Have you pre-ordered The Spectrum? It’s out next month!

News of the upcoming ZX Spectrum mini console – in this case an almost exact physical replica complete with rubber keys – didn’t come as a huge surprise, but it was welcome.

After all, UK retro gaming fans had been crying out for something like this for years.

Retro Games Ltd’s The Spectrum is £89.99 and due out on November 22nd, just a month away! It’s not too late to pre-order, and if you’re wavering, you shouldn’t. This machine has plenty going for it beyond the built-in games.

What you need to know about The Spectrum

First and foremost, the latest update concerning The Spectrum on the Retro Games Ltd Facebook page. It relays a message from PLAION, distribution partner for many of RGL’s projects.

Thank you all for your incredible interest in The Spectrum! The response to our August announcement has been fantastic, and thanks to this initial wave of enthusiasm, we’re excited to announce European distribution through several retailers

The notice also highlights a page on the RGL website that lists the countries where the device can be bought.

• UK
• Spain
• Portugal
• Germany
• Switzerland
• Sweden
• Norway
• Denmark
• Finland
• Italy
• France
• Austria
• Greece
• Poland
• Bulgaria

The eagle-eyed among you will notice that the Republic of Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are not listed. This may or may not change over the coming months, but keep an eye on the list of retails so that you don’t miss out.

What games are pre-installed on The Spectrum?

Since the announcement, the full list of pre-installed games on The Spectrum has been announced. The 48 titles are as follows:

Alien Girl: Skirmish Edition • Ant Attack • Army Moves • Auf Wiedersehen Monty • Avalon • Bobby Bearing • Cosmic Payback • Devwill Too • Exolon • Fairlight • Firelord • Football Manager 2 • Freddy Hardest • The Great Escape • Head over Heels • Highway Encounter • The Hobbit • Horace Goes Skiing • Jack the Nipper • Knot in 3D • The Lords of Midnight • Manic Miner • Match Day II • Movie • Nodes of Yesod •

Penetrator • Phantis (Game Over II) • Pheenix • Pyracurse • Quazatron • Robin of the Wood • Saboteur! Remastered • Shovel Adventure • Skool Daze • Snake Escape • Spellbound • Starquake • Starstrike II • El Stompo • Stonkers • TCQ • Target: Renegade • Technician Ted – The Megamix • Tenebra • Trashman • The Way of the Exploding Fist • Wheelie • Where Time Stood Still

The device ships with an HDMI cable, USB power lead, and manual. As well as the game carousel, it has a ZX Spectrum mode, and runs games for the 48k and 128k models. I’m thinking of getting one myself.

Should you buy a modern ZX Spectrum?

I wasn’t a ZX Spectrum owner way back when. A good school friend had one, but most of us looked on it with a bit of derision. Those rubber keys, the noisy loading, the dodgy connections on the memory packs… the C64 and the Amstrad 464 didn’t have any of that.

Of course, we were unfair. The ZX Spectrum is a marvellous computer, not just a pinnacle of the British computer industry, but a system that held its own against superior hardware throughout the 1980s. And arguably, in terms of playability, it still does.

Remember, you can still pre-order The Spectrum for £89.99 ahead of its November 22nd release. And don’t forget, the device has 4 USB ports, ideal for any controller, including this The Spectrum-themed controller.

Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links. This comes at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!