1
DEVELOPMENT AND LAUNCH
The Coupé was developed by Miles Gordon Technology
(MGT), a Welsh manufacturer that had already made a name
for itself developing quality storage drives for the Sinclair ZX
Spectrum. The Spectrum was growing old and its adoptive
owners, Amstrad, had no intention of developing the system.
>> But MGT had a proposition: by using the newer (but rare)
Zilog Z80B processor, their machine could theoretically deliver
around twice the performance, bringing Spectrum owners into
the next decade, while still being able to run the existing library.
>> The SAM Coupé launched in December 1989, at a base-spec
price of £170. The Z80B processor was clocked at 6MHz with
256KB of RAM, and up to two removable 780KB 3.5-inch floppy
drives, available at £90 each.
>> Graphically, the Coupé could display old Spectrum video
modes, but otherwise had a maximum resolution of 512 x 192,
with 128 colors available in lower resolutions.
>> Sound-wise, the Coupé really shines, with MIDI ports as
standard and the same Philips SAA1099 sound chip used by
Creative Labs’ original Sound Blaster providing six stereo voices
across eight octaves.2
SOFTWARE
In short, Coupé software feels almost 16-bit. Although the
Coupé uses an 8-bit processor, its performance is closer
to early 16-bit computers. However, the Coupé lacked hardware-
assisted scrolling or sprites, and having the CPU and display
share RAM resulted in a speed penalty.
>> Nevertheless, many titles were able to work around
these limitations. Defender (1998) faithfully recreates the
original arcade experience, running at a smooth 50fps, and The
Adventures of Captain Comic (1990) knocks the socks off the
original PC release.
>> Arcade platformer Defenders of the Earth (1990) was the
first major release for the system. The two biggest titles were
Lemmings (1993) and Prince of Persia (1990), both of which are
respectable. Other big names include an update to Manic Miner
(1992) and Escape From the Planet of the Robot Monsters (1991).
>> The Coupé has a number of quality multimedia applications.
Each Coupé shipped with Flash! (1989), a snazzy graphics
package by ace Swedish programmer Bo Jangeborg. Musicians
should check out Sound Machine (1991), E-Tracker (1992), and
SAM MOD Player (1996), which can play Amiga sound files.
>> As for the modern homebrew scene, Battle Zone (2021) is an
impressive port, Pang (2013) wouldn’t feel out of place on a Sega
Genesis, Rick Dangerous (2021) is another great port, and there
is a sizeable collection of public domain demos.IF YOU’RE A FAN of obscure computing gems, you’re in for a treat this month. With sales figures
only numbering in the thousands, the SAM Coupé is a true rarity and any working collection will
cost a king’s ransom.
However, this hasn’t stopped it from becoming a darling of the cult computing scene. The
SAM Coupé sits in a strange gap between the 8-bit and 16-bit worlds, and uses some unusual
hardware. The odd experience it provides has earned it many modern fans, and enthusiastic
hobbyists are still developing new software and expansions for the machine. –JOHN KNIGHTYOU’LL NEED THIS
A COPY OF SIMCOUPE
Windows and Linux are both
supported. Extra BIOS
files aren’t needed.
http://www.simcoupe.org3
SO WHAT WENT WRONG?
Initially, enthusiasm was high. The Coupé
provided a logical upgrade: it was backward-
compatible with the classic 48K ZX Spectrum; tape
loading was twice as fast; and the machine had near 16-
bit performance levels but at a much lower price.
>> Software houses were expecting to be able to
do quick game ports, combining Spectrum code with
Atari ST graphical assets, and Sinclair magazines had
dedicated SAM Coupé sections. But this dried up when a
bodged launch meant it arrived late to market.
>> Numerous production issues meant only a small
number were delivered before Christmas. Those who
did get machines didn’t receive floppy drives for several
months. Worse still, Spectrum owners found their
software was only partially compatible.
>> Prices for 16-bit machines were dropping steadily,
which was more bad news for the Coupé. Although the
base unit’s launch price was attractive, if the customer
added more RAM and a disk drive, this brought the
machine’s price nearer to that of the Atari ST.
>> After some warranty issues, including thousands
of buggy ROM chips, MGT went bankrupt in June 1990.
However, Miles and Gordon still had faith in their product,
and with their own finances started a new company, SAM
Computers, plus a software label, Revelation.
>> SAM customers finally started getting the kind of
software they wanted, and Coupé prices dropped to £200
for a machine with a single disk drive.© MICHAEL DENIOMachine of the Month:
SAM Coupé (1989)
>> Captain Comic (1990) is impressive and crushes the
PC version thanks to a MIDI soundtrack and voice samples.60 MAXIMU MPC APR 2022
R&D