It’s been over a year since Retro Games Ltd wished the ZX Spectrum a happy 40th anniversary while teasing a new mini system.
Naturally, everyone assumed that a ZX Spectrum Mini was on the cards.
But at the time of writing, 16 months later, nothing has happened. In fact, the ZX Spectrum hasn’t even had an Evercade cartridge, unlike the Commodore 64 and Amiga computers.
Not a whisper.
Surely everyone wants a ZX Spectrum Mini?
This is curious, not least because the ZX Spectrum has proved incredibly simple to emulate. Software called ZXBaremulator can run on the Raspberry Pi without Linux (this is known as “bare metal emulation”).
(Mini retro systems typically rely on an ARM processor and a Linux operating system to run the emulation software required. This is always hidden behind some sort of simple user interface that is easy on the eye – the C64 Mini’s carousel, for example.)
The other retro minis
At this point in time, we have had THEC64 Mini, THEC64 (maxi), THEVIC20 (I mean, WTF?!) the NES Mini, the SNES Mini, the Mega Drive Mini, the Mega Drive Mini 2, a TurboGrafx-16 Mini, and of course THEA500 Mini.
Surley the time is right for a ZX Spectrum mini?! (Admittedly, it wouldn’t need to be much smaller than the original.)
Of course, it might be that I have misread the mood and no one actually wants a ZX Spectrum mini.
If you have any thoughts, let us know below.
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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.
