Few people have heard of it, yet many consider John Blankenbaker's KENBAK-1 to be the first commercial personal computer.
Pac-Man Headphones; Genuine Vintage, or Modern Retro Repro?
By bohus
Given the 8-bit retro gaming vibe that is all around us, in can be a little embarrassing when you run across an object that you can't tell is actually a vintage gadget or a modern retro repro. I found these headphones at a thrift, the cord held together with ancient and sticky electrical tape. They are in the style of cheap 80s headphones, but you can still find this styled on discount shelves today.
These phones exhibit no appreciable wear to reveal age. They sound pretty crappy, but poor headphones are a curse of every portable music era. Oddly, the 1/8" plug is mono. The only other identifier is a sticker crediting Midway games for the image of Pac-Man.
For some reason, I feel like this sticker is the best evidence of the real age of these phones. I feel like today it would be more customary to print the credit permanently next to the character. Plus I think that on a modern branded novelty the copyright would be credited to Namco, not Midway.
What do you think of these retro Pac-Man headphones? Old or new?
