When I first posted about the ZX Spectrum Next 3, I didn’t quite realize the scope of it’s significance and that little article definitely doesn’t do it justice. While perfectly recreating the models of Spectrum computer the Spectrum Next is a platform all of it’s own able to use 100% of it’s impressive available hardware resources. Further to that it is also able to faithfully recreate the Commodore 64 and Sinclair QL/Next and now has just fulfilled one of it’s stretch goals and added support for the Amstrad CPC. The system comes with an SD card that is loaded with games and apps for software development. So you are able to develop for several different platforms just from this one device. Of course a modern day desktop PC running Windows can develop for any platform with the right software and hardware setup. However the modern PC is very overwhelming, it has an endless library of software and hardware peripherals. It’s very easy to get lost in the sea of technology or even just distracted when using the modern PC. Even though it can emulate most machines with near-perfect accuracy it somehow feels disconnected from all the devices it can emulate. When you are playing an emulated game on a PC you are well aware of this fact and it therefore doesn’t feel authentic and is far less easy to get excited about.
The ZX Spectrum Next 3 is being market as a computer to fall in love with all over again. When presented with an old system that has been recreated with modern FPGA you get the feeling that you are fully in control. You can use utilize all the systems assets and resources fairly easily and therefore take advantage of the machine’s full potential. This machine is being made at cost for the purpose of building a great device not for profit, much like ModRetro did with the Chromatic. Backer’s receive their product in a beautifully printed box and so get to experience that excitement from the moment the box is in their hands. The magical, one-time experience unboxing the console will be a special moment that will stick in their memories (like an SD card is stuck in an SD reader). Speaking of SD cards, right after the unboxing and subsequent audio/video hook-up most people would insert the SD card that came with the system and after doing the necessary firmware tasks would immediately start exploring the library of software specifically games. This is a great decision by the creators as it the budding game developer will get inspired seeing the colorful and addictive games that others have made for the system.
Once the computer user’s creative juices have started flowing and has sufficiently wet their appetite to be inspired to get started in game development they have the other part of the software library to explore. Some of what’s included for developers is a powerful new nextBASIC, full C support, Assembly support, complete IDE’s (integrated development environments) and toolchains. With a plethora of development tools at your fingertips you have everything you need to explore, learn and develop games for a brand new FPGA platform. There have already been quite a number of games made for the ZX Spectrum Next since the first issue came out in 2017. Many are available to download for free from itch.io, some are available for digital download for a small price. Then you have the premium titles which were considered good enough to print a physical release. From my searching I found it very difficult to find ZX Spectrum Next games in stock, they tend to sell out fairly quickly it seems. All physical release games (to my knowledge) are only released on an SD card usually packaged in a standard DVD case with a manual. While not very exciting or as nostalgic as cartridges at least SD card releases are cheap to produce and therefore much cheaper for the consumer to purchase. Spectrum Next games sell for on average €20 EUR which is about $35 AUD, much cheaper than modern cartridge titles for example Gameboy and Gameboy Color games which sell on average €40-€50 or $70-$90.
The kickstarter campaign ends at August 18th which is less than 10 days from today. It’s the third issue of the ZX Spectrum Next and it is unlikely to be issued again. This is a very rare opportunity as you can bet these things will be worth a lot more when re-sold. However I don’t recommend anyone buy one just to re-sell it as it’s a scummy thing to do. However I do recommend you get one to use, especially as a game dev. This is a game changing machine and will result in a sizeable influx of new game devs into the industry, carving out their own little niche’s that are untouched by the AAA game studios. I will be backing this kickstarter to get my own machine as I am a slowly getting into game dev as a hobby, when I finish production of something I can publish it and upgrade from hobby to side-hustle and then (hopefully) from side-hustle to main job. Currently I am tinkering with some game ideas using GBStudio platform and have been satisfied with the results I’ve been getting. But I crave getting more in depth by using more advanced editing tools and adding music using a synthesizer. That is my dream, to publish a physical copy of a game and a Spectrum Next can help me to achieve this goal. The Spectrum Next also has a lively dev community that will help inspired dev’s by providing support, suggestions and debugging. You can browse and get help online directly from the Spectrum Next itself via the ethernet port. It would feel just like the late 1980s when bedroom coding made up a significant portion of the industry.
As I mentioned I will be backing the kickstarter to secure myself one of these awesome new machines. It may surprise some that I have never even seen a Spectrum computer in real life, yet I’m paying $700 for a new FPGA recreation. What sold me was that it wasn’t only limited to Spectrum but also Commodore 64 and Amstrad games. I am much more familiar with a Commodore 64 with more than one of my friends owning one in primary school and I’ve briefly owned several C64 lots myself. The problem is that machine took a lot of space, together with power bricks, disk drive and tape drive not to mention diskettes. It’s extremely cumbersome owning an old unit which is mainly why I sold the lots I’ve across. With the ZX Next I can relive my Commodore 64 memories with far more authenticity than emulation and without the mountains of required hardware. In addition to that I get a new powerful platform to develop for with specialized industry tools. Modern connections and internet capability make it easily accessible. As a bonus I get to discover a brand new (for me) 80s graphics system and it’s gaming gems.
Speaking of the ZX Spectrum gaming gems, what are they? As mentioned I am discovering this system for (nearly) the first time. I have dabbled a little bit with some of the games after an early Retro Gamer issue covered the ‘Speccy’. The best games I have encountered are – The Great Escape, Manic Miner, Jet Set Willy and Skool Daze. I haven’t played much else as I was saving it till I got myself a real system. Next 3 games, in comparison have much more colors and are able to fit more sprites in memory, has smoother animation, etc. They are on a whole another level, they almost look like Amiga 500 games. In conclusion I think the Spectrum Next 3 is a great machine because it makes game development a fun process and stimulates discovery and creativity. I look forward to what happens next with the Spectrum Next, next year. Until next time sayonara!
Alien Neoplasma is a winner i think, reminiscent of Aliens 3 on SNES. I however like the style of Neoplasma more, will try and play it hopefully in the near future.