Hyped gadgets have us all taking extra shifts at work, washing cars for extra pocket money or possibly even breaking out those credit cards that were for emergencies only. That’s why when hyped gadgets end up being scrapped by the manufacturer or brand and never released into the market, many possible consumers are already majorly disappointed.
Here are some devices that we’re seriously sad never made it to the mass market.
Related: Gamdias Hermes P2 + Gamdias Hermes M3 Gaming Keyboard Review
Lada Gaga Poloraid Sunglasses
If you put Lady Gaga’s name on it, it’s sure to sell. The fame monster herself is all about the hype and when she collaborated with Polaroid as Creative Director for Polaroid Imagining in 2010, the world was waiting in anticipation for the release of all the hyped gadgets from Gaga. She even went to CES 2011 to show off what her Polaroid glasses can do, but these never made it into the mass consumer market.
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The pop sensation has since parted ways with Polaroid to continue her quest for world domination. There are even rumours that she will be featured in the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077 game.
Microsoft Courier
Before foldable phones were popular, Microsoft had people hyped up about folding screens back in 2008 already. Microsoft marketed the foldable laptop as a need-to-have device, and it became one of the most hyped gadgets of the time.
For 2008, the idea of a tablet/laptop hybrid was very exciting, especially one that could fold and was completely unique to other devices on the market. Ultimately, the Courier project from Microsoft was abandoned and these hyped gadgets never made it to the mass market.
Apple WALT
Apple is no stranger to hyped gadgets that never see the consumer light of day, like it recently announcing that it’s pulling the plug on its AirPower charging device. But back in 1993, Apple had another gadget that it was hyping up, just to let consumers down.
The Apple WALT (Wizzy Active Lifestyle Telephone) was the first touch screen phone Apple worked on. It had a touch screen, stylus and limited applications like an address book and writing app. It wasn’t portable though and was designed to be a companion to your landline, but the project was eventually scrapped.
Razer Project Christine
Razer unveiled its concept for Project Christine during CES 2014. The concept consisted of a modular PC, which had a single spine with a motherboard, where other parts like RAM, storage, GPUs, etc. were housed in their own pods. The PC had a mineral oil cooling system.
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It’s been one of the most hyped gadgets from Razer, which hasn’t officially canned the project yet. Although, the official link to the project brings up a 404 error and searching “project christine” on the Razer website doesn’t yield any accurate results. So, it might be safe to assume Project Christine has been shelved for now.
Google Glasses
Smart glasses seemed like a cool concept, but the Google Glasses gadget never saw the light of day. In 2013, interested potential users could sign up to use these hyped gadgets before anyone else in the mass market could.
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However, these devices were never released onto the mass market by Google.
Sega VR
Long before Sony brought out its PSVR, Sega had its eye on VR. In 1991 the Sega VR was going to change the way gamers gamed forever.
The device never made it into the market, with the company claiming that it was scrapped due to the device causing severe motion sickness and headaches.
Which hyped gadgets to you wish you could’ve owned before they were cancelled?
