Kickstarter campaign for ZX Spectrum variant hits goal in a day

A Kickstarter campaign for a variant of the ZX Spectrum reached its goal within a day. The five-man team, including the designer of the original Sinclair ZX Spectrum, had set a target of £250,000.

The device, which bears the name ZX Spectrum Next, is a new project among the already existing, similar crowdfunding campaigns. The team behind it includes designer Rick Dickinson, three Brazilian retro fans and Jim Bragley, who developed games for the original ZX Spectrum. The day of the campaign’s launch coincides with the 35th anniversary of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The Next variant should be an extension of the original with modern components and support for the original hardware and software, including the case.

The specs of the ‘Speccy’, as the device is also known among fans, mention a Z80 processor with modes for 3.5 and 7Mhz. The working memory is 512KB and can be internally expanded up to 1.5MB; externally, expansion is possible up to 2.5MB. There is a special port to connect a ‘co-accelerator’ in the form of a Raspberry Pi Zero, which has a CPU at 1Ghz and 512MB ram. In addition, output is possible via RGB, VGA and HDMI, and there is an SD card slot for additional storage. Furthermore, it is possible to connect a WiFi module and there is a PS/2 port.

There is now a working prototype of the ZX Spectrum Next and several developers have written software for the device. The team says all software will be open source, including the firmware and schematics. In addition, part of the proceeds will go to an institution for the blind, according to the makers. Delivery of the ZX Spectrum Next is due in January 2018. Backers who pay at least £175 will receive a copy. Among the team members is Henrique Olifiers, the co-founder of Bossa Nova Studios that created the Surgeon Simulator game.