Stuart Williams talks to the managing director of Retro Computers Ltd about Sinclair, the ZX Spectrum Vega and Sir Clive himself
Retro Computers Limited is a British start-up company established in 2014 in Luton. The company’s first two products, both crowdfunded on Indiegogo, are the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega and the recently announced Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega+.
Both devices are low-cost (around £99), microcontrollerbased handheld games consoles, which use modern technology and software to ensure compatibility with the classic Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k (launched 1982) and 128k home computers, which made the Sinclair name during the British home computing revolution. They also pack in 1,000 Spectrum games!
More detailed anticipated specifications for the new Vega+ console were revealed on 26th February, and top of the list for many potential buyers was the surprising news that a real, not just virtual, separate keyboard facility will now be made available, which will no doubt have Sinclair-loving adventure gamers and programmers alike rolling about in a state of ecstasy.
The Vega+ also offers access to a BASIC programming mode and extended ‘ULAplus’ colour palette support, in addition to the classic Spectrum colour scheme. All this offers a tantalising glimpse of a possible ‘return of the Speccy’, albeit in a radically different form-factor and with different circuitry to the classic rubber-keyed favourite of 1980s bedroom coders and playground warriors.
Bearing in mind the convoluted history of the Sinclair brand, the ZX Spectrum and its associated intellectual property, which was sold to Amstrad in 1986 for just £5 million, it seems remarkable that more than 30 years after the arrival of Sir Clive Sinclair’s most famous invention, he is working in the industry once again, as a shareholder and close advisor to Retro Computers Limited. The company has licensed rights for development and marketing of the Vega range from Sky In-Home Service Ltd, which inherited rights to the Spectrum computers from Amstrad. In any case, for both retro computing hobbyists and students of computing history, it’s great to see the once proud Sinclair brand back on the market, selling not just on Indiegogo but also through major retailers.
More good news is that, as with Sinclair of old, the Vega range is being manufactured in Britain, this time by SMS Electronics Limited of Beeston, Nottinghamshire, at the instruction of the Vega Team, consisting of Paul Andrews, Dr David Levy, Sir Clive Sinclair and Chris Smith. The Vegas has joined something of a British home computing revival, what with the mammoth success of the Acorn-descended Raspberry Pi computer (itself designed in Cambridge and made in Wales).
Interview With Paul Andrews
Q. Paul, could you please tell me a little about yourself and how you became involved with bringing the Sinclair ZX Spectrum name back from the dead?
A. By trade I am an electrical and electronics engineer. Not on the same level as, say, Chris Smith, chief technical officer of our company, but my apprenticeship was mostly working on robotic arms and machine centres, back in the mid-80s when I first left school! I later worked in many industries, till I combined my love for all things retro on a website I created and ran called Retrotrader. I have since handed this over to my good friend Jason over at www.retrogames.co.uk. But that got me involved with retro game licensing, which led me to starting a games development company, Alten8, which developed the conversions for the Wii versions of C64 games globally. When it closed, I started one of the leading indie global digital publishers, Andrews UK, which led to meeting and becoming friends, in many cases, with leading retro gaming heroes.
Q. How did Retro Computers Limited come to be set up, and what can you tell us about your team? How about your joint creative process? Do you get on well together?
A. I met with Sir Clive Sinclair, who was interested in my concept of doing a new Spectrum, and he asked me to meet with Dr David Levy, to discuss how we might go about it. We agreed a basic structure, with David as chairman and direction from Sir Clive. I basically set up the underlying company. I went looking for a suitable technical partner and director, which I found in the shape of Chris Smith. Chris had already done much groundwork with his prototype Spectrum in a joystick design. We quickly established the best way forward was the joypad form factor, and Chris started working on the electronics for that while one of my artists did a basic concept design. Chris later refined that into what became the original Vega industrial design. Meanwhile, I worked to secure the IP rights to the Sinclair brand and so on, which allowed us to create the Vega. As we moved forward, I also looked into various ways of funding the venture and concluded that crowdfunding was the way to go. Crowdfunding is a very democratic process; people vote with their wallets, and if people don’t like what you’re doing, then they don’t back you. If people don’t back you, it’s a good indicator to you that something is wrong, and you need to look again or potentially move on from that project. I convinced the rest of the team this was the way forward and started the process of creating the campaign, which we eventually launched on Indiegogo. It has totally been a team effort, with everyone playing to their own strengths, which is why we have worked so well together. Sir Clive has inspired us and encouraged us, David has brought skills we did not initially have with regards to physical production. Chris has brought all technical skills to create the product, as well as his love for the Spectrum. I have brought business skills, creative input, offices and staff, as well as being the man day to day in that office! I also want to give a special mention to Suzanne Martin who has done an amazing job with the PR for both the Vega and the Vega+ and is the hidden fifth member of the team as well.
Q. Inevitably, the name that makes headlines where the Spectrum is involved is Sir Clive Sinclair. How did he come to be involved in Retro Computers limited and the Vega project(s), and how much input does he have into the company? Have you found it exciting and/or challenging working with such a significant industry figure?
A. I am a massive fan of Sir Clive. I have a collection of memorabilia covering his audio products, calculators, computers and so on. I also have some of the only existing concept art of some of his products such as the Sinclair C5. I went to speak to Clive to gain his permission to write a book about his products. So my initial discussion with him was about that book – something I then had to put on hold for obvious reasons! When I told him how I once had an outline agreement with Amstrad to do with the Spectrum what we had done for the C64 on the Wii, we ended up chatting about my passion to create a new version of the Spectrum. This led on to the meeting with David and so on. I never dreamed that someone I had looked up to since my teenage years would consider working with me and creating a new product based on his greatest success. I have had the privilege of meeting, sometimes working with and even being friends now with some interesting and even legendary people, but not for one minute did I think I would end up working with Clive and even having his private number on my phone. Amazing! We have a lot to live up to, but I hope that his trust in me and the team has been rewarded, and I also hope that other products and projects I have in the pipeline for the next few years will also inspire people as Sir Clive’s have over the years.
