The Return of the Home computer?

starman

starman
Rubbernuke said:
The RPi has the education and hacking angle covered. This is selling on nostalgia really- for example I was given a RPi Zero and I made a camera pod for a cheap drone I had. Other than code new Spectrum games what else can I do? Sadly to me its a novelty, just like the Nintendo Game and Watch SMB Anniversary console.
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The customers who bought them are happy with new 'enhanced' spectrum games. It sold out. They then sell for double on ebay. Like I said its a specialised machine to encourage development. Ie a 'Home Computer' A toaster makes toast what else can it do?
 

starman

starman
Mole HD said:
I thought they already called such a thing the Xbox or Playstation ;)
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Thats not really funny because a home computer is directly programable by the user. But yeah the yooth prefer them now so they wont be as motivated to code there own programs as before.
 

Mole HD

Mole HD
starman said:
Thats not really funny because a home computer is directly programable by the user. But yeah the yooth prefer them now so they wont be as motivated to code there own programs as before.
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It's the same way that most folks don't repair or service their own cars/motorbikes any more...technology made us lazy. I haven't written a word of code for over 40 years...back when you spent a week typing in basic from a computer magazine...but I still build my own PC's, build, repair and service my own motorbikes and cars...but I'm old and habits die hard :)
 

alexzk

A
I saw man did spectrum out of arduino-128 or something like that. Small stick which is whole spectrum emulator. Could load all games there using audio jack.
 

Fishy

Fishy
starman said:
The customers who bought them are happy with new 'enhanced' spectrum games. It sold out. They then sell for double on ebay. Like I said its a specialised machine to encourage development. Ie a 'Home Computer' A toaster makes toast what else can it do?
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But as RN says, that's precisely the niche the Pi has been focusing on since a long while now, with the additional benefit of being incredibly easy to embed with other devices. I can't see what more it brings apart from the nostalgia factor, though obviously there's nothing wrong with that.
 

starman

starman
Mole HD said:
It's the same way that most folks don't repair or service their own cars/motorbikes any more...technology made us lazy. I haven't written a word of code for over 40 years...back when you spent a week typing in basic from a computer magazine...but I still build my own PC's, build, repair and service my own motorbikes and cars...but I'm old and habits die hard :)
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No we just spend a week grinding for th
Fishy said:
But as RN says, that's precisely the niche the Pi has been focusing on since a long while now, with the additional benefit of being incredibly easy to embed with other devices. I can't see what more it brings apart from the nostalgia factor, though obviously there's nothing wrong with that.
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Why do we have a ps4 and xbox that does basically the same thing?or have commodre 64 spectrum bbc micro?

The Spectrum next attracted all the spectrum fanboys It was developed outside the uk via kickstarter.
Why are there so many different toasters kettles and coffee machines? Cars.. etc. We have lots of different smartphones why? Video games..
 

Fishy

Fishy
starman said:
Why do we have a ps4 and xbox that does basically the same thing?or have commodre 64 spectrum bbc micro?

The Spectrum next attracted all the spectrum fanboys It was developed outside the uk via kickstarter.
Why are there so many different toasters kettles and coffee machines? Cars.. etc. We have lots of different smartphones why? Video games..
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Because lots of people want to make money, and try to do so by coming up with a product that provides something over the competition, be it expanded functionality, more power, cheaper price, smaller size, better games lineup, better fuel economy, fancier look, etc.

As far as I can see, Spectrum nostalgia is that something, making me doubt its long lasting appeal outside of the Spectrum enthusiasts niche. Again, nothing wrong with that, and their sales prove that there was enough of a market for it. You seem to argue that it's a breakthrough in the home computer field, I simply fail to see how. If I missed anything, I'm happy to be proven wrong.
 

