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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
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