Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
The initiators of the second kickstrter obviously showed respect for the original bakers, who took much more risks and waited three years for Next.
The current bakers risk almost nothing and $400+ is a fair price.
The current bakers risk almost nothing and $400+ is a fair price.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Description mentions the taxman being the biggest culprit for the price increase over last time. If that's the case and they had to personally foot the bill then it's understandable. Little bit annoyed it's cost so much in hindsight, but it's something that's only going to increase in value from the moment I get it and I was even looking at grabbing one from eBay. That is until I fell off my chair at the start prices.
ZX Spectrum Reviews REST API: http://zxspectrumreviews.co.uk/
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
A million bucks in just 12 hours. Impressive.
Obviously, the price was chosen very wisely...
Obviously, the price was chosen very wisely...
-
- Manic Miner
- Posts: 390
- Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 3:54 pm
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Kickstarter campaign just broke the 1 million GBP mark! Amazing!
Also BBC covering it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53765852 containing a screenshot of Melkhior’s Mansion.
Also BBC covering it https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53765852 containing a screenshot of Melkhior’s Mansion.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Today is a good day.
Two weeks ago or there abouts, I listed a few bits and pieces on eBay that I haven't needed for well over a decade in some cases, which I'd been putting off for ages as I've always been a bit suspicious of buyers who seem to hold all the aces. It was my old bass guitar equipment (not high-end stuff), some almost-working hi-fi amplifiers, a PA power amplifier... and a Tascam Portastudio 424 that had barely been out of its case in the last 18 years.
I looked around for priced of tape-based 4-track recorders, and found a couple on the other side of the Atlantic - one in the US, one in Canada - with starting prices over the equivalent of £150. So I opted for £130, thinking that it wasn't likely to sell very quickly and would have to be relisted several times. Still, eBay would let me relist it for free for now, as they had a free-listings promotion throughout August, so I was prepared to play the long game. Imagine my shock as someone actually bid on it first time round. Imagine my further shock as it climbed to £195. And within the last few minutes, while I was watching Lewis Hamilton reduce the Belgian Grand Prix to a foregone conclusion, somehow it went stratospheric.
This morning, the 424 was delivered to its new owner in Brighton, who's promised to use it to make experimental lo-fi tape-loop music with it... and it was his for £318. Even after the extra postage to cover the transit insurance, PayPal's fees and all that, I was £300 in the black just on that one auction. That, and the few other items I've sold (one bass guitar, an overdrive pedal and both mildly defective amplifiers), mean that I was in the position to buy a Spectrum Next without a further second's hesitation, rather than having to budget around it while the expensive bits waited to be sold.
So I just did. In August 2021, provided there are no delays (and the team know what they're in for this time round), I'll be joining the Next club.
Anyone else with stuff to dig out your attic and sell, now's a good time to do it.
Two weeks ago or there abouts, I listed a few bits and pieces on eBay that I haven't needed for well over a decade in some cases, which I'd been putting off for ages as I've always been a bit suspicious of buyers who seem to hold all the aces. It was my old bass guitar equipment (not high-end stuff), some almost-working hi-fi amplifiers, a PA power amplifier... and a Tascam Portastudio 424 that had barely been out of its case in the last 18 years.
I looked around for priced of tape-based 4-track recorders, and found a couple on the other side of the Atlantic - one in the US, one in Canada - with starting prices over the equivalent of £150. So I opted for £130, thinking that it wasn't likely to sell very quickly and would have to be relisted several times. Still, eBay would let me relist it for free for now, as they had a free-listings promotion throughout August, so I was prepared to play the long game. Imagine my shock as someone actually bid on it first time round. Imagine my further shock as it climbed to £195. And within the last few minutes, while I was watching Lewis Hamilton reduce the Belgian Grand Prix to a foregone conclusion, somehow it went stratospheric.
This morning, the 424 was delivered to its new owner in Brighton, who's promised to use it to make experimental lo-fi tape-loop music with it... and it was his for £318. Even after the extra postage to cover the transit insurance, PayPal's fees and all that, I was £300 in the black just on that one auction. That, and the few other items I've sold (one bass guitar, an overdrive pedal and both mildly defective amplifiers), mean that I was in the position to buy a Spectrum Next without a further second's hesitation, rather than having to budget around it while the expensive bits waited to be sold.
So I just did. In August 2021, provided there are no delays (and the team know what they're in for this time round), I'll be joining the Next club.
Anyone else with stuff to dig out your attic and sell, now's a good time to do it.
Spectribution: Dr. Jim's Sinclair computing pages.
Features my own programs, modified type-ins, RZXs, character sets & UDGs, and QL type-ins... so far!
Features my own programs, modified type-ins, RZXs, character sets & UDGs, and QL type-ins... so far!
- Ast A. Moore
- Rick Dangerous
- Posts: 2641
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2017 3:16 pm
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Hey, I used to have a 424, too! A fine machine, it was.
Every man should plant a tree, build a house, and write a ZX Spectrum game.
Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
Author of A Yankee in Iraq, a 50 fps shoot-’em-up—the first game to utilize the floating bus on the +2A/+3,
and zasm Z80 Assembler syntax highlighter.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
I had a Tascam 464! Oh the joys* of running that badboy alongside a sequencer using an SMPTE>MTC/Midiclock machine (having previously striped track 4 on the tape with SMPTE - which sounded remarkably like a spectrum loading).
*Actually woes. I'd not be eager to go back to that setup.
