Sadly the Vega is more like one of those devices that you plug into a TV, like a little spectrum inspired controller - with direction pad and some 'dead flesh' buttons...
I'd much rather have seen a Speccy handheld device, a netbook style laptop perhaps, or a special controller for existing Android tablets - I just don't see a market for the Vega beyond those with stubborn wives/girlfriends, disposable income, and a deep desire to play the classics. The Vega is a stripper/hooker name for the Speccy - Clive once said that he was appalled that people took to games so readily with his machine, now he's selling his machine based on the games he apparently hated - like some old retired hooker who is really past it, but the pimp needs a new pair of shoes.
The pricing is just whacky - Sir Clive needs to realise that there's this thing called emulation, and that will make selling this device for £100 very difficult - especially given that they plan to sell games for it... because the 30,000 or so games that are freely downloadable online isn't enough!
There's also those Android and IOS speccy apps, with 100 games for very little money, tie in with an iCade and your off to the races. That's how I eventually completed Atic Atac and Skool Daze... it has a nice save state feature that is always a god send.
I love the Speccy, but seriously this is not the way... the way, is what I'm doing... Old Spectrum +2 (tape drive model), rip out the tape drive, stick in a cheap but decent MP3 player instead. It's the planned tier 2 of my retro shelf unit. My plan is that you still have to load games, but from an MP3 player with screen, showing the tape with the game title etc, utilising the old tape buttons to select tracks etc. Tier 1 is already my immaculate Atari ST
(by immaculate, heck it's not yellowed at all, the ports are fine, the mouse still works, and the cellophane is still on the badge!)
I even rescued my very first joystick (
http://www.ntrautanen.fi/computers/other/images/the_arcade.jpg), rewired, about as awesome as a joystick ever got. I just bought an X52 Pro for Elite Dangerous, and if I had to choose in a house fire, my 33 year old joystick would win everytime.
I am the one who knocks...
