The up/down/left/right is supposed to be controlled by the thumb of one hand and the vega's arrangement is following the nintendo type of arrangement that allows a single thumb to control movement.
Also I wonder if you can do diagonal movements comfortably with a single thumb using this control?
Seems overpriced and, with no keyboard I don't see it working well.
It will do less than the original machine.
If it had keyboard, HDMI output, AY chip, ULA+ and some sort of web connectivity and/or virtual tape then yes, 100? might be interesting.
As it is, I'd rather get an obsolete laptop and run an emulator on it.
As it is, it has got AY, ULA+ and SD game support...
I'd also be very surprised if many of the other initial, unfounded or untrue shortcomings being mentioned in this thread had not been considered by Chris Smith.
There are workarounds for keyboard and key configuration. I'd also imagine, as with all other Spectrum models, any remaining problems on specific existing games will be hacked to run on this, and new games designed with it in mind.
I imagine that this is an emulator for an ARM CPU SOC stored on NAND. It will launch with a custom front end to load snapshots - no TZX files I'd imagine (unless they have access to Marko's flash-loader, which I don't think they do!).
Because it's a launcher, the games can be modified to use certain keys and bypass menus - traps would be easy to insert. Keys can be remapped before the snap starts. A simple config system would allow you to add your own snapshots, I'd assume.
The thing that nobody mentioned till now are the games and all legal stuff about them.
From DailyMail:
These games include an early version of Sim City, Manic Miner, Boulder Dash, Treasure Island Dizzy (pictured left) and Elite (pictured right), among others.
I really doubt that they own copyrights for all these 1000 games. While I personally strongly support making all these old games available for free, selling them for a price as a part of your product is a bit different thing.
I really wonder what's they are going to do about it.
The thing that nobody mentioned till now are the games and all legal stuff about them.
From DailyMail:
I really doubt that they own copyrights for all these 1000 games. While I personally strongly support making all these old games available for free, selling them for a price as a part of your product is a bit different thing.
I really wonder what's they are going to do about it.
They are getting permission from copyright holders but not offering to pay. Instead they are making a donation to charity.
I think that's a pretty terrible way to avoid paying for content - and little more than emotional blackmail for the devs. As this is a for-profit device I think they should pay copyright holders for content the are selling (for profit).
I'll be keeping an eye on this with interest. The fact that one of our own is involved in it makes things more positive.
I go back and forth about what I personally would want of a "new Spectrum" (Raspberry Pi dressed up with a rubber keyboard? A USB keyboard to plug into my PC for existing emulators? A C64TV style thing, which is kinda sorta what this looks like? An actual new modern machine with something like Dunny's SpecBAS? A trad Speccy but with Spectranet et al built in?), maybe this will turn out to be what I want on a day I have some money :D
Because it's a launcher, the games can be modified to use certain keys and bypass menus - traps would be easy to insert.
Are they really going to manually hack "around 1,000 games"?
If it had a full Speccy keyboard, there would be no need to hack anything.
Also if this device simply worked as front-end to internet sites (configured for WoS archive by default) and then downloaded tapes on demand, I suppose it would be legal to provide access to many more games without the need to license any of them? Same reason PC emulators don't need to license any games unless they are distributed inside their packages. Obviously this is not an option if they need to be hacked one by one.
I go back and forth about what I personally would want of a "new Spectrum"
I know exactly what an ideal Speccy games machine would look like:
A "plug-and-play" Speccy-like rubber keyboard to be connected to a modern TV. When activated, it would run a front-end application accessing the WoS archive so players could find, download and start any Speccy game in a matter of seconds. Also support for multiple savegame slots (as snapshots), with additional buttons for quickload/quicksave.
This would be user-friendly for casual players, providing the perfect "Speccy feeling" and making it possible to play every Speccy game. The initial menu could also give the option to simply load the ROM so casual users could have fun writing simple programs in BASIC and saving them as snapshots.
The technical implementation details don't really matter. This could be a standalone Speccy clone to be connected directly to a modern TV, or just a Speccy-like USB keyboard for OUYA/Android/iPhone/whatever that would be running the emulator and front-end application.
Overall I'm afraid the Elite Bluetooth keyboard was the right project in the wrong hands, and now Vega is the wrong project in the right hands :(
I know exactly what an ideal Speccy games machine would look like:
A "plug-and-play" Speccy-like rubber keyboard to be connected to a modern TV. When activated, it would run a front-end application accessing the WoS archive so players could find, download and start any Speccy game in a matter of seconds. Also support for multiple savegame slots (as snapshots), with additional buttons for quickload/quicksave.
If it sells well they may want to develop a keyboard interface.
Dunny's design looks far better. I guess this one intends to remind people of a rubber speccy.
I think the price is likely to be a bit less than ?100 on a final release. Sounds like initial investment would be a bit more expensive, although funding the project and gauging interest is the obvious advantage.
Actually yes, that would work. Except players outside the retro community won't know (or care) how to put it all together or use it properly.
Someone would need to develop a friendly front-end GUI, then sell the full "ready to go" packages containing a working ZX-Spectrum 48K with AV mod and Spectranet. Perhaps a good idea for yet another Kickstarter project?
People seem to be bashing it on two accounts. Keyboard and price.
Someone said that a keyboard can be plugged in, so not perhaps too bad if true.
We don't know how much it will be after the project is funded. ?100 is not perhaps the actual price. Could be ?50,could be ?700 who knows?
I'd be interested for ?50 is.
I wonder if Chris Smith is dissapointed over the beating the Vega has gotten here?
Nah, it's all irrelevant; negativity is the natural state of the Internet. Well, it's the natural state of people in general I think.
