I'm British, you Americans have no idea just how iconic this computer was over here in the 1980s! Now's your chance to catch up, enjoy it 👍🤩... Play JET SET WILLY first
As an American, I call certain consoles and computers like *N.E.S and Super N.E.S and Sega Genesis* , when I watch British youtuber call it "NES and SNES" 1 word and Sega Mega Drive . Weird to first get use to , Europe was Spoiled with the Amiga , the Amiga emu is pretty dam entertaining
Me too but I was 12. I own one now with an SD device added that lets me play roms. That said I will definitely be getting one of these! Wow! So many unique amazing and quite inventive titles in it's ilbrary. This will be an incredible mini console. For so long THE gaming machine in the UK alongside the C64.
American here! I had the "souped up" US derivative, Timex/Sinclair 2068 (Hard plastic keys and a bit bigger chassis) But I was 21 at the time! I had a TRS-80 Model III , But having learned assembly for the Z80..Well I just HAD to get a Sinclair!
@@GenXGrownUp Hard to over-estimate the impact Spectrum had on UK gaming. It was particular to the UK because it's the last generation made (and designed) in England, before Asian manufacturing and globalised markets.
WORKING KEYBOARD - awesome! These retro computer releases really all need to have this, for the full experience. These computers are not just for gaming.
I like the idea of the full sized versions, but l understand why they aren't all 'Maxi' versions. The cost of manufacturing the 'Maxi' cases with bespoke, working keyboards is significantly higher than the 'Mini' versions, and a lot more complicated, and there is more to go wrong. A lot of people don't even need a keyboard to play their favourite games, but they can always use the onscreen version or plug one in via USB. Unlike bulky full sized versions, the 'Mini consoles are also easier to incorporate into a living room TV setup etc.
The maxi spectrum is already mini in size by comparing to other computers 😁 As for the keyboard, this machine comes bundled with The Hobbit, hard to enter commands without a keyboard!
I always find it interesting when I see US youtubers or that Netflix gameing documentary talk about Nintendo saving the industry, when the home computer era was massive over here. The idea of going back to cartridges and two button controllers seemed a step back after having access to cheaper tapes and full keyboards. The Spectrum was an amazing nachine. Yeah, it had primitive sound and colour clash, but it had a huge library of inventive games and the homebrew scene keeps putting out amazing stuff today. I have a Mister and keyboard, a Next, a Deck and a ZX Touch but I'm still going to buy this as playing on that spongy keyboard is the definitve experience for me! Btw lots of us didnt ever use joysticks back then just the trusty QAOPM key setup (up, down, left, right and fire).
I know of spectrum because when I was 14 I moved to uruguay for a few years in 1986 and it was huge over there. There was so many games. And I grew on me and I play it today in emulation. There was something about it that I loved. Although if you compare it to systems of its time it was not as good. I still love it. So many different type of games . I love going back to it .
Really hope this is readily available in the states. I didn't grow up with one. But, have been facinated for years and found many awesome games. Especially homebrew. It has a very distinct look. Been emulating it for a while. Wanted a zx spectrum next when it first came out, but was way out of price range. This, I could do.
There's the Xberry Pi which can be found for about $150. It's in a raspberry style form factor. There's also a N-G0, which is close to the $150 price point for a bare bones board.
The Speccy is an absolute gaming icon here in the UK. For people not brought up on it's quirkiness it can be a tough barrier but believe me it is a barrier worth breaking through. There are so many undoubted classics on the platform that either aren't available or just not the same on other systems. I have 5 real Spectrums but will still be on board for this as Retro Games products make it super easy and fun to play these old games.
My first computer too, released just in time for my 14th birthday. 3D Monster Maze and 3D Defender (published by J K Greye Software?) were great games, considering the limited graphics capabilities. Sorcerer's Island was a good little text adventure game, but I never actually finished it. Then I got an Atari 400 instead of the Spectrum. 🙂
The Speccy was arguably the first video game system for the masses in the UK, as it was cheap and reasonably good, while consoles took a while to become popular over there. Funny story: the creator of the Spectrum meant it to be used for "serious" (think "business") purposes, and was actually livid it became known as a gaming machine. He somehow made a fortune (and was even knighted) despite totally misreading the UK market for his company's products. 😂
I’m tempted by this. As a Canadian I didn’t realize this existed until like 10ish years ago when I started binge watching retro tech channels. Hopefully it’s available in Canada at a reasonable price.
I went from Atari VCS to the ZX Spectrum to the C64. The Spectrum was THE home computer in the UK. Low price, decent power, and great games. Of course, the BBC Micro would be the holy grail of UK home computers, and this release gives us hope for that, as the Beeb had the best version of BASIC around.
My only real experience with the Beeb was at school, so I would love a recreated model of that to toy around with. I was a Speccy guy - I had the 48k model with the rubber keys, so this is extremely nostalgic for me - I'll be plugging mine in on DAY ONE.
While I did not had one, the ZX was popular in Brasil, but being renamed as Tk-90x. This version, made by Microdigital, was actually improved over the original, having, for example, audio through the RF abd a feq extra commands in the Basic language.
Apparently it also had an edition with a proper keyboard rather than the crappy rubber keys called the TK95 that seems even better than the ZX Spectrum+, ironically meaning that the country that created it didn't get the best version
Both the TK90X and TK95 (and also the earlier TK85 for that matter) also had a joystick port. And several Russian clones has a on/off switch and/or reset switch which the original also lacked. Some even had floppy disk systems built in (Didaktik Kompakt, ICE Felix HC2000). So yeah, many improvements over the original machine!
Great Chanel Jon, the fact you called it the zed ex Spectrum makes you officially my favourite YT Chanel! The Spectrum (or Speccy as it was known here in the UK) was massive here, whilst the US was experiencing the computer games crash we in the UK didn't have any such issues, thanks to the good old Speccy. My first ever computer was the Speccy's predecessor the ZX81. Really nice to see you covering this Jon. Absolutely love your channel Jon, you are a great presenter!
