31 Snapshots of Nostalgic Tech That Once Looked Like the Future (Because It Was)

Isn't it wild that we can feel nostalgic for stuff that used to be futuristic? Some of the tech in this list is 30, 40 years old—and yet it still feels like it's whispering, "This is what tomorrow looks like." And in many ways, it was right.

Take that wireless 10-inch TV from 1986. Did it catch on? Not really. Does it look ridiculous now? Absolutely. But it's playing live video on the go—the same thing we do today on our phones without thinking twice. Back then, it was revolutionary. Today, it's a charming little prophecy that happens to have an antenna the size of a fishing rod.

Or those old video games with graphics that look like someone duct-taped geometry homework to a screen. Silly? Maybe. But go back just a few years before those games hit shelves and people were still playing with sticks, hoops, and whatever else the '70s considered entertainment. In a blink, we went from hopscotch to Space Invaders.

This is the past, sure—but it's not that far from now. If anything, it's closer to our present than it was to its own. And that's what makes it so weirdly magical.

So plug in, power up, and scroll through 31 snapshots from a time when every gadget felt like a spaceship.

Author image for John Summers John Summers
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