ZX Spectrum Next | Nostalgia Nerd

[@MartinPaoloni]

Man, you can tell this is the product of true love and dedication!

[@nofoxtugiv7377]

Every IT worker ever: "Just RTFM" Also every IT worker ever: "Nah, I don't need to read that manual" Narrator: "He needed to read the manual."

[@allahspreadshate6486]

When I read that last line I hear Morgan Freeman's voice in my head.

[@roberthayden5103]

Awesome.

[@xronos76]

​@@allahspreadshate6486 I heard the one from David Attenborough 😂

[@MetalJesusRocks]

I want to THANK YOU for this video, as it helped me wrap my head around the ZX Spectrum Next this week for my own video. Cheers! 🍻

[@deneb_tm]

Despite the Speccy or other home micros being way before my time, I love projects like this that intend to give you a close-to-original experience in a more modern, enhanced, but still authentic package without resorting to emulation. I'm amazed how well executed this one is; the fact that this is a passion project three years in the making really shows.

[@cjbael]

The ZX Spectrum was my childhood machine and nothing else has brought me as much joy since then machine-wise. I need the Next I think, that nostalgia in my life.

[@vguyver2]

These folks have poured in so much effort and love into this release that it has shamed every other console and PC re-release that has come out to date. This is a system that I just missed out on growing up, and I'm incredibly impressed with the work done here and I can see the appreciation fans will have for this product.

[@ecernosoft3096]

sega cough cough sonic generations cough ;) I love how they removed S1, 2, 3&K, and CD from Steam despite us having the easy ability to EMULATE.

[@NOLNV1]

That rendition of Only You at the end was suddenly really touching. This machine seems to be such a labour of love!

[@BuddyLuvve]

I just ran across this old episode and I really want that midi file now!!! Anyone know where to find it?? 😁🤞

[@flux1969]

Oh those were the days when instruction manuals came in the size of Tomes and all in one language,not like today when it's 5 pages the size of a piece of toilet paper in 10 languages.

[@kensmith5694]

... or in the other case there may be an entire shelf of books all about "beginning C++". With the ZX, you could pick up programming in a few days.

[@DarkSideofSynth]

Yep! I recently found my good old 48K but the manual got lost :( It was really good, I spent hours with that little sucker. Not only were manuals good but for some appliances they also provided details schematics, diagrams of the interal components and circuits - Louis Rossmann's wet dream, I guess :)) Nowadays, they have entire chapters on telling you not to pour water over your device, and basic common sense stuff like that.

[@KB1UIF]

Right now if it was toilet paper it would be more useful than the manual !!! Love the Video. I need to get one and re-live the past.

[@Spank1973]

I remember that the 28K spectrum came with an instruction cassette. the first thing it showed was how to set the computer up, which was useless as you had to set it up to play the cassette.

[@skechyassmofo]

*Not like today, where you can look it up online and as a result, the environment is saved as less trees are chopped down for paper.

[@miguelnglopes]

When I got my Speccy back in 83 I couldn't care less about scratches :D That said, I *need* one of these, to rekindle my love for computers.

[@bluebull399]

When I was 8 years old I painted my 128K +2 white with tipex. It seems like a cool thing to do at the time.

[@manni1998]

Miguel Lopes www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-2

[@Zobbster]

I just watched an hour long review of something I'll never buy and have zero nostalgic appreciation for - I bloody love your content Peter!

[@Nostalgianerd]

I'm glad you do! Thanks!

[@lrd233]

I did the exact same thing!

[@moonman8055]

I hear choking sounds

[@bawlout9367]

Its the inner nerd in us.

[@Dinnye01]

You have to watch it in headphones. Seriously the sounds he make is somewhere inbetween ASMR (which parts I had to swiftly fast forward) and porn (no offense). But the content is real nice otherwise.

[@CoolHandJames]

"I don't want this to be an hour long seminar" Makes hour long seminar anyway. Great video

[@ZZKJ396]

Don't need it, cant justify it, cant really afford it... but boy, I've gotta have one of these!

[@volo870]

Getting similar convenience with real hardware would cost more... But "convenience" was never a part of Speccy fun!

[@TrystansWorkbench]

Sell a kidney!

[@ZZKJ396]

@Monty Python the Flying Circus It’s an FPGA, in a sense, there is no emulation, it’s a virtual predefined circuit. This means zero lag, unlike emulation. Also, since it’s an FPGA, there’s nothing to stop it say, load an Amstrad CPC core and boom you’ve got a CPC. Never mind it has a tonne of old school I/O for interfacing with original peripherals. And then there’s the lovey SNES style enhanced mode.