@@mortimore4030 Yes it did. I wasn't heavily supported in the UK tho, so I remember having to hunt around for stuff! There was an Atari Computer Club in Cardiff at the time, i used to go along there (once a month? i cant remember now) to meet with other Atari owners. There was a lot of "swapping" going on and a guy there who would fit "Happy Drive" mods to your 1050 disk drive. It is still my favourite computer of the era, i agree.
I am blown away! My first computer was the Timex Sinclair 1000 (US version of the ZX81) so this is amazing to see announced today. Far more advanced than my $100 pc from 1982, but I did splurge and had all the accessories as well including the thermal printer and external RAM module. Not a lot of Sinclair nostalgia maybe here in US except for geeks like me, but I feel like in England they were much more widely known and used. There is nothing like that Sinclair form factor even if it’s not exactly like my TS1000, I found it instantly recognizable! Thanks for an unexpected bit of retro news to brighten my evening Jon 👊🏻😎🕹️
Do you still remember that TS1000 keyboard with 2 or 3 functions on each key? You'll be glad to see the Spectrum kept that system, but now with up to 6 functions 😁 You may also remember the (upper case) font of your first machine.
Jon, the ZX Spectrum was made by a company called Clive Sinclair, like the James Dyson of his day, a British inventor and entrepreneur, and was the successor to the ZX80 and ZX81.... the first machine had a MASSIVE 1K of RAM!
Its rather good of you to look at the British marvel known as the Spectrum. Its a bit typical of us Brits as it was an underpowered machine but affordable in a very difficult time for our economy. Our father bought us the 48K+ model for Christmas - about 1984 or 1985 - which had the superior hard keyboard design. It was about half the price of the wonderful C64, and only came with a one-channel beeper - how we envied 128K owners for the extra memory and AY music chip! Hardware wise it was designed with text display in mind, with it's screen memory laid out for efficient updating of character tiles, and this was pretty much done from the free memory available as it didn't have a dedicated graphics chip. Also, while the screen memory would result in a monochrome image it was "overlayed" with additional memory for each character tile on the screen, to create the Spectrum's signiture colour graphics. You'll see this happen before your eyes when a game loads in it's loading screen image; a few strangely spaced lines(in three vertical blocks) until it fills the monochrome image, and then a straight-forward top-down render for the colour. Speaking from experience its a bugger to address the screen memory just to put a pixel on the screen, but the color memory is much easier. As a programming and Z80 enthusiast, familiar with the Spectrum memory map, I've been eager to hunt down a working Spectrum to try my programs on actual hardware. This is the closest I will get to that experience, although I would have preferred it to have been the 48K+ model. Its understandable why they went with the original iconic model, but I'm not sure how I'm going to get on with the rubber keys...hopefully a second model might happen a year or two down the line? It would be very kind of Retro Games if they would consider it. Anyway, sorry to ramble on like Ted Striker, and I'll just say cheers once again!
My brother had one... first "PC" in our house. He had a modem and thermal printer with it. I went with the VIC-20 and later the C64, and my Mom got the Ti-99 4A as she worked at TI. In school we have the Apple IIe. Great memories from a GenX childhood :-D
That’s nice. It gonna sell like crazy at UK. ZX Spectrum is quite mini even full size. Already have ZX Spectrum Next and definitely going to get this. And that rubber keyboard… Didn’t know that ZX Spectrum had working keyboard.. 😅
It was my first computer. It was so affordable for many parents buying a computer for their children in 1982/83 in the UK. It didn't have the best specs but the programmers got the most out of it, with some quirky fun games and arcade conversions - plus it still has modern games being released even today (Valley of Rains as an example). Initially it didn't have joystick support (so that's why there isn't a pack-in joystick/pad) but that was quickly made available via the built-in expansion port. A better sound chip became available from the 128K version Spectrum. With this new system you can add to the pack-in games. Games to try are Manic Miner, Chuckie Egg, Jetpack, Atic Atac, Ant Attack, Head Over Heels, Chase HQ, Deathchase, Greenberet, Robocop, R-Type...There are far too many thousands of games to mention (for all genres of game).
Typically, back in the day, Spectrum owners needed both a joystick interface and a compatible 9 pin joystick to play games if not using the keyboard. The most common joysticks popular at the time were a Kempston style joystick, very similar to the C64 Mini/Maxi Micro Switched Joystick and an Atari CX40 style joystick which of course we have with The400 Mini. There was also the Quickshot II joystick but the less said about that, the better. I guess the best thing I could say about that particular controller was that it was cheap ;-) Keep up the awesome work Jon!
It was also a thing back then to upgrade your joystick with a better model. Like people upgrade their cars nowadays! It was always a treat to read about the latest joystick available and go and buy one
Until PS2, the Spectrum had the most games of any console in the world. In the UK, Spectrum did to home gaming what Walkman and iPod did for portable music. It was *that* popular, innovative and impactful. Quite literally a game-changer!
Ah my first computer, fantastic machine. The ZX Spectrum / Commodore 64 “wars” in the uk was a great time in the 80s. A great library of games for it. I’ll probably pick one up but not sure I really need it as I’ve emulated this one a million times over, even on my real Amiga back in the day! Look forward to the review 👍
The Original ZX Spectrum didn't come with additional controllers out of the box they were additional purchases. The addon's required an additional board to be plugged in to the back of the unit and included interfaces for printers and the famous Kempston Joysticks.
Lots of amazing games were released on the Spectrum, and it has a huge libray. The library being so huge you will really need some recommendations when you get one. I am looking forward to you covering it from a fresh US viewpoint.
@@GenXGrownUp 🤣 🤣 I hope you enjoy it! Here's a very quick list of some great Speccy games: Atic Atac Jetpac Underwurlde Uridium Bruce Lee Jet Set Willy RoboCop Batman the Movie Chase HQ Afterburner So many good games, try to play the 128K versions where available, you will enjoy better audio and less multiloads.
