Get Ready ... It's Coming Soon!
I am extremely excited because in about 2 to 3 months a ZX Spectrum Next (KS3 Rev.) will be delivered to my house! I have been looking forward to this ever since I discovered the kickstarter campaign. The Spectrum Next initially was released in 2017 after the board was sent to backers of the first kickstarter campaign (KS1). It wasn’t until early in 2020 that the finished units complete with keyboard and plastic casing were sent out to backers. Later on in that year the second kickstarter campaign (KS2) was initiated and enthusiasts had another chance at being able to obtain the modernized, FPGA improved ZX Spectrum powerhouse system. Backers of the KS2 also had a long wait to receive the machine that they pledged for. They had to wait all the way until December 2023 to be precise, while it was a long wait I’m sure that they enjoyed a very special Xmas in 2023. Fast forward to July of 2025 when yet another kickstarter campaign (KS3) was started. People who somehow missed the news about the existence of the machine and the first two campaigns (like myself) now had yet another chance to obtain this mythical beast of a homebrew FPGA computer system. Luckily I took advantage of this rare (and likely final) opportunity to obtain a Spectrum Next. It’s also the best opportunity as the crew had learned from their previous mistakes and all the infrastructure and commercial agreements and licenses, etc were already well established meaning the chance of release date delay this time was minimal. Not only that but the level financial success of the KS3 allowed for many stretch goals to be implemented and for many improvements to be made to the system, including a doubling of the available RAM from 2Mb to 4Mb and the addition of many new system cores.
Now the system was really coming into it’s own with an active community and well established development scene. Lots of software, primarily games had been created and published providing new owners with a nice library of available releases to choose from to use on their new systems. I have the privilege of being one of these new owners, having pledged for an accelerated version of the KS3 and so have had the pleasure of choosing software to be able to use when the little beauty finally arrives. As you can see from the photo above I have prepared myself very well for the arrival of my Spectrum Next KS3. Living far away from Europe meant expensive shipping for a single game which meant that it was far better value to purchase multiple games from each publisher / developer. Oh no, I had to get multiple games I was so disappointed (not!). From TechnoShed I ordered 3 games, all coming in DVD sized cases with nice art in the cover slips, instruction manuals and cased SD cards containing the game. The thrill and excitement of purchasing new physical software for an old (but new) system was palpable. It really satisfied the nostalgia high that is incredibly rare these days as new games for retro systems are normally incredibly rare and expensive. With the Spectrum Next you can satisfy that craving without breaking the bank, just like the old days! Software is very reasonably priced as manufacturing costs on SD cards is very low compared to cartridges. My other order came from Fusion Retro Books which was for a lovely hardcover: Crash Next Annual 2025 along with 6 issues of Crash Next Magazine. They also had a kickstarter campaign of their own for a hardcover called ZX Dreams 2, I pledged for ZXD 1 and 2 and added the game: O (Big box edition) as an extra with the pledge. So again I got value for money with shipping costs, however I’m still waiting for the ZX Dreams hardcovers to arrive.
My Preparations for the Next's Arrival
In the future I am planning to become a games developer, well actually more like in the present as I am currently working a GB DMG game that is being kept under wraps for the moment. However I am very interested in developing for the Spectrum Next and so I had to purchase the software title: “Next DAW” which is a digital music creation software suite for the Next and runs on the Next. This one came from Japan so shipping wasn’t that much as it’s located very close to Australia. However it was more expensive than the average game but being a dev tool that is to be expected. I have already learned to use the software by following a YouTube tutorial video and loading the software on the CSpect emulator on my Windows 10 desktop PC. Additionally I got a few other bits and pieces, the most important of which is a control pad with at least 3 buttons. The controller I settled on was a brand new Honey Bee SG-6, 6 button pad for the Sega Mega Drive from an eBay seller. Honey Bee made quality aftermarket controllers for the Super NES back in the day so I was confident that it wouldn’t break straight away on me. The other important piece of kit was a SCART RGB cable specifically for the Next from Retro Computer Shack via eBay. I have a Metz CRT TV capable of SCART RGB, it is 100Hz however it does work with my Super NES so it should be fine. The other accessory that is needed for full compatibility with all the games and Next DAW is a USB mouse. Thankfully I have quite a few of these kicking around the home so I was able to find an old Logitech one I could dedicate to the Spectrum Next. I have seen a Sinclair branded mouse on the “Bapstarcade” YouTube channel which I would very much like to get my paws on. To top off my Next armory I am also working on building a MIDI box for the Next as there is compatible software currently in development. Unfortunately I am a complete beginner at soldering and have purchased a poor quality iron so the project is currently stalled..
