The world’s only hand-held LCD games console with 1,000 licensed games inside that can also connect to your TV!!

Concept design by Rick Dickinson, who created the industrial designs of all of Sir Clive Sinclair’s ZX computers.

____________________________________________________________________________

All of us at Retro Computers Ltd are absolutely over the moon at the great response we've received to our latest Indiegogo campaign. We would like to thank all our backers for the support they have shown us over the campaign period. It proves that Sir Clive's Spectrum computer is very much alive and well in its latest incarnation, the Vega+, and that Rick Dickinson's great design concept for the product has masses of appeal. Whilst the coloured versions of the Vega+ are no longer available to pledge for, or to buy, the black retail version can still be ordered via Indiegogo while we are in the InDemand stage of the campaign. Thank you once again for your support.

____________________________________________________________________________

The Vega+ is a new low cost hand-held games console with a colour LCD screen and 1,000 licensed games already installed. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+, to give the product its full name, is based on Sir Clive’s hugely successful Spectrum products from the past - the early 1980s - and incorporates all the features of the ZX Vega and more, including stereo output for great reproduction of gaming sounds and music. It is the only games console that exists with 1,000 licensed games already included and with both an LCD for anywhere use and the capability to connect to a TV for home use.

In this new conception of what a games player wants from their games console, our design team has taken advantage of major advances in technology to achieve big cost savings, by replacing most of the electronics in the early Sinclair computer products. Instead we have chosen a fast but low cost micro-controller with software designed and developed by a leading world expert on Sinclair Spectrum technology. Our software is used in clever ways, allowing us to build this exciting product which can run every Spectrum game that exists, 14,000 or more of them from the past, most of which were developed during the years when some 5 million of the original Sinclair ZX Spectrum were being sold. And the low component cost means we can afford to keep the price of the Vega+ very affordable, especially for a product with 1,000 licensed games inside for you to play as soon as you open the box. 

The Vega+ project will be marketed by Retro Computers Ltd, a Luton-based start-up in which Sir Clive’s company, Sinclair Research Ltd, is a shareholder. The development and marketing of the Vega+ is under license from Sky In-Home Service Ltd, who inherited the intellectual property rights to the Spectrum computers from Amstrad.  Development of the product is complete, and a fully-functioning prototype is ready to go into production.

The Sinclair Spectrum Vega+ is very simple to use, and far less expensive than the most popular games consoles of today. The main difference for the user between the Vega+ and other games consoles is that it comes complete with 1,000 licensed games built-in, and has sufficient memory to allow you to download the many thousands of additional Spectrum games available free of charge on various web sites. You can play the games anywhere using its LCD, and another option is to plug it into a TV (PAL or NTSC).

The Vega+ hardware and operating system software have been designed and developed by a team led by a former ZX Spectrum games developer who is the world's leading expert on Sinclair Spectrum technology.

The concept design of the Vega+ is by Rick Dickinson, one of the UK’s leading industrial designers, who designed Sir Clive Sinclair’s ZX computers in the 1980s: the ZX 80, ZX 81 and ZX Spectrum

Our Indiegogo campaign is to raise funds to manufacture the first 2,500 or more units of the Vega+  in the UK, and to prepare us for the second production run.

Supporting this project will allow you to be one of the first to own a Vega+. All supporters who have pledged £100 can choose to receive a Vega+ from our first production run. With its 1,000 licensed games built-in, the Vega+ represents a huge saving over what it would have cost to buy the original Sinclair Spectrum together with 1,000 of the original Spectrum games. That would have cost you thousands of pounds back in the 1980s, but is now available for a tiny fraction of that amount.

There is also a range of other exciting perks, including: signed limited edition concept art originals and Spectrum computers signed by Rick Dickinson, copies of the book about the creation of the Vega+, and an invite to the Vega+ launch party and factory tour at the SMS Electronics factory where you can meet some of the team.

