Clive Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum is a truly iconic bit of 80s computer design, and readers of a certain age will have the opportunity to relive a youth spent palpating its rubber keys this November, when it returns to homes – with a bunch of included classic games and modern niceties thrown in – courtesy of Retro Games, the team behind this year’s Atari 400 Mini.
The Spectrum (as Retro Games is calling its new bit of old-school-inspired hardware) takes its design cues from the unforgettable 48K, with its rubber keys and iconic rainbow stripe – but, as per VGC, its innards are a little more multi-generational, capable of emulating all the classic Spectrum variants: the 16K, 48K, Spectrum+ (AKA my first home computer), and 128K.
Notably, The Spectrum’s rubber keyboard is fully functional, and there’s support for a wide variety of USB controller devices, meaning purchasers have a decent number of options when it comes to playing its 48 bundled games – which include bona fide classics such as Head Over Heels, Jack the Nipper, Manic Miner, The Hobbit, Auf Wiedersehen Monty, and Skool Daze.
And if you’ve got a personal favourite not on the included list (hi Kokotoni Wilf and Pyjamarama), The Spectrum can also play your legally acquired Spectrum ROMs from a USB stick, with the likes of .z80, .tap, and .tzx file formats all supported. Furthermore, BASIC programming is possible on the machine, meaning I can finally finish typing up The Mystery of Silver Mountain 40 years after I started.
In terms of more modern-day niceties, The Spectrum can output at 720p via HDMI, with PAL (50Hz) and NTSC (60Hz) compatibility, and it support 4:3 and pixel perfect aspect ratios. 12 frames are available to surround gameplay, and the machine also features CRT filters and configurable border sizes. Additionally, four save slots are available per game, and it’s possible to rewind gameplay by up to 40 seconds – meaning Jet Set Willy’s Entrance to Hades need no longer be a one-way trip.
And if all that’s tickled your nostalgia nubbin, The Spectrum – which also comes bundled with a 32-page Crash mini-magazine featuring reviews and articles – will cost £89.99/€99.99 when it launches on 22nd November. And here’s a full list of those included games:
- Alien Girl (Skirmish Edition)
- Ant Attack
- Army Moves
- Auf Wiedersehen Monty
- Avalon
- Bobby Bearing
- Cosmic Payback
- Devwill Too ZX
- Exolon
- Fairlight
- Firelord
- Football Manager 2
- Freddy Hardest
- The Great Escape
- Head Over Heels
- Highway Encounter
- The Hobbit
- Horace Goes Skiing
- Jack the Nipper
- Knot in 3D
- The Lords of Midnight
- Manic Miner
- Match Day II
- Movie
- Nodes of Yesod
- Penetrator
- Phantis (Game Over II)
- Pheenix
- Pyracurse
- Quazatron
- Robin of the Wood
- Saboteur! Remastered
- Shovel Adventure
- Skool Daze
- Snake Escape
- Spellbound
- Starquake
- Starstrike II
- El Stompo
- Stonkers
- Target: Renegade
- TCQ
- Technician Ted – The Megamix
- Tenebra
- Trashman
- The Way of the Exploding Fist
- Wheelie
- Where Time Stood Still