#Sinclair zx spectrum full
#Sinclair zx spectrum series

The Commodore 64, the Dragon 32, and the BBC Model B were all tough competitors, but Sinclair came in cheaper, and with its very small but stylised look, it was one that felt more like a high tech toy. Even though the majority of consumers were skeptical that they needed a home computer, several hit the market at around the same time. The ZX Spectrum launched 23 April 1982 at ВЈ125 (about ВЈ450 today) for the initial 16K RAM model, followed in October by the 48K version for ВЈ175 (about ВЈ620). The result would become a classic and iconic example of '80s product design.

#Sinclair zx spectrum full

He had to squeeze a full keyboard and many other functions onto a very small area, have keys that moved, and a very efficient and cost-effective solution. It was his first project straight out of college and he was thrown in at the deep end. To save memory and increase the speed of displaying graphics, it employed a unique character based colour attribute system, whereby each 8-by-8 pixel block could have a foreground colour and background colour.Д«ut it was the iconic name and design that really made it stand out. Inside the small black plastic casing sat an 8-bit Z80 CPU running at 3.5 Mhz and a video processor that was capable of displaying 16 colours on a pixel mapped 256 x 192 screen. 'The fact that World of Spectrum continues to receive thousands of visitors daily is testament to the influence and legacy of the ZX Spectrum' Whilst it didn't set the world alight, it proved the perfect stepping stone to producing the ZX Spectrum, a computer capable of colour and hi-res graphics, with another 'interesting' keyboard and graphics comparable to other more expensive computers at the time. He was quick to make improvements and launched the 1K ZX81, with its 'paper' keyboard. That's still about ВЈ450 in today's money, but its closest rivals at the time were two or three times more expensive. Always keen to drive prices down, in 1980 he produced the ZX80, a computer for under ВЈ100. In the '70s, Clive Sinclair was responsible for inventing the pocket calculator, but he soon moved on to selling computer kits. These home computers would be the entry point for many kids who would be inspired to pursue careers in the games industry, and for many more who simply enjoy playing video games. He put Cambridge at the centre of consumer electronics and, more importantly, cheap home computers. He was bright, eccentric, and often making media headlines, not always for the right reasons. For the rest of you, he was THE boffin of the '80s, the UK's answer to Steve Jobs. If you're 40+ and in the UK games industry then Sir Clive Sinclair and the Spectrum need no introduction. The Olivers will be in attendance, as will Rick Dickinson and a number of Spectrum developers. It is a follow-up to their recent column on the BBC Micro, and is being published now as part of the lead-up to the Spectrum 35th Anniversary event at the Cambridge History of Computing Museum this Saturday, October 28. This column was contributed by Philip and Andrew Oliver, creators of Dizzy and co-founders of Blitz Games and Radiant Wolrds.

#Sinclair zx spectrum series

Why I Love is a series of guest editorials on intended to showcase the ways in which game developers appreciate each other's work.