Having grown up during the time when the first gaming units (ie. Atari) came out, as well as living through the dawn of the “personal computer”, I have always had soft spot for vintage electronics. As cliché as it sounds, and for better or worse, they “just don’t make them like they used to!”
A big part of the DNA of my side project, The Octopian, is built on the aesthetics these pioneering inventions. I love the way designers and engineers envisioned the future, so I was so excited when I saw there was a Vintage Computer Festival being held right in my own backyard of Orange County, CA.
According to the website, “The Vintage Computer Festival (VCF) was created as a celebration of the history of computing. Originally founded by Sellam Ismail in 1997, it continues annually at locations across the U.S. and internationally.”
To be honest, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. I assumed there would be a bunch of vendors selling vintage electronics, and probably a lot of tech nerds. And… those were all there! 😜 However, there was also some incredibly passionate people showcasing forgotten, rare or obscure products from a bygone era. There was also several stations set up where people could actually play with vintage games and systems.
The event space wasn’t very big, but there were definitely some amazing artifacts to behold. Everything from circuit boards, old phones (both landlines and celluar), memory boards, game console accessories, old cartridges, floppy discs, manuals, and of course a bunch of vintage computer systems. I didn’t realize how many models of computers Atari actually made outside of the game consoles. Most everything was for sale as well. Anyway, here are a few of my favorite moments.
Did you know there is a PC musuem? The Paul Gray PC Museum at Claremont Graduate University in California was founded in 2001. I definitely want to visit it in person! They had a small table showcasing some of the amazing collection they have.
There was also one poster I now totally regret not getting.
Sigh.. the one that got away… maybe next year!
Follow the Vintage Computer Festival So Cal instagram for more info and updates on future events.