Retro Video Gamer

The more I see of the Spectrum the more impressed I am with its capabilities.

Quote from: "onthinice"The more I see of the Spectrum the more impressed I am with its capabilities.

When a lot of Americans see the Speccy they think its really shit, especially as it came out a few years after the Atari 8-bit and was much weaker in most regards, but what they don't realise is that when the Spectrum launched in 1982 it was £129.99. Before long you could buy one for under £100! At that point in history that was unheard of. There were weaker computers around at the time that cost twice the price! You didn't need a monitor because you could plus it into your TV, no need for expensive disk drives when you could use your tape deck and it could be programmed via BASIC right out of the box. It sold in the millions and really launched the computer and games industry in the UK, it really did define and change history.

I see your point. I never knew much about the Spectrum. So it has been a good learning experience.

Good price, it seems about the same for the Commodore Vic-20 at the time. I do not have very many Vic-20 games but it seems for the same price range the Spectrum was/is the better deal.

Quote from: "onthinice"I see your point. I never knew much about the Spectrum. So it has been a good learning experience.

Good price, it seems about the same for the Commodore Vic-20 at the time. I do not have very many Vic-20 games but it seems for the same price range the Spectrum was/is the better deal.

Yes it was much more powerful than the Vic-20. The original model with the rubber keys came in 2 forms - 16k memory or 48k memory but it wasn't long before the 16k model was dropped.

(http://jscustom.theoldcomputer.com/images/manufacturers_systems/Sinclair/Spectrum/142017zxspectrum_48k.jpg)

It was then replaced with the 48k Spectrum +

(http://www.heydon.org/kevan/collection/pictures/sinclair-spectrum_plus-large.jpg)

Then it got a proper upgrade in the form of the Spectrum + 128k which added the Yamaha sound chip and a new menu driven OS that included a full blown BASIC editor so no need to use keyboard shortcuts anymore.

(http://www.sarampalis.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Sinclair_Spectrum_128k.jpg)

After the computer division of Sinclair Research was bought out by Amstrad they added 2 new models to replace the 128k +. These were called the +2 and +3 and had a built in tape deck or 3" disk drive:

(http://www.old-computers.com/museum/photos/Sinclair_Spectrum+2_System_s1.jpg)  (http://www.heydon.org/kevan/collection/pictures/sinclair-spectrum_plus3-large.jpg)

After that there was only minor revisions such as a black version of the +2 called the +2a which included the DOS and RAM disk from the +3.

The +2 & +3 models really look nice. They all look really good but the use of space for the tape and disk drive is genius!

Quote from: "onthinice"The +2 & +3 models really look nice. They all look really good but the use of space for the tape and disk drive is genius!

When I was a kid I had a +2a but now I have a +3 and a 48k (because they look so cool)

I learnt Basic on the Spectrum, and still have my original 48k one in a special briefcase which was made for them. I might have to look at getting the +2 some time. Thanks for the pics Laird.

The +2 & +3 look great, but the 48k Spectrum just looks so right.  To say it's perfectly formed is not an exaggeration.  It's also infinitely tactile in much the same way as an iPhone or iPad.  As such it's one of my favourite computers and possibly my most favourite from an aesthetic point of view.

I have to agree with you Mire Mare, it all just looks right, and feels right when you use a 48k (or 16k) Speccy. I don't think it's just rose tinted specs either.

Thanks to you guys in this thread I've found myself on Ebay bidding for a Spectrum +2 I didn't even know I wanted until I came here
 

Quote from: "dougtitchmarsh"Thanks to you guys in this thread I've found myself on Ebay bidding for a Spectrum +2 I didn't even know I wanted until I came here
 

Hahahaha, with the Spectrum +2 you can load games via an MP3 player too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Ek-5ZnFu4 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54Ek-5ZnFu4)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1o_Tr8j ... re=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1o_Tr8jq3I&feature=related)

Quote from: "dougtitchmarsh"Thanks to you guys in this thread I've found myself on Ebay bidding for a Spectrum +2 I didn't even know I wanted until I came here
 :D  It's amazing what we didn't realise we absolutely really need.  In a can't live without it kind of way!  Subliminal peer pressure  

My loft would be all feng shui if it wasn't for all the gaming related stuff spilling out of it.  Of course, it goes without saying, that it's ALL stuff that I cannot do without.

This thread has not seen much action, so there is a video looking at new games for the system.  Not sure how many Speccy lovers have seen these games...