[@ZZKJ396]

@Monty Python the Flying Circus Actually I was a commercial Z80 games coder back in the day and this interests me on that level, I prefer to code assembler on a hardware platform and this will allow me to do that on modern hardware. The new "Next" features attract me too, hardware sprites etc. You can’t emulate them. BTW here’s is one of my old z80 CPC titles... kzbin.info/www/bejne/qn7JqJWhibtjb68 Oh, and there is no mention of loading new FPGA cores in the video "dummy". You can’t do this with a PC emulator!

[@diederick76]

Also, don't have room for it.

[@thehotyounggrandpas8207]

At my age I must ask myself the question: Do my kids really need all that food? And I must suppose the answer is no.

[@DaveMcGarry]

Well it's good to fast for Lent :)

[@oopsimdead2578]

kids are resourceful. if they get hungry they'll figure something out.

[@SupermotoZach]

😂

[@wordmerchant3225]

Also: do you really need all those kids?

[@keelbyman]

😂🤣

[@markslima1557]

When I was a kid my older brother introduced me to the Time Sinclair 1000 which blew me away - and then he purchased a silver Sinclair 2048 which looked so futuristic. This video brings back all those feelings thanks!

[@BocaRetroGames]

What a masterpiece( your video, and the next )! I'm Brazilian myself but never used a tk90 because I'm a little younger than the creators of the next, as my first pc was a 386 in late 93, but wow! It really makes me want to get one myself. The only contact I had with a Zx spectrum was through emulators, and only recently around 2 years ago. It really seems the real deal to get. Into spectrum world! Tks once again for entertainment!

[@magnus87]

Incredible, you can see the love for the ZX Spectrum in this product

[@robintst]

Damn, this thing is fully loaded, I'm thoroughly impressed.

[@Muzer0]

Oh my god. This just looks so perfect. I collect 1980s/early 1990s computers and games consoles, and I've never before seen a modern update of one of these that I actually like the look of. This is the first ever exception. I absolutely need one of these. Thanks for drawing it to my attention!

[@greenhowie]

After the Vega+ I am SO ready for this to actually work.

[@Nostalgianerd]

It's really in another league.

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

I hope the guys over at "8-bit Guy" watch this to prepare their "Commander X16" project, which is very similar to this in many ways.

[@chrisfratz]

Similar in concept, but not in execution

[@JustWasted3HoursHere]

@@chrisfratz True.

[@shortbreadhead]

This will probably sound daft but this video made me feel so at home. It's a part of my childhood I had somehow forgotten. We never owned a ZX Spectrum but I remember now that a friend did and every chance I got for an excuse to play it we were, Head over heels, Dizzy, those are just two of the ones I remember spending a lot of time with. I'd love to get this system now and genuinely spend a lot of time with it, I feel like I'd get right into coding, no matter how dated it may be, and the Next Daw seems brilliant, as a sound engineer and musician I'd just push it to its limits and find that spark I've been missing in my music lately. I honestly wish I could sit down with you and have a proper guided tour of how to do everything because you seem to love it just as much as I know I will, and this video has more than sold it to me. I've just moved to a new place and was considering getting a CRT for my bedroom to game on and get my old (salvageable) VHS tapes to watch, which I've been more than excited about (plus I know my cats can't knock over a hefty CRT when they go mental haha). Genuinely enjoyed this video man, I'd love to see more about this once you've fiddled with it more, even a crash course on how to do certain things or some basic coding. Sorry for the long comment, this just really hyped me up

[@stevebrown1974]

Ahh the glorious sound of the AY sound chip, takes me right back to my bedroom in the 80s. Could listen to it for hours!

[@captainblood9616]

Yea man those Ocean titles had some great music, for me the music from Barbarian on the Amstrad CPC was jaw dropping

[@RasVoja]

Love the Spectrum Next, alongside MEGA 65 and Apollo Vampire, best recreations plus upgrades of Classics for this time!

[@SirDimpls]

omg this is an incredible machine, so much love went into it! thank you for making the high quality review that it deserves 💜

[@aaronmicalowe]

It's rare that I watch a video this long but you kept my attention the whole way. Nicely done!

[@keratas]

Just when I got Yazoo out of my head after several months of it being an ear worm, you make this video. Cheers mate!

