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Relics Unearthed From The Codemasters Vault

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When we saw Codemasters’ thread on Twitter of all the relics they found in their vault, our knees buckled due to all of the nostalgia. Check out the classic games, consoles and peripherals they unearthed from their storage, some being over three decades old! We are well and truly intoxicated with nostalgia.

The gobsmackingly gorgeous Sega Saturn Development Unit. It’s MASSIVE!


source: Codemasters via Twitter

 

 

Play Your Fave Retro Gaming Systems in Your Web Browser

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Virtual Consoles – a recently launched website makes it possible to play legendary computers and consoles like the Apple II, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Super Nintendo (to name a few) right in your web browser.

The Virtual Consoles website offers its services free of charge: you can play on 9 old school gaming systems without installing any add-ons or plug-ins. Now that is pretty damn cool!

With the revival of retro gaming and the ever escalating costs, this site has come at the right time. “The site generally uses open-source development, so the use of emulators is completely free of charge. An up-to-date browser and an average desktop computer is all that is needed, although most of the retro computers offer good experience on tablets, as well”, says Kornel Kolma, founder of virtualconsoles.com.

Play with Spacewar! from 1962
Currently there are 9 online emulators available on the site: Apple II, Atari 2600, NES , Super NES. DOS, Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum. There are also some curiosities to be found in the collection, like the CHIP-8 interpreter which ran on microcomputers of the 1970s, and the DEC PDP-1, which was introduced in 1959 – making it possible to play the original Spacewar! game online.

“We only attached games to the emulated computers and consoles if they were freeware games or had gotten approval from the copyright owner. For most of the emulators we made it possible to upload games from existing collections. Our long-term goal is to come to an agreement with copyright owners of old games and make these games available in a retro gaming online store”, says Kornel Kolma. Kornel also added, “The short-term plan of Virtual Consoles is to launch additional emulators which will run in your web browser”.

With Virtual Consoles, the game is definitely not over!


 

The ZX Spectrum Is Reborn As The Next

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All you one-eyed C64 lovers licking your wounds after the cancelled Commodore 64: For the Love of a Machine Kickstarter (Ed: which we are still devastated about), please look away now!

Just when those smarmy Speccy owners were popping the champagne in celebration of the rubber key computer’s 35th anniversary, the ZX Spectrum Next makes its appearance on Kickstarter.

source: ZX Spectrum Next on Kickstarter

Not only do Speccy owners celebrate a huge milestone for one of the most enduring computers, but they also have the opportunity to grab a brand-spanking new ZX Spectrum Next! With a brains trust that reads like a who’s who, including original Sinclair computers designer Rick Dickinson, the Next is in fine hands.

A day into the £250,000 crowdfunding campaign, the Next will definitely come to fruition with the goal well within reach – the question remains, how high will the pledge amount go?!


source: Henrique Olifiers

 

Press Play On Tape: Colour Clash

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PPOT_eps4_TitleAs the weather cools down outside, the PRESS PLAY ON TAPE dudes, Alex and Daz, rug up and settle in with a hot cuppa and invite Andy Godoy (UK podcaster of the Retro Gaming Daily Show Podcast) to talk about Sir Clive Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum.

The gushing for the rainbow striped black beauty is overwhelming, as we reminisce about the 8-bit British powerhouse and reflect on the many games, good and bad. Andy tells us about the magazines that all Speccy owners couldn’t go without, and he reflects on the schoolyard arguments of which micro was better as the 8-bit war intensified on those British school grounds! Alex procrastinates about his publisher of choice for this month, settling for the Darling’s Codemasters!

Settle in and take a listen, your ears will thank you for it.