The _The Spectrum_ comes with 48 games pre-installed. No Ultimate titles or Jet Set Willy, but with Manic Miner, Head over Heals, Nodes of Yesod and even some 21st century games!
Haha yep definitely Zed-X. The Speccy was huge here in the UK, almost all my friends had one. So many brilliant games! Be sure to play Chaos, the greatest game of all time. Will be nice to see more people experience it🙂👍
That little machine, with all its graphical flaws and beeper sound and confusing rubber keyboard was pretty iconic all over the world, not just in Britain! I had one here in the Netherlands and several other European countries got it as well. But it was also _cloned_ and released in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, India, Egypt, Israel, 7 or 8 East European countries and the Soviet Union/Russia and lastly also as the Timex Sinclair 2068 in the USA (but made kinda incompatible)! Millions and millions sold!
I remember reading a book about the 1980s home computer boom, which written by an American author and aimed at a US audience was understandably US-focussed. However, it did give some tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the UK home computer industry with words to the effect of "There were also lots of home computers being developed in the UK at the same time, but you had to be British to understand how any of them worked". Whilst that's quite dismissive when you think about how much of the talent that grew out of the UK's scene went on to be massive players in the global scene (both in terms of hardware and software), when I think of some of the quirkiness, especially with the Spectrum etc, I think it's quite true - American home computers (especially the Commodores) were very global, British ones (e.g. ZX80/81, Spectrum, Acorn, BBC, Dragon, Oric, Amstrad etc) were very British.
I know this machine well, even though I had the C64 at the time, I really appreciate its project. Initially started with noble goals, it was designed to teach programming to school-age children, it has an excellent Basic on board, much better than the Commodore V2, if you wanted you could easily program in Assembler, it was equipped with the famous Z80. Then with the mass diffusion of videogames the informative aspect became secondary, for the majority of its owners. I think that even today this excellent "pocket" computer could be useful to teach the rudiments of programming to teenagers. Thank goodness they included a real working keyboard!!
The spectrum did have a joystick that could be used. Earlier models required a plug in adapter to give it the port. I just hope the rubber keys are better than the original ones.
Out of all the mini consoles this is the one i've been waiting for, have some good memories of using a friends spectrum (but never owned my own) but i'm glad that it looks like it has working keys and not just for show, should function just like the real thing!
It's funny... I was talking to Retro Games at Gamescom a couple of days ago and asked about the systems that would make sense to be next on their list for some reason. ZX Spectrum is one of the most successful systems of all time, huge game library and well remembered in UK and elsewhere. It was already small, so they're just going for a maxi :D
can't wait for this one!! the speccy was awesome at isometric games too, batman, head over heels, wanted.. then of course jet set willy, manic miner, the hobbit, pyjamarama, stop the express!, jetpac, sabre wulf !! by the way, a curiosity, russian programmers solved the colour clash about 10 years ago : D they're releasing new games without colour clash, it blew my mind. cheers. thx for vid mate
I know I’m tossing a coin in the wishing well of vintage games… I want a TI 99 redux. That was my OLD computer when I was young. Miss those games. Still remember my Mom getting talked into it at Sears….years ago.
Wow, great scoop! So cool! Like you I have never played any of the games. Always thought it looked neat. And yes none of my friends here in the US had one of these.
I will absolutely be getting this! The few ZX Spectrum games I've played (44yo Canadian) have been really fun and surprisingly addictive (Just One More Try kind of games). I am very interested in the full sized Amiga Console coming. There is precedent saying that they might just pop out the 500 or 400 as a full sized, but I'm thinking it will be the 1200, or possibly the 4000. I think they would struggle with 32 bit emulation as RetroGames (I don't think) has turned out anything more advanced than Sharp 68000 chip emulation (please correct me if I'm wrong).
That's extremely cool. I don't know if Im the demographic for it because my Spectrum experience is microscopic. But it's incredibly cool that it exists.
I had the US variant, the Timex/Sinclair 2068. And yeah it's a "ZED X Spectrum" because of it's British origin, But it still has a "ZEE 80" processer as that is a US designed CPU! (I learned to program "assembly" on my dear friend the Zilog Z80. (On TRS-80 machines)
The 8 bit microcomputers are a real blind spot for my videogame history knowledge. Looking forward to picking this up, and I hope it gets a US release!
Great video. Well done on the pronunciation of ‘Z’! Can highly recommend you add Midnight Resistance, R-Type,Robocop, Batman the Movie and Batman 3d via USB. I will be!
Didn't see that one coming. What next? Bally Astrocade Mini? Emerson Arcadia Mini? Timex Sinclair Mini? RCA Studio Mini? Actually an Astrocade or Vectrex Mini would be cool. Maybe they will try for an Amstrad next.
I have a modded Atari 800XL that can emulate a ZX 48k with AY. I'm fascinated by the support over the pond for this little machine. Valley of Rains is a really cool game.
A buddy of mine had a Timex Sinclair. His mother won it thru selling Avon; this was just right about the time of the US NES launch. Had about 10 cassette games. Wasn't really impressed, but I'll probably pick up "The Spectrum" anyways, lots of the games look interesting.
Any time I hear the letter Z pronounced that way, I immediately associate it with either Zed from Police Academy or Lord Zedd from Power Rangers. It looks pretty cool. I'll definitely want to check that out. 🙂
I can't help but be dissapointed by this leak. When Retro Games Ltd announced earlier this year that they would end 2024 will a full sized console, I had both hoped and assumed it would be THE Atari 800, since they had established this pattern previously with the C64 Mini and then a full sized one with a fully working keyboard. That is what I want of the Atari 8-bit. The 400 Mini is cute but without a keyboard it might as well just be an Atari 5200. I can only hope in 2025 they might yet still release an Atari 800 Maxi.