 In addition, all supporters who have pledged £10 or more will have their names added to the “Digital Role of Honour” which will be embedded into the memory of the Vega+ , displayed on our web site (unless you choose to be anonymous) and can be displayed on the LCD or TV when using your Vega+.

Current Status 

The development of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ is complete, and we have a fully working prototype waiting to go into production in the UK. Production and shipping of the first Vega+ games consoles are planned for late summer 2016.  Given the chance, and with encouragement from all our supporters, we will reach our funding goal quickly and perhaps be able to improve on this delivery date. 

Inspiration for the Sinclair Spectrum Vega+

Sir Clive Sinclair says: “The present surge of interest in retro products inspired me to plan the Vega+ as a handy games console which can be played anywhere.”

The Vega+ is a culmination of many years of work and perseverance by our team, who have come together to create something special that resonates with those who grew up inspired by the original Sinclair Spectrum. As well as being accessible to today’s gamers who are looking for some nostalgic game play, the Vega+ delivers the ease of use of modern technology at an incredibly low price. For enthusiasts who would like to know more about the project you can pledge to receive, as one of the perks, the new edition of our book “ Creating The Sinclair ZX Vega and Vega+ ”  which has been written by Sir Clive and the rest of our team, about our journey to create the Vega+ and its forerunner, the ZX Vega. 

Sir Clive Sinclair talks to David Levy about the original Spectrum –

Development of the Vega+

The Vega+ technology has been designed and developed by a team led by a former ZX Spectrum games designer who is the world’s leading expert on the technology behind the Sinclair ZX Spectrum range of computers.

The concept design of the case is by Rick Dickinson, who also designed the Sinclair ZX80, ZX81 and ZX Spectrum and QL computers.

Features of the Vega+

The Vega+ is very simple to operate. Just switch on and start to play, either on the built-in colour LCD or plug in a suitable cable and connect it to your TV (PAL or NTSC). The 1,000 licensed games are easily accessed through a menu based system and load immediately and automatically, taking you directly into the game play mode. When you wish to play another game, simply press the reset button and this takes you back to the main menu. Nothing could be simpler.

Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ Specification

Controls

• Classic gaming D-Pad, offering up, down, left right and diagonals.
• Four primary action buttons and three secondary buttons.
• System menu and control-set toggle button.
• Volume up/down / Brightness up/down.

Screen

• Sharp LCD 4:3 aspect ratio with approximately 0.2565 mm dot pitch. Accurately reproduces the ZX Spectrum 256x192 resolution with minimal screen border.
• LCD Screen brightness adjustable. Suitable for all light levels, and to extend battery life.
• Extended "ULAplus" colour palette support, in addition to the classic ZX Spectrum colour palette.

Battery

• Specification yet to be finalised, due to the variations of physical size and capacity available, however battery life is expected to be in excess of 6 hrs of continuous use. 
• Charging is achieved through a micro-USB socket.

Storage

• SDSC and SDHC micro SD cards are supported.
• Additional games may be loaded from micro SD card - popular snapshot and tape file formats supported.
• SD card also allows preferences and game-saves to be stored for later resumption.
• Firmware upgradable through SD card.

Operational features

• Unobtrusive pop-up control panel during game play through which to access all Vega features.
• Novel and easy-to-use virtual keyboard.
• Save and resume game (stored on SD card).
• Games may be tagged as favourites and recalled through a favourites menu.
• Player controls completely reconfigurable.
• Game pokes can be stored on SD card.
• Switchable Kempston and Cursor joystick emulation.
• Default Machine selection (48K and 128K models).
• Access to programming mode (BASIC).

Peripherals

• 3.5mm stereo headphone socket for private listening.
• Supports connection of external keyboard (specification to follow).
• Headphone socket doubles as an A/V connection, allowing stereo audio and composite video connection to a TV. Supports PAL and NTSC formats.

