5 Everyday Technologies You May Not Realize Are 90s Inventions

The 90s were an interesting time for technology, as it produced many everyday objects and gadgets, many of which probably aren’t that old. A great example is Sony’s original PlayStation, because when it launched in 1994, it completely changed the video gaming world by introducing its new (at the time) CD-ROM format and 3D graphics with realistic polygons. Consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System, SNES, and Sega Genesis used cartridges, not CDs, and were part of both the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.

The PlayStation introduced a more modern home gaming experience that many current consoles date back to. We wonder: what are some other everyday pieces of technology that most people don’t realize appeared in the ’90s? Not the legendary gadgets born in that era that almost everyone can name, but rather more overlooked devices that everyone still uses or has influenced today.

Business was a big deal in the 90s, so wireless opportunities were booming thanks to the growth of the Internet and relevant technologies. Okay, this was always a big deal, but at the time it spurred the development of more powerful wearable devices: the early concepts of the smartphones and tablets used today. These were personal digital assistants (PDAs) and Palm Pilots, essentially a mix of devices that served as a portable electronic organizer. They were also popular with people who were always on the move.

PDAs weren’t as powerful or functional as the average phone of 2026, but they included many useful tools, and some even had touchscreens that worked with a stylus. The PalmPilot 1000 was released in 1996 with 128 KB of memory, a 16 MHz DragonBall processor, and a display resolution of 160 x 160 pixels. Imagine a contact book with addresses, a calendar, a personal planner, email access, security tools, a calculator, a phone and other digital add-ons, all crammed into a palm-sized device.

Of course, there was no Siri, no Alexa, or any other personal voice assistant. Additionally, they often had physical buttons hidden on the side or littering the face, and many of them were bulky, heavy, and quite ugly by today’s standards, but they worked for the time.

The Nintendo Game Boy of the 1980s and the Game Boy Color, released in the 1990s, monopolized the attention and are still popular today with retro game collectors. But I would argue that the Sega Game Gear pioneered a more advanced handheld gaming console, much like the Steam Deck and its many counterparts. As a rival to Nintendo’s console, the Game Gear introduced color games with 8-bit graphics available for play on the go in 1990. It also incorporated a backlight for late night and low-light gaming. Anyone who’s ever tried to play the Game Boy on a late-night road trip in the back of the family van under the glow of streetlights understands why an internal light was a huge improvement.

By the time Sega discontinued the Game Gear in 1997, it was clear that it hadn’t made as many waves as Nintendo, and was far inferior in terms of gaming accessibility. It had other problems as well, which is why it is remembered as one of many notoriously unreliable retro consoles. The battery life wasn’t great, the ergonomics were messy – it was big and bulky – but those who owned the console loved it. You can also see the inspiration he had on retro gaming handhelds released today, many of which use the same elongated form factor or style.

Given the hype around AI, the push for a plethora of companion robots, advanced robotics solutions, and even online robots, you’d be forgiven for thinking these are all recent inventions, but robots have been around in one form or another for a long time. Take the Sony AIBO, a robot dog companion that was, admittedly, more like a toy. He could sit, walk, growl and interact with his owners on command. Sony also claimed that it “could learn and grow” over time through simulated artificial intelligence.

It had 18 types of joints throughout its body, allowing it to move its legs, neck, head, tail, upper jaw and more. When it was launched in 1999, it was a real success. In any case, the first generation. While it’s not cheap – and it’s not in every household for that reason – you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone with memories of that era who doesn’t recognize AIBO’s Robocop and metallic form. The Aibo robot puppy still exists today, but there are also many other robotic companions inspired by the Sony original.

As the Internet became a sensation throughout the ’90s, service companies introduced new ways to connect. One of them was a standalone modem that connected directly to an available landline and took over it almost completely when in use, that is, when someone wanted to access the Internet. Dial-up modems were essential computer accessories back in the day, because without them it was impossible to connect to the Internet. They came in the form of a small box that you plugged into your computer and then connected to a phone jack. When it was operational, it had a bunch of flashing lights on the front that told you what was going on.

These are also the devices that make those weird, irritating, loud connection noises that you associate with retro internet connections. Based on the visual descriptions alone, this probably looks familiar, right? The modems used today are of course much more advanced and most do not plug into telephone jacks; instead they use cable ports, but the designs remain remarkably similar to the originals. They even have flashing LEDs on the front.

It was around the 1990s that all-in-one printers for home and office use became both available and more popular. Before that, noisy, bulky, and unruly matrix impact models were common. Laser printers existed before that too, but HP’s first, the 2680A, launched in 1980, was about the size of a food cart and cost $100,000, or more than $405,240 in 2026. Companies like HP, Epson, and even Apple introduced inkjet and laser printers that were not only more compact than their commercial counterparts, but also easier to use, affordable and relatively quiet.

The HP LaserJet 4L, launched in 1993, was a marvel for its time. It was still pretty big and heavy but only cost about $500. It was also the beginning of printers that could actually fit on a desk or table surface. Before that, most printers were stand-alone and were about the size of the average photocopier today. Wireless printers were also invented in the mid-1990s, although they would not be available to consumers and become widespread until much later.

Thanks to the advent of digital technologies, home printers are simply no longer necessary. Printing is widely needed for business, legal and medical documentation. People still print on home office printers, of course, but you can easily get by these days without owning a printer at all.