Brand: Elite Systems
Model: The Recreated ZX Spectrum
Made in: China
First year of production: 2015
Price: £50 (KickStarter campaign)
Case design: Ceratech Accuratus (after Rick Dickinson)
Dimensions: 232 × 144 × 30 mm (feet adds 2 mm)
Weight: 234 g
A bluetooth keyboard in a case of a rubber keyed ZX Spectrum.
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There is no computer inside, but it can connect to a tablet or computer running an emulator (Fuse, Spectacol).
The keyboard can run in Layer A “Game Mode”, designed for playing Spectrum games and otherwise typing on the Spectrum and in Layer B “QWERTY Mode”, designed for use as a regular keyboard.
The KickStarter campaign was a bit of a mess. Elite Systems pulled the companion app (Android and iOS) which contained an emulator, and the webpage in mid-2016 after a commercial dispute between Elite and Ceratech, the distributor of the keyboard. The website came back a year later but the companion app did not materialize. The keyboards needed to be unlocked, otherwise only the number keys, “D” and “Enter” would work. A Java-script app on the website required the user to type in a 10-digit code on the keyboard after connecting to it to unlock (later versions came already unlocked).