The Spectrum review: A ZX Spectrum Lover’s Dream or Disaster?

I'll never forget sat watching My Grandad put code in from a magazine for a Game called Chopper. He also did his Horse Bets on his 48k Spectrum.

For nostalgia alone, that is worth the £90 it costs here in the UK

Never underestimate nostalgia. Just seeing this Spectrum makes those that remember it smile from ear to ear. They touch it, and lift it, and smell it (rubber keys!) and enjoy the physical experience. And that's before it's even turned on.
Whether you hate the people who made it or not (I don't but I can see why others do) you cannot deny the fantastic job they've done of this machine. I have my childhood back.

Luckily you dont live in the UK anymore. Anti free speech dictatorship

Here is a strange (weird) question. Does thye keyboard have the original smell as the original Spectrum?

No cassete ear and mic port? A big flaw in an otherwise good product.

What type of gunnars are you wearing.

Thanks for making this! I just ordered The Spectrum, a big c64 fan, but also excited to play with the spectrum. I also have the ZZAP C64 annuals, and I get them every christmas, I had no idea you were involved in that, thank you so so much, these annuals bring me so much joy :)

I got mine today…. I can’t wait to get Elite. I’de play for hours, sometimes all night!

I bet it's not made in the UK (obviously the original was).

Why is it the crappy Spectrum gets a working keyboard on initial release, but the more capable, better retro machines (TheC64, TheA500, The400) didn't?

Wow this takes me back. Christmas time, 3 foot deep snow outside and playing on the spectrum indoors Brilliant 😁. 80s the best decade by far 🤩

Hi Chris, usually I don't comment but I have to say thanks for doing these vids and sharing part of your childhood joy <3

My parents paid £175 for my 48k Spectrum at Christmas in 1983. It changed my life and I've ended up a CTO because I got into computers that year. I'm now in my mid 50s and will ask my wife and kids too to buy me one of these for my birthday this year so I can remind my parents what a fantastic thing they did for me!

For me it was all about programming. My friend had a C64 and I had a 48. I wrote a small word processor on the C64. But programming on it was a nightmare. That is why I loved the Speccy more. Even when I did machine code, it was better. The command set of the C64 was ry limited. All combinations gave you about 150 combinations, but with the Z80 it was more than 700. I, to get the same program, you had to write a much bigger program on the 6502.

I also did not like the C64 colours and rectangular pixels. Oh, the tape was three times slower. Even the floppy was serial and very slow.

This seems like a nice machine. Good review.

I’ve still got my original in the box…..and I assume it still works ‘cos it’s been in dry storage since I was a kid, along with all the cassette games and the Kempston joystick…..happy days. Still got all the Crash Magazines as well!

The thing is, I always get the mini consoles and I think it's stupid that they don't have a fullscreen option anymore, because I play on the real crt TV

I love the zx spectrum and the new spectrum and Commodore 64😅

I just put about 671 speccy classics onto my cheap R36S handheld and have been loving a bit of attic attack and jetpack. But I have a RG406V in the post that has been held up cos of new year. Courier just finally collected it in Germany so should have it next week. I will put speccy games on it. But that thing will play almost anything up to and including PS2 and GameCube apparently really well. I thought about the mini classic consoles etc. But think emulation is good enough for me and my budget.
No way you mentioned attick attack as well.

I remember the actual sound of manic miner loading. Like a tune you remember. Awesome stuff!

In the left corner..ZZap64! In the right corner...Crash!

My brother had the C64. I had the Speccy 48k. I've still got it, still works. My brother got rid of his C64 when he was a teenager. So the Spectrum is better.

In hindsight, with the benefit of being 50, not 12...both were wonderful machines of their time. Truce?

...that sound... is imprinted in our mind. And heart. Thanks for your amazing video.

What contollers are compatible?

I got that manual and it made me feel back there when you lifted it out😂❤

Wow !!. I still have around my ZX spectrum 48k but havent used in decades.
I have a lot of cassette tapes with over 400 games.
My favorite game was Tomahawk, it was a fantastic helicopter simulator.
Also their was another game i played called F15 Strike Eagle, loved dog fighting and stunts.

Is it just me, or is intrinsically disturbing, unsettling and off putting to see a (in my personal opinion) worthless and stupid AI rendering of Peri being cut through his head with a knife, for a joke about cake? I am normally quite willing to laugh along with sillyness but I think this crosses lines? Anyway, maybe Peri might read this and reconsider if children might be very frightened to see you being cut by a knife, even with parental guidance. Even as an adult I am personally disinclined from watching further and certainly can no longer recommend the channel for young children unsupervised (which is a shame as the channel is otherwise ideal for said audiences).

i got the spectrum christmas 2024 and soon as i loaded up dizzy the ultimate cartoon adventure i nearly cryed because as you said the loading sounds and images are etched into your soul and i might be 42 years old but i remember every single zx game i ever had :D and i also got the Amiga500 mini as well at christmas and the 1st game i played was rock N roll by rainbow arts - i also subbed to your nice channel

Crazy I can't buy this in the US

I need this 🤗

Thank you for this. It meant a lot. Your face and reactions gave the review.

Bilgisayar adı altında korneya yakma cihazı. Kör oldum.

I don't have that particular sound in memory (except perhaps from the Nostalgia Nerd opening); my particular audio nostalgia comes from the sound of the Atari 8-bit loading from a floppy drive. You could always tell how far along a load is from the morse-code-like sounds of the drive's beeping.

I don´t need this, there is annother device to run SD cards for the original 128+, mine was done by Investronica, the other company that has the right to produce it. Has some extra original features.

Nothing impressive about some Arm board running an emulator slapped into a ZX lookalike case.

Will they release one of these for the Amstrad CPC464?

My brother had a Microdrive to his ZX Spectrum. I think it often failed to load the software ;)

In the US, Mine had blister pack buttons. Worst thing ever!

Where can I buy the microdrive with the package? Cant find this on amazon?

Did you seriously scroll past Horace Goes Skiing & Skool Daze ? Im calling shennanigans

Awesome review - your passion and respect for nostalgic games has made me go and buy the retro speccy immediately - thank you

I can't believe you didn't notice the tape loading speed setting in the menu. That's why you should always read the manual... 🤣 I still use my original Specy. The new one sound so much better with the sound through the tv

Been using PIKA :)

I have an original ZX Spectrum in perfect condition with all the manuals and peripherals as well as the original box which is also in perfect condition :-)

What a waste of money!

I had a ZX Spectrum in the late 1980s and my favourite games were JetPac, Match Day 1 and 2, Scrabble and snooker. 😂
*JetPac the game where each level you had to build your rocket 🚀 and get the fuel ⛽ before the balloons,aliens etc got you. 😆