Junagu

Junagu
I don't think nostalgia really covers it in this case. I suspect that none of you posting here so far have owned a zx spectrum nor were alive in the UK at the end of the 70s into the early 80s. There was a sweet spot where the emerging home computer scene was very exciting and all about grass roots / amateur enthusiasts. The list of games companies and programmers who got hooked then and made a massive impact on games and many of whom are still about is a long one. It was a time when games didn't involve huge teams and a lot was done with very minimal resources and the zx spectrum was a pivitol bit of hardware that emerged that suddenly allowed the games scene to really take off. It was a sweet spot not dissimilar to the '64-'66 fuzz box / valve amp collision. Within about 3 years big business had moved in and it all went to pot.

Now also consider that the zx spectrum scene has never died - games are still being produced for it, though there have been some very quiet patches. This lovingly produced (e.g. the design is done by the same chap who did the original) update adds loads of significant additions and refinements to the original whilst preserving the fundamental design making it a versatile, sturdy and self contained little machine. Also consider that whilst it can be emulated none of the emulators are perfect and some have limitations/differences from using an original machine.

There's clearly a lot of support for this - not at all sure it all comes down to nostalgia; I suspect a lot of it is preserving a bit of UK tech that would otherwise be consigned to history (and that happens a lot in the UK and is a sad, sad thing). It's a testament to less is more / having the best thing isn't always the most fun, that kind of thing.

'83/'84 was a very special time in the UK - 2000AD / zx spectrum / FF-GamesWorkshop - all had a good time during this era.
 

PiLhEaD

PiLhEaD
I like the look of the retro Spectrum very much - they 've down a really very nice job. Its form-factor with everything built in to a keyboard is conventient much like the original BBC B, Commodore C64 and the many others of that era. However much like the Rapsberry Pi, it is a niche product - which isn't to say that it won't be successful and enjoyed by many.

The early 8-bit computers' popularity came in no small part due to their utter novelty and price point (compared to 'real' computers). However, these days most homes already have a home computer and it's in the form a PC or laptop or tablet. You suggest the need for a 'more focused machine' but I'm not clear on what that focus should be.

I still have my BBC B - it's kept warm, dry and safe in a cupboard, purely out of nostalgia, yet, despite my affection for the BBC, I will never go back to using it. For everything else I have a PC that in real terms probably didn't cost a lot more than the BBC-B. This PC allows me to program, make music, write, edit photographs, stay in touch with friends (...I could go on...), so I'm really not sure what you are wishing for.

Time has moved on and much like the penny-farthing bicycle such computers have been consigned to history for everyday use. ymmv.
 

Juniper

Juniper
Pretty much my thoughts are echoed in the above comments.

As someone who was around in the early 80s for the home computer revolution, I do not see the point of this at £300+. I remember the excitement, but much of it was about what you could do with these things because it was all new territory.

Now we have PCs, and they can do much more, and if you do want a nostalgia trip, there are emulators out there that will run everything you can imagine. Most are free. Almost all the software is abandonware.

If you really were that nuts about it, and desperate for the old skool feel of a ZX Spectrum or C64 or whatever, the joy would be in building one yourself, using the RPi4 as the base. All of this is entirely possible - from the various addons available, and you can even 3D print a case. Don't have a 3D printer? The cost of one is about the same as one of these 'Spectrum Next' jobs, and much more useful going forward. 🤷‍♀️
 

[PS4] Filthymick420

[PS4] Filthymick420
Mole HD said:
It's the same way that most folks don't repair or service their own cars/motorbikes any more...technology made us lazy. I haven't written a word of code for over 40 years...back when you spent a week typing in basic from a computer magazine...but I still build my own PC's, build, repair and service my own motorbikes and cars...but I'm old and habits die hard :)
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I think needing specific tools that are unreasonably priced were why a lot of people don't work on their own cars. I need a $200 screwdriver just to take my engine cover off and that's all it does...
 

Bob McBobblehead

Bob McBobblehead
The ZX Spectrum Next is a Spectrum clone with some added sound and graphic hardware. Hardware sprites, tile maps and copper, some nice sound all running on a Z80 8bit CPU.

It's nice since it's simple enough to understand the whole machine, so good for learning on. The other side is just pure nostalgia. Give it a pass though.
 
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