After appearing on online retailer’s pre-order lists over the weekend, ahead of a full reveal in Retro Gamer magazine, Plaion and Retro Games Ltd have officially announced The Spectrum – a modern recreation of 1982’s ZX Spectrum.
Set to launch 22nd November for £89.99, The Spectrum includes 48 built-in games, 720p HD output via HDMI, four USB ports for joypads, and a replica of the microcomputer’s famous ‘rubber’ keyboard. All Spectrum models can be emulated, from 16k to 128k.
Modern day conveniences include a 40 second rewind tool, four save states per title, an old-school CRT filter, and the BASIC interface for budding programmers. More importantly, extra games can be added via a USB stick. File types listed as supported include are TAP/TZX/PZX/SZX/Z80/SNA.
The game list looks like it’ll satisfy the most ardent Spectrum fans, with a mixture of classics and deep cuts.
Here’s the full list:
- Alien Girl: Skirmish Edition
- Ant Attack
- Army Moves
- Auf Wiedersehen Monty
- Avalon
- Bobby Bearing
- Cosmic Payback
- Devwill Too
- 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
- TCQ
- Target: Renegade
- Technician Ted
- The Megamix
- Tenebra
- Trashman
- The Way of the Exploding Fist
- Wheelie
- Where Time Stood Still
“While we’ve enjoyed working on our other retro computers, this is the one that we’ve always really wanted to do. We all remember it fondly from our childhoods, so it was important that we got every detail right, it’s been a real passion project. So many enthusiasts will be excited by the return of this iconic machine, and we don’t want to let them down, so we’ve poured years of exacting detail into our recreation of arguably the most loved home computer of all time”, said Paul Andrews, Managing Director at Retro Games Ltd.
“What a privilege it has been to work with Retro Games on The Spectrum. I remember getting the original for Christmas in 1982 and spending the entire day trying to master ‘Horace Goes Skiing’. My parents couldn’t afford a Commodore 64, but thanks to the accessibility and low price point of its main rival, my friends and I were able to spend magical hours battling it out on ‘Match Day II’ while marveling at the interactivity of ‘The Hobbit’. I’ve been amazed at the feel-good factor associated with this computer, and would like to thank the many community groups who have created a supportive, fun, and vibrant culture around the legacy of The Spectrum. It is these enthusiasts who have laid the foundations for our new machine”, said PLAION’s Marketing Director, Simon Turner.
[Update] Pre-orders are now live on Amazon (affiliate link) for £89.99. A 32-page Crash mini-mag is included in the box, featuring reviews of classic Spectrum titles.