Not Your Father's ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum Next blends retro and modern tech for a rich experience that keeps this computer fun after the initial novelty wears off.
Remembering a time when personal computers turned on like a lamp, gave us total access to peek and poke at memory with reckless abandon, and had circuit boards populated with macroscopic components that could be understood and upgraded by the owner give many of us warm, fuzzy memories. Of course, these computers also had severe limitations when compared with modern hardware, and the lower level of abstractions from the hardware made developing complex systems far more difficult and time-consuming, but sometimes it is best to put on the old rose-colored glasses and reminisce.
A recent Kickstarter campaign to build the ZX Spectrum Next - Issue 2 has given us all another reason to do just that.
The original Z80-powered ZX Spectrum was launched in 1982 with 16KB and 48KB models, and several further models were released through 1987, until production of all models ceased in 1992. The computers gained a very large user base during this time, and a great deal of software was developed — in fact, new ZX Spectrum titles are still being developed at present.
The ZX Spectrum Next - Issue 2 offers us an opportunity to tap into this wealth of existing software by offering full compatibility with the original ZX Spectrum models. Some modern conveniences are also built in — the processor can run at up to 28MHz, 1MB of RAM is included, and WiFi and HDMI video output are also available right out of the box. And while you can still load your games from a tape drive for that authentic-feeling retro experience, SD card storage is also onboard. An accelerated version is also on offer that utilizes a Raspberry Pi Zero as a co-processor to offer up a 3D GPU, 512MB of RAM, and an ARM processor.
Do not expect the Issue 2 to look anything like the original ZX Spectrum under the hood. The sparsely-populated circuit board is centered around a Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA that is used to recreate most of the original hardware.
The slick design of the ZX Spectrum Next - Issue 2 serves up an authentic-feeling retrocomputing experience, while also sneaking in some modern conveniences for a richer experience that will make this computer usable far beyond the time the initial novelty wears off. Take a look at what this little computer can do in the following demonstration video.