So if I got one of these would it work with emulators on a PC? For example Spectaculator? I assume it will just work like a keyboard, but will the keys map to the correct Spectrum keys while in an emulator?
New, boxed versions of the bluetooth keyboard are "locked". If you do not unlock it, you can't use it as a regular bluetooth keyboard, and it can only play games from the official apps (which does not exist any more.)
Few emulators can work with the key bindings of the locked keyboard. (Also, I'd argue this shouldn't be the task of the emulator but rather the OS, or at least, something higher level than the emulators...)
To unlock the keyboard, you can either use the apps, or the web unlock page, both of them are also down now. And you have to accept their T&C to unlock it. There are also some other unofficial ways to unlock the keyboard though, but all of these ways are a lot of work for most people.
The locked version of the keyboard is basically a brick, and I'd really suggest you to get an unlocked one instead.
the devices now shipped unlocked. Mine, bought from Amazon UK in July, was unlocked and there was a note in the box saying so.
My preferred emulator, Fuse, is looking to support the keyboard in their next release (this month). The latest development snapshots work fine with it.
the devices now shipped unlocked. Mine, bought from Amazon UK in July, was unlocked and there was a note in the box saying so.
My preferred emulator, Fuse, is looking to support the keyboard in their next release (this month). The latest development snapshots work fine with it.
This is good news. I have one ordered and it is on the way. It's really the easiest way to get the best retro experience. Importing all the gear and trying to get it to run in the States would be a real headache.
Timmy, in order to unlock a locked keyboard you have to install the android app - the one at the homepage here- yourself, not via play store.
You have to enable installing of 3rd party applications at your device in order to do so.
I like the idea of getting one of these and putting a Pi 3 inside it, but I really don't need one (how many Spectrums do I really need??) so I'm hoping at some point the price drops to the £25 mark.
Well, not many people bought it for putting a rpi inside but rather leaving the rpi outside behind the TV and using its bluetooth capabilities to interact with it wirelessly.
As far as the market is concerned, buying it now is a bit of a gamble. Apparently, as a keyboard it has great potential but that only if 3rd party developers and programmers move towards supporting it in emulators and applications, as the developers of fuse are currently doing. Would really like the idea of an emulator running on a rpi or an android tv box which would support it seamlessly.
At the moment, most stores are trying to get rid of their stock by lowering the price, but if compatibility with more emulators increase and popularity of the device starts rising, prices will remain high or even increase again. If, on the other hand the project is left to its own devices, it would die and the price would drop more, but that would be a pity for such a device.
My preferred emulator, Fuse, is looking to support the keyboard in their next release (this month). The latest development snapshots work fine with it.
How do you get the latest development snapshot? I am looking here https://sourceforge.net/projects/fuse-emulator/ but it looks like this is the latest official release which came out in August. Is there a development version which I should be using for now with the Recreated Speccy?
So, as I understand it the Fuse developers are planning on adding support for the Recreated Spectrum in the next release. Will that be included in the Windows release? I know there is a patch that already exists for Fuse 1.1.1 but it looks like that is only for Linux based systems.
Are there any other emulator's with plans to add support for this device?
Are there any other emulator's with plans to add support for this device?
We'll just have to wait and see. If there is demand and more people buy this keyboard, I am sure compatibility with more emulators will be soon available.
You can always notify the author of your preferred emulator yourself to request this feature, though.
Technically it's quite an easy thing to support. Just a bunch of different keyboard mappings. So as japetus said, go and ask your preferred emulator developers for the feature. There's a pretty good chance they'll do it.
Are there any other emulator's with plans to add support for this device?
The better question is, why are you not asking the sellers to support them? It should certainly be supported by the people who sell them instead.
Why ask the emulator writers if they don't get any money for it? If those sellers don't want to do it, then the chances of many of the emulators having them is very, very slim.
And for the time being, don't underestimate the original app, it features a bunch of games that can be played with the keyboard as well as the standard 48 and128 basic to get your fingers moving.
C'mon Timmy why do you keep talking about bricks? It's not a brick, this keyboard is perfectly functional as a normal bluetooth one. Just because the original manufacturer dropped software support doesen't mean that the device is useless.
As for the sellers, how would they know? I agree that they have to be informed about alternative software availability, but it is not their job. They were given by their supplier a profit promising piece of equipment that -due to the known issues which were not of concernt to them- proved to be bad selling, so, market action, they lower the prices to get rid of the stock and minimize their lose.
If proper software support comes around as it starts now with fuse, I'm sure they will use it for their benefit rising up again the prices.
