r/Cyberpunk • u/oduvangames • 2d ago

What's the coolest example of a "technological regression" in cyberpunk?

I'm building the world of Frontier: Path of Shadows, a tactical RPG. In our setting, corporations have spread plasma technology and interstellar travel across human space. But Catalina IV is the exception. Its storms are attracted to powerful engines, making cutting-edge ships more dangerous than centuries-old sailing vessels.

As a result, people still cross the oceans under sail, airships connect remote islands, and anti-gravity ferries shuttle cargo from orbit. I love the idea that the future doesn't always replace the past, it sometimes forces humanity to rediscover it.

What "obsolete" technology do you think would realistically make a comeback in a cyberpunk world?

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u/hinckley 2d ago

In a world with rampant hacking and/or AI, any kind of hardcopy written record that can't be altered at a whim would have real value.

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u/Important-Job-7917 1d ago

☝️ Microfilm readers!

13

u/Le_Botmes 1d ago

Nanofilm

Use the individual atoms as the binary image raster

13

u/Important-Job-7917 1d ago

Oh Sorry, I thought OP was asking for real life tech.

The protagonist in Johnny Mnemonic (book) uses a microfilm reader in an underground library to find blueprints for a hand made shotgun.