ZX Spectrum Vega+

The Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+ is an unreleased handheld games console based on the ZX Spectrum and designed by Rick Dickinson as a follow-up to the ZX Spectrum Vega handheld TV game which was released in 2015.

Funding

As with the original Vega, the development was funded through the crowdfunding website, Indiegogo.com and surpassed its target of £100,000 in the first two days of campaigning in March 2016.^[1]

Controversy

The original Vega was produced by Retro Computers Limited, which consisted of managing director Paul Andrews, Chris Smith (author of “The ZX Spectrum ULA: How to design a microcomputer”), David Levy and Sinclair Research.^[2] However, soon after funding was completed, both Andrews and Smith resigned from the company^[3] due to "irreconcilable differences" and since then the project has been mired in controversy.^[4][5]

Despite claims from Retro Computers Ltd that product development was complete with a prototype ready for production in February 2016^[6][7][8] and a statement from SMS Electronics Ltd, the UK based manufacturers, that production had started in April of that year,^[9] no consoles have been released and the future of the project remains uncertain.

Current Status

In order to counter the growing concerns, Retro Computers Ltd released photos of a "life-size model" of the Vega+ on 25 August 2016^[10][11] and confirmed that the console was still on target for release in September 2016. On 26 September, they announced that the product would be launched on 20 October 2016 and, according to campaign updates for backers on Indiegogo, production of the ZX Spectrum Vega+ had commenced although no shipment date was given.^[12]

In a review of a "production model" published by The Inquirer on 4 November 2016, Retro Computers Ltd assured backers that they would receive their units in time for Christmas^[13] but three weeks later on 25 November, they announced that they had identified a problem with one of the buttons on their units during testing and that delivery to backers would be delayed.^[14] In a follow-up article from The Inquirer, it was revealed that the "production model" previously reviewed was in fact from a limited run produced for testing purposes and that Retro Computers could no longer guarantee Christmas delivery.^[15]

On 23 December 2016 Retro Computers Ltd announced that the problem button had been redesigned and that they would "ship the first units in February 2017".^[16] However, on 25 February 2017 The Daily Telegraph reported that Indiegogo had closed the crowdfunding campaign due to the continued failure to deliver and quoted Suzanne Martin as claiming the delays were now due to unnamed "game developers pulling their support" and that they had "every intention of delivering".^[17]

In March 2017 Indiegogo halted the funding campaign amid concerns about the ongoing lack of a firm release date and a failure to communicate with backers or the media. The BBC revealed that in December 2016, it had been threatened with legal action if it reported on the delays, with RCL's lawyers demanding editorial control over any reports before publication. The future of the project is in doubt, with backers' comments on the funding website remaining unaddressed.^[18]

References