RETRO TECH - Season 1
YouTube Originals | Vox Media Studios | Co-Executive Producer
In the Emmy-nominated docuseries Retro Tech, YouTube tech sensation, Marques Brownlee, takes viewers deep into the origin stories and nostalgia of the most iconic technology from the 20th century. Retro Tech’s pilot episode, The Game Boy, garnered over 40 million views, making it the most-watched video on Marques Brownlee’s MKBHD YouTube channel to date.
THE CAMCORDER
The JVC GR-C1 Camcorder was the first all-in-one handheld VHS video camera. Marques Brownlee traces the history of homemade videos back to the release of this iconic piece of tech and shows how its popularity led to the videos we watch on YouTube today.
THE MACINTOSH
Marques Brownlee discovers how Steve Jobs and his team took on computer giant IBM with the 1984 Macintosh computer to change the world of personal computing. Living legend Bill Nye joins to unearth original Macintosh software. And fellow YouTube creator and Apple expert iJustine guides Marques throw the world of personal computing at this time to find out why the 1984 Macintosh was able to hold its own in this era.
SEGA GENESIS
In 1988, Sega took Nintendo by storm and released the Sega Genesis. The conflict between the two companies created a video game console war for the ages. Marques Brownlee learns about the cultural impact the Genesis had from comedian Hannibal Burress, discovers Moral Combat for the first time with Mari Takahashi from Smosh Games, and tests questionable gaming accessories with Jake Baldino from Gameranx.
THE GAME BOY (PILOT)
The Game Boy is the most popular handheld gaming console ever. On the 30th anniversary of its release, Marques Brownlee unboxes and explore how the Game Boy came to be, its impact on society, and why it’s leaving us feeling so nostalgic.
RETRO TECH - Season 2
YouTube Originals | Vox Media Studios | Executive Producer
Marques Brownlee returns for a second season of Retro Tech, exploring the technological promises of the past across five new episodes. Futurists predicted that the tech of today would surround us with flying cars, robot maids, and teleportation. Marques unravels these retro tech promises to see just how close we’ve come in 2021 and the direction revolutionary tech is headed next.
FLYING CARS
No matter what year, the idea of flying vehicles helps cement our sense about when the future begins. Marques takes a look at everything flying – from cars to skateboards – and sees where the tech currently stands. Including some help from comedian Michael Ian Black.
TELEPORTATION
For decades people have dreamed of a technology that would allow them to instantly be somewhere else. Marques takes a deep dive into teleportation tech and the next best thing – virtual reality with Jake Baldino and Neil DeGrasse Tyson.
ROBOTS
Marques takes a look at the tech predictions of the past that we thought would be our future – and in particular robots. He casts an eye back to the toy robots of the 60s, 70s, and 80s and some of the movies that spawned them. And along the way talks to UrAvgConsumer and Chris Gethard.
HYPERCONNECTIVITY
Marques takes a look at where our hyperconnected world started – the phone – and how things developed. How we went from answering machines to AOL messenger to Facetime. And then takes a peek into tech that might one day allow us to communicate telepathically.
SMART HOMES
Marques looks at smart home technology, from remote controls to the Clapper, to find out where it began and where it’s headed. He’s also joined by none other than Bill Gates to discuss how climate change and optimizing energy usage plays a part in revolutionizing our homes.