[@Decipher13]

keratas it’s amazing that even in chip tune form I recognized it immediately. Such a great song (though I know it as being by “Yaz” here in North America)

[@edcoolidge]

Never owned or even used a Spectrum, but I'd have to admit that the whole package and setup is damn slick for a neo-retro machine. A fine recreation of the original systems, yet extends them with many amenities that fans in the 80s could only dream of. Clearly a labor of love from a deeply passionate fanbase. Cheers!

[@FastTquick]

I really liked the questions you asked in the middle of the video. Your Jet Set Willy answer really killed me. 😂 On a more serious note: I personally wish for a new Commodore Amiga computer to be released for modern audiences. Especially for NTSC gamers like me who missed out on its full potential back in the day.

[@richardistvanthier5620]

I never owned a spectrum, but must tell this project actually looks much more awsome and polished than I expected from just the title. I think it can be interesting even for people who never had any prior experience ever. So much work has been visibly put into this machine! Also great review!

[@Tim_3100]

Really love the design of this

[@bill5974]

Aaaaaah, fond memories. I still have my ZX81 in a box in my cave of ultimate manliness (my shed).

[@Trevorodunne]

The Best review I have seen for the ZX Spectrum Next thumbs up

[@TheRetroByte]

Deffinetly a job well done 👍

[@slightlytwistedagain]

My first computer was a Spectrum+ so the design of the Next is really nostalgic for me.

[@lancashirered]

I had a 128k+ and I still have it.

[@markdempsey7286]

My first computer was the spectrum 16k with a 48k upgrade pack santa gave me later that year. All the way from the 80s in New Zealand. Then progressed to the c64 with...

[@JETJOOBOY]

@@markdempsey7286' "PROGRESSED" to the C64'?!?!?!? Wash your MOOTH OOT!

[@mizmera]

First one was also spectrum +. What a memory. Loved it to bits. Got a multiface 1 and interface 1 with 2 microdrives later. Even though everybody complained about the microdrives... I LOVED them. Loaded like a dream and snapshotted games to them. Can still even remembet the commands. Wish I could get a Next now.

[@Schming]

Trap Door made me feel so nostalgic. It was my favourite game on the Spectrum, even given how hard it was. The +2A/2B/+3 (which I find very little knowledge about online, but I'm sure it was called this) was my first computer, and I miss it so. Had suitcases full of games. This was in the early 90s when getting the games was so easy from car boot sales - Daley Thompson's Decathlon for 20p? Ok. - I've long dreamed of getting another speccy and restoring it, but this vid has convinced me I should probably just get one of these :)

[@rodentoftheastrowaste1414]

14:53 A still from "The Prisoner" on their website ? Okay, i'm sold.

[@Weissenschenkel]

I grew up in Brazil around TK82C, TK85 and also TK90X (color) starting in 1985. I'm mesmerized by this presentation!

[@manni1998]

AltSysRqSync www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-2

[@ropersonline]

23:03: "The nice thing about this monitor is, it gives you the correct aspect ratio." I'm pretty sure that's a 5:4 LCD, not a 4:3 screen, but from the rest of the video, the aspect ratio seems to get corrected with letterboxing, and if that's what it is, then yes. It's true that sadly many 5:4 default to stretching or don't even support that, so yeah, nice to find a display that gets this right.

[@skeezixcodejedi]

I'm with Sean D there .. saw a few of the Brit micros, but was mostly Commodore and Atari over here in Ontario Canada; but man, thats a sexy looking beastie. Makes all the other recent 'mini' projects some completely amateurish by comparison. The amount of effort in the case, firmware, manual, out standing. I've been designing my own from-scratch little computers for awhile, and just looking at making a case and keyboard (3d print, etc) is a nightmare and going to suck; to go through and do molds and make all that, its a tonne of effort and expense. Super kudos to them.. ... and to you, thanks for the amazing video!

[@FromTheCabin]

"Yodel delivered it" Lucky it's not on fire then.

[@_Piers_]

...or in a pond.

[@Moggster23]

....Or thrown over a garden fence (I speak from experience).

[@user-yv2cz8oj1k]

Or that it isn't thrown over a garden fence, in a pond, and on fire... I know the odds are smaller but I wouldn't put it past them.

[@therealpuzzlecube3123]

7:39 "soothing sounds of elegance" sounds elegant

[@Daz555Daz]

I've ignored ALL the other videos on this one. Waiting for the 'Nerd to give us the low down.

