Pocket Computers - Are They Worth Collecting?

We check out a few Handheld Computers, and wonder what kind of software was written for them.

Retrogames started as the worlds first Retrogaming magazine way back in 1995, filled with reviews and analysis of rare games consoles and hard to find videogames. In 1998 our website became the first place you could buy console and computer games on the internet and in 2002 we launched our own London retro shop. Staggeringly it took another twenty years for us to finally launch our own YouTube channel.

It's always fun to browse on our website, with over 25,000 vintage games for sale.

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[gelatus_watches]

I love these old pocket computers. They coolest thing about them is that you could write programs on the device, unlike current smartphones. I learned BASIC on a Tandy PC-1 (Sharp PC-1211). In a time, where few people had personal computers at home, these were portable technological marvels.

[danielbetts]

Love seeing these, fascinating despite the limited hardware and uses. Perhaps some Psions and similar some time??

[SpadlZKanapy]

I had a pocket organizer/scheduler from Sharp and thought that it would be cool if you could program on one of these. Back then, I did not know that a similar class of devices that could actually be used for coding exists. Recently, I've bought myself a PC-1248 I found in a pawn shop being sold as a "vintage calculator". I actually enjoy it more than using my smartphone for solving math problems programatically (no distractions) and the QWERTY keyboard is, in my opinion, more intuitive and comfortable to use than a graphing calculator with ABCD layout.

As far as I am concerned, pocket computers were used in Japanese schools until mid-2000s instead of "standard" graphing calculators to learn maths and coding. One of later models even had a C compiler!

[retroimportgamer]

It's so hard to believe that these were ever any use for anything with a tiny calculator display and no means to connect them to anything. I can't remember but imagine they would have been really expensive too, especially that last one. I bet the yuppies loved them 🤣👍

[GreatSageSunWukong]

Cassette mechanism probably needs new rubber belts, they turn to mush after a couple of decades

[ronmilkman]

Love the video. You are entertaining as always. But these handheld computers will not be a part of my large collection of electronic games. For whatever reason, I just am not too interested in them. Still cool to see though! Keep it up!

[RetroClaire]

No nostalgia for these at all. Passed me by.