Anyway, as said, implementation on current software is not difficult, and I am sure that pretty soon most emulators that continue their development will eventually support it.
Are there any other emulator's with plans to add support for this device?
The better question is, why are you not asking the sellers to support them? It should certainly be supported by the people who sell them instead.
Why ask the emulator writers if they don't get any money for it? If those sellers don't want to do it, then the chances of many of the emulators having them is very, very slim.
Well the seller in my case was Amazon and it's not realistic to expect them to support every device they sell. They're just a retailer, as are most the organisations who sell these things.
The people who made it are, for whatever reason, walking away from it. They're not selling it anymore, they've pulled the app, and their website's support page offers next to nothing. As seen in other threads, their advice to any support question is to return the product for a refund, so asking them for better support is clearly going to be a waste of time.
It's a good quality piece of hardware and with emulator support deserves a place in the retro Speccy scene. That's the way forward, and IMHO it's worth pursuing.
I suspect that the reason Fuse is one of the first to support this device is that it's Linux (well, UNIX) focused, and Linux communities have always had the ethos that devices are there to be supported. The other emulator creators will probably want to support it too, once they realise there's a demand.
Well Spectaculator and Spin are my favorite emulators. It is worth asking I suppose, can't hurt.
So if I want to use Fuse with it I need to have Linux? I am no Linux expert although I have installed a few different versions in the past to have a look.
FUSE stands for Free UNIX Spectrum Emulator, and although the front page at Sourceforge says it's for UNIX, OSX and Windows, I can't see any Windows links or downloads. I've never used Windows and wouldn't know where to look for an executable. I wouldn't recommend you install Linux just for FUSE, especially as you'd currently have to do a custom build of the FUSE source code which is non trivial.
Put your efforts into contacting the authors of your preferred Windows emulators. One of the FUSE developers reported "a non-trivial amount of interest on some Facebook groups about getting Fuse to support the Recreated Spectrum keyboard" which is why they are doing it. Other emulator creators are likely to respond in the same way if they see the requests.
FUSE stands for Free UNIX Spectrum Emulator, and although the front page at Sourceforge says it's for UNIX, OSX and Windows, I can't see any Windows links or downloads. I've never used Windows and wouldn't know where to look for an executable. I wouldn't recommend you install Linux just for FUSE, especially as you'd currently have to do a custom build of the FUSE source code which is non trivial.
Put your efforts into contacting the authors of your preferred Windows emulators. One of the FUSE developers reported "a non-trivial amount of interest on some Facebook groups about getting Fuse to support the Recreated Spectrum keyboard" which is why they are doing it. Other emulator creators are likely to respond in the same way if they see the requests.
I just sent a message to the creator of Spectaculator using his web site's Contact Us form. Fingers crossed!
I am not sure who to contact to request support from Spin.
So if I want to use Fuse with it I need to have Linux?
No. At the download page there are also links for win32 binaries. Just download the file named fuse-x.x.x.win32.zip or *win32-setup.exe and run it as a normal windows file
So if I want to use Fuse with it I need to have Linux?
No. At the download page there are also links for win32 binaries. Just download the file named fuse-x.x.x.win32.zip or *win32-setup.exe and run it as a normal windows file
I tried using various versions and even found the patch file they were talking about that adds support for the keyboard but could not get it to work. I could get Fuse installed easily but could not figure out how to apply the patch. The file ended in .patch or something. Is that a Linux thing? Anyway, I could not get the keyboard to work with Fuse. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
Yes, the patch should be applied in Linux and then the new file compiled to windows. Just wait a few days and with the new version the windows one also will be there.
Worth mentioning is an android port of fusion, spectacol, which hopefully will also provide compatibility of the keyboard with tv boxes, tablets and mobile phones..
Comments
Firmware update so you can use with any emulator? anyone have more details/information on the unlock.
Few emulators can work with the key bindings of the locked keyboard. (Also, I'd argue this shouldn't be the task of the emulator but rather the OS, or at least, something higher level than the emulators...)
To unlock the keyboard, you can either use the apps, or the web unlock page, both of them are also down now. And you have to accept their T&C to unlock it. There are also some other unofficial ways to unlock the keyboard though, but all of these ways are a lot of work for most people.
The locked version of the keyboard is basically a brick, and I'd really suggest you to get an unlocked one instead.
Games List 2016 - Games List 2015 - Games List 2014
https://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1UJFTI931AUM3/ref=cm_cr_dp_title/252-1630287-3170066?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00SXCJYYA&channel=detail-glance&nodeID=300703&store=videogames
* Edit - Can anyone confirm if this works?
http://www.worldofspectrum.org/forums/discussion/comment/872266/#Comment_872266
the devices now shipped unlocked. Mine, bought from Amazon UK in July, was unlocked and there was a note in the box saying so.
