. I still have two working ones. To be into old games without spending a ton of money, you really gotta be a scavenger haha
@jake4480 I guess I'm going to have to ramp up my dumpster diving arc this year, lmao. Just trawling Craigslist for cheap deals and giveaways is not cutting it. A majority of my retro tech has come from family and friends who don't want the stuff anymore, but that supply is finite
@rootcompute ah, true. Are there garage sales around there? Or thrift stores? Other big places I find stuff. I used to troll dumpsters of apartment complexes haha
@jake4480 Yeah I can find stuff like that in certain cases, I managed to find my Microsoft Trackball mouse for a few dollars at a garage sale some years ago. CRT monitors in particular don't really appear like they used to. I don't think goodwill even carries them anymore. I imagine most people see them as trash, which hurts my soul. Certain high end computer parts from the 90s like sound cards etc will probably just never be available, seems like the hobbyists have hoarded them all
@rootcompute wow yeah. Definitely sound and graphic cards, for real. It's rough. It's why I emulate so much. I find weird stuff but even when I do, like I found a complete Dreamcast in box in my neighbor's trash a couple years ago, but the games for it, the ones I'd want, are ASTRONOMICALLY expensive. Gotta emulate. Gonna put a Gdemu in there.
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