Retro Computing UK

You’ll need a pretty high geek tolerance level for this very detailed and specialised account of Sir Clive Sinclair’s bestselling ZX Spectrum home computer, whose appearance in 1982 with its rubbery keys was thought to be as lovably eccentric as the man himself. But with this he revolutionised the market, educated the British public about the importance of computing, and virtually created the gaming industry from scratch. It was originally to be called the “Rainbow” in homage to its groundbreaking colour graphics; Sinclair instead insisted on “Spectrum” as it was more scientific-sounding.

Interestingly, the film shows that Sinclair’s flair for the home computing market arose from his beginnings in mail order and assembly kits for things such as mini transistor radios targeted at “hobbyists”, that fascinatingly old-fashioned word. His first home computers were available as kits and to the end of his days, he was more interested in hardware than software; perhaps this intensely serious man never quite sympathised with the gaming culture that drove his product around the world.

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When Sinclair is on screen, his human drama charges the film with interest, but I have to say that the film’s long central section, simply about all the different games with their blocky 2D graphics, is challenging for non-connoisseurs. But it’s always interesting to see a film dig into this level of detail, and there’s a strong awareness of the kind of art and design work that, without gaming, would never have found an outlet.

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The Rubber-Keyed Wonder: The Story of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum is in UK cinemas from 18 October

A new documentary on the history of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum is set to premiere at the BFI IMAX, in London, next month on Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

The Rubber Keyed Wonder - Story of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum is a new documentary from the directors of Bedrooms To Billions, Anthony & Nicola Caulfield. It aims to chart the history of the iconic British microcomputer, looking at how it originally came to be and how it opened the doors for a generation of game developers.

The documentary will feature new interviews with Sir Clive Sinclair’s family (such as his son Crispin Sinclair and nephew Grant Sinclair), various media personalities, former members of Sinclair Research, and the developers of several legendary ZX Spectrum games. It will also feature some rare archive footage, which will further help tell the story of the iconic machine.

Trailer

Video game publisher Plaion recently announced plans to release a modern day recreation of the beloved ZX Spectrum. Launching on November 22, The Spectrum will ship with 48 pre-installed retro games, and will be available for £89.99.

The updated version of the classic computer will support 720p HD output via HDMI, as well as four USB ports for controllers and joysticks. Multiple save states will be available for each game, alongside a rewind feature, CRT filters and even basic programming functionality.

Most important of all, however, is the fact that The Spectrum recreates the iconic rubber keyboard, complete with fully working keys.

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In the meantime, however, here are the top five ZX Spectrum games that are pre-installed on the device and available to play out of the box.

1. Manic Miner
2. The Hobbit
3. The Great Escape
4. Skool Daze
5. Target Renegade

Retro Games Ltd., the company behind the Atari 400 Mini and A500 Mini, is producing another system based on the iconic ZX Spectrum.

Simply called "The Spectrum", this new system launches on November 22nd, 2024 and will cost £89.99.

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The Spectrum connects to your TV via HDMI, displaying a 720p picture. It emulates both the 46 and 128 models of Sinclair's famous home micro, and will enable players to rewind gameplay, create save states and apply on-screen filters. You'll also be able to load up your own Spectrum ROMs using a USB thumb drive.

48 games will come built-in, including Manic Miner, The Hobbit, and Head Over Heels.

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This isn't the first time that the classic computer has been revived for a new audience. In 2014, Elite Systems produced The Recreated ZX Spectrum, a Bluetooth keyboard replica which ran games via an app released on smartphones.

The following year, Retro Computers Ltd. produced the ZX Spectrum Vega, a plug-and-play device pre-loaded with Spectrum games. A portable variant, known as the Vega+, launched in 2016 but many of those who backed the unit via crowdfunding failed to receive the device, and Retro Computers Ltd. would be liquidated in 2019.

The most successful version is arguably the Spectrum Next, an FPGA-based successor which boasts a case design by original ZX Spectrum designer Rick Dickinson, who sadly passed away before the system was released.The most successful version is arguably the Spectrum Next, an FPGA-based successor which boasts a case design by original ZX Spectrum designer Rick Dickinson, who sadly passed away before the system was released.

