For nerds of a certain age (my age), the Sinclair ZX Spectrum was our first home computer/games console/escape from the nightmare world of normal humans. And now this iconic machine is set to be reborn in its home country of Great Britain, only now it’ll be a Bluetooth accessory for your iPad.
Designed and sold by bearded boffin Sir Clive Sinclair, who was simultaneously a technical genius and a business disaster, the ZX Spectrum aka Speccy was the first affordable home computer (it booted into BASIC and hooked up to a TV), and it’s popularity made it the de-facto platform for video games (despite the Commodore 64 being way, way better).
The new Bluetooth ZX Spectrum isn’t an actual recreation of the computer itself – why bother when that can be emulated on the iPad? Instead, it’s a glorious recreation of the worst aspect of the Speccy: it’s squishy rubber keyboard. If you’ve ever mashed the soft, unresponsive rubber buttons of a cheap remote control without knowing whether or not your presses actually worked, you’ll be familiar with the Spectrum’s keyboard.
I have half a mind to buy this £40 ($65) Bluetooth keyboard not to play the games available in the App Store, but to use for typing the in local coffee shops. Not that the joke would really work outside Blighty, I guess.
Available soon.
Source: Bluetooth ZX Spectrum
Thanks: Steve!
