From Treasure to Trash: 27 Nostalgic 90s Tech Throwbacks

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
May 29, 2025 8:00 PM EDT

It is truly mind-blowing to think how impactful the turning of the millennia was. Before the year 2000 our phones looked like abstract pieces of art, each manufacturer trying to differentiate themselves for a world that wanted to express its uniqueness not only through the clothes we wore, but also with the gadgets we bought. We are talking see through phones, gaming consoles that are bigger and have a fraction of the power our smartphones do, cellphones with slide out keyboards.

And from that miraculous moment on, our tech quickly turned into lifelines to the world we live in, impossible to live without and impossible to use if they had no life left within them. So we wanted to take a moment to fondly remember the tech and gadgets that raised us, the kind of electronics that you had to hit with your fist to make them work when they broke. 

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  • 01
    Commodore VIC 20 POWER # % & CLR INST 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 0 + £ HOME DEL SLU TYP CTRL Q R T Y U 0 P 1 RESTORE f 3 RUN STOP SHIFT LOCK C A S D F RETURN f 5 (= SHIFT Z X C V B N M ? SHIFT CRSR CRSR ->
    via u/DivOveR
  • 02
    50% of recyc ON POWER DIERGULTY POWER CONTROLLER BULTY CHANNEL CONTROLLER EXPURE NOVICE TV TYPE VIDEO COMPUTER SYSTEM™ GAME GAME SELECT RESET COLOR OFF B-W
    via u/DivOveR
  • 03
    SC-3000 SEGA al computer GOTO GOSUB RETURN 田 27 REM DATA 37 READ RESTORE INPUT DM FUNC FOR TO Q7 W R Th 05 CHR S STRS TIMES LEFTS CTRL A SF RIGHT S G MOS SIN COS TAN PAG K H₂ SHIFT ASC Z VAL ( SOR EXP LOGI ABS INT L SON NOL X+ C Ba Ni M * GRAPH A CAR DELETE
    via u/DivOveR
  • 04
    XXBOX LIVE ME SYSTEM BURNOU REVENGE PACK X30X BURNOUT REVENDE PACK INCLUDES Microsoft TM 3+ www.pegi.info
    via u/DivOveR
  • 05
    CONTENTS CONTENU AUSSTATTUNG PlayStation PAL PlayStation. DUAL SHOCKTM SONY Incluye NUEVO Mando Analógico-Digital DUAL SHOCK. Con 2 motores que VIBRAN Incluye CD Demo ELEGIDA MEJOR CONSOLA DEL AÑO por los lectores de SuperJuegos, HobbyConsolas y por los oyentes de Game 40.
    via u/DivOveR

  • The console that truly changed the world and led to the gaming industry that we know and love today. Who would have thought that such a humble offering would lead to such large leaps forward in our access to quality graphics and immersive game play. Though it is a little sad to think that this console marked the beginning of kids not going outside to play…

  • 06
    RESET POWER SONY PlayStation OPEN
    via u/DivOveR
  • 07
    SEGA コンビ 取 SEE 287 COREEN 洗い下さい 郵便はがき () 144-00 東京都大田区 羽田1-2-12 株式会社セガ・エンタープライゼス H・E事業部外注管理 消費者サービス課行 T 1. B. n 91 1991 LAR . 1 大学 サービス SA 買い上げ Toy Storyal サレビジ になったのは デパート スーパー その他) 聞いて
    via u/DivOveR
  • 08
    PLASDERA SUFFU CHILDREN CAUTION US TO AVOID PANGE POWER PE-LD Nintendo AATTENTION LES SACS PLASTIQUES PEUVENT ETRE DANGEREUX PO EVITER LE DANGER DE SUFFOCATION, NE LA SAC A LA PORTÉE DE BEBES NI DES ENPANT AWAARSCHUWING PAS PLASTIC ZAKKEN KUNNEN GEVAARLIK ZUN. HGD. OM GEVAAR EN VERSTIKKING TE VERMUDEN, DEZE AK BUIT BEREIK VAN BABY'S EN KINDEREN. PE-LD AUSSERHAL AACHTUNGA ERSTICKUNGSTIC PAR NILICALSFDIESE TUTE CHWEITE VON HINDERN AFBEWAH PRECAUCIONA LAS BOLSAS DE PLÁSTICO PUEDEN SER MUY RELIGROSA
    via u/DivOveR
  • 09
    L BACKLIGHT LYN N POWER MATARI OPTION 1 RESTART FLIP OPTION 2 "
    via u/DivOveR

  • Honestly, this list might be more about the pristine condition that this collector has kept his vintage gadgets in. a truly astounding feat of care that many of us can only dream off. Heck, considering the way we treat our tech today, most of us could not even dream of being this careful.