My preferred emulator, Fuse, is looking to support the keyboard in their next release (this month). The latest development snapshots work fine with it.
This is good news. I have one ordered and it is on the way. It's really the easiest way to get the best retro experience. Importing all the gear and trying to get it to run in the States would be a real headache.
Yes, but you must verify that it's unlocked, otherwise you could end up with a brick.
Games List 2016 - Games List 2015 - Games List 2014
You have to enable installing of 3rd party applications at your device in order to do so.
As far as the market is concerned, buying it now is a bit of a gamble. Apparently, as a keyboard it has great potential but that only if 3rd party developers and programmers move towards supporting it in emulators and applications, as the developers of fuse are currently doing. Would really like the idea of an emulator running on a rpi or an android tv box which would support it seamlessly.
At the moment, most stores are trying to get rid of their stock by lowering the price, but if compatibility with more emulators increase and popularity of the device starts rising, prices will remain high or even increase again. If, on the other hand the project is left to its own devices, it would die and the price would drop more, but that would be a pity for such a device.
How do you get the latest development snapshot? I am looking here https://sourceforge.net/projects/fuse-emulator/ but it looks like this is the latest official release which came out in August. Is there a development version which I should be using for now with the Recreated Speccy?
* Edit * Just figured out what you were saying. Patch for Fuse is here https://sourceforge.net/p/fuse-emulator/patches/358/ .
Are there any other emulator's with plans to add support for this device?
We'll just have to wait and see. If there is demand and more people buy this keyboard, I am sure compatibility with more emulators will be soon available.
You can always notify the author of your preferred emulator yourself to request this feature, though.
Why ask the emulator writers if they don't get any money for it? If those sellers don't want to do it, then the chances of many of the emulators having them is very, very slim.
Games List 2016 - Games List 2015 - Games List 2014
If they say no emulator support, then it probably never happen, and they just want to sell you bricks.
Games List 2016 - Games List 2015 - Games List 2014
As for the sellers, how would they know? I agree that they have to be informed about alternative software availability, but it is not their job. They were given by their supplier a profit promising piece of equipment that -due to the known issues which were not of concernt to them- proved to be bad selling, so, market action, they lower the prices to get rid of the stock and minimize their lose.
If proper software support comes around as it starts now with fuse, I'm sure they will use it for their benefit rising up again the prices.
Anyway, as said, implementation on current software is not difficult, and I am sure that pretty soon most emulators that continue their development will eventually support it.
They were only about £35 each at the time and they look brilliant !
Well the seller in my case was Amazon and it's not realistic to expect them to support every device they sell. They're just a retailer, as are most the organisations who sell these things.
The people who made it are, for whatever reason, walking away from it. They're not selling it anymore, they've pulled the app, and their website's support page offers next to nothing. As seen in other threads, their advice to any support question is to return the product for a refund, so asking them for better support is clearly going to be a waste of time.
It's a good quality piece of hardware and with emulator support deserves a place in the retro Speccy scene. That's the way forward, and IMHO it's worth pursuing.
I suspect that the reason Fuse is one of the first to support this device is that it's Linux (well, UNIX) focused, and Linux communities have always had the ethos that devices are there to be supported. The other emulator creators will probably want to support it too, once they realise there's a demand.
So if I want to use Fuse with it I need to have Linux? I am no Linux expert although I have installed a few different versions in the past to have a look.
Put your efforts into contacting the authors of your preferred Windows emulators. One of the FUSE developers reported "a non-trivial amount of interest on some Facebook groups about getting Fuse to support the Recreated Spectrum keyboard" which is why they are doing it. Other emulator creators are likely to respond in the same way if they see the requests.
I just sent a message to the creator of Spectaculator using his web site's Contact Us form. Fingers crossed!
I am not sure who to contact to request support from Spin.
Here's the download link, just enter the last versions folder to get the binaries
https://sourceforge.net/projects/fuse-emulator/files/fuse/
I tried using various versions and even found the patch file they were talking about that adds support for the keyboard but could not get it to work. I could get Fuse installed easily but could not figure out how to apply the patch. The file ended in .patch or something. Is that a Linux thing? Anyway, I could not get the keyboard to work with Fuse. I am not sure what I am doing wrong.
Worth mentioning is an android port of fusion, spectacol, which hopefully will also provide compatibility of the keyboard with tv boxes, tablets and mobile phones..