In case you missed it... the ZX Spectrum Vega isn't dead.
The team behind the Vega - a console thing released last year, which allowed you to play ZX Spectrum games on your TV, almost - has returned to Indigogo to invite backing for a new handheld version: The ZX Spectrum Vega Plus.
The Vega Plus will come pre-loaded with 1,000 licensed games - with sufficient memory to let you download thousands more - and connect to your telly, should you so desire.
But - hmmm - its main selling point is that now you'll be able to play Spectrum games on its LCD screen, while travelling to and fro the VD clinic.
The team behind the Vega - a console thing released last year, which allowed you to play ZX Spectrum games on your TV, almost - has returned to Indigogo to invite backing for a new handheld version: The ZX Spectrum Vega Plus.
The Vega Plus will come pre-loaded with 1,000 licensed games - with sufficient memory to let you download thousands more - and connect to your telly, should you so desire.
But - hmmm - its main selling point is that now you'll be able to play Spectrum games on its LCD screen, while travelling to and fro the VD clinic.
OLD GAMES: HERE
You may recall that I really didn't like the Vega.
I wanted to. I mean, I really, really wanted to, but it's an extremely esoteric and quirky console - and not in an endearing way. It's like an uncle who you want to love, because he's family, but he smells like a fishy flannel, and keeps threatening your parents with a rusty bayonet.
The Vega Plus feels like even more of a misstep - not least because it doesn't appear to address my biggest issue with the current model: once again, there'll be no HDMI connector. If you want to run its games on your TV, you'll need to have a sufficiently old TV, which has a composite video and stereo audio input. Remember, kids: this is the year 2016. As I said in my review: the lack of HDMI connectivity is sheer madness.
Additionally, part of the scant appeal of the original Vega is that it looked a bit like the original ZX Spectrum (albeit with most of the keys removed). This new one seems to be trying to look all slick and modern... and that completely misses the point.
And there's another issue: pretty much every ZX Spectrum game is already available to play online (where - if you're playing via a computer - you'll have the benefit of an actual keyboard, and not be forcing many, many Spectrum games to work with a traditional console joypad set-up: good luck playing The Hobbit with the Vega Plus). Many of those old games are available to play on your phone too.
And here's another thing: I've said it before, but old games are rubbish. I played quite a few old Spectrum games over the last week or so, and to say I found them wanting would be an understatement. They're of their time - and, yes, we loved them for what they were... in the context of the 1980s. But I actually prefer to watch other people playing Spectrum games on YouTube: I get the nostalgia fix of sound and visuals, without the frustration of the hobbled gameplay.
You may recall that I really didn't like the Vega.
I wanted to. I mean, I really, really wanted to, but it's an extremely esoteric and quirky console - and not in an endearing way. It's like an uncle who you want to love, because he's family, but he smells like a fishy flannel, and keeps threatening your parents with a rusty bayonet.
The Vega Plus feels like even more of a misstep - not least because it doesn't appear to address my biggest issue with the current model: once again, there'll be no HDMI connector. If you want to run its games on your TV, you'll need to have a sufficiently old TV, which has a composite video and stereo audio input. Remember, kids: this is the year 2016. As I said in my review: the lack of HDMI connectivity is sheer madness.
Additionally, part of the scant appeal of the original Vega is that it looked a bit like the original ZX Spectrum (albeit with most of the keys removed). This new one seems to be trying to look all slick and modern... and that completely misses the point.
And there's another issue: pretty much every ZX Spectrum game is already available to play online (where - if you're playing via a computer - you'll have the benefit of an actual keyboard, and not be forcing many, many Spectrum games to work with a traditional console joypad set-up: good luck playing The Hobbit with the Vega Plus). Many of those old games are available to play on your phone too.
And here's another thing: I've said it before, but old games are rubbish. I played quite a few old Spectrum games over the last week or so, and to say I found them wanting would be an understatement. They're of their time - and, yes, we loved them for what they were... in the context of the 1980s. But I actually prefer to watch other people playing Spectrum games on YouTube: I get the nostalgia fix of sound and visuals, without the frustration of the hobbled gameplay.
WISHING WELL
I wish the team behind the Vega well, and I dare say that the new device will be funded successfully. I don't want to kick anyone who's having a stab at something they're passionate about, just because I can.
However, the Vega, and Vega Plus, are so close to being things I actually want, that it busts my heart that their creators make so many fundamental mess-ups.
£100 for a machine seems reasonable... except you can pick up other tablet gaming devices for around the same price, and they'll be able to play all the Spectrum games... and all the other old games too.
All you're getting for your money here is the Sinclair brand, and 1,000-odd games pre-installed. I just wish they'd think a bit more carefully about what it is they're offering. I loved the Spectrum, but it's difficult to know who this Vega appeals to.
Nintendo has done a brilliant job of keeping its older games alive, through its online shop and the Wario Ware series. If only somebody could do that with the Spectrum catalogue.
Because do you know what I really want? I don't want quantity - I want quality. I want somebody to take a bunch of the best ZX Spectrum games, and fix the controls, so that they play as well as we remember them playing. I don't want the graphics or sound touched - I just want these games to play like I always wanted them to, and I want to play them in nice, crisp, HD, so that I can see every ruddy pixel. And that's it. Somebody do that to a bunch of Spectrum games, stop pumping out these half-baked retro consoles, and I'll give you all of my money.
I wish the team behind the Vega well, and I dare say that the new device will be funded successfully. I don't want to kick anyone who's having a stab at something they're passionate about, just because I can.
However, the Vega, and Vega Plus, are so close to being things I actually want, that it busts my heart that their creators make so many fundamental mess-ups.
£100 for a machine seems reasonable... except you can pick up other tablet gaming devices for around the same price, and they'll be able to play all the Spectrum games... and all the other old games too.
All you're getting for your money here is the Sinclair brand, and 1,000-odd games pre-installed. I just wish they'd think a bit more carefully about what it is they're offering. I loved the Spectrum, but it's difficult to know who this Vega appeals to.
Nintendo has done a brilliant job of keeping its older games alive, through its online shop and the Wario Ware series. If only somebody could do that with the Spectrum catalogue.
Because do you know what I really want? I don't want quantity - I want quality. I want somebody to take a bunch of the best ZX Spectrum games, and fix the controls, so that they play as well as we remember them playing. I don't want the graphics or sound touched - I just want these games to play like I always wanted them to, and I want to play them in nice, crisp, HD, so that I can see every ruddy pixel. And that's it. Somebody do that to a bunch of Spectrum games, stop pumping out these half-baked retro consoles, and I'll give you all of my money.
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