Retro games console exhibition returns to Thatcham

“Wow, I haven’t seen one of those in years,” was one of the top phrases heard from a retro computer and games console exhibition at the Thatcham Festival.

The Pavillion at The Moors was filled with nostalgia on Saturday, October 7 as around people young and old came to relive their younger days or try something new.

Visitors as young as five-years-old could be seen playing solitaire running on a Dell XPi laptop from 1996 running Windows 95.

The computer exhibits ranged from a 1977 Newbear 77-68 through to an iMac G3, and on the games consoles side ranged from an Atari 800Xl through to a Sega Mega Drive.

The event came about when several members of Nadhack (Newbury and District Hackspace) were talking about all the computers and games consoles they had at home.

The event is now a part of Thatcham’s annual arts festival.

Around 150 people passed through during the day commenting “I once had one of those”, “I think this event should be run over the entire weekend” as well as “awesome” and “cool”.

The mayor and mayoress of Thatcham had a trip down memory lane too, playing a BBC B computer and taking a tour to see the many other exhibits.

They talked about the games that they remembered playing like Pacman and Space Invaders.

Nadhack said: “We see the importance of letting the younger generation see and play the electronic devices we had or dreamed about having when we were young.

“We also see the devices as an important part of our technological and social history and they need to be kept in working order for all to see.”