Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

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ThePixelatedGenocide
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Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » September 17th, 2021, 3:30 am

Not sure how much he means to anyone here, but he's arguably done more for gaming than anyone else who never actually had anything to do with videogames.

And never much cared for them in the first place.

No, what Sir Clive really cared about was building computers. Especially, he cared about building computers for people who couldn't otherwise afford them. And not just for the money, either.

In fact, he was a rather terrible businessman. Bad enough that only gamers seem to remember him as anything other than a cheap punchline.

Many of the reports on his death will be eager to tell you about how he tried to revolutionize the automobile, for example.

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Besides, his first success as a hardware developer was barely powerful enough to run its own display. Pressing any key would blank the screen.

This is the best a hundred pounds or less bought you in January of 1980.

Every single working program is a miracle.

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Seriously, this image should be blowing your mind.

I'm not even sure it's on the original. unexpanded hardware.

Still, the community that grew up around that cheap piece of kit, revealed just how many people had been completely priced out of the computer market. So, Sincair had an idea.

He took a Z80 processor, clocked to the same speed as the Z80 in a Colecovision or a Master System.

And then he stripped out everything that would drive up the price.

Things like an actual graphics display, for example. Only 2 colors per 8x8 square? No hardware sprites? No hardware scrolling?

Short of a Tiger handheld, it was the ultimate anti-gaming device.

So why do so many gamers still love it?

Besides their shared nostalgia taking hostages?

Well, if any potential Spectrum gamers wanted more than just text on a screen and LCD worthy character teleportation? They'd just have to learn how to program every missing graphics function themselves. And that was a powerful motivator for gamers who couldn't afford a console or C64.

And if that programming was a painful and tedious process, featuring a flat membrane keyboard that punished long coding sessions, or a cassette drive that saved and loaded your fragile data at the speed of an hourglass?

Well, challenge accepted.

The Spectrum was also the best teaching tool an aspiring game maker could ask for. Sir Clive's minimalist computer design not only leveled the playing field for new developers, but often gave working class kids a competitive edge over their wealthier counterparts.

Because these hardware limitations forced you to think about what a game really needed, to be a game worth playing. If color clash and worse than Atari 2600 sound can't sell the game, then what can?

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Okay. But besides reverse psychology?

A long time before console owners would discover the fun of survival horror adventure gaming or playing a 3d polygon rail shooter at a decent frame rate? Or even the humble sandbox school bully simulator?

They could all be played on the worst mainstream gaming platform ever made.

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Which, sometimes, despite all reason and common sense, could be transformed into one of the best.

The best developers on the Spectrum, would go on to change the gaming industry, forever. Rare's just one example of the talent that was assembled there.

And the Spectrum still receives more new games, every single year, than some consoles have in their entire library; true to the spirit of the platform, many of these new games are still better than they have any right to be.

So cheers to you, Sir Clive. Your computer for the masses, changed the world for the better. Even if it's really the opposite of the way you'd hoped to be remembered.

And this post is being written by a Yank who had to emulate the hardware.

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ActRaiser
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby ActRaiser » September 17th, 2021, 7:46 am

I never knew about the history of the ZX Spectrum or even Clive. Nice write up!

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Matchstick
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby Matchstick » September 21st, 2021, 3:00 pm

A fascinating read, TPG. I did read about the passing of Sir Sinclair this past week, and though I was familiar with the name, I learned quite a bit from the semi-biographical tribute articles that followed his death.

As Americans, I don't think many of us will be able to truly appreciate the impact of the ZX Spectrum on the home computer industry - though that doesn't mean we can't try. Myself, I was mostly made aware of the console's existence through the emulated titles on the Rare Replay collection. I had heard of the ZX Spectrum before, and had seen screenshots of games, but have never seen any titles in action before that collection.

Honestly, I was more impressed that I thought I would be. I'm sure many gamers laughed off those titles (the comparison to the Tiger handheld games is not too far off) but I was intrigued, given the age of the titles and the means by which they had to have been programmed.

As an art student, I can absolutely appreciate work created using an outdated medium and practices. As a gamer, let's just say I was proud of all the Xbox Achievements I racked up playing those "Zedd-Ekks" titles :D

Though his impact and legacy may be a bit diluted on this side of the pond, Sir Sinclair's place in history set. Hardware developing skills aside, his design aesthetics were nothing to laugh at, either:

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That has got to be one of the nicest, most eye-catching pieces of tech I have ever seen in my entire life!

_craker_
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby _craker_ » September 25th, 2021, 11:32 am

The Spectrum certainly made Sir Clive a household name in the UK.

If it hasn't been recommended already this BBC movie is worth a watch for the giggles https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXBxV6-zamM ('Micro Men', Sinclair vs Acorn) though the accuracy of it all is debatable.

Playground wars in the UK in the early 80's - ZX Spectrum (A good honest British computer) vs Commodore 64 (upmarket Yankee breadbin) vs BBC 'B' (aspirational parents)

We had a C64 though by mid decade everyone who had got a Spectrum for Christmas and got bored of it was giving them away.. got me a 48K Speccy too.

Anyway RIP Sir Clive.

I've had a go in a C5 (the silly recumbent ebike thing). The guy was at the top of his game when that one flopped. What was he thinking?

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VideoGameCritic
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby VideoGameCritic » September 25th, 2021, 1:07 pm

The Spectrum was not a thing in the USA, but if I lived in the UK I would have been a fan. I love the simple, colorful look of its games. I read about it a lot in my UK-based Retro Gamer magazines (best magazines available by the way).

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MSR1701
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby MSR1701 » September 25th, 2021, 4:10 pm

Rest In Piece, Good Sir.

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » September 25th, 2021, 4:16 pm

VideoGameCritic wrote:I read about it a lot in my UK-based Retro Gamer magazines (best magazines available by the way).


Quoted for truth.

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MSR1701
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Re: Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the ZX Spectrum, just passed away.

Postby MSR1701 » September 25th, 2021, 5:02 pm

ThePixelatedGenocide wrote:
VideoGameCritic wrote:I read about it a lot in my UK-based Retro Gamer magazines (best magazines available by the way).


Quoted for truth.


Yarp


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