Were you a gamer back in the 1980s? Did you ever have a Sinclair ZX Spectrum? And do you feel nostalgic for those simpler times? Sir Clive Sinclair, the man who brought you those simple pleasures, wants those good times to roll once again. And so, he has just broken his own crowdfunding record to bring to market an updated version of his initial Vega console.
The Indiegogo campaign raised the target sum of £100,000 within three days, and there is still a month to go. Last year’s campaign to fund the first Vega lasted 60 days.
The good-looking Vega+ handheld console (pictured) is based on the hugely successful Spectrum products of the early 1980s. The Vega+ comes with 1,000 licensed games included and with an LCD for you to use on the go.
The unit will sell at about £100 (€130) and can run any of the more than 14,000 games developed during the years when over five million of the original Sinclair Spectrum were sold. While it can’t connect to your tablet or your PC, it comes with a straight to TV connection so you can play it on the bigger screen.
Thousands Of Games
In Association with
The user will also be able to download additional games free of charge from the thousands available on the web, so there is no need to spend any more than the cost of the basic product.
It may be a bit retro but it doesn’t look it. Hiding under that slinky hood are some nifty electronics and clever software, which achieve big cost savings by replacing most of the drive train in Sinclair’s earlier computer products. So it may play retro games, but in a distinctly 21st century way.
Some real old retro-heads worked on the unit: it was developed by Chris Smith, an expert on Sinclair Spectrum technology and author of the definitive technical book The ZX Spectrum ULA: How to Design a Microcomputer. The design concept of the Vega+ is by Rick Dickinson, who was responsible for the design of all of Sinclair’s ZX computers back in the 80s.
Vega+ Perks
The Indiegogo page offers funders a range of perks, from a Vega prototype (only four exist) via an original Spectrum computer from 1982 — the one with the rubber keys! — or Vega+ concept art, an invite to the launch party, a tour of the factory, a subscriber-only model in blue, white or red, a standard production model, right down to the inscription of your name on the Roll of Honour — for £10!
And what of Sinclair himself? He believes that the success of the original ZX Spectrum was due to being “adaptable, approachable, very easy to program, and simple to use”. And of the Vega+ Sinclair says: “The present surge of interest in retro products inspired me to plan the Vega+ as a handy games console which can be played anywhere.”