It's All About the Games
This is not where the story ends though as I do have some more games that I have pre-ordered. The Pat Morita development team had issued a re-release of their games specifically for the launch of the KS3. So they were now taking pre-orders and I put myself down for two games: “Black & White” and “The Lost Temple”. The former of these is a single screen platformer and the later is a side scrolling platformer. These two games are due to arrive next week so unfortunately just missed the window of opportunity to make it for the photo. Another game that I have pre-ordered is from yet another kickstarter campaign for a game being developed mainly for the Next called “Urb-X Warriors” by Tony Warriner (of Broken Sword fame) and Stu Cambridge (of Cannon Fodder fame). This one won’t arrive until April of next year, so I will have to wait quite a while for that one. It is promising to be a really top shelf title as the dynamic duo are really taking their time and pulling out all the stops for this game. I’ve chosen to go for the big box edition which will make it my second big box game for the Next. All up I’ve ordered 8 software titles, 2 of which are big box editions. That is not all however, I have also collected as many free ROMs as I could find on itch.io and also have purchased several non-free itch.io games. I’ve combined all my game ROMs as well as Next DAW and some other free development software into an SD card image that can be copied onto a physical card that my Speccy Next will be able to read. So you could say that I am well prepared for the arrival of the Spectrum Next due in a couple months.
Now, What Next?
This begs the obvious question: what else could I get for the Spectrum Next that I need or would enhance the experience that I haven’t got or ordered yet? The answer is not much, besides the Next MIDI box which I am working on. There is a softcover that is available on Amazon titled “Next Tech: Get the Best from your Spectrum Next” by Simon N Goodwin which is a whopping $55, however I’m sure it contains some valuable information so I will probably purchase that at some point too. I’m also going to purchase a synthesizer of some sort once my MIDI box is completed, no rush though since the MIDI software is still in development. If I could find a dedicated monitor with SCART RGB compatibility for a decent price that would be another accessory that I would purchase. I’m also planning to obtain games from each publisher / developer so there are still many more games that I need to get, but this will be done gradually over time so I don’t break the bank too badly. Apart from all that I can’t think of anything else that I really need. This is where, dear readers, I come to you for some help. If you know of any other accessories, software or other hardware that I need to get please let me know through either the article comments or via the website’s contact page. Also I would like to ask for another favor from you, my friends in Australia – how many of you guys who own a Spectrum Next or who also are awaiting the delivery of the KS3 are out there? I’d really like to know how many Aussies out there are Speccy Next-heads besides myself. I am considering stocking the website’s online store with some Spectrum Next gear but first need to find out if there are even any potential customers down under. So please give us a bell, let’s talk Spectrum Next and retro gaming – I would love to hear from you.
Relevant Links
- Kickstarter campaign for Urb-X Warriors: The Lost City [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tonywarriner/urbx-warriors-an-original-game-for-the-spectrum-next/] Campaign has been extend for late pledges to be accepted until the end of September.
- Kickstarter campaign #3 for the Spectrum Next [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-3-0] Updates on the production and news regarding the systems release are being posted here regularly, keeping backers informed and happy.
- Fusion Retro Books website and online store [https://fusionretrobooks.com/] A great source of publications specifically for the Spectrum Next and additionally they also publish Spectrum Next games under the name Fusion Retro Games.
- Technoshed Software is a software publisher that specializes in the ZX Spectrum Next [https://technoshedsoftware.com/] Buy games by Rusty Pixels, Cavern, Lucky Red Fish and W.A.S.P (We Are Spectrum Programmers).
- Bapstarcade YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@BAPSTARCADE] A YouTube channel dedicated to everything Spectrum Next. Host to a couple enjoyable live streams that are run regularly on the Twitch platform which are then posted on YouTube.com.
