YouTube, eBay and Nostalgia

As far back as I can remember I have always been a tech geek and had the desire to own computers and a massive range of consumer technology.

As I grew older the technology has moved on and the devices I once desired in the past have pretty much been replaced by a smart phone.

I had been experiencing nostalgic pangs from YouTube. I had been served up content that showed me technology from the 1980's.

YouTube content creators making videos about old technology was really interesting and I ended up binging on multiple videos over the course of a week. I had a particular interest in old computers.

I realised that I could own some vintage computing. It wasn’t long before I was on eBay bidding on a couple of items. I had valid reasons to experience the games and software from the late eighties and early nineties, they were awesome and it took me back to a happy time and place.

Success! I won a Commodore Amiga 600 with some games for £130.

It arrived. I convince myself I got it for a good price. I would need to tidy it up as it was several years old and most likely stored in a garage or loft, but I was pleased nonetheless.

I was keen to plug it in and power it on. I realised I don’t have a TV with the correct connections. I needed some more hardware to connect my old stuff to my new stuff.

An additional £35 and a few days later and I am ready to turn my old Amiga on for the first time. The excitement grows.

I flick the power switch and it comes to life with all its mechanical noises. The sound of my past.

I use the software for a while with a big smile on my face, I play a few games.

After an hour or so I realise my enthusiasm slows as it doesn’t seem to be as good as I remembered.

The Amiga is slow and looks really pixelated on my 50” UHD display.

My memories of this are slightly different. There must be something not quite right.

With blind optimism and keen to keep my dream alive I realise that my old computer needs to be upgraded.

I’m back to the internet to go to dedicated websites to find and buy freshly manufactured parts.

The range of hardware available for older technology is amazing. The cost for these items is quite high but given these items are made in small quantities it makes sense.

Over the next week I find the parts I “need” and spend a further £165. I convince myself this will make my Amiga run beautifully.

The parts all arrive over the following days. I fit all my upgrades and cram the cover shut on my little Amiga, I get ready to fire up it up.

I go for it and I’m waiting to be blown away with the sheer performance this 30-year-old device will provide.

Unfortunately I find it is much the same as before. There are some aspects that are more convenient, I no longer have to swap out floppy disks continually, but if I’m honest with myself the gains are not ground breaking at all. I still have the Amiga of my youth and it is awesome (I think).

I’m now £330 in for a pimped out Amiga 600 and I have mixed feeling about the whole endeavour.

From a preservation standpoint, it is looking good, it will last several more years. From an operational standpoint, it works as it should with some nice little modern tweaks to make slightly more usable.

The first fifteen minutes of turning the device on were the most exciting.

The reality is that it is unlikely I will ever use the hardware again, I will possibly trot it out when other technology minded friends come round, but I expect they will have the same rush of nostalgia that will tail off in a matter of minutes.

I'm all up for saving this kind of stuff. It deserves it to be saved and brought back to life but nostalgia is not a reason to go out and buy these old devices.

The journey of upgrading the parts was fun but it is not something I’m going continue to do with other old equipment.

I consider myself lucky as the Amiga I bought was in good working condition, but this stuff is getting old and it will go faulty. There are no doubt many items currently listed for sale will have problems that will require additional work to get them functional. This will cost time and money.

Skilled people with a real passion are making replacement parts for retro hardware.

The YouTuber’s are really great at what they do and the attention to detail in their respective areas is impressive and makes for engaging content.

The time and effort they are investing in order to preserve our technological history is truly commendable. That alone is a good enough cause.

I probably sound pessimistic about the whole "retro" movement, but I'm actually not. I am a victim of my own nostalgia and it is this that has driven me to disappointment.

I did this for selfish reasons.

I acted on emotions and impulsive purchasing. In this instance nostalgia hurt me in the pocket.

If you are someone like me, who enjoys the occasional tinker with older games, then my advice is to emulate.

The beauty of emulation is that its a relatively low buy in price can you have the potential to access thousands of games across many different systems.

I know that emulation of hardware is not the same as the real thing. If the real thing is what you want then be prepared to invest your time and money.

As for my Amiga 600, it is looking and performing well, but remains in storage, well protected to ensure it survives. where it will most likely stay. Its a loved piece of my childhood but I am tainted by modern technology and the colourful memories I hold for it are somewhat bias. It is easy to forget all the niggles we put up with. Game loading times being a big aspect.

It is really hard not to compare it to modern hardware, using a modern display with this type of equipment results in a poor experience, to get that full authentic experience more hardware is required. A CRT display would make my Amiga really shine, but getting the appropriate display for this machine can get costly and its just another item that is aging and prone to failure.

If you have the funds for this type of hobby then I highly recommend it, anyone taking on this type of past time is helping the wider retro community. It is a labour of love and goes way past nostalgia.