About us – The partners in Retro Computers Ltd

Sir Clive Sinclair – is one of the most famous British born inventors of all time. His first invention was when he was still at school – he designed a one-man submarine when he was only 12. He launched his first mass-market consumer product in 1962. An expert at miniaturization, Sir Clive has brought to market more than 100 highly innovative consumer products through various companies such as Sinclair Radionics and Sinclair Research. Examples of his famous products include the world's first pocket television in 1966, the world's first pocket calculator in 1972, and of course the Spectrum – what was the UK's best-selling home computer of all time in 1982.

Dr David Levy - is a British International Master of chess who is noted for his involvement with both computer chess and artificial intelligence. He is President of the International Computer Games Association and the founder of the Computer Olympiads as well as the Mind Sports Olympiads. David has also written more than 50 books on computer games, A.I., and robotics. He is not only interested in computers and games, he also adores cats.

Manufacture of the Sinclair Spectrum Vega+

We already have fully functioning prototypes of the Vega+. You can see a game running on a Vega+ here -

We have selected an outstanding UK company for manufacturing the Vega+ , SMS Electronics Ltd of Nottinghamshire. Following our initial production run for those of you who choose a Vega+ perk in this campaign, we plan to increase production steadily. Everyone who has pledged will receive update emails over the next few months, telling them about our progress through the various stages of manufacture. Your funding will help us to make the launch of the Vega+ a reality, and your continued interest in our progress will be rewarded by randomly timed opportunities to receive free bonus perks such as an invite to the launch party and a tour of the factory to see the Vega + assembly line in action for some lucky backers!

All those who have pledged and selected the Vega+ as one of their perks will receive theirs from the first production run. Subsequently our initial sales will be via our web site and various on-line retailers such as Amazon, and through marketing arrangements with High Street distributors and retailers in the UK, USA and elsewhere.

As a special once-only limited edition offer we will be manufacturing a number of units with three different coloured bases: red, white and blue, in addition to the regular black base.  These coloured versions are only available through this Indiegogo campaign, and will never again be made after the campaign closes. We will build the exact number of each colour, according to how many of you choose of these limited edition versions.

Delivering the Vega 

All pledgers of £100 or more in support who chose a Vega+ perk, will receive their  Vega+ from the first production run.

Risks and Challenges

We have worked very hard to minimize the risks and challenges to this project. We have contracted with Sky In-Home Service Ltd to ensure the correct hardware permissions are in place. We have permissions from the software rights holders to incorporate their games. Members of our team have many years of experience in creating, developing, and selling electronic products, as well as experience in publishing and retail sales.

Minor details of the Vega+ may vary in the final delivered model.

FAQ 

Q - Can I also play games using my television, like the original ZX Spectrum?

A - Yes. You can plug a standard A/V cable into the headphone socket and connect that to the TV composite video and stereo audio in.

Q - Can I connect a keyboard?

A - We're reviewing our expansion options.

Q - Is a Bluetooth input/output included?
A - No, this is an LCD games console with a straight-to-TV connection for those who want it.

Q - Will it work on my iPad, or just the built-in LCD or a TV?
A – Just the LCD or TV – both PAL and NTSC systems.

Q – Is the ZX Vega + compatible with all the Spectrum games?
A – To the best of our knowledge the Vega + should work with all 14,000+games created for the original Spectrum machines.

Q – Can I pledge for more than one perk, for example, a Vega + and some signed concept art?
A – Yes, you can pledge as many times as you want for different combinations of perks.

Q – Can I load my own Spectrum games onto the Vega + ?
A – Yes you can use an SD card to load more games onto the Vega +

Q - What file format will work on the SD card?
A - Standard SDSC and SDHD micro SD cards are supported. ZX Spectrum games are supported in many of the popular formats such as .TAP, .Z80 and .SZX

Q - What does the Vega + offer over the original Spectrum?
A - Simplicity. The Vega + is small, portable, with both an LCD screen and a plug-and-go socket for connection to a TV. And it allows the instant loading of games. The Vega + also includes some newer features such as an increased colour palette and a micro SD card to load new games or software updates.

Q - Does it support the 48k and 128k machines?
A - Yes, all models of the Spectrum are supported.