PRESS PLAY ON TAPE podcasts are available on iTunes and Podbean

 

Kung Fury: Spot the Retro Gaming Goodness

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KungFury_titleSurely you have all watched Laser Unicorns’ Kung Fury movie by now? If you haven’t, then please do yourself a favour and watch it! For those of you that have already feasted on this visual awesomeness, how many of you spotted the retrogaming gear within the movie? The most obvious of retrogaming items was the venerable Power Glove, worn by Hackerman. Here are a few more:

Golden Age Arcade Machines represent!
KF_Arcade

Hackerman’s Retro Computer Lair. Is that a Macintosh?
KF_Hackerman_ComputerLair

Oh, it’s so bad!
KF_Hackerman_PowerGlove

The Aussie made Microbee!
KF_Microbee

The venerable ZX Speccy! Sir Clive would be so proud.
KF_ZXSpeccy

Hanging ten on the Microbee Model II
KF_Microbee_Surf

I spy some tapes!
KF_SpeccyTape

source: Laser Unicorns – Kung Fury

Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega

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ZX_Spec_Vega_titleAs a Commodore 64 lover, I was in constant feuds with my fellow 8-bit home computer enthusiasts that chose the other brands. Ah, those glorious school-yard arguments. I miss those days.

Hang on, what’s this then? A new Speccy? OH MY GAWD! Even I, a one eyed C64 fan can’t deny the excitement generated by seeing the famous rainbow coloured stripes on a shiny black Sinclair system.

Sir Clive Sinclair and his band of geniuses (Chris Smith, Dr. David Levy and Paul Andrews) at Retro Computers Ltd. are back with a vengeance! They are resurrecting the style of the venerable British-made  ZX Speccy and bringing it into the 21st century as the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega!  This time around, instead of the rubber keyboard, the computer is the controller!

Vega_gamesThe crowd funding campaign on Indiegogo has gone gangbusters! The £100,000 goal has already been exceeded and there are still a lot of weeks left! You better get in quick if you want a piece of this new ZX Spectrum Vega kit. This initial run is limited to the first 1,000 backers.

For those of you that want to know more about this little beast; it is powered by an ARM processor and contains flash storage that will have 1,000 Speccy games pre-loaded! Don’t stress though, you can also load your own Spectrum games onto the Vega via an SD card.

What’s there not to love about this? Absolutely nothing – we love everything about it.


source: Retro Computers

Retro Gaming Calendars for 2015

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RetroCalendars_TitleHave you got a calendar for next year? Even if you do, I guarantee you will like these retro gaming inspired calendars even better!

The Sunteam (the team behind the PC Engine Software Bible) have put together seven classic gaming calendars to cater for all retro gamers – from the Spectrum and PC-Engine lovers, to the Sega and Commodore fans, no one will feel left out (Ed: unless you are a one-eyed Nintendo fan!). You can finally put your old CD cases to good use!

Get on over to the Sunteam site to download your favourite retro gaming calendar!

 

 

The Making Of R-Type: A Free Book By Bob Pape

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Book - Front Cover

There is something altruistic when a bedroom coder documents one of their gaming creations in a tell-all book and then releases it for free!

That is exactly what Bob Pape has done. Mr. Pape, take a bow Sir. We thank you for writing It’s Behind You: The Making Of A Computer Game and sharing your experiences in coding one of the greatest shoot’em ups of all time – R-Type for the ZX Spectrum. On behalf of all gamers, modern and retro, thank you!

Get your free copy of It’s Behind You: The Making Of A Computer Game book here.

 

ZX Spectrum: Happy 30th Birthday

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Happy 30th birthday to you, ZX Spectrum

April 23, 1982: Sir Clive Sinclair gave the world, the ZX Spectrum. This 8-bit wonder took the UK by storm. It proved so popular that it was in production till 1992. It celebrates its 30th birthday today. So, to you, the ZX Speccy, we wish you a happy 30th birthday. May you celebrate many more to come !

 

By the numbers:
Launch Date: 23 April 1982
Launch Price: £125 (16KB), £175 (48KB)
Dimensions: 232x144x30mm
Weight: 552g
Processor: Zilog Z80A (running at 3.5MHz)
RAM: 16/48KB
ROM: 16KB
Onboard Language: Sinclair BASIC
Display: 32×24 characters, 256×192 pixels
Colours: Eight available (plus seven variations)
Sound: Internal speaker (buzzing)
Interesting key technical component: The ULA (Uncommitted Logic Array) chip, aka: the ‘glue chip’, combines the functions of several chips and controls the I/O functions.