[@DJlegionuk]

yes so did I

[@swanningabout]

The low down? Speak properly

[@PointsofData]

@@swanningabout aight dawg cool your jets

[@therealdutchidiot]

Those final remarks about understanding. So much YES. I've been working on an FPGA IBM clone for about 6 months now, and digging up the documentation, putting in the hardware blocks, programming a BIOS, etc etc have made me understand so much more about that platform.

[@mni6606]

Can't wait until I receive my Accelerated Next. Looks Amazing :-)

[@SpectrumNez]

Awesome video man! Thanks for so much detail! I now feel prepared for the arrival of my new baby! 🕹

[@jrs4516]

> pulls out manual as big as computer NN: "it's pretty concise"

[@howardg2010]

He meant "comprehensive" I reckon.

[@DeviantDeveloper]

I was 8 when I got my ZX Spectrum 48K+ for Christmas. I'm now a professional software developer and love tech as much as I did on that day. I'm welling up ;)....

[@Estorium]

I always wanted a Speccy as a kid. I did have a BBC Micro and Commodore 64 (I also got both when I was 8 years old), and so my programming career began too :D

[@IrregularShed]

Gonna have to correct you in the joystick situation, old bean. The Sinclair Interface 2 used the same pinout as what you're calling Kempston. It wasn't until Amstrad took over that they started messing around with incompatible-but-physically-identical connectors for no reason other than to give Lord Shuggs a chance of shifting inferior branded joysticks at a hefty markup.

[@chaos.corner]

I was pretty sure I remembered it that way. I actually had one of his joysticks. I was never a joystick fan but I remember it wasn't as good as others.

[@WacKEDmaN]

interesting story about joysticks on the CPC from when i was about 10yo.. i rewired a few old no name console and C64 joysticks to work with the cpc...first time i tryed it cpc was running, joystick was plugged in, and i tried soldering the wires to the joystick pots,and fried the IO chip!. keyboard was spitting out wrong or multiple keypresses and joystick was going crazy. i ended up getting it fixed about 6months later. it got socketed (luckly)..coz i did exactly the same thing again not long after i got it back!..i managed to just buy the chip and replace it myself.. i learnt about ESD the hard way!

[@IrregularShed]

@@chaos.corner They were dreadful. DREADFUL! Weak, spongy things. As bad as the C64Mini's effort. Yuck.

[@TheTurnipKing]

Accurately, the joysticks were Atari standard. There's so such thing as a "kempston joystick", that's the name of the interface itself, and the difference is purely in how the interface presents each atari joystick to the machine. The point about Amstrad futzing with the Atari joystick standard in the +2 and up is entirely accurate, though.

[@TheTurnipKing]

@@IrregularShed Honestly, I'd take the C64mini's joystick over an SJS1 or 2. It's not great, and taints the very reputation of the stick that it's cloning, but the Amstrad joysticks were absolutely abhorrent.

[@richardharding760]

ZX Spectrums got me into computing in the 80's, and this is what i think i have missed all these years, retro rules!!!!

[@TanjoGalbi]

I missed out on the kickstarter :( I so much wanted to get it but at the time I did not have the money. When I did have the money available the kickstarter had closed, I was gutted. Now I have learnt that they will not be selling them even from their own web site but instead are thinking about doing a second kickstarter for people who missed out the first time. I really hope they do, I would jump on that as soon as possible. Let's hope they do it, or better still just start providing sales on their site on a build to order basis, I'd wait for mine to be built if I could pay now :)

[@BertGrink]

I feel exactly the same

[@HAVOCJKD]

2nd one is underway and already fully funded...now we are on stretch goals!

[@paulie-g]

@@HAVOCJKD Yes, but they want $400 this time and that's frankly beyond reason, imho. A custom-designed FPGA board with a custom case and keyboard are an expensive proposition. Frankly, I've no idea how they managed to do that for the ~$200-250 they sold it for last time around. However, given that they have, the price hike is a bit excessive as they already have the molds. A Mister FPGA setup is a much better bet at this point if you've got the skills to set it up and use it. As nice as the Next is, $400 is hard to justify for what it is unless someone's got an unlimited money cheat ;)

[@HAVOCJKD]

@@paulie-g mainly because they got absolutely ravaged on VAT and lost money on it the first time. With the stretch goals already smashing, its actually getting better by the day. And when all is said and done its a luxury item - I'd take this over a PS4 or next gen console if it was an either/or tbh. But, its also a free world and market - I just was letting you know that they are running again I pledged:)

[@manni1998]

Galbi 3000 www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-2

[@carolstrachan4197]

Remember well the original ZX we bought in 1984. I was hooked on computing right then and still hooked now. I went on to do 5 years in higher ed and ended up in the Computing School at Abertay Uni. I cannot live without a computer.