When word first got out that the Chinese board houses were experimenting with full color silkscreens, many in our community thought it would be a boon for PCB art. Others believed it would be akin to cheating by removing the inherent limitations of the medium. That’s not a debate that will be solved today, but here we have an example of a project that’s not only making practical application of the technology, but one that arguably couldn’t exist in its current form without it: a single-PCB ZX Spectrum emulator developed by [atomic14].

There basics here are, well, they’re pretty basic. You’ve got an ESP32-S3, a TFT display, a micro SD slot, and the handful of passives necessary to tie them all together. What makes this project stand out is the keyboard, which has been integrated directly into the PCB thanks to the fourteen pins on the ESP32-S3 that can be used as touch sensor input channels. There are issues with detecting simultaneous keypresses, but overall it seems to work pretty well.

But what makes the keyboard really special is that [atomic14] has used the color silkscreen capability to put all the necessary labels directly onto the keys. Technically this could have been done using a traditional single color silkscreen, but it would have been a hell of a lot harder to fit all the necessary information on there while keeping it readable. Plus, you’d miss the little rainbow in the corner.

We've been checking out the latest games and we think we've come across a game that will not only suit those of you who love horror, but also for fans of the famed horror writer H.P Lovecraft. Titled as 'Innsmouth', this latest game by Bitfans, is a brand new ZX Spectrum 48k and 128k Adventure! An English and Spanish Lovecraft game in which you are to delve into the dark tale of a coastal town plagued by hidden secrets and indescribable horrors. To coincide with this news, we've got a bit more about the story as well as a new trailer.

People loved the ZX Spectrum. They loved the Mega Drive. If you talk to an owner of any Nintendo machine, from a Game Boy to a Switch OLED they sound like Romeo talking about Juliet, Meredith Grey talking about Derek Shepherd, or Elon Musk talking about himself.

As someone who was actually there for the 80s and 90s, the Amiga just didn’t enjoy that kind of love. Why? Because it looked uncool. The Game Boy looked like an alien artefact from a trendy 70s sci-fi show; the PlayStation was what you’d get if a high-end record turntable had mated with the sexiest sandwich maker imaginable. The curved lines of the Xbox 360 were the definition of allure. It was one of those rare machines that looked as good lying down as it did standing up. Today I still run my fingers along its curves if I see one in the wild.

The Amiga looked like something you’d see a bank teller use. And not for the cool bank stuff, like foiling a robbery.

cross-posted from: https://feddit.uk/post/9212466

The ZX Spectrum Vega+ was supposed to be the perfect way to experience classic ZX Spectrum games on the go, but after a botched crowdfunding campaign, ropey hardware and the collapse of the company behind it, Retro Computers Ltd, it has gone down as something of a disaster.

The bad taste left by the Vega+ hasn't deterred another firm, Elmar Electronic, from having a stab at the concept, though. The ZX Touch is a portable take on Sir Clive Sinclair's classic home computer which boasts a 7-inch touch display, WiFi, SD card support and a six-hour battery life.

Elmar Electronic is "a small company with more than 40 years of history and twenty dedicated employees" which specializes in "the development and manufacturing of industrial and telecommunication equipment". One of its co-owners, Goran Radan, has a deep affection for the Spectrum, which led him to create the ZX-VGA-JOY project. The ZX Touch is his next Sinclair-flavoured venture.

22 games come built-in, all of which are included with the permission of the original developer or rights holder, but you can load up other titles via an SD card.

Both the hardware and software are entirely bespoke; there's no OS included, as the software inside is "pure c/c++ code running on embedded high-performance ARM Cortex-M7 480Mhz MCU" according to the manufacturer.

The ZX Spectrum shouldn’t have been that big of a deal. It was a budget and underpowered personal computer released at a time when the personal computer industry had more options than most people would ever need. At the very least, the ZX Spectrum’s audio cassette media format and bizarre methods of software distribution should have made its library of supported games little more than a novelty.

Instead, the ZX Spectrum became one of the most important video game devices ever made. The little computer that could found its way into a surprising number of homes and helped launch the modern British video game scene in the process. It may seem like a strange story, but when you look at some of the games that helped define the ZX Spectrum, it all starts to make a little more sense.