A bit like a massively, massively, scaled-down version of that poor bastard scientist who landed the probe on a comet and then just got totally slated online for wearing a ****e shirt with scantily clad women on it, rather than being congratulated for achieving something incredible.
It's made over 66% of its target in its first day on IndieGoGo, so I expect he's probably ecstatic if he's got any sense.
Comments
Q - Can I load my own Spectrum games onto the Vega?
A ? Yes it is possible to use an SD card to load more games onto the Vega
You can tell I've investigated this thoroughly!!!
Frankly I'm not concerned about the visual style, only about the number of keys.
Also I wonder if you can do diagonal movements comfortably with a single thumb using this control?
My bet is it's going to have an on-screen keyboard that can be brought into view when needed, navigable by the D-pad.
Not for me, sorry. I'll keep sticking to the real thing and PC-based emulation.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2857811/The-Spectrum-makes-comeback-Retro-gaming-computer-given-21st-century-makeover-plays-old-games.html
Download the latest version of Bomb Munchies Ver2210 4th July 2020
I was thinking the same thing. Most games use the number keys to select controls etc...
"I'm All Grown Up Now! Relaunched Speccy struggles to contain its curves"
(Accompanied by at least 50 different shots of a surprised-looking Spectrum)
Seems overpriced and, with no keyboard I don't see it working well.
It will do less than the original machine.
If it had keyboard, HDMI output, AY chip, ULA+ and some sort of web connectivity and/or virtual tape then yes, 100? might be interesting.
As it is, I'd rather get an obsolete laptop and run an emulator on it.
As it is, it has got AY, ULA+ and SD game support...
I'd also be very surprised if many of the other initial, unfounded or untrue shortcomings being mentioned in this thread had not been considered by Chris Smith.
There are workarounds for keyboard and key configuration. I'd also imagine, as with all other Spectrum models, any remaining problems on specific existing games will be hacked to run on this, and new games designed with it in mind.
Think it'll be more competitively priced after the 1st 1000 are shifted, in which case I'll probably have one.
Cant see the keypad working for Spectrum games though, they should replace it with a small 8 way thumb joystick.
Because it's a launcher, the games can be modified to use certain keys and bypass menus - traps would be easy to insert. Keys can be remapped before the snap starts. A simple config system would allow you to add your own snapshots, I'd assume.
Let's wait and see how it turns out.
D.
From DailyMail:
I really doubt that they own copyrights for all these 1000 games. While I personally strongly support making all these old games available for free, selling them for a price as a part of your product is a bit different thing.
I really wonder what's they are going to do about it.
They are getting permission from copyright holders but not offering to pay. Instead they are making a donation to charity.
I think that's a pretty terrible way to avoid paying for content - and little more than emotional blackmail for the devs. As this is a for-profit device I think they should pay copyright holders for content the are selling (for profit).
I think Elite showed us that there are far worse ways though ;)
I go back and forth about what I personally would want of a "new Spectrum" (Raspberry Pi dressed up with a rubber keyboard? A USB keyboard to plug into my PC for existing emulators? A C64TV style thing, which is kinda sorta what this looks like? An actual new modern machine with something like Dunny's SpecBAS? A trad Speccy but with Spectranet et al built in?), maybe this will turn out to be what I want on a day I have some money :D
Are they really going to manually hack "around 1,000 games"?
If it had a full Speccy keyboard, there would be no need to hack anything.
Also if this device simply worked as front-end to internet sites (configured for WoS archive by default) and then downloaded tapes on demand, I suppose it would be legal to provide access to many more games without the need to license any of them? Same reason PC emulators don't need to license any games unless they are distributed inside their packages. Obviously this is not an option if they need to be hacked one by one.
I agree but I'm still using FuseX on my original xbox and it does me just fine.
I know exactly what an ideal Speccy games machine would look like:
A "plug-and-play" Speccy-like rubber keyboard to be connected to a modern TV. When activated, it would run a front-end application accessing the WoS archive so players could find, download and start any Speccy game in a matter of seconds. Also support for multiple savegame slots (as snapshots), with additional buttons for quickload/quicksave.
This would be user-friendly for casual players, providing the perfect "Speccy feeling" and making it possible to play every Speccy game. The initial menu could also give the option to simply load the ROM so casual users could have fun writing simple programs in BASIC and saving them as snapshots.
The technical implementation details don't really matter. This could be a standalone Speccy clone to be connected directly to a modern TV, or just a Speccy-like USB keyboard for OUYA/Android/iPhone/whatever that would be running the emulator and front-end application.
Overall I'm afraid the Elite Bluetooth keyboard was the right project in the wrong hands, and now Vega is the wrong project in the right hands :(
Nicely put. :)
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
You just described a Spectrum with Spectranet :)
I'll do the front end... It'll never work or be finished, but hey, that's the speccy way, :D
The keyboard Plugin sounds promising.
Actually yes, that would work. Except players outside the retro community won't know (or care) how to put it all together or use it properly.
Someone would need to develop a friendly front-end GUI, then sell the full "ready to go" packages containing a working ZX-Spectrum 48K with AV mod and Spectranet. Perhaps a good idea for yet another Kickstarter project?
My games for the Spectrum: Dingo, The Speccies, The Speccies 2, Vallation, SQIJ.
Twitter: Sokurah
Someone said that a keyboard can be plugged in, so not perhaps too bad if true.
We don't know how much it will be after the project is funded. ?100 is not perhaps the actual price. Could be ?50,could be ?700 who knows?
I'd be interested for ?50 is.
A bit like a massively, massively, scaled-down version of that poor bastard scientist who landed the probe on a comet and then just got totally slated online for wearing a ****e shirt with scantily clad women on it, rather than being congratulated for achieving something incredible.
It's made over 66% of its target in its first day on IndieGoGo, so I expect he's probably ecstatic if he's got any sense.