[@fumanchu4785]

It's all good... You don't have to. You even won't be able to in the future anyway! :)

[@BobMonkeypimp]

Kieren Hawken will be along soon to claim he designed it.

[@jameskrych7767]

LOL!

[@ACanOfBakedBeans]

nah... He'll just claim he designed all the games on it. LMAO

[@macbuff81]

My first computer was an Amiga Commodore 500 back in the 80s and early 90s as a kid. I loved it :)

[@3dmaster205]

Hold on, I saw a mouse! WASD+Mouse... where's the Doom port for the ZX Spectrum Next; you could have a non-accelerated Doom for that classic 15FPS dos version, or a fully accelerated Doom for the accelerated next, to get buttery smooth however many frames the Spectrum can out put per second Doom! If it can run on a bloody calculator, the ZX Spectrum Next should get a Doom port too!

[@chaos.corner]

Someone is working on a Wolfenstein clone.

[@alexandruianu8432]

Ray cast games will work fine without acceleration. Even a Doom-like engine, which is a bit more complex may work fine if written in assembly. Currently 28MHz mode is more like 24MHz due to memory wait states, but the Z80N instruction set is expanded, and there's a DMA and Copper, AND the ULA replacement has an advanced sprite engine with a minimum guaranteed 100 sprites per scan line.

[@TheTurnipKing]

point of order: Doom doesn't need a mouse, and infact it's only source ports that made it particuarly usable. (The original Doom doesn't allow for looking up and down, so vertical movement is translated to forwards and back in the original Doom). I think there is a TRDOS FPS for Spectrum compatibles ( www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/3v7cFGneuaw?wmode=transparent&iv_load_policy=3&autoplay=1&html5=1&showinfo=0&rel=0&modestbranding=1&playsinline=1&theme=light ), but I don't know how that would work on a Next, since it doesn't actually have a disk interface. Though CPUwise, it ought to pretty much Rip and Tear. There's also a native Next Wolf3D in progress. ( kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJq9foeZqq6ph9k ) So, both possibilities are catered for ;)

[@3dmaster205]

@@TheTurnipKing No, you want that mouse; even if you can't look up and down, mouse look is too powerful for you not to have it. Also, this would be a source port, so looking up and down with the mouse can be implemented. And that TRDos thing; that's not Doom; I'm talking about actual doom with the actual levels.

[@yellowblanka6058]

DOS Doom capped out at 35 FPS, of course if you were running near/below min spec I imagine it wouldn't run great.

[@tonyburn]

Great video. Had a Spectrum as a kid, even the ZX80 and ZX81 beforehand in kit form. Of course its an age thing but I just loved this computer. Going into school to trade 'pokes' to hack games and get extra lives, I loved every minute of that era.

[@RoseTintedSpectrum]

Finally got around to watching this, and with one pledged on the second KS I'm now just even more excited. Also, I appreciated your off-camera chortle at "Bitboozled". It pretty much matched my own.

[@DaveF.]

What a wonderful machine - I'm loving my C64 Maxi, but it's clear this is a labour of love and enthusiasm, while the C64 is a purely commercial offering. I was never a Spectrum user, and wouldn't plonk down £200 on this myself - but, by god, if someone did this for the BBC micro, I'll be on it like a shot.

[@6581punk]

Well this is a unit which can do more than a Spectrum could ever do. Three AY sound chips, 256 colours and more. The Commodore equivalent will be the C65 recreation.

[@DaveF.]

@@6581punk Oh, absolutely - the only reason I brought the C64 Maxi was to a) support it, b) the joystick and c) the real keyboard. Still not a replacement for my real C64s, but it's nice to have something that just works. This is clearly a wonderful machine. But, again, not a spectrum fan, really - this is still marvellous. Again - would love someone to do this with the BBC Micro.

[@6581punk]

@@DaveF. I'm not big on emulation but I did think of getting a maxi do to something really odd and that is to try to hack a mechanical (cherry switches) keyboard into it.

[@musicgaribiasillo]

Thanks for giving NextDAW a cameo! :)

[@TotemSP2]

22:11 mick?? Is that for Mickrophones?

[@Daemonarch2k6]

I was the typical commodore guy in the 80's... Literally knew nobody with a sinclair, but this machine seems to be awesome. It would be extraordinary, if someone would build an c64 or amiga with that amount of love.

