Windows Phone ZX Spectrum emulator MetroSpec out of beta and headed for the Marketplace

MetroSpec

Time to visit the proficient ol' days

MetroSpec, the Windows Phone ZX Spectrum emulator, has come out of beta and is now well on its way to the Market place. We originally covered the app back in July when nosotros got some easily-on footage of the emulator in action, and were super excited to run into the commencement Windows Phone ZX Spectrum emulator that isn't tied to a single title, where users tin download and enjoy a wide variety of content.

Developed past Starquake Mobile (website), MetroSpec packs a number of useful features that are sure to make the experience that much more than complete. With game states that can be exported to SkyDrive allowing users to go along on the larger screen from a different platform / emulator, the power to import games from both SkyDrive and a known web server, and a number of intuitive features ensuring the UI is efficient and easy-to-use, it's definitely worth checking out.

MetroSpec App

During its beta test, MetroSpec jumped two versions and hit 1.2. We reached out to the developer for a list of improvements and changes practical to the emulator since we last looked at it and it seems a lot of development has gone into getting all the finishing touches only right.

V1.1

Accelerometer support. Play your retro favourites using move control. Play classics such as Manic Miner / Jet Set Willy, by tilting your telephone, and tape for jump / burn.
Completely rewritten game control engine, providing a command sensitivity option that works allows play on both large and small display devices.
Added an in-game reload push button, to allow the reload of the current salvage state (should you have just been killed by that hard to beat dominate).
Added an in-game reset button to allow the game to exist reset, and reloaded from the initial retentiveness snapshot or record file.
Improved download direction options e.one thousand. retry, pause, cancel
Programming in Spectrum BASIC is now possible, and the virtual keyboard now supports "optional" stick shift keys and vibration feedback.

V1.2

Back up added for the popular .TAP / .TZX tape files as hosted in the huge 10,000+ annal at World of Spectrum (http://www.wordofspectrum.org/) TZX support is partial at present, standard loaders, turbo loaders, and custom loaders such as Alcatraz, BleepLoad, and SpeedLock 1 all load fine, but Speedlock 2 and above protected games volition non load. Being worked on ;-)
Use tape format files, and actually get the retro experience, as you "groove" to the sounds of a ZX Spectrum loading from a virtual tape drive.
Variable emulator speed from 40 – 100% just to make that dominate a piffling scrap easier to trounce ;-)
Improved virtual keyboard and screen visibility in Spectrum BASIC landscape fashion. The lower portion of the screen and keyboard are at present both visible at the same fourth dimension, and so you can really encounter what your typing.
Exporting salvage states to Skydrive now takes advantage of contempo API changes to allow the upload of non-media files, so you no longer end upwards with a .jpg that you accept to rename.
There might be an easter egg in the Most screen at present ;-) It was disabled in the beta's.
Removal of commercial games due to possible copyright issues (even though some of the games are xxx years old), and the inclusion of a selection of community homebrew games that have been adult over recent years.

Be sure to check out our early walkthrough of the app itself and what we can wait from the submitted emulator (prior to the ii updates to a higher place).

We've been informed that at that place'due south more on the horizon and we're excited to come across where MetroSpec goes from hither and how information technology'll be received by the customs. The app, once approved, volition be available as both complimentary and premium apps. The free version is ad-supported with the limitation of only three save state slots. Premium version, which is confirmed to be £0.79 ($0.99), will remove the advertisements and open up up more than save slots for further use.

MetroSpec is expected to be fabricated bachelor within the next couple of days, and we'll be certain to announce when information technology'southward live on the Marketplace. Concur on tight folks, we're almost there.