ZX Spectrum reborn and going on sale today

7 Sep 2015

The ZX Spectrum device has been beautifully recreated by Steve Wilcox, co-founder in 1984 of video game publisher Elite, to work with iOS and Android devices and, soon, connected TVs

A full-size recreation of the popular 1980s personal computer, the ZX Spectrum, goes on sale today. The device has been beautifully recreated by Steve Wilcox, co-founder in 1984 of video game publisher Elite.

The iconic personal computing device is available directly from Elite and from various resellers.

“Development of the Recreated ZX Spectrum – and the associated iOS and Android apps and the online web app (for Macs and PCs) – has been ongoing for some 18 months, since our Kickstarter crowd-funding appeal closed,” Wilcox said.

“In that time, our ambitions for the recreated device have extended from it being the only keyboard with which fast/twitch games can be played on iOS devices (even Apple’s own keyboard can’t do this), to it also being optimised for gaming with selected Android devices, and a full-function Bluetooth keyboard for Macs and PCs.

“And today we have announced we have growing ambitions for its direct use with connected TVs,” Wilcox added.

Companion apps and an online web app include Chuckie Egg, Sinclair BASIC – which makes it possible to program with the recreated device – and a game bundle.

New games and applications are available with each update of the apps and the online web app.

Games and applications are also available from third parties, since, just like the original ZX Spectrum, the Recreated ZX Spectrum is an open system, meaning that anyone can develop and publish games and applications for it.

The return of the ZX Spectrum (video)

John Kennedy is a journalist who served as editor of Silicon Republic for 17 years

editorial@siliconrepublic.com