The Recreated Sinclair ZX Spectrum is a piece of retro gaming history. Created by Elite Systems, the company behind the mobile app that brought many of the classic Spectrum games to iOS over the past few years, it started life as a Kickstarter project last year, and is now finally nearing release. I had some time with one of the only prototypes in the world. The Sinclair ZX Spectrum, for those who don’t know, was one of the first affordable, multi-purpose home computers put on sale. It was hugely popular in the UK, and attracted a strong international following too.

For complicated legal reasons, Elite’s ZX Spectrum has the word Recreated in its name, and that doesn’t do it justice. “Lovingly crafted replica” would be more accurate (though a bit wordy), but while the outside is almost identical to the original, inside it’s a very different device. At its most basic, it’s a Bluetooth keyboard that works with Android and iOS devices, PCs and Macs, Apple TV and Chromecast, and even smart television sets. If a device has Bluetooth connection, and can be used with a keyboard, it’ll most likely work.

However, combine it with Elite’s Spectrum game catalog, and the keyboard becomes a retro games controller, perfectly replicating the experience of the original, several decades ago. Furthermore, it comes with both 48k and 128k programming languages installed. Initially, the keyboard was only expected to work with mobile devices, but the good news is by using Apple’s AirPlay or Google’s Chromecast, Spectrum games can be played on the big screen while you relax on the couch with the wireless keyboard.

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