ScuzzBlog: Diaries March 2017
Entry 10th March 2017: Post: 2
Sinclair failures
Paul
I do think the retro scene falls into a few different camps. These attempts
to port older systems onto new kit are really to tap into old Sinclair
gamers, probably very young kids at the time of the original, in the hope
they can make some money out of nostalgia. The pad I saw wasn't usable as a
computer, it was simply a games pad to play on modern TVs. There is like a
thousand games on the thing and that's about all it does. It has some token
rubber buttons. Satisfies that first camp of retro fad gamers. Probably more
interested in their phone .
The next camp of retro gamer/user is the hobbyist who is buying items off
Ebay and fixing them up to play a variety of games and maybe glass case and
show off. Boys toys kinda thing. Instead of the gardening shed, has a games
room with computers on shelves. These guys are the ones more likely to
frequent YouTube with their videos. When you watch the videos you can tell
they haven't got the first clue about computing. They do have a working
knowledge of electrical components.
The next camp is the Forum Buster, emulator player and in some cases a
serious previous user. Some collect digital data on mass like trading card
collectors wanting everything ever produced in terms of games and software.
Then they share what they have as a way of fulfilling a need to feel part of
the platform. Every computer platform has these guys. Very knowledgeable and
keen to let you have that all important bit of data. Problem is they can't
actually help when a real machine is needed to check an issue.
The next camp is the old player that has somehow still retained their kit or
some of their kit. This guy will definitely be sitting in one platforms base
camp. So no confusing Atari with Amiga. These guys give up when their kit
gives up. They are die hard to the extreme. Not collectors as such but
probably own a lot of gear just to keep their passion alive.
There are seriously mental computer nutters who get their thrills from just
switching a computer on. Probably been infected with some strange disease
transmitted by aliens amongst us or got hit over the head with a computer at
an early age. This kinda guy was playing with Lego and meccano and building
stuff that even the makers never thought would be possible. Probably classed
as a nerd and what the Americans perceive as a guy living with his parents
and frequenting the basement. I did use to think that all Amiga bedroom
jockeys were this type of guy. The kinda user that made all those demos and
cracked games etc. Just died out sadly... or so it seems. Maybe we could get
Buggles to write a new song ' Facebook killed the computer star '
And then there are folk like me. Just whacky mad who really need help. It
kinda runs in the family with me. Dad built a large shed in the garden which
he sound proofed and had the largest collection of electrical gadgetry you
could imagine. He recorded onto tape everything he ever listened to and
catalogued it all. He was mad on film and had some serious camera kit. He
won awards for films he made and even commissioned guys to write music for
him. He got an Amiga the minute they game out. He had two side by side. He
loved playing Mean-18 golf game on the 500. Everyone in the family had an
Amiga or an Atari. I would spend Sunday afternoon at my sisters playing
Sensi Soccer with all my nephews friends. Each carried around games boxes
full of disks. I would be visited by friends and they would bring their
Spectrum games and it was like that all the time. I would sneak into my
sisters room and play River Raid on her Atari. Sadly there is no cure for
this kind of addiction. A lost cause...... By the way I have River Raid
running on an Atari 2600 in the lounge at this very moment. Still crazy.....
and what is more I just bought 'another' old computer. Like I need anymore.
What I actually need from Mr Sinclair is a new computer in his name that is
as innovative and imaginative and interesting and fun as his Spectrums. Not
a trip down memory lane to defunct technology just to tap into a 'days gone
by' happy feeling. Kinda like the way films these days have to dip into
anything, and I mean anything that had popular appeal in the past, and or a
Marvel comic character.... however obscure. Not going to happen by the way.
Best you can hope for is Candy Crush on a phone I am told.
Time moves on. Better go.
scuzz
|
