Successor ZX Spectrum Next gets faster CPU modes and more ram

A successor to the ZX Spectrum Next is faster and gets more ram than the replica of the classic computer released two years ago. The crowdfunding campaign reached its £ 250,000 goal in minutes. The new version is more expensive.

The ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2’s Kickstarter campaign kicked off Tuesday evening and was an even bigger success than the 2017 campaign for the original ZX Spectrum Next. at the time of writing, the counter stands at more than 700,000 pounds, or more than 780,000 euros. This means that there is a good chance that production and delivery will take place: the initiators hope to be able to deliver the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 in March 2021.

The second version contains some improvements over the ZX Spectrum Next. For example, 14MHz and 28MHz ‘turbo modes’ have been added to the Z80, the amount of ram has been doubled and there is support for display in the pixel resolutions 256×192 and 640×256. In addition, the audio properties have been expanded with two 8-bit DACs and the WiFi module is standard in this version. As with the previous version, the Raspberry Pi Zero can be connected via the expansion port as a co-processor.

The improvements are accompanied by a significant price increase: from 194 euros to 334 euros for the standard versions. These higher costs are largely due to taxes, according to the initiators. With the ZX Spectrum Next, the team had not passed on the taxes because it thought crowdfunding was exempt. They would have paid the amounts owed out of their own pocket. In addition, components have become more expensive and test procedures have been improved, leading to higher costs. The first hundred supporters can expect the ZX Spectrum Next Issue 2 in March next year, the others will have to wait until August of 2021.

The ZX Spectrum Next offers full support for the original Spectrum 48, 128, +2, +3 and some clones thanks to hardware FPGA implementation. As a result, the home computer must be able to run almost all software, whereby games, for example, can take advantage of the higher clock speeds. The design is by Rick Dickinson, who died in 2018, who also designed the original ZX Spectrum.