Happy Birthday ZX Spectrum!

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axletramp

axletramp

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30 years ago today the Sinclair ZX Spectrum was released into the world. This isn't a techie thread about hardware, etc. but a quick personal celebration of a gaming machine which changed my life for good.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZX_Spectrum

It wasn't my first console, I'd already been using an Atari 2600 since the late '70s, but this machine opened up a whole new world with added depth, graphics, sound and complexity.

I started out with a rubber key version and soon moved onto a Spectrum+ as I found the 'proper' keyboard easier to use. And yes, this was the first machine I programmed in both BASIC and HEX - skills I admit which didn't really help me in life, but were great fun and having the ability to create your own software added a whole new dimension to video gaming. I even managed to get my old Kempston joysticks to work with it with a little casing 'modifications'.

The hours, days, weeks and months I spent playing Elite, Tir Na Nog, Manic Miner, etc, etc, etc, etc. weren't 'lost', but pure entertainment and enjoyment which I look back on very fondly. Crikey, I wish I could spend that time all over again.

elite.jpg


tirnanog_4YDOZ6OKT.jpg


Manic+Miner+central+cavern+zx+spectrum.png


I ended up with a 128K machine with plans of pushing my programming skills further, but Sega came along (for me, Nintendo for others) and consoles took over my gaming world (almost ;)).

I did have an Atari ST at the time and I bought a 2nd hand C64 off a friend, but somehow the little ZX had more personality and will always be a something special to me. I still have my original Spectrum+ but the others died (power supplies) and were eventually replaced by unused boxed versions when a thing called 'eBay' came along, which I keep for no other reason other than I just want them. :D

So thanks Sir Clive for bringing your dream into reality and thanks for setting me on a gaming path from which I have never stopped walking. :cheers:

Here's a little taster which will waste some time at work: ZX Emulator
 
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:cheers: Happy Birthday ZX!

I got one as a child and it was terribly outdated at that point but I still had a blast. It was the first gaming device I owned and it was awesome.
 
Almost brought a tear to my eye at.
Some memories there. 👍

Cheers Shaun.
 
No problem. I just thought a landmark machine like the ZX deserved a thread on it's 30th birthday. Probably not as iconic in the US, but certainly in the UK and other parts of the world.
 
Happy birthday ZX Spectrum. :cheers:

My dad got one just after I was born and he loved it, So as you can guess I grew up hearing the loading then the swearing after it crashed and he had to start again. I personally don't have many memories of the system because by the time I was old enough to appreciate gaming we were onto the Amiga 500+ and that is where I started.

I do however have some tales from my dad when playing the Spectrum or Speccy as he calls it. My mum hated the thing as she sees it took his interest from looking after me and helping out around the house, so much so she chucked down our stairs then out the front door onto the path, then dunked it into a bucket of water, only for my dad to get it out and dry it and it still worked.

So even though I don't have early memories of the machine it's part of my families history and a fun one at that.
 
Happy Bday you crazy, 8-bit, thing I know nothing about. Have a good one. I'll shout you a BRAM: :cheers:

See what I did there? RAM, Beer, BRAM...yeah, I'll get my coat, no need to show me to the door...
 
Sadly it wasn't my era, I was generation Game Boy baby!

Looks pretty cool in its early 80's guise, I've never even seen one let alone tried one but I'l take your words for it on awesomeness. Happy Birthday to one of Sinclair's better ideas :lol:
 

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