My first computer was a Sinclair 1000 (ZX81 for euro folks) I always wanted a ZX Spectrum (The Sinclair 2068 in US) but we could never find one, by the time we did we had gone with the C64 instead. So this fills a "one they got away hole" I am in at $129
I'm in two minds about investing, I've already got a 48k Speccy here, AV modded with an SD loader. That said, it doesn't have 128k capabilities, which would be nice
The ZX Spectrum had a particular, quirky style due to the way it managed graphics output. The screen was divided into a grid of 32 x 24 blocks within which only two colours, foreground and background, could be displayed at a time. Each block consisted of 8 x 8 pixels. As a result, most games used black as the background colour to disguise the graphics limitations and the player/ship and enemies tend to be single colour. A fun artifact in a lot of games is when different coloured players, enemies and background elements intruded into each other's blocks, the colours would "bleed through" on the edges. Some games gave up completely and simply went almost entirely monochrome to deal with the issue. Games that originated on the ZX Spectrum were often ported to other platforms keeping the same quirky graphics while ports from other platforms or arcade games suffered severely from the graphics limitations of the system.
As an American, the Spectrum is alien to me as well, but I'm interested in seeing more of this. This leads me back to by Xerox Alto fixation, and wondering if someone has any plans to make a retro console in its style. I know the Alto wasn't really about games, but I think the real grandad to all modern computers would get a lot of retro lover love...
I had both the ZX Spectrum 48k and the Commodore 64, and it was crude and very limited even for its time, which makes it incredible that it had some really amazing games, games like Sabre Wulf and the massive Lords of Midnight and its sequel, Doomdark's Revenge. Lords of Midnight and Doomdark's Revenge were like the Elder Scrolls of the mid-80's, with landscapes that you could move freely around one frame at a time fighting monsters and armies. Quite something for a computer with such a tiny memory and limited graphics capability.
@@MarcKloos I didn't expect it to be on there. If it's also got Doomdark's Revenge even better. Both have massive playfields in which you play in first person. Don't expect Skyrim though. It's very basic by comparison. It's more of a strategy adventure game, a pretty hard one at that.
Yes you were correct,zee sounds really silly to pronounce it I was an amstrad person, never played spectrum before,the 128k version seems just as iconic to me
This was my first computer but in another PLUS version. I still have it today. In US they sell it as Timex 2048 but it was most popular i UK because it was very cheap.
I'm British, you Americans have no idea just how iconic this computer was over here in the 1980s! Now's your chance to catch up, enjoy it 👍🤩... Play JET SET WILLY first
I, for one, am ready to learn!
And in Canada!
As an American, I call certain consoles and computers like *N.E.S and Super N.E.S and Sega Genesis* , when I watch British youtuber call it "NES and SNES" 1 word and Sega Mega Drive . Weird to first get use to , Europe was Spoiled with the Amiga , the Amiga emu is pretty dam entertaining
Yes, and then play (nearly) everything from 'Ultimate Play The Game'.
Maybe don't play with your willy so much!
Zx Spectrum 48K+ was my first computer ever…Back in 1983…I was 7 years old back then…
I was older than 7 but it was my first computer.
Me too but I was 12. I own one now with an SD device added that lets me play roms. That said I will definitely be getting one of these! Wow! So many unique amazing and quite inventive titles in it's ilbrary. This will be an incredible mini console. For so long THE gaming machine in the UK alongside the C64.
American here! I had the "souped up" US derivative, Timex/Sinclair 2068 (Hard plastic keys and a bit bigger chassis) But I was 21 at the time! I had a TRS-80 Model III , But having learned assembly for the Z80..Well I just HAD to get a Sinclair!
@@jamesslick4790ag explains why it looked like a Sinclair to me
@@jamesslick4790 TRS-80 was my first computer as well
I know you love the Atari 2600 but get this, there were more than 15,000 games made for the ZX Spectrum, this machine is a legend!
Agree....The Speccy kicked ASS and ruled 80s home gaming,
I'm learning that very thing!
And new games are still being created to this day!
@@kevin12567 yes, I think I saw at least two new (202x) games listed among the 48 listed.
@@GenXGrownUp Hard to over-estimate the impact Spectrum had on UK gaming. It was particular to the UK because it's the last generation made (and designed) in England, before Asian manufacturing and globalised markets.
WORKING KEYBOARD - awesome! These retro computer releases really all need to have this, for the full experience. These computers are not just for gaming.
I like the idea of the full sized versions, but l understand why they aren't all 'Maxi' versions. The cost of manufacturing the 'Maxi' cases with bespoke, working keyboards is significantly higher than the 'Mini' versions, and a lot more complicated, and there is more to go wrong. A lot of people don't even need a keyboard to play their favourite games, but they can always use the onscreen version or plug one in via USB. Unlike bulky full sized versions, the 'Mini consoles are also easier to incorporate into a living room TV setup etc.
The maxi spectrum is already mini in size by comparing to other computers 😁
As for the keyboard, this machine comes bundled with The Hobbit, hard to enter commands without a keyboard!
The keyboard is a working one.
Yes right! The keyboard is a must have
@@MarcKloos There could be an onscreen-overlay keyboard. Which would of course suck massively, so I'm glad they decided to give it a real one.
I always find it interesting when I see US youtubers or that Netflix gameing documentary talk about Nintendo saving the industry, when the home computer era was massive over here. The idea of going back to cartridges and two button controllers seemed a step back after having access to cheaper tapes and full keyboards.
The Spectrum was an amazing nachine. Yeah, it had primitive sound and colour clash, but it had a huge library of inventive games and the homebrew scene keeps putting out amazing stuff today. I have a Mister and keyboard, a Next, a Deck and a ZX Touch but I'm still going to buy this as playing on that spongy keyboard is the definitve experience for me! Btw lots of us didnt ever use joysticks back then just the trusty QAOPM key setup (up, down, left, right and fire).
3d Deathchase, Jet Set Willy, Skool Days, Dizzy series are some of the main classics.
