Binary Dinosaurs · Mar 6

Over to @samcoupe.com for a roundup of why it was so good.

Julian Regel · Mar 6

I've not used one (although there is one on display at The Cave) but it does seem like a nice Spectrum 2.0 with some decent improvements over the base Speccy.

Mister Dismissive · Mar 6

I found the power supply for one many years ago at the car boot. But never found the machine

Andy Toone · Mar 6

I think a lot depends on how well the systems were supported 'after' they were lost. The Enterprise 128 has a very interesting chipset that next to no-one wrote software for. The Sam Coupe has a thriving ecosystem to this day...

Mike Dailly ™ · Mar 6

It was always a curio as a “faster” spectrum with nicer graphics, but with the ZX Next appearing, the Sam has become far less interesting, and irrelevant even - especially as the inflated prices they go for…

Robert · Mar 6

It’s such a charming system to work with. Its compatibility with the Spectrum was perhaps overstated but you can see the DNA running through. If you used Beta BASIC and a DISCiPLE or Plus D then you can see that SAM is a refinement of Andy and Bruce’s work.

Retro Mad! · Mar 6

The Sam Coupé feels like a missed opportunity, while the Enterprise 128 and MTX are more obscure oddities. Nostalgia drives collectability—more people wanted a Sam, even if few had one!

Quazar · Mar 6

(Just saw the ALT text... the keyboard on the #SAMCoupe is membrane based, not mechanical. I launched two mechanical keyboard modules for it in 2021 - the ultimate replacement for bad membranes! Standard version to reuse original keycaps & 'Prototype Tribute' version in style of the SAM prototypes.)

Quazar · Mar 6

🧵 "Lost" in what way? It was available for over 9 years, which for a late #8bit is an incredible run. Launched December 1989, continued to early 1999. I bought my first in 1993, now 32 years later I'm still developing for it, making hardware, software and 'SAM Revival' magazine. www.samcoupe.com