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

This got CP/M ? I'm in now. That is way interesting.

[@VictorTrucco]

Thanks for the review, very complete!

[@MudSluggerBP]

Might have to get one of these, just to play Stunt Car Racer at those higher MHz. I bloody love SCR ❤️

[@chindleymuffin]

They did make a version for the Amiga, it was much smoother to play.

[@jopotzner]

This was a comprehensive and FANTASTIC review

[@leebumble]

SERIOUSLY looking forward to all the creativity coming soon, especially now that the hardware has finally been released to enthusiasts across the planet.

[@magicknight8412]

This sums it up perfectly and describes how I felt when I got mine! Bloody great machine indeed

[@DonnDeVoreMusic]

7:38 [Soothing sounds of elegance]

[@dlads79]

I as a lot of speccy owners will know (especially if you had the 48k version like me) The tapes especially if you had just switched on took a long time (sometimes) to get to work, so what I used to do is (amongst many many rituals) Simply continue to LOAD "" over and over, I think this also worked for me maybe because it cleaned the heads a little or even the tape, or the temp raised and that helped.. 9 times our of 10, on a cold boot when loading a game it usually didn't pick up the first part of loading (red and white /blue bars) repeating helps this. I used to lift the data recorder on its side too. Some of my games would only run this way? No idea why. If its a bad tape then there's nothing you can do. Thank you for the video. I had about 500 tapes for my 48k, no idea where they are anymore. Might invest in one of these..

[@meditationmusicbyalexjackson]

Dude, you warped the box when you made love to it with your hands

[@TheAnkMan]

Peter later did some petting to the keyboard

[@retrocomputeruser]

I have one of these "Early Bird" version and also "just the board" version. I am still using the board version because it already has all the upgrades fitted. I have got all the upgraded parts for the cased version, but for now I am going to keep this in the box as it is. I started a "DIY Upgrade Components" on the ZX Spectrum Next forum which did quite well.

[@LastofAvari]

2:41 "It feels like a Spectrum should, but not crap" © 2020 Nostalgia Nerd :)

[@bonzobanana1]

Super impressed how well they have done this and just watching this video has given me a huge nostalgia buzz. I know I'd enjoy it immensely for the first day, use it for a week and then it would be forgotten.

[@polyesterlynx2479]

I want to get in on 2nd run

[@insoft_uk]

Polyester Lynx it’s worth it, NEXT is an awesome machine, it’s worth funding the KS2 when it starts.

[@realbluemeat]

And have/did you? :-)

[@kevin12567]

I never had a ZX Spectrum back in the day as I live in North America, but the new implementation with the enhanced features makes it look like the ultimate "fantasy" retro computer...in actual hardware! NextBASIC looks like it'll be a lot of fun to code with! I'd really like to get one to experience that feeling all over again of getting a new retro-style computer and seeing what I can do with it!

[@tychothefriendlymonolith]

They broke out *every pin* on the FPGA? Thats almost unheard of, and is just ripe for mods.

[@xnonsuchx]

"It feels like a Spectrum should, but not crap." So NOT like a Spectrum!? ;-)

[@hjalfi]

I came here to post precisely this.

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

This is a valid point, the original ones were built to be cheap and inexpensive so everyone could have one. On theory.

[@ACanOfBakedBeans]

@@AlejandroRodolfoMendez It's INEXPENSIVE. UNEXPENSIVE isn't a word

[@AlejandroRodolfoMendez]

@@ACanOfBakedBeans Sorry I have a typo

[@Naxt366]

And with sprites. So nearly, a C64

[@madson-web]

Props for the devs. It looks awesome. For me it is like the c64 Mini should've been.

[@FloatingFatMan]

It'd be interesting to hear what Sir Clive himself thinks of this machine...

[@isrbillmeyer]

My first thought as well.

[@bluebull399]

I reckon Clive is a Rasberry Pi fan. Think about it, the PI is a modern day equivalent of the Spectrum. It is definitely built around the same strategy, doing everything as cheaply as humanly possible.

[@badscrewold3162]

@@bluebull399 I doubt it. To much Acorn heritage in RPi for Sir Clive to be a fan of :)))

[@Starchface]

Bloody brilliant machine. The Spectrum Next is clearly the product of a tremendous effort. The software and hardware are beautifully implemented and the aesthetics are top notch. They really thought of everything. I was never a fan of the old Spectrum but this Next speaks to me.