JetPac
I know of spectrum because when I was 14 I moved to uruguay for a few years in 1986 and it was huge over there. There was so many games. And I grew on me and I play it today in emulation. There was something about it that I loved. Although if you compare it to systems of its time it was not as good. I still love it. So many different type of games . I love going back to it .
Really hope this is readily available in the states. I didn't grow up with one. But, have been facinated for years and found many awesome games. Especially homebrew. It has a very distinct look. Been emulating it for a while.
Wanted a zx spectrum next when it first came out, but was way out of price range. This, I could do.
There's the Xberry Pi which can be found for about $150. It's in a raspberry style form factor.
There's also a N-G0, which is close to the $150 price point for a bare bones board.
Ordered it from Amazon UK .Paid $135 for it. Will ship to me in Florida by Nov 27th.
The Speccy is an absolute gaming icon here in the UK. For people not brought up on it's quirkiness it can be a tough barrier but believe me it is a barrier worth breaking through. There are so many undoubted classics on the platform that either aren't available or just not the same on other systems. I have 5 real Spectrums but will still be on board for this as Retro Games products make it super easy and fun to play these old games.
My first computer as a ZX81, the precursor to the ZX Spectrum.
Me too...ZX 81 with the 16k rampack...gaming beast!!!!
My first computer too, released just in time for my 14th birthday. 3D Monster Maze and 3D Defender (published by J K Greye Software?) were great games, considering the limited graphics capabilities. Sorcerer's Island was a good little text adventure game, but I never actually finished it. Then I got an Atari 400 instead of the Spectrum. 🙂
The Speccy was arguably the first video game system for the masses in the UK, as it was cheap and reasonably good, while consoles took a while to become popular over there. Funny story: the creator of the Spectrum meant it to be used for "serious" (think "business") purposes, and was actually livid it became known as a gaming machine. He somehow made a fortune (and was even knighted) despite totally misreading the UK market for his company's products. 😂
I’m tempted by this. As a Canadian I didn’t realize this existed until like 10ish years ago when I started binge watching retro tech channels. Hopefully it’s available in Canada at a reasonable price.
I went from Atari VCS to the ZX Spectrum to the C64. The Spectrum was THE home computer in the UK. Low price, decent power, and great games. Of course, the BBC Micro would be the holy grail of UK home computers, and this release gives us hope for that, as the Beeb had the best version of BASIC around.
My only real experience with the Beeb was at school, so I would love a recreated model of that to toy around with.
I was a Speccy guy - I had the 48k model with the rubber keys, so this is extremely nostalgic for me - I'll be plugging mine in on DAY ONE.
Interestingly I went vom Atari VCS to the Spectrum and then to the Atari 800 XL. 😃
While I did not had one, the ZX was popular in Brasil, but being renamed as Tk-90x. This version, made by Microdigital, was actually improved over the original, having, for example, audio through the RF abd a feq extra commands in the Basic language.
Apparently it also had an edition with a proper keyboard rather than the crappy rubber keys called the TK95 that seems even better than the ZX Spectrum+, ironically meaning that the country that created it didn't get the best version
Both the TK90X and TK95 (and also the earlier TK85 for that matter) also had a joystick port. And several Russian clones has a on/off switch and/or reset switch which the original also lacked. Some even had floppy disk systems built in (Didaktik Kompakt, ICE Felix HC2000). So yeah, many improvements over the original machine!
Great Chanel Jon, the fact you called it the zed ex Spectrum makes you officially my favourite YT Chanel! The Spectrum (or Speccy as it was known here in the UK) was massive here, whilst the US was experiencing the computer games crash we in the UK didn't have any such issues, thanks to the good old Speccy. My first ever computer was the Speccy's predecessor the ZX81. Really nice to see you covering this Jon. Absolutely love your channel Jon, you are a great presenter!
I went from an Intellivision, to a ZX Spectrum, to an Atari 130XE. I love them all!
ha, i went from a Atari VCS. to ZX Spectrum, to Atari 130XE
@@rhysd8262 The Atari 130XE seemed really powerful after the Spectrum. I still think of the XE as the best of the 8 bits.
@@mortimore4030 Yes it did. I wasn't heavily supported in the UK tho, so I remember having to hunt around for stuff! There was an Atari Computer Club in Cardiff at the time, i used to go along there (once a month? i cant remember now) to meet with other Atari owners. There was a lot of "swapping" going on and a guy there who would fit "Happy Drive" mods to your 1050 disk drive. It is still my favourite computer of the era, i agree.
I am blown away! My first computer was the Timex Sinclair 1000 (US version of the ZX81) so this is amazing to see announced today.
Far more advanced than my $100 pc from 1982, but I did splurge and had all the accessories as well including the thermal printer and external RAM module. Not a lot of Sinclair nostalgia maybe here in US except for geeks like me, but I feel like in England they were much more widely known and used.
There is nothing like that Sinclair form factor even if it’s not exactly like my TS1000, I found it instantly recognizable!
Thanks for an unexpected bit of retro news to brighten my evening Jon
👊🏻😎🕹️
Do you still remember that TS1000 keyboard with 2 or 3 functions on each key? You'll be glad to see the Spectrum kept that system, but now with up to 6 functions 😁
You may also remember the (upper case) font of your first machine.
@@MarcKloosthe keyboard was a whole lot going on!
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned, but this came out in the US as the Timex Sinclair 2068, although in a slightly different looking silver design.
Jon, the ZX Spectrum was made by a company called Clive Sinclair, like the James Dyson of his day, a British inventor and entrepreneur, and was the successor to the ZX80 and ZX81.... the first machine had a MASSIVE 1K of RAM!
Its rather good of you to look at the British marvel known as the Spectrum. Its a bit typical of us Brits as it was an underpowered machine but affordable in a very difficult time for our economy. Our father bought us the 48K+ model for Christmas - about 1984 or 1985 - which had the superior hard keyboard design. It was about half the price of the wonderful C64, and only came with a one-channel beeper - how we envied 128K owners for the extra memory and AY music chip!
