The rubbery button phenomenon is reborn and with it the passion and revolution of Sir Clive Sinclair. After several projects dedicated to raising the legacy of the ZX Spectrum again, including portable systems and mini and not so mini revisions, Retro Games takes the initiative and with The Spectrum will restore the original design of the 8-bit microcomputer that marked an entire generation, along with great new features and improvements. A real treat for retro lovers.
The Spectrum It is a statement of intent from its very name, giving direct continuity to the initiatives we already saw with THEC64 Mini and more recently with THE400 Mini, offering a functional replica of the microcomputer with loads of pre-installed games, new functions and connections and improvements that will allow us to connect it to current screens or add more content. Not bad at all.
At iGamesNews we have gathered in one place everything we officially know about The Spectrumincluding its features, design and new features and, of course, what its gameplay proposal will be. However, our starting point is the question that you are probably asking yourself right now: when will it be available and at what price? I can tell you in advance that it will be much sooner than you think, and that fans of the Topo soft classics that illuminated the golden age of Spanish software are going to be very pleased.
The Spectrum Release Date, Price and Editions
The Spectrum It will go on sale in European territory, including Europe, starting next year. November 22, 2024. The distribution is handled by Plaion (who has already worked with Retro Games) and will be released in two editions. The normal edition, with 48 games and Azpiri’s Limited Edition with 50 games. Both will cost the same at launch: 99.99 dollars.
In fact, reservations for The Spectrum have already been opened in several stores and online outlets. However, as far as we know, we have only been able to find the Azpiri Limited Edition available for reservation at Game.es, without any increase in price.
* Some prices may have changed since the last review
As far as the contents and what’s included in each box of The Spectrum we have The Spectrum microcomputer itself with its 48 pre-installed games, a 1.8m USB-C power cable, without a power adapter, plus a 1.8m HDMI cable and a quick start guide.
On the other hand, the special edition by Alfonso Azpiri adds to all the above two more pre-installed games (Wells & Fargo and Journey to the Center of the Earth) and a special design with emblematic covers by the legendary Spanish video game illustrator. In any case, a great detail for collectors, lovers of the ZX Spectrum and fans of the artist and acclaimed author of Lorna, Mot and legend of cult magazines such as Heavy Metal or Penthouse Comix.
The Spectrum Specs, Redesign and Features
Those who have had or have a ZX Spectrum From that time, you may have already noticed the first major design changes: The Spectrum is an almost exact replica of the microcomputer launched in 1982, with the same button layout and rubber keys. In fact, the official descriptions already indicate that it is a fully functional replica keyboard.
The rainbow returns in full colour in the lower right area as an indivisible part of the established image of the “gomas”, but what is left behind is the name of “Sinclair” itself in the upper left area, which is replaced by the word “Retro” in relief, and the name of the machine changes from ZX Spectrum to the renewed one. The Spectrum.
The biggest change compared to the original, aesthetic details aside, is found in the Spectrum’s connections: we now have four USB-A ports designed for both additional controllers or opening the door to multiplayer, as well as for connecting USB drives. On the other hand, we have an HDMI port to connect it to current screens and a USB-C input that serves to plug it into the power supply.
As a system, and following the precedents of other microcomputers already available from Retro Games, The Spectrum emulates the 48 and 128 models of the ZX Spectrum and, as far as it goes, through its HDMI port it is compatible with PAL (50 Hz) and NTSC (60 Hz). As far as quality is concerned, it allows you to recover the original 4:3 format, offers 12 frames although it is possible to adjust the size of the border and enables different filters including tube television effects for the most nostalgic.
What about video games? If you don’t know where to find the classics or you’re not interested in making your own, you’ll be interested to know that both editions include 48 pre-installed titles, including essentials like Manic Miner, Phantis or the video game of The Hobbit and, in the case of the Azpiri edition, two extra titles courtesy of Topo soft: Wells & Fargo y Journey to the Center of the Earth.
However, you can load more of your own content or content downloaded from the Internet via the USB ports: The Spectrum supports TAP, TZX, PZX, SZX, Z80, SNA file types.
Finally, we do not yet have the data on the measurements and weight of The Spectrum to be able to compare it with those of the original ZX Spectrum, but we will add them as they are officially announced.
The Spectrum’s pre-installed games and beyond
Although technically we are talking about a microcomputer that follows the line of Retro Games, The Spectrum It’s not too different from the format of mini-consoles like the NES Classic Mini: there’s a button to turn it on, another to return to the main menu, and you won’t have to plug in or install anything at all to be able to recover classics and essentials. Among other things, because it includes nothing less than 48 titles in memory.
Among the highlights we find classics such as Manic Minerthe conversational adventure of The Hobbit based on the novel by JRR Tolkien, an improved version of Saboteur!y Head Over Heels o un Football Manager 2 which shares a title with the current SEGA and Sports Interactive saga despite playing in a different league. In any case, the Spanish software is present and if we miss some essential gem we can always load it through the USB ports.
We know that the system will be available in Spanish, but not all the games were localized and in certain cases, such as conversational adventures, it can be a barrier. In any case, and as you will see, the complete list of games for the normal edition of The Spectrum It is really suggestive.
- Alien Girl (Skirmish Edition)
- Ant Attack
- Army Moves
- Goodbye 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
- The Stompo
- Stonkers
- Target: Renegade
- TCQ
- Technician Ted – The Megamix
- Darkness
- Trashman
- The Way of the Exploding Fist
- Wheelie
- Where Time Stood Still
To the above we must add that Wells & Fargo and the original version of Journey to the Center of the Earththe three-phase one, will be pre-installed and included in the limited edition of Azpiri, although we can add them if we download them, plus those recent games programmed for the ZX Spectrum by fans and lovers of retro.
On the other hand, and this is important, if you dare to download and face mythical but extremely cruel titles like Abu Simbel Desecration (kind of like Dark Souls back in the day) you’ll be happy to know that there are four save slots available per game, plus the ability to rewind up to 40 seconds. What we would have given for those perks back in the day!
In the age of Ray Tracing, Retro Games brings back “Gomas”
Throw a ZX Spectrum and its games in 2024 is not crazy if you manage to give its fans and retro enthusiasts exactly what they want, and Retro Games has a very good track record and has its own line of classic systems that serves as an endorsement. Its price is in a range that makes us consider whether to make the reservation, but in no case intimidates and the fact that new games continue to be made more than four decades later is something that adds extra points for a treat with a silhouette, shapes and rubber buttons that overflow with pure nostalgia.
A collector’s item or something more? As we mentioned, the ZX Spectrum has been re-released on several occasions through all kinds of initiatives but the iconography of the classic “rubber bands” remains timeless. And if we add to this a system that is born to be versatile, to read a multitude of formats and that asks for extra games to be added, we find that The Spectrum It is a reunion for many and at the same time, a vindication of how games were and were made during a glorious period for the video game industry. One that was experienced very intensely in Europe and, especially, in England and Europe.
Special mention to the limited edition of Alfonso Azpiri of The Spectrumwhich is an extra incentive for those of us who adore the art of the illustrator, cartoonist and genius to whom the Spanish video game industry owes so much. Among other things, because his amazing covers sold the fantasy and setting that the technology of the time could not afford.
Despite everything, we still have more than reasonable doubts between now and its launch. From the feel of the keyboard to its interface and its ease of use. Not to mention that we still have to know its dimensions, its weight and what kind of technology is under the casing. Elements that will justify the move and define its success. That said, what we already know and know about The Spectrum It is on the right track and, as expected from us, at iGamesNews we will update the information so that you have it all in one place.
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