The ’90s was a decade of great technological innovation, but not all the gadgets that were released during that time were successful. In fact, there were several ’90s tech gadget flops that were met with widespread indifference or outright failure. We could have made this list significantly longer, but who has the time? Be sure to comment on social media with your top ’90s tech gadgets that flopped.
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Here is a list of the top ten ’90s tech gadgets that flopped:
Table of contents
Ten ’90s Tech Gadgets That Flopped
Phillips CD-i
The Philips CD-i was a multimedia system that was released in 1991. It was designed to play games, videos, and interactive applications, but it was ultimately unsuccessful due to its high price and lack of compelling content.
WebTV
WebTV was a set-top box that allowed users to access the internet through their televisions. It was released in 1996, but it failed to gain widespread adoption due to its clunky interface and slow performance.
Sony Glasstron
The Sony Glasstron was a family of portable head-mounted displays, first released in 1996 with the model PLM-50. The products included two LCD screens and two earphones for video and audio respectively.
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was a video game console that was released in 1993. It was one of the most powerful consoles of its time, but it was also one of the most expensive. As a result, it failed to compete with the lower-priced PlayStation and Saturn consoles.
Virtual Boy
The Virtual Boy was a virtual reality (VR) headset that was released by Nintendo in 1995. It was one of the first VR headsets on the market, but it was also one of the most uncomfortable. The Virtual Boy’s poor design and lack of compelling games led to its quick failure.
Sharp X68000
The Sharp X68000 was a home computer that was released in 1987. It was one of the most powerful home computers of its time, but it was also one of the most expensive. As a result, it failed to compete with the lower-priced Amiga and Atari ST computers.
Commodore Amiga CD32
The Commodore Amiga CD32 was a CD-ROM add-on for the Amiga home computer. It was released in 1993, but it was ultimately unsuccessful due to its high price and lack of compelling games.
Sega Saturn
The Saturn was initially successful in Japan but failed to sell in large numbers in the United States, where it was hindered by a surprise May 1995 launch, four months before its scheduled release date. After the debut of the Nintendo 64 in late 1996, the Saturn rapidly lost market share in the U.S., where it was discontinued in 1998.
Windows CE
Originally, Windows CE was designed for minimalistic and small computers. However, CE had its own kernel, whereas those such as Windows XP Embedded are based on NT. Windows CE was a modular/componentized operating system that served as the foundation of several classes of devices such as Handheld PC, Pocket PC, Auto PC, Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 and more.
Voodoo 3D add-on-cards
Voodoo Graphics made an add-in card that implemented hardware acceleration of 3D graphics. The hardware accelerated only 3D rendering, relying on the PC’s current video card for 2D support. It ultimately didn’t catch on.
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Last Updated on March 13, 2024.
