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Spectrum Vega: A Blast From the Past
mikejuk writes A new games console is being launched based on the classic Sinclair ZX Spectrum from the 80s. Within days of the start of its Indiegogo campaign all of the 1000 Limited Edition Spectrum Vegas had been claimed but there is still the chance to get your hands on one of the second batch. The Sinclair Spectrum Vega is really retro in the sense that it plugs into a TV, thus avoiding the need for a monitor, and comes complete with around 1,000 games built-in. Games are accessed through a menu based system, and once selected load automatically, taking the player directly into the game play mode. This is very different from the original Spectrum with its rubber-topped keyboard and BASIC interface. If you have existing Spectrum games you'd like to play, you can use an SD card to load them onto the Vega, though the current publicity material doesn't give much clue as to how you go from ancient cassette tape to SD card. As for programming new games, there are ZX Spectrum emulators for Windows that are free and ready to use.
there are ZX Spectrum emulators for Windows that are free and ready to use
There are quite a few of them, on a number of platforms. There's even one that runs in a browser.
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Not only that,but according to the article on The Register last week, they haven't actually got the games yet, they are just hoping that the rights holders are going to come forward and give permission for them to include the games for free. They've sent out a letter to the rights holders, no idea if they've had any replies yet. So even the games are in question.
Oh no... it's the future.
On the other hand, modern TVs aren't the best thing to program on. Granted, they are sharper than old analog TVs we used to hook our 8-bits (bitters?) up to, but they still have non-square pixels making text fuzzy
What are you talking about? I think some very early plasma screens cheated on the horizontal resolution a bit, but otherwise any HDTV (720p or 1080p) uses square pixels.
Live today, because you never know what tomorrow brings
Exactly. Ultimate have a long history of actively denying and taking down tape images and snapshots of their games. No Knigtlore, Underworld, Jetpac, Sabrewulf, Alien8 etc.
Task Mangler
In the USA and Canada, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum did not exist.
In the U.S. I had a Timex-Sinclair 2068, which was basically the Spectrum but with some improvements.
It was a lot nicer to use and program for than the Timex-Sinclair 1000 (ZX-81), really a pretty solid machine and nice to program for.
It absolutely was a classic in every sense that the C64 was, just for a smaller group of people.
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley