omg, cybernoid... you have no clue how long I have been looking for that game. I remember playing that as a kid on the nes but I could never remember the name.
Okay I have been subscribed to you for 8 months or so but have never seen this particular video. I just watched Micro Men, a movie on the rivalry between Sinclair Computers and Acorn produced by the BBC and it got me curious about this system. Now that I've seen your video I've made up my mind. I'm buying one. Right now. Thanks dude!
The Speccy is a god in computer history. It's what stopped the UK falling into the Video Game Crash!
We stopped playing consoles and went with computers instead. From what I know of your collection you're far more like a UK gamer from the 80's/90's than a US one.
I find this very interesting, as I from the UK and I know that Atari and Commodore had a lot bigger market.
It's just a shame to see that it requires a lot of effort to get the computer running over there.
Oh, and just a little but of trivia, and I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but Jet Pac was made by Ultimate Play The Game, which later changed it's name to Rare (as in the Rare who made Donkey Kong Country and Goldeneye 007), it's just sad to see that Micro$oft let them down.
I'm from UK, this zx spectrum video is very good, I used to have the 16k with 32k RAM pack. Great stuff with the video. As you are a collector do you have a video for the Apple 2?
Dude, that was great, fantastic review! My first computer system was a brazilian clone of it, called TK90X. It's a pity that it didn't have a lower resolution with more colors mode like the C64. It was bad compared to what a good Z80 system like the Sega Master System could do, but then the ZX was launched in 1982, so it has that excuse.
@GizmoFan1 There was no such thing as multitasking on this machine. The computer can't play a sound and move an object on the screen at the same time, so it has to play a bit of sound, then move the object a bit, then play another bit of sound, and so on.
First gaming rig I ever touched at the age of maybe 7 :) Awesome stuff. I can only remember one game, Labyrinth. The tape deck my friend had eventually gave up on us and we switched to his IBM XT. Rest is history.
Here in the UK I bought a Spectrum at a car boot sale for £1. Set it up and it worked. Got me hooked and reminded me of my childhood. Now I'm onto my second Spectrum, a C64 and an Amiga which came with over 300 games. All boxed!!! Man, I loved the eighties!!
A real nostalgia trip for me as I had a ZX Speccy 48k for Xmas when I was around 10yrs old. I'm UK so plug & go.
I originally had mine hooked up to an old Black & white TV in my bedroom & when I upgraded to a colour set it was a whole new world. I remember the hassles getting the volume just right to play a copied game from tape, the weird rubber keys, the awful sound, the garish colours.... But it was an amazing machine at the time & I spent hours inputting 100s of lines of
Hi, Thanks for accepting my How to mod video as a video response and much respect for going to the major trouble of playing games on a real Spectrum in the USA. It seems America got a better deal when it came to consoles (Particularly with the 60Hz Genesis/Mega Drive) but Europe got much more when it came to gaming computers.
Oh and I love your channel, you have some great hardware reviews that must have taken you an age to put together.
@AtlasRedux I haven't had any issues either, notice I said lag "CAN be horrible". I've heard enough complaints from others that I thought it was worth a mention, which is why I followed it up by saying that one should do some research into input response time since there are differing models of the EasyCap.
Dude that was awesome, i am from Liverpool England, and born in the early 80's and grew up with this computer. simply put nothin since has compared, sure the graphics have been better , sure the load times are better and sure the playability is better , but the magic the old Speccy had is unbeatable. Thanx for this reminder as to why i should buy myself one to add to my collection of Video-games stations.
That's the great thing about living in England. I don't have to go through that crap, still it's nice to see that you like British computing greatness. Keep up the good work.
@ocrisful It's just not the same dude, on any level at all. Sure, you get to play a representation of a game. But to me, it's like looking at porn when you could instead have a real woman. If you have the ability, why not go all out?
@phreakindee its a pathetic comparison, emulators ARE the real thing, they have just been compressed into different media, its not comparable to having sex or looking at porn!
@rainxxxx Do you have a real membrane keyboard with an emulator? Do you use the real cassettes? Do you have the actual cables, noises, heat, and feeling of sitting down in front of an old piece of hardware and enjoying it in person? No.
An emulator is just an essence of something and does not capture a full and physical experience with the real thing. Not one bit. There are no original chips or hardware involved. You're pretending. And for many, that's not enough. We want to feel.
@phreakindee they are original they are just on a more conveniant media, all that stuff you are talking about such as cables heat and cassets are just retro hassle because we diddnt have the power then (and yes you can still have the noises and loading screens just how they were in the real games as well EXACTLY the same), you just want to take a trip down memory lane thats fine, but the initial comparison that you made was way off the mark!
@rainxxxx Okay, it's cool if you don't like my comparison, no analogy is perfect! But saying emulation is exactly same as the "real thing" is just false on several levels. It's just so obvious in the differences I don't see how this particular subject is even debatable really :) Sure, it's more convenient in some ways, but it is by no means whatsoever a 100% identical experience, or even the better experience.
@rainxxxx do u also think military flight simulators are the same thing as flying a real plane?? those are meant to emulate exactly the same physicle parameters of real planes, and in almost every way mimic flying. but it is __stupid__ to say they're the same
Very cool video! But I would hate the hassle of putting that poor machine on "life support", not to mention that would be a lot of work.
However, there's a new Speccy coming out! In celebration of it's 30th anniversary it is being relaunched as a Bluetooth keyboard! It looks as though you could hook it up to your tv by plugging your iPod/iPhone into the tv! As one living in America, this sounds great! Do you know anything about this? Would that work on an American tv?
Thanks for that! wonder why it took me so long to find this video. I have a Spectrum around here somwhere. I've modded the videoutput and I have a couple of variable powersupplys. Yes. I live in Norway and so I figure I'll get away with half the amount of adapters that you use, but I'm missing a taperecorder and GAMES. I guess I can find some on e-bay or other plases that harbours such things?(pun intended). I just realized I've figured out all the things I was going to ask you about. Thanks!
Pal /NTSC ? 110v / 220v ? Region lock out ? i am in the UK aint it NUTS? i have every model of the Speccy, fun machine, the early games are far better only a few of the BUDGET range are worth a look , the BUDGET range are usually in YELLOW highlighted covers, Commodore 64 v Spectrum, well in the UK the Spectrum has tons more games to choose from
Really good video. I assume most of the comments all say this but...I had one of those! It was amazing. I remember thinking 'graphics will never get better than this'.
Hmm, I wonder if you could do composite (PAL) -> VGA -> composite (NTSC). I've seen both composite -> VGA and VGA -> composite converters on eBay for around $30, and I even use the latter type myself to plug an HTPC into an old CRT. It doesn't introduce any noticeable lag, and it supports both PAL and NTSC output, changeable with 2 dip switches.
Hi! Grats for ur video:) You really HAVE to play Sabre Wolf from Ultimate Play The Game! In my opinion it is the most impressive game for the Spectrum.
Hi I enjoyed your video, especially when u showed the normal european aerial output, and u compared to the alien strange-looking american aerial output, which u have to *rotate*/*screw*, to plug, I assume, and tried to pretend the alien-looking american plug was "normal" :)
30 years past, and now everything is compatible in europe, japan and the americas, thanks to hdmi.
I had many pc's starting from 1995, and just recently realized the "PC" female power cable, is just the american power plug
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Also, I would like to say something about the popularity of the Spectrum in Europe, during the 80s:
Unlike the UK, there were many european countries without software copyright laws, so it was legal to buy a spectrum cassete, for 50-75 euro cents, and u got a legit receipt for the pirate cassete version, with xerox'd cover. hence my 500+ games.
This means that consoles, with cartdridges were out of the market at 10-25 euros per game cost.
In Portugal the software law was only passed in 1991
I enjoyed your great video, and yes I was aware of the problems between NTSC and PAL systems. Just wanted to say I had a "+2" and over 500 games on "K7". I suggest u try "Turbo Esprit", a 3D city driving game, with freedom to drive around the city, it's the first ever game to use this concept, later copied by "midtown madness", "Driver" and "Crazy Taxi". Also please try "Thanatos", another excelent and original concept, never seen again. These are not known classics, but trust me and check em.
@NostalgicJoe Woah, Thanatos! loved that game back in the day. Highly original with great graphics.. Bounder was huge fun as well, check it out if you ain't already!
Woh! I never thought it would be that much trouble setting it up in the US. Never knew that you used a different type of Arial cable in the US (I just presumed it would be like in the UK). Only thought the PAL would be a problem just like NTSC. Its good to see that you love all our games in the UK to. Dam shame theres reganal formating PAL/NTSC. Your right about the postage to, its evil. It was an insain amount to get a chip posted from the US to the UK where I live. Excellent vid though!
@blackblob500 Yeah I tried it, it didn't work on my TVs. Kinda worked on my capture devices, but the quality was absolutely terrible. NES adapter made it even worse.
@blackblob500 That's a matter of personal priorities. I would rather be able to use the computer and be slightly inconvenienced than skimp and not be able to see the frigging screen clearly.
@phreakindee ah, the good old RF cable. Even modern televisions come out with the RF connection (here in NZ at least, we are part of the British commonwealth after all).
Even the digital terrestrial signal works well with the RF connection. Great review, wish i could get hold of another zx spectrum, bit hard to find them nowadays.
I thought I was the only person in North America with a Speccy. Since I do have the 128k Sinclair spectrum, I may be the only person who has that particular model in North America. I did bring a TV set over from the UK when I moved here so I could play the games. I set it up now and again to see if it is still alive.
@minijimi I know several people with Sinclair machines in America, actually. Thomas3120 is another user here on YouTube that owns quite a few of them, including a 128k.
Fantastic review mate, well done! Thanks for putting to bed my worry that North Americans might call it the Zee-Ex.
I had the 48K back in the day. Only girls and homosexuals had commodores in my school - the ZX Spectrum ruled supreme. Nights would be spent at a pal's house with your tape recorder and blank tapes to copy games.
The anticipation and excitement of holding your breath while the Spectrum tried to load a game on a copy tape cannot be matched on a modern PC.
Thank you for a fun review of our beloved(LOL) Speccy!
The thing about the Spectrum is that it wasn't designed for games in mind. Its goal was to educate the young minds of Britain the subject of computing...
LOL, games just appeared out of nowhere. To think there was decent ports of R-Type and Shadow of the Beast for this underpowered machine is just hilarious. It was surprising how far a skilled programmer could push it.
Haha, great. You got me into checking out the ZX Spectrum through emulation, and I am enjoying it.....I am actually looking into getting my own Speccy.
Love the review mate! I had a 48k+ and a +2A. Loved my spectrum. It was primative and crap, but at least i could make a cup of tea whilst loading a game!
BBC2 or channel 35? Never ever used those channels for tuning lol! I always used channel 5 or 6. Mainly 6 as we have 5 terrestrial tv channels on UHF. Though I have seen magazine ads for the ZX81 saying it will work on any TV which is able to pick up BBC2 as a few tv's still around at the time could only pick up BBC1 and ITV on older VHF tv's. Yeah, I know too much about this stuff!
@madcapoperator Thanks for the info! Good to know as I've never been able to try a Spectrum on a native TV, so I was only going on forum-found information and stuff. Also, it turns out it's probably UHF channel 36, not 35, that it uses. At least, that's the US equivalent I gather.
@VelvetKevorkian While I see your point, it's not exactly that cut-and-dry for me. I was born in America but actually didn't move back here until 2005 and hold a dual citizenship. As such, I sometimes mix cultures without even thinking about it. Saying "zed" in ZX makes sense to me as that's how I've heard it, but I very rarely even heard of BNC-style RF connectors where I lived. The discrepancy didn't even cross my mind when I recorded this!
Heh, nice review! Next reason, why this computer was so popular in Europe is, that it has many official/unofficial clones, mostly developed in former eastern block (Didaktik Gama/M/Kompakt, Pentagon, Scorpion, Hobbit etc.).
Hehe, seems that you in the US have lotsa problems with our PAL machines, even non-standard antenne connectors :) wtf! Anyway, to set up a Speccy in Europe you need just - a Speccy, power supply and a DivIDE with CF or SD card reader. Anyway, C64 sucks :) If you need an NTSC Speccy, just try Timex 2068 with Spectrum emulation cartridge, it'll switch your 2068 into a Spectrum compatible mode and you still have native NTSC machine, or try to get some Brazilian clone made by Czerweny company.
Im from the uk and loved this computer :) chucky egg was wicked , river raid, and Green beret were just floorless . God i loved the 80s true game play none of the mad memory sucking graphics.
You might want to look for a 2+ .. they look horrible, but they have the AY sound, a built in cassette deck, Joystick ports, and I think there is actually an RGB output on them. There are light guns etc too which plug straight into the 2+
@KennyMallory Haha, you should be fine without the need for lab equipment imitation. PAL and 220v mains are really all you need. I am definitely looking into getting a true PAL-capable TV at some point, it would save me a ton of hassle.
I loved my old Spectrum, I used tp play on it a lot, I can still rememeber waiting for games to load and dreading the "R tape loading error"! I accidentaly fried it, I had it connected to an ordinarry (non-sinclair) AC adapter and it worked fine, but one day I put the power in the wrong way and it never worked again. BTW Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner are 2 different games, they both just star the same character.
@CoolDudeClem Sorry to hear about your Speccy, what a tragic fate. And yes, I'm well aware they are separate games and I actually own both of them. I just lumped them together in this video due to time constraints and because they are so similar they may as well be.
@phreakindee Have a look at any Australian Sega commercials on youtube. They were official Sega ads. So that's how Sega Australia pronounced it.
Now listen to the beginning of one of those Sega games again and tell me if it sounds exactly like "Say-ga". To me, it's a bit too fast to tell. To be honest, it sounds like it's somewhere in the middle of "Say-ga" and "See-ga".
Oh and one other point... This is US, Australia and Europe working out how to pronounce a Japanese Company's name. It's not quite the same as an American mispronouncing ZX as "Zee Ex".
Ask Linus Torvalds how to pronounce Linux and he'll say "Lin-ooks. But I'll be buggered if I hear anyone who's not Finnish pronounce it like that.
@slugnbozo Well then maybe I should say it that way then, too. Again, I feel you're missing the point. I was pointing out how it was meant to be said, according to the company. If it's supposed to be pronounced Lin-ooks, then so be it. That doesn't mean everyone is going to say it that way, but I just thought I should point out that, in fact, "ZED" is proper since many pronounce it otherwise! It really is a simple concept. Shame on me for trying to be proper, I guess??
@phreakindee No no, I agree with you. "Zee Ex" would sound strange. To be honest I can't even remember why I was discussing the pronunciation of Sega in a Spectrum video. You know a huge amount of stuff on a heap of consoles and computers. Maybe just put the "Sega Master System was big in Australia and they called it See-ga" as another snippet of your extensive knowledge.
@slugnbozo Once again, the point is being missed entirely. I was referring not to region-specific pronunciation, but to the developers/founders of the company and how they say it in their country of origin. Sinclair is English, so they say it "zed". Sega was founded by Americans and soon moved to Japan, hence its pronunciation of "seh-gah".
F obama
kidd912thomas 1 day ago
omg, cybernoid... you have no clue how long I have been looking for that game. I remember playing that as a kid on the nes but I could never remember the name.
tigresslover 1 day ago
Dude, it's time for ZX81 review.
OK, Timex 1000, I mean. ;)
yerzmyey 1 day ago
Though I am impressed with your setup and solutions!
MaximumRD 2 days ago
Hmmm, being in Canada I think this is a good candidate for emulation lol!
MaximumRD 2 days ago
The +2 model is better. Built in tape drive, joystick ports. None of the hassle.
daro2096 2 days ago
you forgot the 48k +
jango1968 3 days ago
Okay I have been subscribed to you for 8 months or so but have never seen this particular video. I just watched Micro Men, a movie on the rivalry between Sinclair Computers and Acorn produced by the BBC and it got me curious about this system. Now that I've seen your video I've made up my mind. I'm buying one. Right now. Thanks dude!
TheFrugalGamer 3 days ago
@TheFrugalGamer Absolutely awesome, congrats! Micro Men is a very enjoyable movie, I hope you enjoy the Speccy as much!
phreakindee 3 days ago
The Speccy is a god in computer history. It's what stopped the UK falling into the Video Game Crash!
We stopped playing consoles and went with computers instead. From what I know of your collection you're far more like a UK gamer from the 80's/90's than a US one.
paulpetroleum 1 week ago in playlist 27/02
Where I come from, it was just to plug it in.
elektron2kim 1 week ago in playlist Computer Training
Holy mother of Jesus Christ, Mary and the other dude!!!! @ 7:46 !!! :D
CHABBO 1 week ago
Sorry, I was laughing at you all the way through this, being from the UK </3
NawnExistent 2 weeks ago
@phreakindee Next you'll have to see if you can get a Sinclair C5!
ThePinkhamsterino 2 weeks ago
Seems perverse to put so much money and time into getting such an underpowered device which was never designed to work in America to function.
ThePinkhamsterino 2 weeks ago
@ThePinkhamsterino Not when you have a genuine passion for what you're doing. Often the more aggravating it is, the bigger the personal payoff.
phreakindee 2 weeks ago 3
@phreakindee True! I didn't mean to dis your efforts and should have added that I enjoyed this and other videos you've posted.
ThePinkhamsterino 2 weeks ago
I find this very interesting, as I from the UK and I know that Atari and Commodore had a lot bigger market.
It's just a shame to see that it requires a lot of effort to get the computer running over there.
Oh, and just a little but of trivia, and I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but Jet Pac was made by Ultimate Play The Game, which later changed it's name to Rare (as in the Rare who made Donkey Kong Country and Goldeneye 007), it's just sad to see that Micro$oft let them down.
andrewrunagall 2 weeks ago
The awesome thing is that there are still dozens of games made for this guy every freakin year. Not even the NES gets that much support.
supermariosunshine64 2 weeks ago
I'm from UK, this zx spectrum video is very good, I used to have the 16k with 32k RAM pack. Great stuff with the video. As you are a collector do you have a video for the Apple 2?
secretspyfrog 1 month ago in playlist Favorite videos
Dude, that was great, fantastic review! My first computer system was a brazilian clone of it, called TK90X. It's a pity that it didn't have a lower resolution with more colors mode like the C64. It was bad compared to what a good Z80 system like the Sega Master System could do, but then the ZX was launched in 1982, so it has that excuse.
superjuca55 1 month ago
This is the system i used to have as a kid.
Many of the games were too difficult for me to play or understand.
But still, nostalgia weighs in heavily. :-)
Maybe i'll try getting my hands on one again.
Cihl280777 1 month ago in playlist Lazy Game Reviews - Official
Hot damn i want it..........and also that Doom shirt. Doom is the shit !
DraxDhampir 1 month ago
Haha! That's what I remember of my spectrum too. Wires, wires everywhere!
DarkwingScooter 1 month ago
Wow you reallt need all get a PAL 50hz signal on a NTSC tv? never had a issue with a NTSC signal on my PAL tv's
OhNoNotMyPenis 1 month ago
Why do half the sound effects and music sound like farts? Especially Chuckie Egg...
GizmoFan1 1 month ago in playlist LGR Hardware Reviews 5
@GizmoFan1 The spectrum has an 8-bit flatulence generator built-in. That's what results when cheeky Brits design computers.
phreakindee 1 month ago 12
@phreakindee LMAO
SpeedySPCFan 3 weeks ago
@GizmoFan1 There was no such thing as multitasking on this machine. The computer can't play a sound and move an object on the screen at the same time, so it has to play a bit of sound, then move the object a bit, then play another bit of sound, and so on.
MugNotec 1 month ago
good review, i had a 16k one way back and got a 48k one much later on. learnt alot and played alot back then
kmment 1 month ago in playlist Lazy Game Reviews - Official
First gaming rig I ever touched at the age of maybe 7 :) Awesome stuff. I can only remember one game, Labyrinth. The tape deck my friend had eventually gave up on us and we switched to his IBM XT. Rest is history.
esaedvik 1 month ago
Great article!! Really interesting.
Here in the UK I bought a Spectrum at a car boot sale for £1. Set it up and it worked. Got me hooked and reminded me of my childhood. Now I'm onto my second Spectrum, a C64 and an Amiga which came with over 300 games. All boxed!!! Man, I loved the eighties!!
domfliss 2 months ago
Great vid, top job.
A real nostalgia trip for me as I had a ZX Speccy 48k for Xmas when I was around 10yrs old. I'm UK so plug & go.
I originally had mine hooked up to an old Black & white TV in my bedroom & when I upgraded to a colour set it was a whole new world. I remember the hassles getting the volume just right to play a copied game from tape, the weird rubber keys, the awful sound, the garish colours.... But it was an amazing machine at the time & I spent hours inputting 100s of lines of
MrpUberThemes 2 months ago
How much did you pay for the IBM 5150?
Nice review.
Ibringthetruth1 2 months ago
I still have my 128k with all accessories in great condition. It was my childhood computer for many years! :)
calebchosen29 2 months ago
I LOVED my 48K, jet set willy, Bruce Lee, Chuckie Egg. brill
miketrg 2 months ago
are you playing boards of canada in the background?
tyresmoke 3 months ago in playlist LGR Hardware Reviews
Dont pull the joystick interface out while its turned on, I remember my sister killing my machine back in the day doing that lol
CragScrambler 3 months ago
@CragScrambler Hehe, yes, the danger is real! I actually go into this problem in my review of the RAM Turbo joystick interface video.
phreakindee 3 months ago
Hi, Thanks for accepting my How to mod video as a video response and much respect for going to the major trouble of playing games on a real Spectrum in the USA. It seems America got a better deal when it came to consoles (Particularly with the 60Hz Genesis/Mega Drive) but Europe got much more when it came to gaming computers.
Oh and I love your channel, you have some great hardware reviews that must have taken you an age to put together.
snolan1990 3 months ago
I'm glad that i born in Europe
Paskaperse999 3 months ago
Any chance for unboxing video ?
Bakteyo 3 months ago
Must be your system. I've never had lag-issues with the awesome EasyCap, in Pal nor NTSC.
AtlasRedux 4 months ago
@AtlasRedux I haven't had any issues either, notice I said lag "CAN be horrible". I've heard enough complaints from others that I thought it was worth a mention, which is why I followed it up by saying that one should do some research into input response time since there are differing models of the EasyCap.
phreakindee 4 months ago
@phreakindee
Ahaaa, very well :)
Thanks for the show btw, just discovered your Lazy Game - series and had marathon with them :P
AtlasRedux 4 months ago
Man thats a lot of hassle and dollar to get a speccy set up in the land of hope and glory.
bazfanv2 4 months ago
i had one when i was 3/4 ^^
antichristeileen 4 months ago
Wow! It's quite complex to hook up.
herzogxz 4 months ago
Thanks for this.Speccy rules!
ShishirYerramilli 4 months ago
what a pain...
joshuavideogames 4 months ago
Dude that was awesome, i am from Liverpool England, and born in the early 80's and grew up with this computer. simply put nothin since has compared, sure the graphics have been better , sure the load times are better and sure the playability is better , but the magic the old Speccy had is unbeatable. Thanx for this reminder as to why i should buy myself one to add to my collection of Video-games stations.
48loweschevy 4 months ago
There is a Max Headroom game made for it.
KITT171 5 months ago
Its a GOOOD job that i live in the UK :)
GodzillaFang7713 5 months ago
Back in the day I had the Speccy + I sent my first international e-mail in about 1986/1987 using the Micronet 800 terminal.
I've now got a Speccy emulator on my Android devise! The look of jealouss as I place Manic Miner on the subway!
In 3D Ant Attack go south, jump over the city wall. Walk parallel to the city wall east and you'll find a random 3d cube!
Fifty1stState 5 months ago
It may be cheap, but the complicated set up is not worth it.
supermariosunshine64 5 months ago
A professional and entertaining video at the same time.
G9King 5 months ago
HA! i still have this computer in the attic, brought back some memoirs for sure. thanks for your post it was fun to watch.
gluefrog78 5 months ago
How nostalgic! That was my first computer. I learned basic on it. Ah memories ;)!
bojan34 5 months ago
My MP3 player has ZXBox, a ZX Spectrum emulator.
psychoTR2 6 months ago
That's the great thing about living in England. I don't have to go through that crap, still it's nice to see that you like British computing greatness. Keep up the good work.
TheEPROM9 6 months ago
WOW :O why bother buy all that stuff instead downloading a emulator!
ocrisful 6 months ago
@ocrisful It's just not the same dude, on any level at all. Sure, you get to play a representation of a game. But to me, it's like looking at porn when you could instead have a real woman. If you have the ability, why not go all out?
phreakindee 6 months ago 19
@phreakindee Exactly yesterday i received a Zxspectrum from the royal mail !!!
Stupid england !!!
darkdevil905 6 months ago
@phreakindee Funny analogy FTW:)
Audiomancer 5 months ago
@phreakindee its nothing like that!
rainxxxx 3 months ago
@rainxxxx Representation and simulation versus physical and unpredictable. Pretty similar to me, I stand by my comparison.
phreakindee 3 months ago 3
@phreakindee its a pathetic comparison, emulators ARE the real thing, they have just been compressed into different media, its not comparable to having sex or looking at porn!
rainxxxx 3 months ago
@rainxxxx Do you have a real membrane keyboard with an emulator? Do you use the real cassettes? Do you have the actual cables, noises, heat, and feeling of sitting down in front of an old piece of hardware and enjoying it in person? No.
An emulator is just an essence of something and does not capture a full and physical experience with the real thing. Not one bit. There are no original chips or hardware involved. You're pretending. And for many, that's not enough. We want to feel.
phreakindee 3 months ago 7
@phreakindee they are original they are just on a more conveniant media, all that stuff you are talking about such as cables heat and cassets are just retro hassle because we diddnt have the power then (and yes you can still have the noises and loading screens just how they were in the real games as well EXACTLY the same), you just want to take a trip down memory lane thats fine, but the initial comparison that you made was way off the mark!
rainxxxx 3 months ago
@rainxxxx Okay, it's cool if you don't like my comparison, no analogy is perfect! But saying emulation is exactly same as the "real thing" is just false on several levels. It's just so obvious in the differences I don't see how this particular subject is even debatable really :) Sure, it's more convenient in some ways, but it is by no means whatsoever a 100% identical experience, or even the better experience.
phreakindee 3 months ago 2
@phreakindee I love you man.
Well in a platonic way.
Thanks for all of the history lessons and entertaining reviews.
Cheers!
ghost2021a 2 weeks ago
@rainxxxx do u also think military flight simulators are the same thing as flying a real plane?? those are meant to emulate exactly the same physicle parameters of real planes, and in almost every way mimic flying. but it is __stupid__ to say they're the same
TheManidunno 3 months ago 2
@TheManidunno there is a difference between an emulator and a simulator, and dont be categorizing flight simulators with zx spectrums
rainxxxx 3 months ago
@ocrisful
A true collector and oldtimer would never even consider saying that!
AtlasRedux 4 months ago 2
i really enjoyed you video, cheers form venezuela!!!
devilrafa 6 months ago
Great review! Thanks :)
hedegaard8 7 months ago
phreakindee: Clint, whats the music in the beginning of the review?
v3g374 7 months ago
Hey Clint are you playing remixed Doctor Who music at the start just after the Intro?
It really sounds similar to music from early in the series.
ThePKNess 7 months ago
Very cool video! But I would hate the hassle of putting that poor machine on "life support", not to mention that would be a lot of work.
However, there's a new Speccy coming out! In celebration of it's 30th anniversary it is being relaunched as a Bluetooth keyboard! It looks as though you could hook it up to your tv by plugging your iPod/iPhone into the tv! As one living in America, this sounds great! Do you know anything about this? Would that work on an American tv?
Misakachichan 7 months ago
Thanks for that! wonder why it took me so long to find this video. I have a Spectrum around here somwhere. I've modded the videoutput and I have a couple of variable powersupplys. Yes. I live in Norway and so I figure I'll get away with half the amount of adapters that you use, but I'm missing a taperecorder and GAMES. I guess I can find some on e-bay or other plases that harbours such things?(pun intended). I just realized I've figured out all the things I was going to ask you about. Thanks!
tossabaddle 7 months ago
I like the mod to get a comp signal where did you find that? I do say "SEEGA" no"SAY GAAA" cos that would be foolish! :p
Best spectrum game could be saboteur or sab 2 or Exelon which was really nice and programmed well to minimise the colour clash!
Good review of one of my fave machines good stuff.
blackcountryme 8 months ago
All the sounds sound like wet farts... ew.
GizmoFan1 8 months ago
interesting shit
oGIZMO95o 8 months ago
this computer was the most recorded in my country :)
MSteniente77 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I'm glad you say "British" and not English like so many Americans. Plus "Zed" and "UK". You sir are a legend.
R33Racer 8 months ago
Comment removed
R33Racer 8 months ago
really great video, subbed!
greets from uk B-)
Jimster666 8 months ago
Pal /NTSC ? 110v / 220v ? Region lock out ? i am in the UK aint it NUTS? i have every model of the Speccy, fun machine, the early games are far better only a few of the BUDGET range are worth a look , the BUDGET range are usually in YELLOW highlighted covers, Commodore 64 v Spectrum, well in the UK the Spectrum has tons more games to choose from
doubledragonuk 8 months ago
It's a hassle for you Americans. For me in the UK it takes 5 minutes to set up.
IarRAIDER 8 months ago
Really good video. I assume most of the comments all say this but...I had one of those! It was amazing. I remember thinking 'graphics will never get better than this'.
RickManchester 8 months ago
Lol I'm glad I come from the UK. Nowadays everything is pretty compatible.
Corrupt5358 8 months ago
you made a great video here explaning everything an all that ! well done !
albertinkstain 8 months ago
I subbed you; your the best reviewer-er ever
omaritorxs123 9 months ago
hi
can you share some info about the composite video signal hack? how to do it?
thanks
rockangel1967 9 months ago
Or, for that matter, just composite -> VGA, and a normal computer monitor. This is a computer after all, right?
someperson42 9 months ago
Hmm, I wonder if you could do composite (PAL) -> VGA -> composite (NTSC). I've seen both composite -> VGA and VGA -> composite converters on eBay for around $30, and I even use the latter type myself to plug an HTPC into an old CRT. It doesn't introduce any noticeable lag, and it supports both PAL and NTSC output, changeable with 2 dip switches.
someperson42 9 months ago
The world seriously needs to consider making things like electronics more universal.
shadowoflightvideo 9 months ago
I'm from the UK and set up would be piss easy, even today. i can't believe the hastle you have to go through to simply get it running.
tbramhall94 9 months ago
SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM+2 I28K WITH PSU AND GAMEGUN Enlarge
SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM+2 I28K With PSU and a game gun buy or not buy
blackblob500 9 months ago
wow, the Spectrum seems to REALLY be a big middle finger to America xD nice that we in the UK actually had something decent =]
ParkaMod 9 months ago
Hi! Grats for ur video:) You really HAVE to play Sabre Wolf from Ultimate Play The Game! In my opinion it is the most impressive game for the Spectrum.
GeoAlKrass 9 months ago
Hi I enjoyed your video, especially when u showed the normal european aerial output, and u compared to the alien strange-looking american aerial output, which u have to *rotate*/*screw*, to plug, I assume, and tried to pretend the alien-looking american plug was "normal" :)
30 years past, and now everything is compatible in europe, japan and the americas, thanks to hdmi.
I had many pc's starting from 1995, and just recently realized the "PC" female power cable, is just the american power plug
NostalgicJoe 9 months ago
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Gerold1158 9 months ago
That seems like a lot of work, I just use a emulator lol
TheMisterminer 10 months ago
Also, I would like to say something about the popularity of the Spectrum in Europe, during the 80s:
Unlike the UK, there were many european countries without software copyright laws, so it was legal to buy a spectrum cassete, for 50-75 euro cents, and u got a legit receipt for the pirate cassete version, with xerox'd cover. hence my 500+ games.
This means that consoles, with cartdridges were out of the market at 10-25 euros per game cost.
In Portugal the software law was only passed in 1991
NostalgicJoe 10 months ago
I enjoyed your great video, and yes I was aware of the problems between NTSC and PAL systems. Just wanted to say I had a "+2" and over 500 games on "K7". I suggest u try "Turbo Esprit", a 3D city driving game, with freedom to drive around the city, it's the first ever game to use this concept, later copied by "midtown madness", "Driver" and "Crazy Taxi". Also please try "Thanatos", another excelent and original concept, never seen again. These are not known classics, but trust me and check em.
NostalgicJoe 10 months ago
@NostalgicJoe Woah, Thanatos! loved that game back in the day. Highly original with great graphics.. Bounder was huge fun as well, check it out if you ain't already!
SmallFox74 10 months ago
Woh! I never thought it would be that much trouble setting it up in the US. Never knew that you used a different type of Arial cable in the US (I just presumed it would be like in the UK). Only thought the PAL would be a problem just like NTSC. Its good to see that you love all our games in the UK to. Dam shame theres reganal formating PAL/NTSC. Your right about the postage to, its evil. It was an insain amount to get a chip posted from the US to the UK where I live. Excellent vid though!
TheEPROM9 10 months ago
PSS Is Their a way of using 2 expectations
blackblob500 10 months ago
PS Have you tried a nes adapter
blackblob500 10 months ago
Have You tried the thing that you use the Atari with and i don't mean that box i mean that RF Circle That you use
blackblob500 10 months ago
@blackblob500 Yeah I tried it, it didn't work on my TVs. Kinda worked on my capture devices, but the quality was absolutely terrible. NES adapter made it even worse.
phreakindee 10 months ago
@phreakindee But It save a crap load of time
blackblob500 10 months ago
@blackblob500 That's a matter of personal priorities. I would rather be able to use the computer and be slightly inconvenienced than skimp and not be able to see the frigging screen clearly.
phreakindee 10 months ago
@phreakindee 25 Cents
blackblob500 9 months ago
@phreakindee ah, the good old RF cable. Even modern televisions come out with the RF connection (here in NZ at least, we are part of the British commonwealth after all).
Even the digital terrestrial signal works well with the RF connection. Great review, wish i could get hold of another zx spectrum, bit hard to find them nowadays.
BinaryReader 7 months ago
Seriously, that's not the best of the sound stuff for the Spectrum...see Agent X
Lucretia9000 10 months ago
@Lucretia9000 Pretty much anything by Tim Follin, really. Awesome stuff.
phreakindee 10 months ago
I thought I was the only person in North America with a Speccy. Since I do have the 128k Sinclair spectrum, I may be the only person who has that particular model in North America. I did bring a TV set over from the UK when I moved here so I could play the games. I set it up now and again to see if it is still alive.
minijimi 11 months ago
@minijimi I know several people with Sinclair machines in America, actually. Thomas3120 is another user here on YouTube that owns quite a few of them, including a 128k.
phreakindee 11 months ago
@phreakindee Ahh... then I may be the only person in Canada that owns one.
But I guess it is safe to say that I am one of under a hundred people in North America that owns an original Speccy..
minijimi 11 months ago
@minijimi That I wouldn't doubt at all :)
phreakindee 11 months ago
How do you load your games from a computer using a .wav file? Every time I try to do it, I just get flashing red and cyan screens.
TapGage 11 months ago
I see that the Commodore 64 has recently been made as a PC. Let's have the ZX Spectrum made into a PC - rubber keyboard and all!
DaveWBedford 11 months ago
Fantastic review mate, well done! Thanks for putting to bed my worry that North Americans might call it the Zee-Ex.
I had the 48K back in the day. Only girls and homosexuals had commodores in my school - the ZX Spectrum ruled supreme. Nights would be spent at a pal's house with your tape recorder and blank tapes to copy games.
The anticipation and excitement of holding your breath while the Spectrum tried to load a game on a copy tape cannot be matched on a modern PC.
DaveWBedford 11 months ago
Really a f...!!! Geek!!! but thanks 4 the video, my girlfriend is surprised...!!! Oh yes I have a real girlfriend 'cause Im a normal human being!!!
Raziel0986 11 months ago
An amazing review, thanks awfully!
As a UK Brit I grew up with the old Spectrum. Still makes me smile to this day, 25+ years later!
Threepwud 1 year ago
Thank you for a fun review of our beloved(LOL) Speccy!
The thing about the Spectrum is that it wasn't designed for games in mind. Its goal was to educate the young minds of Britain the subject of computing...
LOL, games just appeared out of nowhere. To think there was decent ports of R-Type and Shadow of the Beast for this underpowered machine is just hilarious. It was surprising how far a skilled programmer could push it.
SamusDrake 1 year ago
Haha, great. You got me into checking out the ZX Spectrum through emulation, and I am enjoying it.....I am actually looking into getting my own Speccy.
thatguyontheright1 1 year ago
Love the review mate! I had a 48k+ and a +2A. Loved my spectrum. It was primative and crap, but at least i could make a cup of tea whilst loading a game!
TheArsebiscuits 1 year ago
Great review!
and01922 1 year ago
@squidgibin Negative, totally different ways of doing things with that!
phreakindee 1 year ago
Really enjoyed this mate, great review and good to see an American appreciating the finest Computer ever made
(in the 80's)
rob1969in 1 year ago
BBC2 or channel 35? Never ever used those channels for tuning lol! I always used channel 5 or 6. Mainly 6 as we have 5 terrestrial tv channels on UHF. Though I have seen magazine ads for the ZX81 saying it will work on any TV which is able to pick up BBC2 as a few tv's still around at the time could only pick up BBC1 and ITV on older VHF tv's. Yeah, I know too much about this stuff!
madcapoperator 1 year ago
@madcapoperator Thanks for the info! Good to know as I've never been able to try a Spectrum on a native TV, so I was only going on forum-found information and stuff. Also, it turns out it's probably UHF channel 36, not 35, that it uses. At least, that's the US equivalent I gather.
phreakindee 1 year ago
You can't call American leads "normal" while also insisting on pronouncing it "zed." Be American or be English.
VelvetKevorkian 1 year ago
@VelvetKevorkian While I see your point, it's not exactly that cut-and-dry for me. I was born in America but actually didn't move back here until 2005 and hold a dual citizenship. As such, I sometimes mix cultures without even thinking about it. Saying "zed" in ZX makes sense to me as that's how I've heard it, but I very rarely even heard of BNC-style RF connectors where I lived. The discrepancy didn't even cross my mind when I recorded this!
phreakindee 1 year ago
JET SET WILLY!!!
blutsklave 1 year ago
Heh, nice review! Next reason, why this computer was so popular in Europe is, that it has many official/unofficial clones, mostly developed in former eastern block (Didaktik Gama/M/Kompakt, Pentagon, Scorpion, Hobbit etc.).
wixet1 1 year ago
good review :)
LokiV 1 year ago
Hehe, seems that you in the US have lotsa problems with our PAL machines, even non-standard antenne connectors :) wtf! Anyway, to set up a Speccy in Europe you need just - a Speccy, power supply and a DivIDE with CF or SD card reader. Anyway, C64 sucks :) If you need an NTSC Speccy, just try Timex 2068 with Spectrum emulation cartridge, it'll switch your 2068 into a Spectrum compatible mode and you still have native NTSC machine, or try to get some Brazilian clone made by Czerweny company.
factor6 1 year ago
I'd like to hear any comments you have on the new iphone spectrum emulators (legal - check the app store)
c0ldb33r 1 year ago
Im from the uk and loved this computer :) chucky egg was wicked , river raid, and Green beret were just floorless . God i loved the 80s true game play none of the mad memory sucking graphics.
