Geeks and gamers with a fetish for all things retro may soon be able to pick up a new model of the Spectrum, one of the first home computers enjoyed by millions of children in the 1980s and often credited with kick-starting the British tech industry.
The initiative marks a return to prominence for Sir Clive Sinclair, Spectrum?s colourful 74-year-old inventor who designed the world?s first pocket calculator and the ZX80, Britain?s first mass-market home computer which was launched in 1980.
Sir Clive has unveiled a crowdfunding campaign for the new Sinclair Spectrum Vega, 32 years after rolling out the first ZX Spectrum. It has raised £1,900 and needs £100,000 in the next two months for the initial production to go ahead.
A prototype is ready; it takes advantage of huge leaps in processing power to let users squeeze all 14,000 of the original games on to the device, including favourites like Chuckie Egg, Horace Goes Skiing and Jet Set Willy.
The new microcomputer will cost £100 and comes with 1,000 games preloaded. Users will be able to download additional games for free online and, like the original Spectrum with its vulcanised rubber keyboard and cheery rainbow branding, plugs straight into the television without the need for a traditional screen or monitor.
Continued Sinclair launches new Spectrum computer
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