  • 10
    N HAL DUNG REUX, PO 5557 PACCE SUGA 16-BIT MEGA DRIVEI
    via u/DivOveR
  • 11
    REAL 3DO INTERACTIVE MULTIPLAYER Panasonic FZ-10
    via u/DivOveR
  • 12
    Nintendo Mas MARIO SUPER 6A INTENDO EMECLIBE PAL NINTENDO4 N NINTENDO 64 D NINTE GAMEC
    via u/DivOveR
  • 13
    POWER OFF ON Master System II CONTINGS CARTRIDGE INPUT SEGA MASTER SYSTEM II POWER BASE
    via u/DivOveR
  • 14
    SEGA TX TMS POWER SEGA KID'S GEAR START 2
    via u/DivOveR
  • 15
    CAUTION PLASTIC BAGS CAN BE DANGEROUS. TO AVOID DANGER OF SUFFOCATION, KEEP THIS BAG AWAY FROM BABIES AND CHILDREN. "ACHTUNG" PLASTIKBEUTEL KÖNNEN GEFÄHRLICH SEIN, ZUR VERMEIDUNG VON ERSTICKUNGSGERANG SILSEN BEUTEL AUSSERHALB DER REICHWEITE VON KLEINKINDERN UND KINDERN HALLON "ATTENTION" LES SACS DE PLASTIQUE PEUVENT ÊTRE DANGEREUX. POUR EVITER LE DANGER DE SUFFOCATION, NE LAISSEZ PAS CE SAC A LA PORTÉE BEBÉS NI DES ENFANTS. PRECAUCIÓN LAS BOLSAS DE PLASTICO FUGEEN SER, MUY PELIGROSAS PARA EVLAR
    via u/DivOveR
  • 16
    PlayStation 2
    via u/DivOveR
  • 17
    POWER SEGA MASTER SYSTEM/Power Base CONTROL 1 CONTROL 2 DALLA PORTATA DEI BAMBINI CARTRIDGE WAG RESET CARTROGE CONFRIC CAREE PAUSE TV SYSTEM CARD INPUT
    via u/DivOveR
  • 18
    US-&-HEDO-EUS TPZAK NINTENDO 64 MS TO AVOID BABIES
    via u/DivOveR
  • 19
    ZX Spectrum BLUE EDIT RED CAPS LOCK 2 MAGEUITA TRUE VIDEO GREEN INV VIDEO CYAN 3 DEF FN 5 FN LINE SIN OPEN Q COS CLOSE W PLOT TAN E INT PHO DRAW R REM RUN RAND ASN READ ASTOP ACS ATN VERIFY MERGE RESTORE DATA SGN S NOT D STEP F G H NEW SAVE DIM FOR GOTO GOSUS CIRCLE LN CAPS SHIFT Z EXP L PRINT X C LLIST V BIN INKEYS B N COPY BEEP CLEAR CONT INK PAPER CLS FLASH BORDER NEXT BRIGHT OVER M INVERSE SPACE
    via u/DivOveR
  • 20
    1 Ccommodore 6 2 3 BLE B 7 WHT B B RED CYN CLB INST FOR BLO ML CTRL SU 213 0 W E R T Y U 1 0 P 4 BO DO BO RUN STOP SHIFT LOCK A S D F G H J K RETURN OD DG DO 30 SHIFT N X C V B N M SHIFT ON
    via u/DivOveR
  • 21
    M MOTOROLA 0000990. 00000000 100.000005 NEXTEL
    via u/GovernmentOne9400
  • 22
    SUNG O 4 7 * 5 jkl 6mno 8 tuv 9 wxyz #
    via u/GovernmentOne9400
  • 23
    SAMSUNG alltel
    via u/GovernmentOne9400
  • 24
    SAMSUNG with me
    via u/GovernmentOne9400
  • 25
    (()) MMOTOROLA def 4ght mno 7pars 8 tuv Owxyz *4 Onext 0
    via u/GovernmentOne9400
  • 26
    LG TALK MENU OK BACK ENDO 1 2 ABC 3 DEF 4 GHI MNO 5 JKL 7PQRS 9WXYZ 8 TUV SHIFT ONEXT + #SPACE 8
    via u/GovernmentOne9400
  • 27
    MOTOROLA 2530 1 1 PORS *4 2 ABC 5 JKL 8 TUV Next 3 DEF 6 MNO 9wxyz #
    via u/GovernmentOne9400

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throwback trash gaming nostalgia mobile phones millenials treasure 90s Tech
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