[@deagt3388]

Bring so many memories back, my first computer. I wanna have it again! ;-)

[@WHatchitW]

Says " I don't want this to be an hour long seminar." Ends up being 58 minute seminar. lulz

[@matthewcampbell3146]

technically not an hour

[@TobyDeshane]

As an American (who started on a ZX81, briefly!), who's only enjoyed reading about the ZX Spectrum in people's personal stories, retro gaming articles, and so forth, I've always enjoyed seeing another part of the world with a completely different 80s home computer landscape. But I've also developed a weird fondness for the Spectrum through that exposure, and was interested in picking one up. I never did, though. It didn't seem to be worth the effort to import and deal with the PSU/PAL differences. But then I heard about the Next, and saw THIS video going through it, and... well... I'm quite happy to be an early bird backer for Issue 2. :) Thanks, man.

[@kissfan003]

I find this very interesting being from the US. My first PC was a 386 so I got into this game very late. This is awesome! Well done!

[@genghisbunny]

"The keyboard feels... Better" It couldn't honestly feel worse than an original.

[@seraphinberktold7087]

Oh well, the keyboards from the Plus-Versions onwards were quite good, actually. I had no problems with those. The original rubber keyboard of the first Spectrums looks terriffic (design) but takes a little getting used to. But again, it was acceptable for typing and quite good for gaming.

[@NimbusCumulus]

The original Spectrum’s keyboard was great when playing Daley Thomson’s Decathlon (and similar games).

[@ZZR600E3]

I just love "It feels like a Spectrum should, just not crap!"

[@genghisbunny]

I understand that the keyboard had to be cheap to fit the budget of the computer, and that therefore you couldn't have a great experience typing on it. And I appreciate that it's part of the charm of the old British PC platforms that they made these cost compromises in different ways to one another. But nobody would deliberately make a keyboard that way if they were less constrained.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

The feel of the Spectrum keyboard... Oh boy, talk about nostalgia! Personally I actually preferred the original rubber keyboard over the QL:esque keyboard on the 128K model. I can't remember ever touching any of the later (+2 and +3?) versions so I can't really say anything about those. But as I remember it the keys on the 128K version tended to bind up if you didn't press the exact middle of them. The rubber keyboard might not have looked as nice, but at least it didn't bind if you pushed them on the edge. And in the video it was mentioned that the weird input method where a single key press could result in a complete basic command being input was used to save memory. This needs a bit more explanation for those who wasn't there at the time. This input method was inherited from the ZX80 and ZX82, computers that had a massive 1KB or 1024 bytes of memory. Just to give you some idea of how little that is just the display, which was character mapped with 32 x 24 characters, takes up 768 bytes, leaving only 256 bytes for program, variables and control data. (Wikipedia claims it was 384 bytes, but I can't get this to compute...) To make the computer at least minimally usable without a memory expansion card several techniques were used. First of all the display memory was assigned as needed so if you limited the output to lets say one row at the top of the screen then that would leave a lot more memory, something like 990 bytes (according to Wikipedia) available for programs and such. To conserve more memory the commands in ZX Basic was assigned a number and stored as a single character. So instead of storing a command like "GOTO" as four letters and a space it was stored as one byte. To avoid having to do the translation between text and the codes each keypress would generate the correct code for a complete command in the editor. The Spectrum was basically a ZX81 on steroids. A lot of the functionality and the Basic was lifted from the ZX81 and enhanced to support the new functionality. Even though the new machine had much more memory, 16KB or 48KB, it retained the Basic editor and method to store the Basic code. However it didn't retain the character mapped display but instead used a bitmapped screen buffer taking up 256*192/8 bytes or 6KB for the bitmap, and a 32*24 grid for color (foreground and background) and attribute (normal or bright, solid or blinking) information taking up a further 768 bytes for a total of 6912 bytes.

[@Dragonblaster1]

I think the reason old-school computer games was so much fun was simply the fact that they _didn't_ have photorealistic graphics with soft shadows and anti-aliasing, surround sound and ambient occlusion. They had simple sprites, with cleverly-chosen pixel colours to suggest at details, very rudimentary sound and not much else... except gameplay. My favourite game at the moment is probably XCOM 2. However, I still sometimes play the original on Steam. XCOM 2 is fast, exciting and engaging. UFO: Enemy Unknown (US title, "XCOM: UFO Defense) is _scary._ Having your blocky soldiers tramping through a cornfield, the only background a quiet heart-beaty grunt of music... then a shot comes out of nowhere, just missing a soldier. Then another, and he's down! OK, they're in the farm buildings. Throw some smoke, pronto! NOW, Goddamnit! XCOM 2 is a fan-made sequel, and does nod to many of the aspects of the original. But it's not scary.

