New in Retro Tech: Updated Amiga And Spectrum Computers Open to Pre-Orders
- Retro Games opens pre-orders for its emulated Amiga A1200 and ZX Spectrum Collector’s Edition, each with built-in games and modern ports.
- Spectrum Collector’s Edition gets a special white design and extra hardware including a printer and updated joystick.
- Import tariffs are causing US shipping delays, affecting Retro Games and even Analogue’s long-delayed 3D console.
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New Look For Old Tech
Gamers into retro computers are eating well these days, from handheld devices that favour emulation through to new versions of older tech, there’s a lot of choice available. One company known for its modern updates of retro systems is the fittingly-named Retro Games, and it’s recently opened pre-orders for the A1200 and The Spectrum Collector’s Edition package.
The latter also includes a joystick, printer, USB drive, physical manual, and special Spectrum-themed issue of Crash games magazine. The former is a recreation of the Amiga 1200 with 25 classic games preinstalled, a mouse and gamepad.
Of this machine, the Director of Retro Games, Paul Andrews, said: “This was the machine that made the 90s come alive for a generation of players. With THE A1200, we’re celebrating that incredible moment in time – the games, the design, and the creativity that shaped a generation.”
Emulation Recreation
Unlike the recent revival of the C64, both the A1200 and Spectrum are built on emulation. The A1200 covers Amiga 1200, 600 and 500 (ECS/OCS/AGA) systems, and includes games like Settlers 2 and Turrican already installed. The Spectrum Collectors Edition can run games for the 16, 48 and 128K systems and features a whopping 48 preinstalled games, including Manic Miner and The Hobbit.
The new Spectrum was first produced in 2024 in the classic black scheme designed by Iain Sinclair (whose son is continuing this trend). The Collectors Edition is a new color scheme that echoes the one-off white ZX Spectrum presented to inventor Clive Sinclair in 1982 after he’d sold a million units. Retro Games are bundling it with a mini monochrome thermal printer that isn’t being sold separately, plus an updated version of the iconic Quickshot II joystick.
Both the A1200 and Spectrum have HDMI output and USB ports, as well as allow for several save states per game. As they both work in emulation it’s also possible to plug in a USB and load ROMs of other games, though each machine accepts slightly different file types.
Tariff Issues
However, there is a catch for retro gaming enthusiasts located in certain parts of the world, such as Australia and the US. North America is implementing higher import tariffs for a range of countries and goods, which itself has had a knock-on effect on the shipping of gaming-related tech.
This has led to a few angry comments on social media regarding the shipping of the A1200 and Spectrum, as Retro Games wasn’t clear about whether or not they would (or could) ship to the US. The company has recently clarified its stance via a post on X:
“Just to add a bit of clarity. We are a small company which works with a large EU company (Plaion) to globally distribute our products. We don’t directly sell to the public or retailers ourselves. USA sales will happen (most likely via Amazon) but with tariffs etc it takes time.”
Retro Games isn’t alone in this, though. Earlier this year, another company specialising in modern versions of retro consoles, Analogue, blamed tariffs for the delay in its much-anticipated Nintendo 64 update, the 3D. After putting back the release of this four times, and losing a lot of credibility with gamers, Analogue has finally released it today, Nov. 18.
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