*Actually woes. I'd not be eager to go back to that setup.
CLEAR 23855
-
- Microbot
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:36 am
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
The KS is entering the final week and will close on September 10 at 20:59 BST.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Just announced that if they reach the £1.5m stretch goal there will be some kind of Next version of Head over Heels. Fingers crossed!Alcoholics Anonymous wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 4:18 am The KS is entering the final week and will close on September 10 at 20:59 BST.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
As much as I tried to resist, it's become quite apparent that I have all the willpower of a very underpowered clockwork frog.
Can't wait to play the NEXT version of HoH now that they've passed the £1.5mill target
Can't wait to play the NEXT version of HoH now that they've passed the £1.5mill target
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
I succumbed too! In the end there was no use trying to resist the incredible lure of a new Spectrum arriving by "mail order", just like back in '82.
And so the long wait begins (again, just like back in '82)...
Cosmium
https://cosmium.itch.io/
https://cosmium.itch.io/
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Personally, I wouldn't hold your breath for that. While it's great to see the second campaign doing so well, the backers of the first Next - myself included - are still waiting for any the games that were originally promised as part of the first campaign like Nodes of Yesod Next, Rex Next, Dreamworld Pogie, No Mercy - I think it was called No Fate then - and the brand new Dizzy game. It's a bit annoying that all those promised game stretch goals have been mostly forgotten about now.MrClump wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 7:59 amJust announced that if they reach the £1.5m stretch goal there will be some kind of Next version of Head over Heels. Fingers crossed!Alcoholics Anonymous wrote: ↑Thu Sep 03, 2020 4:18 am The KS is entering the final week and will close on September 10 at 20:59 BST.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Gosh [mention]toot_toot[/mention],
I had forgotten about all those stretch goals.
I had forgotten about all those stretch goals.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
I'd forgotten there were so many too. I occasionally go here to see what's new, but there's no "last updated" date anywhere which makes it hard to work where things are at:
https://www.spectrumnextgames.uk/
Rex Next has a very positive sounding quote from Jas Austin, but I have a feeling that's been there for a long time (?) Nodes of Yesod hasn't seen any updates since the beginning which doesn't bode well. Same for Dreamworld Pogie although it would be weird to get such a slick demo version out there and then stop.
No Mercy has new screenshots which look tremendous - that could be a killer app. Wonderful Dizzy has lots of new stuff although it's gone from being a Next exclusive to regular Spectrum first and possibly Next later, maybe. So those two look like happening in time. Fingers crossed for the others.
https://www.spectrumnextgames.uk/
Rex Next has a very positive sounding quote from Jas Austin, but I have a feeling that's been there for a long time (?) Nodes of Yesod hasn't seen any updates since the beginning which doesn't bode well. Same for Dreamworld Pogie although it would be weird to get such a slick demo version out there and then stop.
No Mercy has new screenshots which look tremendous - that could be a killer app. Wonderful Dizzy has lots of new stuff although it's gone from being a Next exclusive to regular Spectrum first and possibly Next later, maybe. So those two look like happening in time. Fingers crossed for the others.
-
- Manic Miner
- Posts: 390
- Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 3:54 pm
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
I know that Rex Next is still being worked on.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Has anybody played the Magnetic Scrolls adventures that have been ported to the NEXT? Bitd I was incredibly envious of the Amiga and ST screenshots.
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Is there a link to that anywhere?
-
- Microbot
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:36 am
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
I have The implementation is quite good. I can't say I have completed them or even come close though. Strand has also updated them somewhat (the classic version can also be played) but I can't compare to the originals as I didn't play the games bitd. Mainly I think the differences are in some different / extra art and small changes in the interface behaviour like location images being erased when they are no longer relevant.
Yeah this time the software goals have been taken on by Next team members so there should be more control over when they are delivered. The first ks software goals rely on 3rd parties who have other demands on their time. Dizzy will come hopefully this year (missed on your list). No Mercy is being done by many of the same people doing Delta's Shadow and it looks like Delta's Shadow has become their priority so Delta's Shadow will come out first. Dreamworld Pogie was interrupted by health issues but the programmer has recovered and has indicated his desire to continue. The tech demo in the distribution shows that he does at least have most of the technical side tackled. Nodes and Rex I think have been asleep for a while but both authors have indicated it's still on their radar. I hope the success of the second ks will rekindle their energies.toot_toot wrote: ↑Thu Sep 10, 2020 1:23 pm Personally, I wouldn't hold your breath for that. While it's great to see the second campaign doing so well, the backers of the first Next - myself included - are still waiting for any the games that were originally promised as part of the first campaign like Nodes of Yesod Next, Rex Next, Dreamworld Pogie, No Mercy
-
- Microbot
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:36 am
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
The Next has been made available in the shop for a time (possibly until the end of December) for anyone who missed it. This is the short period before parts are ordered after which it won't be possible to add new units without forgoing volume discounts. Purchased units will be added to the KS2 production and will be delivered on the same schedule (ie expected August 2021).
https://www.specnext.com/shop/
For lower budgets, third parties continue to offer bare pcbs and other compatible fpga platforms.
https://www.specnext.com/shop/
For lower budgets, third parties continue to offer bare pcbs and other compatible fpga platforms.
-
- Microbot
- Posts: 194
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 3:36 am
Re: Spectrum Next Kickstarter 2 going live tomorrow Aug 11th 2020 9pm BST
Last day for shop availability is Dec 31.