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ZX SPECTRUM VEGA: Sir Clive Sinclair crowdfunding new ZX Spectrum computer.
- Thread starter mocoworm
- Start date
cyberheater
PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 PS4 Xbone PS4 PS4
So how does the graphics end up on the TV screen. Is there a huge HDMI lead coming from the hand held console?
cookie-monster
Member
you do realise £149 in 1986 is nearly £400 in today's money, right?
ichtyander
Member
Why not just put the whole keyboard in there, any text adventure, strategy and who knows how many other games won't be playable at all. Unless they've added a virtual keyboard, but that's also a very weird thing to do in this case.
CharmingCharlie
Member
You do realise you can buy a bloody smart phone that has probably 100 times the power of this thing and with an LCD screen for £50.
Loved the spectrum, it was my introduction to computer gaming when I first picked up my ZX81 had nearly all iterations of them from the ZX Spectrum 16k right up to the Spectrum 2+ (think it was called). However this smells of a rip off, I certainly won't be backing it.
cookie-monster
Member
I just found the cross-decade price comparison hilarious
ShadowRunner
Member
Cool, im from Luton!
CharmingCharlie
Member
It is to be expected, this thing is way way over priced for what it is offering. When I saw the topic I went "OH YES I AM SO IN". I was expecting it to be £20 - £25 (which is pushing it considering what is being offered). But sorry 100 quid for that thing that is bloody ridiculous.
Comes pre-loaded with 1000 speccy games with additional ones available to download free of charge (via SD card). Plugs direct into the TV as well (I'm guessing via HDMI)
I just might byte (sorry) but the price seems a little high to me. If it comes with Jet Set Willy, Manic Miner and Starquake then I could just be tempted.
I just might byte (sorry) but the price seems a little high to me. If it comes with Jet Set Willy, Manic Miner and Starquake then I could just be tempted.
3ds/Vita app would be amazing.
Great film.
I echo what most other people are saying about this. Too expensive, not enough keys, better off as a handheld (with hdmi out).
My commiserations.
CharmingCharlie
Member
Actually that isn't a bad idea you wouldn't have needed an expensive screen either for ZX spectrum games. They could have easily done a decent product with a screen good enough for speccy games for about 100 quid and it would have been far more marketable.
I know what they are doing and it is commendable and had they priced it at a "sane" level it might have been a minor success. But I am sorry 100 quid for this, you need your head seeing too if you buy it.
EricTheCleric
Member
This is only for the nostalgics.
If you want to buy a modern variant on what the spectrum was, buy a Raspberry Pi. It can do soo much more, is cheaper and still can play Spectrum games.
If you want to buy a modern variant on what the spectrum was, buy a Raspberry Pi. It can do soo much more, is cheaper and still can play Spectrum games.
Red Liquorice
Member
When it says you can download games for free, is this legally? Are Spectrum games considered copyright-free? (I'm going blank for the real term I want to use but you know what I mean).
It needs a lot more. Far too limiting.
Edit: And the price? LOL.
You do realise that the parts are slightly cheaper than 28 years ago?
I like this idea as I love retro gaming. The problem for this kind of thing to work is that you end up outputting to one flat panel or another with its intrinsic input lag, blurryness and scaling problems. At that point I might as well be emulating the game since it doesn't feel like the real thing at all anyway.
Know what I'd kickstart the hell out of? Someone making small affordable *new* CRT displays of a decent quality. This constant hunting of 10, 20 year old trinitron style technology in order to properly retro game is starting to make me feel part of an 'end of the world' apocalypse story where you get by scavenging the remains of modern society
Know what I'd kickstart the hell out of? Someone making small affordable *new* CRT displays of a decent quality. This constant hunting of 10, 20 year old trinitron style technology in order to properly retro game is starting to make me feel part of an 'end of the world' apocalypse story where you get by scavenging the remains of modern society
nkarafo
Member
I agree.
I mean, i don't get the appeal in this thing. There are those who like emulators and those who like the real "Retro" thing for nostalgic reasons or because they are collectors. This doesn't fit anywhere. Its a new product based on a hardware that was obsolete 30 years ago, at a premium price.
alexandros
Banned
Meh, Amstrad CPC was the superior 8-bit anyway. Come at me, ZX and C64 peasants!
Seriously thinking of putting down a pledge
nkarafo
Member
I was a console owner back then and even i know that C64 had smoother scrolling and better sprite handling in all games. Colors are better in Amstrad though.
Precisely, and as I huge one myself I'll be getting one of these for sure. Sir Clive himself is behind this, and just looking at it reeks of authenticity. £100 small beer if you ask me.
Now bring out a C64 version Commodore
CyanideFuse
Member
This!
The games are still copyrighted, but most publishers permit their download for free (probably because the games no longer have any monetary value to them). However, some publishers do not allow their games to be downloaded (eg Ultimate Play The Game), so if you did download any of these games you would be breaking the law. (Even these "illegal" games can be found on certain websites but, of course, I do not condone such illegal actions etc etc),.
