For millions of people around the world, the Sinclair ZX Spectrum was their first experience of computing and gaming. It was the most popular home computer throughout the 80s and remained popular well into the 90s. In fact, games are still being written for it to this day making it, based on its 35 year longevity, one of the most popular computers of all time.
In April 2016 at Play Blackpool, Henrique Olifiers announced that a brand new Spectrum would be going into production, called the Spectrum Next. This was to be a fully working Spectrum, not an emulator, capable of running all previous Spectrum software, loading original games from tape or roms from SD card, with full support for original peripherals – if you wanted to plug your Kempston Interface in and use your original joystick, you can!
The Spectrum Next has gone through rigorous design process, thorough testing and is now live on Kickstarter.. The initial funding goal of £250,000 was reached within 36 hours AND the total raised continues to climb, unlocking further “Stretch Goals”.
I am incredibly excited about this! I loved both of my Spectrums (I had a 48k and a 128k +2) and the thought of getting another Spectrum fills me with a geeky glee!
For the geeky amongst you (well, ok, amongst us,) these are the technical specs for the Spectrum Next:
Processor: Z80 3.5Mhz and 7Mhz modes
Memory: 512Kb RAM (expandable to 1.5Mb internally and 2.5Mb externally)
Video: Hardware sprites, 256 colours mode, Timex 8×1 mode etc.
Video Output: RGB, VGA, HDMI
Storage: SD Card slot, with DivMMC-compatible protocol
Audio: 3x AY-3-8912 audio chips with stereo output + FM sound
Joystick: DB9 compatible with Cursor, Kempston and Interface 2 protocols (selectable)
PS/2 port: Mouse with Kempston mode emulation and an external keyboard
Special: Multiface functionality for memory access, savegames, cheats etc.
Tape support: Mic and Ear ports for tape loading and saving
Expansion: Original external bus expansion port and accelerator expansion port
Accelerator board (optional): GPU / 1Ghz CPU / 512Mb RAM
Network (optional): Wi Fi module
Extras: Real Time Clock (optional), internal speaker (optional)
If you are a fan of 80s computers, you cannot miss this. Please check out the campaign here – Kickstarter.
Visit the official website here – Spectrum Next
Join the official Facebook group here – Spectrum Next on FB
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