[@Deftonesdsm]

This is what all those retro gaming machines should be. Kinda wish the PC like this worked in U.S. back in the day. Yes we had ibm pcs and floppies but i think we would have learned more code with these machines

[@RetroGamebloke]

Fun fact. The C64 was first inspired by Clive Sinclair, as Jack Tramiel admired Sir Clive's make it cheap, sell loads philosophy. So C64 fans owe a debt to Sinclair :)

[@lanta-darren]

One of the best reviews I've watched on Speccy Next. Until today I didn't even know it was a thing. I was tapping out BASIC on my 48k+ and then 128k in the mid 80s and early 90s before 'coding' was a thing. That early knowledge and experience is what still pays my bills today across a range of languages. What a cool machine. It looks like the people that built it made it into a real labour of love, it's really impressive. What's next? A revival of Your Sinclair?! 🤔😂

[@manni1998]

Darren James www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectrumnext/zx-spectrum-next-issue-2

[@somerandomblokeybloke6033]

This is the next video i've been waiting for instead of all the crappy unboxing videos. You've really given us an insight as to what is like to own and use one. I'll be watching out for that second Kickstarter 😊

[@othersideguy16]

"I don't want this video to be an hour long seminar" 57 minutes, eh its technically not an hour

[@philrob1978]

I'm only 10mins in, but this is SO exciting, I want one! EDIT: Finished. This is one beautiful machine. Thanks so much for going into all the detail. I'll definitely be looking out for that 2nd Kickstarter.

[@speedbird737]

just received my new Spectrum Next (kickstarter 2 version!) another 3 years after this video (KS1)

[@insoft_uk]

I need to lick 👅 mine now. If Octav1us doesn’t have one bet she nicks his.

[@PaulYoung99s]

Thank you very much I received my Next last week with great excitement. I agree with you that it is a beautifully designed machine with a huge amount of attention to detail. Over the last few days I have sorted out box loads of Sinclair hardware and software that has been in my loft untouched for at least 20 years, and am now having so much fun. There is so much going on in my head about all the things I want to do with the machine immediately, but I must slow down and focus :-) In my haste I missed some important and useful functions that you highlight here, so thank you. I too am upgrading my base version, so it was was very helpful to see you do this too. Originally I saw the Next as a machine that would allow me to do my old Spectrum stuff in a neat modernised package - e.g in-built, snapshot SD card, joystick ports, and connectivity to a modern monitor. I now realise it is a lot more than just this, and there are many "new" things I can do with it. I can't praise the people who made this happen more than enough.

[@johnwilliams7999]

who's watching this in 2023 waiting on issue 2?

[@Ralph-yn3gr]

I just got mine in the mail this evening! It's real! It exists!

[@Kikker861]

Rick Dickinson's design is a swan song before the long goodnight. Rest well good man.

[@MrDaveP75]

Congratulations NN!. This video will become the defacto show-and-tell for anybody wanting to know more about this project and will hopefully encourage many more to back the 2nd KS.

[@BaneMcDeath]

That would be awesome (the handheld). I love seeing such devices and labors of love created.

[@BeyondTheScanlines]

As some waiting (sort of excitedly) for an Accelerated model to ship - really enjoyed this overview. Really answered a whole bunch of Q's, and I'm genuinely getting more and more excited as a result. Hopefully there's enough folk who jump on board for the second KS and make for a great little community of folks to enjoy the new wares. Heck, I know I'd love to put something together for one as well.

[@heidirichter]

As an Australian who has had no experience with the classic spectrum, nor even seen one in real life, I really appreciate all the detail in this video. I can certainly see the appeal of this for anyone who had a speccy back in the day, or even anyone like myself who likes the way these machines worked back in the day. I kept having to tell myself I don't NEED this while watching, and my poor Amiga 600 that hasn't even been plugged in for ages agrees, haha. Gosh, I'd love a version of this concept, done this well, for some of the machines I did have - the Atari 400 and Amiga 1200. Yes, I know about the vampire, and I believe there is something a bit like this for the Atari, but not like this...

[@AndySevern]

Superb choice of tape loader to show off how well it handles loading at 28:25 :) Gah! I remember coming in to work one morning to find my desk strewn with tape after the duplication depatment tried yet again to get this to master. Looks like they've done a SUPERB job on this.. I almost forgive them for not having the colours on the right of the case not light up.