TheCheese30 1 year ago
awwww poor ntsc-ers
kinmanyuen 1 year ago
cripes, just use an emulator, lol
simpsonsguy22 1 year ago
@simpsonsguy22 But then I wouldn't have to go to all this trouble ;)
phreakindee 1 year ago 4
Hehe. Look at all the differences between American and European ways of connecting stuff.
For me, it's just plug in the aerial, plug in the power and turn the thing on. :-D
Cihl280777 1 year ago
@KennyMallory
You might want to look for a 2+ .. they look horrible, but they have the AY sound, a built in cassette deck, Joystick ports, and I think there is actually an RGB output on them. There are light guns etc too which plug straight into the 2+
donpalmera 1 year ago
nice zee-ecks, do you also have an seega
MrGameboy1989 1 year ago
@KennyMallory Haha, you should be fine without the need for lab equipment imitation. PAL and 220v mains are really all you need. I am definitely looking into getting a true PAL-capable TV at some point, it would save me a ton of hassle.
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee I have a VIZIO 55 inch TV and its PAL capable. Just wanted to throw that out there to help you in your quest for a PAL compatible TV.
thatguyontheright1 1 year ago
have you ever heard of the snes? do a review on it!
zigzog92 1 year ago
I loved my old Spectrum, I used tp play on it a lot, I can still rememeber waiting for games to load and dreading the "R tape loading error"! I accidentaly fried it, I had it connected to an ordinarry (non-sinclair) AC adapter and it worked fine, but one day I put the power in the wrong way and it never worked again. BTW Jet Set Willy and Manic Miner are 2 different games, they both just star the same character.
CoolDudeClem 1 year ago
@CoolDudeClem Sorry to hear about your Speccy, what a tragic fate. And yes, I'm well aware they are separate games and I actually own both of them. I just lumped them together in this video due to time constraints and because they are so similar they may as well be.
phreakindee 1 year ago
7:45 "This is the look of success, my friend." Couldn't agree more. He went the full distance.
FrumpyShakes 1 year ago
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Kiryutka22 1 year ago
great to hear an americans perspective. literally thousands of great games you guys.
wubble78 1 year ago
@phreakindee Have a look at any Australian Sega commercials on youtube. They were official Sega ads. So that's how Sega Australia pronounced it.
Now listen to the beginning of one of those Sega games again and tell me if it sounds exactly like "Say-ga". To me, it's a bit too fast to tell. To be honest, it sounds like it's somewhere in the middle of "Say-ga" and "See-ga".
slugnbozo 1 year ago
Oh and one other point... This is US, Australia and Europe working out how to pronounce a Japanese Company's name. It's not quite the same as an American mispronouncing ZX as "Zee Ex".
Ask Linus Torvalds how to pronounce Linux and he'll say "Lin-ooks. But I'll be buggered if I hear anyone who's not Finnish pronounce it like that.
slugnbozo 1 year ago
@slugnbozo Well then maybe I should say it that way then, too. Again, I feel you're missing the point. I was pointing out how it was meant to be said, according to the company. If it's supposed to be pronounced Lin-ooks, then so be it. That doesn't mean everyone is going to say it that way, but I just thought I should point out that, in fact, "ZED" is proper since many pronounce it otherwise! It really is a simple concept. Shame on me for trying to be proper, I guess??
phreakindee 1 year ago
@phreakindee No no, I agree with you. "Zee Ex" would sound strange. To be honest I can't even remember why I was discussing the pronunciation of Sega in a Spectrum video. You know a huge amount of stuff on a heap of consoles and computers. Maybe just put the "Sega Master System was big in Australia and they called it See-ga" as another snippet of your extensive knowledge.
slugnbozo 1 year ago
@slugnbozo Works for me :)
phreakindee 1 year ago
@slugnbozo Once again, the point is being missed entirely. I was referring not to region-specific pronunciation, but to the developers/founders of the company and how they say it in their country of origin. Sinclair is English, so they say it "zed". Sega was founded by Americans and soon moved to Japan, hence its pronunciation of "seh-gah".
phreakindee 1 year ago
WOW this guy knows his computers inside out. in the mid 80's the ZX Spectrum.
was the main computer in uk am not sure what ruled the USA around that Time ?
TheAlanpt70 1 year ago
@TheAlanpt70 For home users, it was mostly down to the Commodore 64 and the Atari 8-bit series. For business, it was the IBM PC and soon its clones.
phreakindee 1 year ago
WOW this guy knows his computers inside out. in the mid 80's the ZX Spectrum.
was the main computer in uk am not sure what ruled the USA around that Time ?
TheAlanpt70 1 year ago
dam would i love to have a speccy!
spleenandpie 1 year ago
Great review - thanks!
peterwilson69 1 year ago
Plugs strait into your ARRACK!!!!!!! Implosion machine. UHF 36 for a Commodore PAL
jjovereats 1 year ago
Great review, thanks! A truly epic system that caught the imagination of millions :)
findusfunk 1 year ago