Mac OSX is already well served with good ZX Spectrum emulators like Fuse or ZXSP, but there is a new-ish kid on the block, the Retro Virtual Machine, which has released a new version 1.1.
After reading about it on IRN, I was curious about the product and immediately downloaded it. After playing few minutes with it, mostly going through the configuration screens and typing some silly BASIC commands, my first impression was “why is this free?”.
The emulator is not really a new release, but it is the most up to date concerning modern UI and features. It is a professional product that one could easily pay $10-$20 on AppStore, but thanks to the developers, it is completely free (donations are accepted, though)!
The emulator supports many different machines like the Speccy 48K, 128K, +2, +2A and +3, including variants in English and Spanish. It also supports virtual tape and disk drives.
The “package” includes an extensive and professionally designed user manual, also in English and Spanish.
The configuration pages are pretty to look at (if that is possible!). The video configuration includes a very retro curved CRT with scanlines and a clean LCD look, perfect for all tastes. The keyboard mapping can also be easily configured using a visual assistant.
The developer claims the emulator has excellent accuracy, and three are videos on his website to prove that. The only flaw is the lack of development tools, like a debugger. On that matter, Fuse is better equipped.
For the average user, however, the emulator is complete including an excellent support for modern controllers.
If you are looking for a modern looking fully-featured emulator, Retro Virtual Machine won’t disappoint.
Link: Retro Virtual Machine
Source: IRN