Derby Computer Museum

20/06/2026

😍 Don't forget we're open today 10am to 4pm! 😍

Either book online or get your tickets in reception. Details on how to find us on our website.

You'll have an amazing time, but don't just take our word for it. Hear from Edward Cockcroft and all the other wonderful reviews we have on Trip Advisor, Google, TrustPilot and Facebook.

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

19/06/2026

🕹 GAME OF THE WEEK - Dr Mario on Nintendo Gameboy from 1990 🕹

Developed and published by Nintendo in 1990 for both the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Gameboy, Dr. Mario transformed the familiar mushroom kingdom hero into a virus-fighting doctor.

The gameplay is simple but addictive: coloured capsules fall from the top of the screen and players must align them with matching coloured viruses to eliminate them. As the levels increase, the speed and challenge ramp up, making it one of the most enduring puzzle games of its era.

What was your favourite 'spin-off' Mario game? Let us know!

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

Image courtesy of Wikipedia / Nintendo

17/06/2026

🕹 EXHIBIT OF THE WEEK - Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) from 1985 🕹

A pioneer of video game consoles. This machine helped to rescue a declining industry from the 1983 video game crash and revolutionise the use of third-party developers for game distribution and production.

The Nintendo Entertainment System was an 8-bit console which shares the same internal components as the Japanese-market Famicom, but has a redesigned case for Western markets. The CPU is essentially the same as the 6502 used in various other machines in the museum, but the power of the NES comes mainly from the video chip (the PPU, or Picture Processing Unit).

It's interesting to think how the video game industry would look today had Nintendo not helped to revolutionise it with this machine. Come and try it for yourself in our Japanese room which can be found on the 2nd floor!

Did you have a NES whilst growing up? If so, what was the game that captivated your childhood?

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

16/06/2026

Over 2,000 computing artifacts spanning the 1930s to 1980s were rescued by a computer history museum.

From punched card machines to early mainframes, it's a reminder that today's technology stands on decades of innovation.

Check out the full article by Mark Tyson!

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/computer-history-museum-recalls-astonishing-retro-haul-recovered-from-abandoned-german-warehouse-over-2-000-artifacts-spanning-the-1930s-to-1980s-required-seven-tractor-trailers-after-a-wwii-bomb-scare

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

Over 2,000 pieces were containerized and trucked back to California for the museum’s permanent collection.

15/06/2026

Not sure where we are?

We've updated some of our signage...!

Easy ways to find us...

1. Walk to the top of Sadler Gate, and look straight ahead to your left... there we are!

OR

2. Go to Derby Cathedral, walk towards the market place, and you'll see us on the left just before Bet Fred and Nandos, and just after Leaders (we're on the floors above Leaders and The Escape Room Guys)

Then...

Look out for our spray painted Mario from the wonderful Raze Murals :)

Directions and parking info here...
https://www.derbycomputermuseum.co.uk/find-us

Book online here...
https://www.derbycomputermuseum.co.uk/book-online

13/06/2026

😍 Don't forget we're open today 10am to 4pm! 😍

Either book online or get your tickets in reception. Details on how to find us on our website.

You'll have an amazing time, but don't just take our word for it. Hear from Clare Bickle and all the other wonderful reviews we have on Trip Advisor, Google, TrustPilot and Facebook.

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

12/06/2026

🕹 GAME OF THE WEEK - Game Boy Gallery 4 on Nintendo Gameboy from 2002 🕹

Developed by Tose and released by Nintendo in 2002, Game Boy Gallery 4 collected some of Nintendo's earliest handheld experiences and packaged them for a new generation on the Game Boy Color. Featuring both the original Game & Watch versions and enhanced "Modern" adaptations, it offered players the chance to see just how influential these deceptively simple games really were.

Long before sprawling open worlds and online competition, these games challenged players to improve through practice, quick reflexes, and determination to beat their highest scores. Their pick up and play design made them perfect companions for school trips, family holidays and those moments when you only had a few minutes to spare.

More than 25 years later, Game Boy Gallery 4 stands as both a fantastic collection of mini-games and an important piece of video game preservation, introducing countless players to the foundations of Nintendo's handheld legacy.

Do you remember playing this Gameboy favourite? Which Game & Watch game was your favourite?

Image courtesy of Wikipedia / Nintendo

10/06/2026

🕹 EXHIBIT OF THE WEEK - Commodore VIC-20 from 1980 🕹

The VIC-20 was Commodore's second mass-market machine, released in 1980 after the earlier PET (1977).

The VIC-20 was much lower cost than the PET and featured a compact plastic case. In addition it had colour graphics (although quite low resolution). It was very competitive and had a great specification for such a low price machine.

This machine can be found on the second floor of the museum in our 70s/80s room. Come down this Saturday and check it out yourself!

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

09/06/2026

From industry giant to history lesson. What happened to Commodore?

Check out this article by Sead Fadilpasic discussing the full Commodore journey!

https://www.aol.com/articles/happened-commodore-computers-why-company-171700000.html

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year

Commodore was once the dominant force in home computing. Its collapse in the '90s remains one of tech history's more dramatic cautionary tales.

06/06/2026

😍 Don't forget we're open today 10am to 4pm! 😍

Either book online or get your tickets in reception. Details on how to find us on our website.

You'll have an amazing time, but don't just take our word for it. Hear from Sebastian P and all the other wonderful reviews we have on Trip Advisor, Google, TrustPilot and Facebook.

Visiting us
🤖 We're open Saturdays 10am to 4pm (pre booking recommended but not essential)
🎂 Birthday parties available
🎓 School, college, cub, scout, guides, etc group bookings available
🍻 BYOB (bring your own booze) 18+ nights 6x times a year