Impotaku
Member
At that price LOL not a chance, £100 is outrageous for technology thats now super cheap. You could get a raspberry pi for a fraction of that and have a working speccy emulator for the tv. Even the games are easily available there are tons & tons of now legally available games from the WOS archives.
Personally i'd rather use my copy of spectaculator on my pc it provides literally perfect emulation along with the ability to make the image look as crisp and scanlined as you like or even have it looking like it's running through rf with the colour bleeding thanks to the authentic filters. Plus you can run your original games through it via the mic input or mp3's if you want a bit more reliable loading.
[edit] just read that some of the money goes to charity so that's not as bad, but still a pricy item for what it is.
Personally i'd rather use my copy of spectaculator on my pc it provides literally perfect emulation along with the ability to make the image look as crisp and scanlined as you like or even have it looking like it's running through rf with the colour bleeding thanks to the authentic filters. Plus you can run your original games through it via the mic input or mp3's if you want a bit more reliable loading.
[edit] just read that some of the money goes to charity so that's not as bad, but still a pricy item for what it is.
OverBlood 3
Banned
So it's not really a new ZX spectrum it's basically one of those Sega controllers with built in games. At first I thought they're gonna have a new platform and get people programming again. Missed opportunity.
You're missing the point if you're looking at value for money. This device is more like a curio item for nostalgics elevated by the fact Sir Clive and other luminaries are behind it.
Of course I'm taking a punt on the actual quality of the item, but I've wasted far more money on less interesting things in my life.
Respect for the edit, yes, a very deserving charity indeed.
Ronan_Berthelot
Member
1 is for me !
Impotaku
Member
I wonder what the quality will be like of this new device? lets face it, the original spectrum hardware was not the highest build quality. In my lifetime i have owned 3 spectrums and all of them broke in some way from normal use.
On my first +3 the mic input socket snapped off from normal use so i could no longer load any games as the disk drive died ages before that.
On my second +3 the power supply decided to fry my computer, one day i turned it on and got a corrupted screen and jailbars all over it, that was the last it ever worked.
On my final spectrum +2 it just stopped working, one day i turned it on & got nothing at all.
Maybe i'm the grim reaper of spectrums or they just plain hate me but i have never had one last more than a few years and that was back in the day. I sure hope this new one has better build quality, managed to kick the spectrum killing curse by emulaton now i can play my games without the worry of killing one lol.
With all this amazing technology at my fingertips and i still love playing old spectrum games, ahh Dizzy you'll be played forever.
On my first +3 the mic input socket snapped off from normal use so i could no longer load any games as the disk drive died ages before that.
On my second +3 the power supply decided to fry my computer, one day i turned it on and got a corrupted screen and jailbars all over it, that was the last it ever worked.
On my final spectrum +2 it just stopped working, one day i turned it on & got nothing at all.
Maybe i'm the grim reaper of spectrums or they just plain hate me but i have never had one last more than a few years and that was back in the day. I sure hope this new one has better build quality, managed to kick the spectrum killing curse by emulaton now i can play my games without the worry of killing one lol.
With all this amazing technology at my fingertips and i still love playing old spectrum games, ahh Dizzy you'll be played forever.
There are a good half dozen excellent emulators and thousands of games to play. Some emulators even run in a browser, and others on tablet devices, Linux (incl Rasp Pi). For free. I'm not sure what a gimped controller is supposed to offer that can't already be done.
Probably all the controller will do is bundled up a bunch of games which have been memory snapshotted to start configured for Kempston or Interface 2. For a little extra effort why not produce a full blown rubbery keyboard and let someone run an actual ROM via an emulator with behaviour that approximates the real thing?
Probably all the controller will do is bundled up a bunch of games which have been memory snapshotted to start configured for Kempston or Interface 2. For a little extra effort why not produce a full blown rubbery keyboard and let someone run an actual ROM via an emulator with behaviour that approximates the real thing?
Thought it was worth updating this thread with the following update, received by email today:
"1 ZX Spectrum games often make use of the keyboard to perform additional game operations. We are therefore adding extra buttons to the Vega, giving the user direct access to such operations for the majority of games.
2 We are designing the Vega with the capacity for expansion by providing a hardware interface on it's circuit board, and by allowing future software upgrades."
Great to see they've listened to feedback, Manufacturing will also take place in UK courtesy of SMS Electronics Ltd in Nottinghamshire. No update on when the first Vegas will hit, originally mooted for April.
You can still get your hands on one of the second batch:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinclair-zx-spectrum-vega
"1 ZX Spectrum games often make use of the keyboard to perform additional game operations. We are therefore adding extra buttons to the Vega, giving the user direct access to such operations for the majority of games.
2 We are designing the Vega with the capacity for expansion by providing a hardware interface on it's circuit board, and by allowing future software upgrades."
Great to see they've listened to feedback, Manufacturing will also take place in UK courtesy of SMS Electronics Ltd in Nottinghamshire. No update on when the first Vegas will hit, originally mooted for April.
You can still get your hands on one of the second batch:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sinclair-zx-spectrum-vega
