ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 Surpasses Kickstarter Goal

An update to a reimagined device of the classic Sinclair ZX Spectrum of the 1980s could be on the way, after a kickstarter campaign sailed passed its goal of raising £250,000.

Called the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2, it has so far raised $1,194,331 (£912,000), with 28 days of fundraising left to go and 2,613 backers.

Unlike ‘less successful’ projects such as the Vega console from Retro Computers, the people behind the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 have already delivered a previous generation device to market.

Updated device

Indeed, the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 is an updated version of an earlier ZX Spectrum Next, which was funded via Kickstarter in 2017.

That original campaign saw London-based developer Henrique Olifiers (co-founder of game maker Bossa Studios) deliver 3,000 units to backers – the last of which were shipped earlier this year.

But now the new Wi-Fi enabled device will include a faster processor, double the memory (1MB of RAM compared to 512KB of the orginal), 256×192 colour mode, and 640×256 high resolution mode.

Essentially, video output will be RGB, VGA, and HDMI.

Storage wise there will be a SD Card slot, two joystick ports, a PS/2 port, and even tape support, to allow users to load original Spectrum games with tape cassettes!

There is an optional accelerator board offering a GPU; a 1GHz CPU; and a hefty 512Mb RAM.

A video of the device can be found here.

“The ZX Spectrum was a revolution in personal computing whose impact is still felt to this very day, 38 years after its original launch by Sinclair,” wrote Olifiers. “A generation of developers, artists and designers took their first steps into the art of software development using a Spectrum, a machine that broke out of a computing niche to touch the hearts of millions of people around the world.”

“Few memories are as powerful as finding a Spectrum under your Xmas tree or as a birthday gift, unboxing it to unveil an icon of design whose ease of use got people from all walks of life into programming and gaming,” he added. “So powerful was the impact of the Spectrum that new games and apps are still produced for it to this very day, making it one of the most enduring machines of all time.”