XBerry Pi solves a problem. It’s a ZX Spectrum Next in a Raspberry Pi form-factor so it is smaller, cheaper, but still fully compatible.
The ZX Spectrum Next has been an amazing success, with three blockbuster Kickstarters, and thousands of Nexts already in the wild.
That said, there are a lot of people out there who want one, wanted one, or could not afford the full sized official keyboard version. How can we get in on the fun?
XBerry Pi solves this problem. It’s a ZX Spectrum Next in a Raspberry Pi form-factor so it is smaller, cheaper, but still fully compatible.
What About Emulators?
If you just want to code in Next BASIC or play some demos, you will find in most cases the emulators are pretty darned good. ZEsarUX is on my machine anyway simply because it is a great emulator.
That said, even the developers don’t suggest them as fully indicative of the ZX Next experience.
What About MiSTer and ZX Uno?
Perhaps MiSTer and other FPGA options such as the ZX Uno?
For the ZX Uno, I tried to see what the latest ZX Next build was (“TB Blue”) and see a broken link.
As for MiSTer, the news seems better, there does seem to be a release that is current as of last year. Presumably that is the most recent apart from Kickstarter 3 which might even be being worked on.
MiSTer being capable of running multiple system cores obviously gives serious competition to the ZX Next, especially as now there are massively cost reduced versions of the MiSTer.
ZX Next N-Go
I must point out there is another device that is 100% compatible but also extremely not cheap called the N-Go. These usually come with Speccy 48k style rubber key cases.
Price aside, I am not a fan of the rubber key style, though I hear there are mechanical keys versions too.
Why XBerry Pi Then?
You might be wondering why I would go get an XBerry Pi when I already have a MiSTer?
Even more confusingly, I did back Kickstarter 3! But for board-only.
It has to be said in the end I will likely have spent more money than just getting the Kickstarter with keyboard, but part of the fun of this stuff for me is the tinkering and the “what if” crazy projects so there is that.
I got the XBerry Pi for two main reasons, plus a cool bonus reason:
- It gives me 100% compatibility while I wait for my official KS3 board (my main use of retro machines is programming so compatibility is vital). The firmware/cores are from the official Next repo and updating the XBerry Pi is pretty straightforward.
- You can add the ESP wifi board for internets and Pi Zero for acceleration and internal digital tape file loading.
There is a third reason which will become a part 2 article, and that is using original Spectrum keyboards!
Why NOT XBerry Pi?
The only thing I do not like about the XBerry Pi is the reliance on PS/2 keyboard and mouse input, but as mentioned above I am working on using a real Spectrum keyboard (not rubbery keyed) to resolve that and make it more my own.
As far as anything else you miss out on, really it comes down to how much the actual Kickstarter Next keyboard matters to you (it is lovely), and the KS rewards, though I am not entirely sure how many of those I get as a board-only person.
Bottom Line
Going through this process simply underlined for me that the ZX Spectrum Next is a community and an ecosystem rather than a machine. Having so many ways to contribute or enjoy the platform is just brilliant, and I am very happy with my XBerry Pi purchase.
From what I understand, since I bought mine a new USB-C version should be available, which makes it that bit more convenient too!
Original article by retrogamecoders.com