Hardware wise it was designed with text display in mind, with it's screen memory laid out for efficient updating of character tiles, and this was pretty much done from the free memory available as it didn't have a dedicated graphics chip. Also, while the screen memory would result in a monochrome image it was "overlayed" with additional memory for each character tile on the screen, to create the Spectrum's signiture colour graphics. You'll see this happen before your eyes when a game loads in it's loading screen image; a few strangely spaced lines(in three vertical blocks) until it fills the monochrome image, and then a straight-forward top-down render for the colour. Speaking from experience its a bugger to address the screen memory just to put a pixel on the screen, but the color memory is much easier.
As a programming and Z80 enthusiast, familiar with the Spectrum memory map, I've been eager to hunt down a working Spectrum to try my programs on actual hardware. This is the closest I will get to that experience, although I would have preferred it to have been the 48K+ model. Its understandable why they went with the original iconic model, but I'm not sure how I'm going to get on with the rubber keys...hopefully a second model might happen a year or two down the line? It would be very kind of Retro Games if they would consider it.
Anyway, sorry to ramble on like Ted Striker, and I'll just say cheers once again!
We might need to have an Amstrad CPC Maxi after this!
Oh cool! Finally I can play „Back To Skool“…..Skool Daze was one of my favorite games on my C64 :-)
My brother had one... first "PC" in our house. He had a modem and thermal printer with it. I went with the VIC-20 and later the C64, and my Mom got the Ti-99 4A as she worked at TI. In school we have the Apple IIe. Great memories from a GenX childhood :-D
That’s nice. It gonna sell like crazy at UK. ZX Spectrum is quite mini even full size. Already have ZX Spectrum Next and definitely going to get this. And that rubber keyboard… Didn’t know that ZX Spectrum had working keyboard.. 😅
It was my first computer. It was so affordable for many parents buying a computer for their children in 1982/83 in the UK. It didn't have the best specs but the programmers got the most out of it, with some quirky fun games and arcade conversions - plus it still has modern games being released even today (Valley of Rains as an example).
Initially it didn't have joystick support (so that's why there isn't a pack-in joystick/pad) but that was quickly made available via the built-in expansion port. A better sound chip became available from the 128K version Spectrum.
With this new system you can add to the pack-in games. Games to try are Manic Miner, Chuckie Egg, Jetpack, Atic Atac, Ant Attack, Head Over Heels, Chase HQ, Deathchase, Greenberet, Robocop, R-Type...There are far too many thousands of games to mention (for all genres of game).
I'm excited for this because of the actual working Keyboard. Nice Job pleasing the fans Plaion.
Nicely done and evening from the UK 👍👍
Good evening! Have a nice sleep and may you dream of Zed-X sheep. 😜
Typically, back in the day, Spectrum owners needed both a joystick interface and a compatible 9 pin joystick to play games if not using the keyboard. The most common joysticks popular at the time were a Kempston style joystick, very similar to the C64 Mini/Maxi Micro Switched Joystick and an Atari CX40 style joystick which of course we have with The400 Mini. There was also the Quickshot II joystick but the less said about that, the better. I guess the best thing I could say about that particular controller was that it was cheap ;-) Keep up the awesome work Jon!
It was also a thing back then to upgrade your joystick with a better model. Like people upgrade their cars nowadays! It was always a treat to read about the latest joystick available and go and buy one
@@TimelordUK For sure! I loved the Konix Speedking controller :-)
Until PS2, the Spectrum had the most games of any console in the world. In the UK, Spectrum did to home gaming what Walkman and iPod did for portable music. It was *that* popular, innovative and impactful. Quite literally a game-changer!
ZX Spectrum 48k was my first computer. I was about 15 years old. It was just AMAZING
Those are the years. Early teens with a revolutionary piece of compute power and nearly unlimited free time to explore it!
Functional keyboard is NEXT LEVEL!
I used to play ZX Spectrum back in the 80s in Poland. I think River Ride was one of my games on it.
River Raid?
Did you play it on a Spectrum, a Timex 2048 or a Unipolbrit 2086? Maybe even an Elwro 800 Junior in school!
Ah my first computer, fantastic machine. The ZX Spectrum / Commodore 64 “wars” in the uk was a great time in the 80s. A great library of games for it. I’ll probably pick one up but not sure I really need it as I’ve emulated this one a million times over, even on my real Amiga back in the day! Look forward to the review 👍
Ooh, this looks nice! I'm an NTSC-lander, so I think I've never even seen a Spectrum. But I do like the look of the 48K ZX Spectrum.
Finally. THIS is the one I've been hoping for. Already got a folder full of ROMs ready and waiting for it.
Nice throwback and a lot of games included! Good value.
Just Pre-Ordered one from Amazon UK. Used to live in Scotland, wanted one, but UK Plug only. Now I can have one in the US. Delivery, Nov 27th.
The Original ZX Spectrum didn't come with additional controllers out of the box they were additional purchases. The addon's required an additional board to be plugged in to the back of the unit and included interfaces for printers and the famous Kempston Joysticks.
Lots of amazing games were released on the Spectrum, and it has a huge libray. The library being so huge you will really need some recommendations when you get one. I am looking forward to you covering it from a fresh US viewpoint.
"Fresh," in my case, is a very generous euphemism for "ignorant." Thank you for that. 😜
@@GenXGrownUp 🤣
🤣
I hope you enjoy it!
Here's a very quick list of some great Speccy games:
Atic Atac
Jetpac
Underwurlde
Uridium
Bruce Lee
Jet Set Willy
RoboCop
Batman the Movie
Chase HQ
Afterburner
So many good games, try to play the 128K versions where available, you will enjoy better audio and less multiloads.
The _The Spectrum_ comes with 48 games pre-installed. No Ultimate titles or Jet Set Willy, but with Manic Miner, Head over Heals, Nodes of Yesod and even some 21st century games!
