Elite Systems, the company that last year launched a crowdfunding campaign to revive the ZX Spectrum as a Bluetooth keyboard, says it will place an order for the devices on August 14th.

The campaign succeeded after punters pledged £63,194 to recreate the storied microcomputer. Those who paid £50 or more were promised delivery in September 2014.

News of the campaign went down well with Spectrum nostalgics, but badly with developers whose Spectrum games were sold by Elite Systems, as several alleged the company had not paid them royalties. Elite's Steve Wilcox later promised to set things right.

But Wilcox's promise to deliver in September seems less certain, as the missive he sent The Register says “The manufacture and delivery of production units of the recreated device is expected to take not more than 90 days”, which given a August 14th order date could see product land in November 2014, well beyond the promised September delivery.

The device is expected to go on sale to the general public in (northern) “Spring 2015.”

In other Spectrum-related news, developer Johnathan Cauldwell has contacted us to let us know he's working on a new Spectrum Game. “Gamex 2sees the player trading shares,” he writes. “Not in fictional companies, but in minigames - and, as part of the dividend, the player gets to play the minigames he has invested in whenever that minigames results are due.”

Cauldwell asks “if your readers might be able to suggest a subtitle/strapline for the game”.

“Maybe there's some clever title to do with the credit crunch or quantative easing or bankers bonuses or something”

Your correspondent is sure that Reg readers will come through, and that the comments or are a fine place to put your suggestions. For inspiration, there's video of the original Game below. ®

GameX walkthrough