Ever thought a tube of crisps would get into celebrating a retro computer’s birthday?
No, nor did we. But, it has finally happened. The team behind Pringles’ UK Twitter account started their march towards retro relevancy with a surprising post that boasts a secret feature…
https://twitter.com/Pringles_UK/status/1514229340132847813?s=20&t=qv58S_wTYxPNK412uJlnaA
That’s right: it’s a tribute to the greatest British computer (prior to the Raspberry Pi, at least), the ZX Spectrum, brainchild of the late Sir Clive Sinclair.
Released in 1982, the ZX Spectrum was a hugely popular system in the UK, with only the Commodore 64 (released in the same year) coming close to its popularity.
Games for the ZX Spectrum game on cassette at first. Unlike the Commodore 64, which required a very specific cassette player, a ZX Spectrum could load games from any standalone cassette player with an audio output.
Did you watch with the sound on or off? If you took the latter option, you might have found the audio a bit uncomfortable, especially if your retro gaming interest is in consoles or 1990s systems.
But it seems that audio is for more than just effect. That’s right – it’s a program!
More importantly, it is an Easter egg that yielded a special prize for the first person to recapture the audio, load it up in a ZX Spectrum, and send a photo of the screen.
It’s not clear if this is a general approach by Pringles towards retro systems celebrating an anniversary this year, or just the ZX Spectrum. Either way, thanks Pringles!
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.