• 16-24-year-olds say Tamagotchis are the childhood gadgets they feel most nostalgic toward – but a new one would have set you back £25 with today’s inflation applied 
  • For 25-34-year-olds, the original Gameboy is their most missed piece of retro tech 
  • The original 1960s Etch A Sketch cost £2.31 – but that’s equivalent to £54 today with inflation! 

AS THE nation gets ready to snap up new technology this Christmas, research from money.co.uk has revealed the retro gadgets we miss the most, and how much cash we were ready to splash on them in times gone by – with some surprising results.

According to the survey, the piece of retro tech that young adults (those aged 16-24) feel most nostalgic towards is the 1997 Tamagotchi. The egg-shaped Japanese digital pets remained hugely popular throughout the late 90s and 2000s and were owned by more than 1 in 3 adults who are now aged between 16-24 (38%).

The UK’s first Tamagotchis retailed for approximately £14, which with inflation applied equates to £25.65 in today’s economy.

For 25-34 year olds, the most nostalgia-inducing piece of tech was the original Gameboy (27%), which launched in 1989 and was owned by more than half of this age group (51%).

This iconic device had a display capable of featuring just four shades of grey and originally retailed for £67.40, which with inflation applied equals approximately £168.80 by today’s standards. The original handheld gaming devices, now collectors’ items, have since surpassed their original value and can now be found retailing at an average of £192 on eBay today.

The device that captured the heart of most 35-44 year olds was the humble Etch a Sketch, which 1 in 5 feel nostalgic towards. As many as 49% of this age group claim to have owned one of the innovative mechanical drawing toys when they were younger.

The first Etch a Sketch launched in 1960 when it retailed for as little as £2.31 – but taking inflation over the past 60 years into account, the value of this device was actually 23 times what it seems, equating to £53.55 by today’s standards. The popular toys are still in production today but original 1960s Etch a Sketch models average £20 on eBay.

Across all age groups, cassette tapes came out on top for the nation’s most nostalgia-inducing piece of technology, with 1 in 5 (19%) of all adults listing this as a piece of retro tech they felt nostalgic towards.

 

The top 10 pieces of technology Brits miss the most 

  1. Cassette tapes
  2. Etch-a-sketch
  3. Video tapes
  4. Gameboy
  5. Tamagotchi
  6. Sega Megadrive
  7. Early nokia phones
  8. Walkman
  9. Hi-Fi system
  10. Kodak camera

Salman Haqqi, personal finance expert at money.co.uk comments: “It’s fun to look back at some of the iconic tech through the ages and to see how the costs of these items have changed since their launch date.

 

“It’s also interesting to see how much people were willing to spend on some of these pioneering pieces of tech and how far we’ve come in terms of the advancement of the technology and the variety of devices that are now available at much more affordable prices.

 

“Most of the nation’s favourite pieces of retro tech have depreciated in value over time as we’d expect, however there are a few standout items such as the iconic Gameboy that have since become collector’s items and now surpass their initial launch cost, with inflation applied.

 

“Technology is a huge part of modern life and the average Brit now owns 11 pieces of tech in total. With Black Friday just around the corner, we’re fully expecting Brits to take full advantage of the reduced rates on this year’s latest gadgets.”

 

Money.co.uk’s data reveals that as many as 59% of UK adults are considering purchasing new technology in this year’s Black Friday event, with the average person hoping to acquire five new pieces of gear.

 

To help you save even more money this Black Friday, discover money.co.uk’s great range of 0% purchase credit cards that provide long interest-free periods with low APR. For more information, visit: https://www.money.co.uk/credit-cards/0-purchases-credit-cards.htm.

 

To celebrate the nation’s favourite retro gadgets, money.co.uk has created a visual timeline featuring some of the most iconic tech launches of the last century, their launch dates, original cost at the time of launch, costs with inflation applied and resale costs. To view the timeline, visit: https://www.money.co.uk/guides/retro-tech

 

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