This is quite interesting 😏😏😏 I really like good old games on ZX Spectrum!
This looks great. Hope its popular in the USA
Thanks! I haven't bought any of these yet, but can't wait to get this one.
Who's Zed? Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead.
BUT IT'S BACK
Rare and many others started life on the Spectrum.
Haha yep definitely Zed-X. The Speccy was huge here in the UK, almost all my friends had one. So many brilliant games! Be sure to play Chaos, the greatest game of all time.
Will be nice to see more people experience it🙂👍
That little machine, with all its graphical flaws and beeper sound and confusing rubber keyboard was pretty iconic all over the world, not just in Britain!
I had one here in the Netherlands and several other European countries got it as well. But it was also _cloned_ and released in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, India, Egypt, Israel, 7 or 8 East European countries and the Soviet Union/Russia and lastly also as the Timex Sinclair 2068 in the USA (but made kinda incompatible)! Millions and millions sold!
I remember reading a book about the 1980s home computer boom, which written by an American author and aimed at a US audience was understandably US-focussed. However, it did give some tongue-in-cheek acknowledgement of the UK home computer industry with words to the effect of "There were also lots of home computers being developed in the UK at the same time, but you had to be British to understand how any of them worked". Whilst that's quite dismissive when you think about how much of the talent that grew out of the UK's scene went on to be massive players in the global scene (both in terms of hardware and software), when I think of some of the quirkiness, especially with the Spectrum etc, I think it's quite true - American home computers (especially the Commodores) were very global, British ones (e.g. ZX80/81, Spectrum, Acorn, BBC, Dragon, Oric, Amstrad etc) were very British.
I apologize for the myopia of Americans. 😁
I know this machine well, even though I had the C64 at the time, I really appreciate its project.
Initially started with noble goals, it was designed to teach programming to school-age children, it has an excellent Basic on board, much better than the Commodore V2, if you wanted you could easily program in Assembler, it was equipped with the famous Z80.
Then with the mass diffusion of videogames the informative aspect became secondary, for the majority of its owners.
I think that even today this excellent "pocket" computer could be useful to teach the rudiments of programming to teenagers.
Thank goodness they included a real working keyboard!!
The spectrum did have a joystick that could be used. Earlier models required a plug in adapter to give it the port. I just hope the rubber keys are better than the original ones.
The Spectrum didn't have "gamepads", they were exclusively using joysticks back in the day.
"Fully working replica keyboard" - did they ever fully work! 😀Looking forward to this one
Haha!
Out of all the mini consoles this is the one i've been waiting for, have some good memories of using a friends spectrum (but never owned my own) but i'm glad that it looks like it has working keys and not just for show, should function just like the real thing!
It's funny... I was talking to Retro Games at Gamescom a couple of days ago and asked about the systems that would make sense to be next on their list for some reason. ZX Spectrum is one of the most successful systems of all time, huge game library and well remembered in UK and elsewhere. It was already small, so they're just going for a maxi :D
I just want to say I appreciate your positivity and enthusiasm for this stuff. I’m always curious what you have to say when new things get announced.
Thank you for that, Erik. It's something I strive for and it's always gratifying when a viewer notices and mentions it. 🥰
can't wait for this one!! the speccy was awesome at isometric games too, batman, head over heels, wanted.. then of course jet set willy, manic miner, the hobbit, pyjamarama, stop the express!, jetpac, sabre wulf !! by the way, a curiosity, russian programmers solved the colour clash about 10 years ago : D they're releasing new games without colour clash, it blew my mind. cheers. thx for vid mate
I know I’m tossing a coin in the wishing well of vintage games… I want a TI 99 redux. That was my OLD computer when I was young. Miss those games. Still remember my Mom getting talked into it at Sears….years ago.
Wow, great scoop! So cool! Like you I have never played any of the games. Always thought it looked neat. And yes none of my friends here in the US had one of these.
I will absolutely be getting this! The few ZX Spectrum games I've played (44yo Canadian) have been really fun and surprisingly addictive (Just One More Try kind of games).
I am very interested in the full sized Amiga Console coming. There is precedent saying that they might just pop out the 500 or 400 as a full sized, but I'm thinking it will be the 1200, or possibly the 4000. I think they would struggle with 32 bit emulation as RetroGames (I don't think) has turned out anything more advanced than Sharp 68000 chip emulation (please correct me if I'm wrong).
This looks great. Personally I'm also very excited for the Amiga Maxi with a working keyboard.
I have seen videos about the system, but never saw one in person. I am looking forward to seeing what it is like.
That's extremely cool. I don't know if Im the demographic for it because my Spectrum experience is microscopic. But it's incredibly cool that it exists.
If this also comes in “mini” form factor at some point, I will buy it.
I had the US variant, the Timex/Sinclair 2068. And yeah it's a "ZED X Spectrum" because of it's British origin, But it still has a "ZEE 80" processer as that is a US designed CPU! (I learned to program "assembly" on my dear friend the Zilog Z80. (On TRS-80 machines)
The 8 bit microcomputers are a real blind spot for my videogame history knowledge. Looking forward to picking this up, and I hope it gets a US release!
Great video. Well done on the pronunciation of ‘Z’! Can highly recommend you add Midnight Resistance, R-Type,Robocop, Batman the Movie and Batman 3d via USB. I will be!
Thanks for the tips!
Amazing what they could fit in to a computer with less than 48k
What I’d really love is an Atari 130XE rerelease.
Atari ST would be awesome.
Didn't see that one coming. What next? Bally Astrocade Mini? Emerson Arcadia Mini? Timex Sinclair Mini? RCA Studio Mini? Actually an Astrocade or Vectrex Mini would be cool. Maybe they will try for an Amstrad next.
I am tempted to get this because I am an American and never experienced this computer at all. The was that computer that Rare Software started on.
That's the very angle that has gotten me so interested.
I have a modded Atari 800XL that can emulate a ZX 48k with AY. I'm fascinated by the support over the pond for this little machine. Valley of Rains is a really cool game.
