ZX Spectrum +

[Buleste]

Should be getting my grubby little mitts on a Spectrum+ today. Finally I can test the Arduitape with one and then it's composite mod.

[Harrison]

Nice. Is it in good condition? Please past some pics.

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[Ghost]

* He returns from Oblivion yet again to grace the topics of the Classic Amiga forum () *

Neat, what is a Spectrum+ like? (I assume it is a member of ZX Spectrum family)
And what games do you have for it.

Hope it is okay if I also ask this here: are there any people who play the games developed in the fifteen years for the Spectrum?
A while back I was playing with a Spectrum Emulator (spectaculator), trying out games like Wanderers: Chained in the Dark, and Castlevania Spectral Interlude.
I really should get the complete version of the emulator.

[Buleste]

Hehehe. Tested it and it worked with the RF but the picture quality was terrible. What was great was that my Arduitape design works perfectly so loading games that are converted to .Wav file of less than 22050 Hz is sorted. Unfortunately whilst performing the mod I didn't realise how brittle the keyboard membranes are and split one of the connectors so I can't type LOAD"". New one ordered though from RWAP via SellMyRetro.

Using the down time to clean the case and keyboard.

Spectrum + is a 48k Spectrum but with a real keyboard instead of a rubber one.

[Demon Cleaner]

I had one like that, never used it though Was only for the collection. I wasn't the Spectrum guy anyway

[Ghost]

Do any of you still play with the Spectrum today, or is any of your Spectrum libraries simply for the sake of collecting?
I considered it a few years ago but Harrison convinced me it was best just to focus on collecting things I truly have a connection with such as console and PC gaming, Star Trek and so on.
Good decision to because no long after my income took a serious hit from which I still have not recovered (I want a job so much)

[Harrison]

Have you tried your project on the Amstrad CPC?

I've recently been reminiscing about my CPC464 and have always wanted a CPC6128. And the later Plus models intrigued me. Although with emulation I don't really have a need. Maybe later. Never personally wanted to own a Spectrum though. The hardware and software abilities have always seemed a little too basic for me. Especially when most games got a direct CPC port anyway, and they don't suffer colour clash.

Equally as you mentioned many of the game's were also on MSX and that was definitely the superior hardware of the era. Shame it never really made it to the UK at the time. I've never used one other than emulation. That's a system that interests me.

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[Buleste]

I should imagine Arduitape will work on the CPC. It's more if we can get it to play files without the need for converting to .WAV that's the hard part.

[Ghost]

I only find the MSX interesting for its own original library.
The Spectrum conversions of games feel kinda cheap to be honest. I know there was no budget for the developers to completely redevelop titles for more powerful hardware or make a separate MSX version of a game at the same time, but it gives the feeling that there was little or no interest from Western developers to make titles uniquely for the MSX. Just another platform they could put their games on.

So Buleste, what games are you going to play?

Through this site you might find some interesting new titles: http://www.indieretronews.com/

Sometimes I honestly envy you guys, to you all this retro stuff takes you back to your younger days. Me as a sort of fringe retro fan will probably never understand that feeling.

[Buleste]

TBH It's been running repairs and I've not spent much time playing games. Replacement speaker. Replacing variable resistors for colour control. Replacement keyboard membrane.

However I have tried the Ultimate games, Elite, and the Magic Knight Quadrology. Having never owned a Spectrum it's been interesting to play games that I have played so much on both MSX and C64 (not the Ultimate games though).


The MSX was certainly a flop in Britain and although some games are improved on the MSX over the Spectrum there are also a lot of poor conversions.

Where the MSX truly came in to it's own was the Konami cartridge titles. The ability to improve the sound and add memory made the games expensive but far superior to other 8-bit conversions. The MSX2 and the MSX2+ are really where the machine shone but by the time they were released we were getting in to the 16-bit generation.

The past few months has seen me archiving MSX cassette games in English as they haven't been done in the past so it's been fun trying games that I possibly wouldn't normally have tried.