From the NEOGEO AES+ to the Evercade Nexus, 2026 is shaping up to be a great year for retro gaming fans. And the good news is that you don't have to wait until Christmas to get your classic gaming kicks, because Retro Games and Plaion Replai have just released a brand new version of The Spectrum, complete with a snazzy white colour scheme. While this may look like a relatively straightforward palette swap, the story behind the white Spectrum is actually pretty fascinating. As legend has it, ZX Spectrum inventor Clive Sinclair was gifted a one-of-a-kind white Spectrum during a factory visit to Dundee back in the early 1980s. The infamous white ZX Spectrum was supposedly commissioned to celebrate a million sales of the iconic home computer, but was never made available to the public... until now.
Unlike the ultra-rare original, you don't need to be filthy rich or a genius inventor to get your hands on The Spectrum White Edition, although it does cost more than the model released back in 2024.
While you can pick up the standard black version for £90 or less in the UK, the newly released white edition has a recommended retail price of £129.99.
This may seem like an excessive price increase, but The Spectrum White Edition does contain a handful of extras to tempt new and returning customers.
Not only does it pay homage to the infamous white Spectrum with its stylish new colour scheme, but the latest model is bundled with a matching white Joystick and a branded USB stick for adding your own games. That's on top of white HDMI and USB-C power cables - though sadly no AC adaptor.
It also has the same 48 built-in games as the original Spectrum released back in 2024, and a special copy of Crash Magazine with information about the games line-up and other famous titles, both old and new.
Barring text adventures like The Hobbit, the bundled Joystick is a far better way to experience the majority of games than the keyboard, even if it's not my favourite controller.
Colour scheme aside, it's actually the same microswitch joystick bundled with the C64 Mini Black Edition. It's perfectly functional and does a decent enough job, but much like its C64 counterpart, it's very loud and clicky, and doesn't scream premium quality.
While I don't hate it as much as some people seem to, I would recommend keeping the joystick in the box and purchasing an alternative controller, like the superior Quickshot II. Better yet, Plaion has just released a white version of The GamePad for £20. Not only is the white colour scheme a good match for the new Spectrum, but it's just a much better retro gaming controller overall, and can be used for other consoles like the A500 Mini, Atari 400 Mini and C64.
Of course, the purists out there may prefer to use the console's fully functioning keyboard, which has the classic ZX Spectrum design and iconic rubber keys, albeit in white.
The keyboard feels great to use, although the unusual placement of the Space bar and input inconsistencies between each game does take some getting used to if you're new to the ZX Spectrum.
If you really can't take to the keyboard no matter how hard you try, then fear not, because you can also access a virtual keyboard by pressing Start and Select simultaneously.
The on-screen keyboard is joined by other modern conveniences like rewinds and save states, and the ability to add your own games via USB.
The 8GB bundled USB stick is more than big enough for your entire library of Speccy classics, and the white colour scheme and Spectrum branding ensures that it doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.
If you've previously dabbled in video game emulation, then adding games to The Spectrum is pretty straightforward. There are lots of tutorials available online, and the entire process shouldn't take much longer than 20 minutes.
In terms of recommendations, you can't go wrong with the Dizzy games, not to mention the likes of Bomb Jack, Chase H.Q, Deathchase, Robocop and Jetpac. If you enjoy built-in game Manic Miner, then you should also check out Jet Set Willy.
As you can see from the list below, there are plenty of built-in games to keep you busy if you don't intend to add any of your own.
1. Alien Girl (Skirmish Edition)
2. Ant Attack
3. Army Moves
4. Auf Wiedersehen Monty
5. Avalon
6. Bobby Bearing
7. Cosmic Payback
8. Devwill Too ZX
9. Exolon
10. Fairlight
11. Firelord
12. Football Manager 2
13. Freddy Hardest
14. The Great Escape
15. Head Over Heels
16. Highway Encounter
17. The Hobbit
18. Horace Goes Skiing
19. Jack the Nipper
20. Knot in 3D
21. The Lords of Midnight
22. Manic Miner
23. Match Day II
24. Movie
25. Nodes of Yesod
26. Penetrator
27. Phantis (Game Over II)
28. Pheenix
29. Pyracurse
30. Quazatron
31. Robin of the Wood
32. Saboteur! Remastered
33. Shovel Adventure
34. Skool Daze
35. Snake Escape
36. Spellbound
37. Starquake
38. Starstrike II
39. El Stompo
40. Stonkers
41. Target: Renegade
42. TCQ
43. Technician Ted - The Megamix
44. Tenebra
45. Trashman
46. The Way of the Exploding Fist
47. Wheelie
48. Where Time Stood Still
Manic Miner is my favourite of the bunch, but I also really like Exolon, Trashman and El Stompo.
Even the games that haven't aged particularly well are kind of interesting in their own right. The ZX Spectrum has a distinct graphical style that lends a certain charm and sense of identity to its games, even if there are technically superior versions elsewhere.
For example, the ZX Spectrum version of R-Type (which isn't built-in, but can be added via USB) isn't the best port of the classic shooter, but there's something about its striking colour scheme that makes it more appealing to me than some other home console ports from the same era.
It's just interesting to see what skilled developers and amateur coders were able to squeeze out of the system, and to discover games that took risks and weren't so formulaic.
Nearly 18 months after the launch of The Spectrum in 2024 and my opinion hasn't really changed. I loved it then and I still love it now.
It's one of the more interesting retro consoles on the market, and one that I've thoroughly enjoyed getting to grips with.
The Spectrum White Edition is a more aesthetically pleasing version of the console, while the addition of a joystick and USB stick gives you everything you need to get maximum enjoyment out of the box.
Admittedly, I would have liked a slightly better joystick and would recommend buying a separate GamePad, but given the choice between the original Spectrum from 2024 and this new white version, I would probably stump up the extra cash and choose the latter, as it looks better and feels a bit more special.
Whichever version you pick, The Spectrum is a fantastic retro gaming console with dozens of great games, so make sure you check it out.
VERDICT: 5/5
