alt Hacker NewsGrew up in that era, I always wanted a C64 (I had a Spectrum and as much as we'd argue about the relative merits on the playground, deep down us Speccy users knew the C64 was better).
I still occasionally consider buying one but then I remember it'll just sit on a shelf collecting dust, better someone who actually uses it gets one.
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Hey now! The C64 might have been technically better with sprites, etc, but the Spectrum was way more quirky and British.
Something about the scrappy underdog making awesome games despite the attribute clash, and having the terrible keyboard really set the vibe. Plus the Z80 processor was way more interesting than the 6502, and really set the speccy-folks up for the move to intel in later years.
Back in the day I don't think many would have switched from the Spectrum to the Commodore.
My experience was the same. Loved my Spectrum 128 but friends had the Commodore and its graphics were superior. Very expensive though.
The magic in the air in those days will never be replicated.