Elektronika MK-90

The Elektronika MK-90 was a Russian mini-computer. Not quite as powerful as the TI-8X calculators, it seems more like the "PDA" toys released in the 1990s. It had 16k RAM and a 16-bit CPU (not sure exactly how fast it was, but my guess would be slightly less than half the speed of a TI-83).

It packs the ability to program in BASIC on it, making it a pretty damn awesome piece of hardware. You could program a lot onto the 120x64 pixel display. Apparently it was too fucking expensive for anyone but the richest czar to own, costing the equivalent of $22,000 in 2013 money, adjusted for inflation and adjusted for an American wage. Your calculator would be worth more than your education.

I guess it was ahead of its time.

You can watch a video of some of the games. There is a pretty good Pac-Man clone on it, and, of course, TETRIS.

Read all the technical specs on the Museum of Soviet Calculators on the Web.