ZX Spectrum Next

[Lorfarius]

Seems as good a place as any to start this thread. Do we have many backers here? Which level did you go for and what are you most looking forward to when it arrives?

For me it's the included brand new Dizzy game that has me most excited.

[chinnyhill10]

I didn't back it because of all the hurt with the other crowdfunded projects, but if and when it comes out I'll buy one at retail. It looks exciting although for day to day use my grey +2 with a Div MMC Future is still my go to machine. Instant loading and a great picture, what's not not love

[Pegaz]

Same thing.
I decided in the last moment, not to backed and I think I did well.
Terrible experience with the Vega+ console, however, is too much a warning, how big money can spoil many people.
Too many delays, disapointments, endless waiting, i dont need this really..

[emook]

Yup backer here awaiting delivery of a board then the full kit In jan.

Working on some bits a pieces for the Next in the meantime.

Most of the stuff I'm working on is Next based at the moment. Working on some updated examples for the manual.

[Ralf]

I didn't back it myself but I believe that it has big chance to actually appear and be in decent state, unlike Vega+. These guys seem serious and responsible enough.

It's nice that it will have own software using its exclusive features - new Rex, new Dizzy, a Russian beatemup called No Fate...

[Mike Davies]

I didn't back it, primarily because of change in lifestyle, but also burned by the Vega+. I instead bought a Just Speccy + SLAM earlier this year. Since I can fit that into a Spectrum+ case, that feels a better solution for my gaming needs. I still need to cut the Spectrum+ case I have. One day...

[Collieuk]

I backed it with a few mins to go. Wasn't going to but I got caught up in the wave of optimism and excitement that surrounded the Kickstarter, especially towards the end. I went for Accelerated option for some reason. I noticed someone had backed out and there was 1 version left where you could get your named etched on the board for whatever reason but I thought against it.

Thing is now I've got excited about the Spectrum again I've gone back to the real hardware and would rather add a composite mod and DivMMC and play games that way. That removes most of the appeal of the Next. Am hoping they create some online portals with the hardware so we can play modified versions across the net but I'm not sure that's a consideration. I have more faith in this than Dr Strangelove's machine and I'm sure it'll be an actual thing.

[R-Tape]

Yep I'm a backer. I deliberated until the deadline loomed and went for the Next Accelerated.

I'm looking forward to having something close enough to a real Speccy that I don't (at least I bloody hope not) have to worry about plugging in. I think my ideal product would be essentially be a mock 128k spectrum that can download any game directly off the web, but I suppose we've already kind of had that with the Bluetooth speccy.

I can't see myself using all the extra modes, agonising over how to make your program do what you want within the Spectrum's restrictions is part of the fun. Usually.

[Pegaz]

btw, does it have any insider information, about release date?
Three months is not a lot of delays if the distribution of the board would start soon.

[gasman]

Backed it, but sold my pledge on when they started to go a bit doolally over new features like multiple screen layers and new Z80 instructions. It got to the point where the frustration of "oh god, what have they added NOW" outweighed any excitement I had - there was no nostalgic appeal (graphically it doesn't look like a Spectrum any more) and the feature set is too much of a sprawling mess to be an interesting programming platform on an intellectual / demoscene-ish level (it's the difference between building a car out of Meccano, and building a car out of two motorbikes, the back end of a jumbo jet and 20 pounds of cake mix). The only remaining selling point was that it's technically still a Spectrum if you squint at it the right way, and obviously Mr Number One Spectrum Fan here wasn't going to pass up on the biggest new development in the Speccy world for decades, right?

Unfortunately most of the Next community (or at least the loudest members of it) don't seem to grasp the nuance of "these enhancements seem badly thought out and not really in keeping with the Sinclair philosophy of simplicity and ingenuity" versus "I am vehemently opposed to any and all enhancements to the sacred original Spectrum", so I've kind of been branded A Hater now. Ah well.