The Apple Newton-deeply mocked, quietly mourned-wasn't merely an expensive paperweight. Its pen-first UI, tolerance for messy input, and insistence on being a personal information manager prefigured many modern ideas. Here's why designers should still study its failures and borrow its principles.
A close reading of how Game Boy Color games-through clever technical workarounds, bold design choices, and social mechanics-pioneered features that are now standard in modern games: real-time systems, persistent multiplayer hooks, compact UX, and handheld-friendly Metroidvania design.
A nostalgic dive into the colorful, sometimes garish world of Windows Media Player skins - how they let users declare identity through interface, why that freedom faded, and what we lost when app UIs became identical.
How a $300 plastic keyboard and 5KB of RAM forced elegant design, seeded an ethic of accessibility, and still whispers in the ears of modern indies. From PICO-8 jams to Celeste's origins, the VIC-20's constraints shape today's aesthetics, UX, and development practices.
How the pared-back, function-first products of the 1990s offer a blueprint for modern tech design - reducing cognitive load, extending product lifespan, and creating more humane digital experiences.