Q. How hands-on is Sir Clive when it comes to Retro Computers Limited? How closely has he worked with the rest of the team?
A. Clive has provided great inspiration to the team, both in terms of his original inventions, but also in the way he ran businesses over the years and brought products to market. All of this has been incredibly helpful. He has contributed to the creation process and approved the major decisions as appropriate. Sir Clive is quite shy and prefers to stay in London, as he is based there and sadly was a little unwell on the day of the original Vega launch party so could not attend. But he is kept in the loop on all major matters and is there whenever we need him. He is also very forward looking as opposed to backwards looking. He is still working on numerous projects, which I am aware of but obviously cannot discuss. All I can say is that one of them may be released this year; potentially I will help launch that if it does happen.
Q. What was the thinking that went into the choice of design for the original Vega console? Why move away from Sinclair tradition by making a console? Why not simply revive the much-loved ZX Spectrum as it was originally?
A. Sir Clive always wants to move forward and look to the future. So just remaking the Spectrum would have been a retro step too far. We wanted to evolve the Spectrum, which we did with the Vega, and even further with the Vega+. Even if I were to be involved with another computer/console in the future, I would still want to evolve it, not just recreate it. We as a team also believe in Clive’s mantra of moving forward, not backwards. With the Vega we have tried to evolve what was originally genius and move it forward again.
Q. Have you learned things from the development process for the first Vega console that have made things easier or better when developing the newly announced Vega+?
A. In terms of industrial design, for the Vega+ we bought in Rick Dickinson, who was the original industrial designer for the ZX81, Spectrum, QL and so on. Rick has created something of beauty with his concepts for the Vega+. Chris has and is working on evolving once again his tech for the Vega+ from the original Vega, and we are aiming to add numerous improvements to this machine from the first. The team in general all chip into the process, and in fact working with Rick on the Vega+ is actually leading to me working with him on several other pending projects outside of the Vega+.
Q. The Vega+ is a much more modern-looking handheld games console, with its own LCD display as well as video output. The smart new exterior design of the Vega+ is a world away from the original Vega – no sign of any nostalgic rubber keys, for example. Has market research influenced this? Have the major retailers had some influence on the design in this regard?
A. We have taken in account what users asked from us after we launched the original Vega, and we knew what we wanted to achieve, but the concept design of the Vega+ is down to Rick Dickinson, who is a design master. It’s why I want to work with him on some of my other projects. His designs are just so stylish and, as many Vega+ admirers have said, so sexy, I just have to work with him further. We did show the concepts to some selected retailers, to gauge reaction, which was very positive, but they have not influenced the designs – customers have.
Q. What can you tell me about the British company manufacturing the Vega and Vega+ on your behalf, SMS Electronics Ltd?
A. SMS was the company we selected to work with after an exhaustive search within the UK. They have been supportive, helpful and a pleasure to work with. A quick shout out has to go to Bob, Mark, Craig, Tara and all the technical team at SMS who have bought our dream to life. It was a decision we made early on to work with a UK company, and we are very pleased we did.
Q. There were delays in acquiring and announcing the games software that was eventually bundled with the Vega. What caused this, and have the game rights owners been satisfied with the outcome?
A. Licensing any game that is 30-plus years old is never easy. Licensing over one thousand games is really hard. Trust me, I spent many months doing it. We had to license over one thousand, due to some games having to be rejected for various reasons, but mostly due to PEGI age restrictions. It was a massive task to source, add, test and key map for the original Vega. I hope the rights owners have been happy so far, and we have begun the first round process of doing royalty reports and making payments to rights owners also.
Q. Is there any future possibility of bringing back the ‘classic’ Sinclair ZX Spectrum as a home computer rather than a console?
A. We have no current plans to do this for the Spectrum, but ‘never say never’ of course. Am I going to do it for other systems? Well, time will tell.
Q. What about the future? Is Retro Computers Limited thinking of bringing back any other classic micros, whether as computers or consoles?
A. I personally bought the Jupiter Ace brand late last year, as I wanted to primarily protect the brand and history of the marque, and keep it within the UK (plus of course I could not resist owning my own classic computer brand!). I have already made much of the Jupiter Ace heritage material available to various computer museums around the UK. Our website www.jupiter-ace.com will always have an archive section on it. I can reveal I do also have future plans for this brand as well. Will it be a Jupiter Ace as you knew it? Well, the answer is probably no; very few people would want a black-and-white computer with a limited number of games on it. But the reasoning behind the original Ace was to push technology, to push boundaries and dare to be independent and different. The products we have planned for the Ace will be aiming to do that, bringing something different and independent to people, but something we believe people will want. With the Jupiter Ace, I and the people I am already working with have the chance to bring something to the market that dares to be different again. I also hope to be able to let people who want to support us invest in us fully as well. We have proven ourselves with the Vega and Vega+, so we hope people will want to support us with other projects. Finally, as a small side project, I am aiming to film, over the summer this year, a documentary about the Jupiter Ace. It will feature sections on the past, the present and the future of the Jupiter Ace products.
In summary, I would like to thank everyone who has already supported the Vega, and I hope they will like the various things I and the many people I am working with will be bringing their way soon, very soon in fact! Thanks!