I never had a Spectrum, but I’m looking forward to getting this to mess around with.
Never heard of this one. But I was maybe starting college when this came out. It looked to me like a Timex Sinclair. That was my first computer.
The Spectrum was the original British computer. The Timex Sinclair was the American version
A buddy of mine had a Timex Sinclair. His mother won it thru selling Avon; this was just right about the time of the US NES launch. Had about 10 cassette games. Wasn't really impressed, but I'll probably pick up "The Spectrum" anyways, lots of the games look interesting.
Oh good, they finally put in a working dead flesh keyboard unlike the Zed Echs Spectrum Vega that was released years ago.
Just to say, Smyth's are an Irish retailer, and they happen to have a network of branches in the UK.
Yes, thanks. Several commenters have noted this as well.
@@GenXGrownUp as an Irishman we are all too familiar with our UK neighbours taking credit for Irish achievements!
Any time I hear the letter Z pronounced that way, I immediately associate it with either Zed from Police Academy or Lord Zedd from Power Rangers.
It looks pretty cool. I'll definitely want to check that out. 🙂
I can't help but be dissapointed by this leak.
When Retro Games Ltd announced earlier this year that they would end 2024 will a full sized console, I had both hoped and assumed it would be THE Atari 800, since they had established this pattern previously with the C64 Mini and then a full sized one with a fully working keyboard. That is what I want of the Atari 8-bit. The 400 Mini is cute but without a keyboard it might as well just be an Atari 5200.
I can only hope in 2025 they might yet still release an Atari 800 Maxi.
Well I'm still awaiting the Amiga Maxi, so get to the back of the queue!
Per the RGL roadmap, looks like Amiga Maxi is Q1 2025. But like you, I'm still holding out hope for an Atari 800 Maxi!
November is not that far away and they are currently having a booth at Gamescom so i wonder if they will officially announce it today on the last day?
I actually first learned to program on Timex Sinclair 1000 with two, count them, 1,2 Kilobytes of RAM!
Awesome! Hope it makes it over to the U.S and A!
My first computer was a Sinclair 1000 (ZX81 for euro folks)
I always wanted a ZX Spectrum (The Sinclair 2068 in US) but we could never find one, by the time we did we had gone with the C64 instead.
So this fills a "one they got away hole"
I am in at $129
The selection of included games looks very good, actually. But if they really want to take my money, they need to release a PET replica 😀
We fought a whole war so we can call it a Zee Ex Spectrum.
Ok, fair enough.
I'm actually listening to the song Tush by my favourite American band Zed Zed Top.
@@VampireJack10 Grrrr.
Now they just have to bring back the Vectrex system with all the Overlays :P
Yep.
Bring the ZX81 back too 👍👍
i think its good to have a variety of consloes n computers.....like they did when we grew up jon....so great!
There were many joysticks for the Spectrum, however the defacto one by most was the kempston.
Was there a default controller, though, that shipped with it, or is that just the one most users chose?
@@GenXGrownUp no default controller. Most of my friends played on the keyboard anyway. The joystick was mainly for player 2, here in my home town 😂
I'm sure a vectrex mini/reproduction like this would sell like hot cakes
Oh, damn. I hadn't thought of that, but you're right. Insta-buy! 💸
I want this, this was the first computer i played on
It's available on Amazon UK for preorder!
exolon is perhaps my favorite speccy game
Awesome! And greetings from the UK.
I'm in two minds about investing, I've already got a 48k Speccy here, AV modded with an SD loader.
That said, it doesn't have 128k capabilities, which would be nice
The ZX Spectrum had a particular, quirky style due to the way it managed graphics output. The screen was divided into a grid of 32 x 24 blocks within which only two colours, foreground and background, could be displayed at a time. Each block consisted of 8 x 8 pixels.
As a result, most games used black as the background colour to disguise the graphics limitations and the player/ship and enemies tend to be single colour. A fun artifact in a lot of games is when different coloured players, enemies and background elements intruded into each other's blocks, the colours would "bleed through" on the edges. Some games gave up completely and simply went almost entirely monochrome to deal with the issue.
Games that originated on the ZX Spectrum were often ported to other platforms keeping the same quirky graphics while ports from other platforms or arcade games suffered severely from the graphics limitations of the system.
I remember it had a rather quaint knack of having its colours bleed into one another due to its graphics limitations.
Psion flight simulator was the first game ( sim ) I loaded in on my spectrum. Then came Fighter Pilot and Code Name Mat.
As an American, the Spectrum is alien to me as well, but I'm interested in seeing more of this. This leads me back to by Xerox Alto fixation, and wondering if someone has any plans to make a retro console in its style. I know the Alto wasn't really about games, but I think the real grandad to all modern computers would get a lot of retro lover love...
I had both the ZX Spectrum 48k and the Commodore 64, and it was crude and very limited even for its time, which makes it incredible that it had some really amazing games, games like Sabre Wulf and the massive Lords of Midnight and its sequel, Doomdark's Revenge. Lords of Midnight and Doomdark's Revenge were like the Elder Scrolls of the mid-80's, with landscapes that you could move freely around one frame at a time fighting monsters and armies. Quite something for a computer with such a tiny memory and limited graphics capability.
Lords of Midnight is listed on the backside of the box as being included in this new Spectrum!
@@MarcKloos I didn't expect it to be on there. If it's also got Doomdark's Revenge even better. Both have massive playfields in which you play in first person. Don't expect Skyrim though. It's very basic by comparison. It's more of a strategy adventure game, a pretty hard one at that.
Yes you were correct,zee sounds really silly to pronounce it I was an amstrad person, never played spectrum before,the 128k version seems just as iconic to me
This was my first computer but in another PLUS version. I still have it today. In US they sell it as Timex 2048 but it was most popular i UK because it was very cheap.
I think some Spectrum games were on Antstream, which also featured a lot of British games for the Amiga and Commodore 64.