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SAM Coupé is the first significantly advanced 8bit computer based on the popular Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K. The Coupé has all main hardware and system expansions typical for 16bit computers:

• powerful BASIC dialect (derived from the Spectrum´s BetaBasic)
• disc & net interface (derived from the Spectrum´s Disciple/+D)
• huge memory expansion
• graphics modes
• advanced colour palette
• extended (PC-like) keyboard
• mouse
• MIDI, parallel, serial connection

The SAM Coupé came too late to hit markets - in the times of Atari ST and Commodore Amiga it was mostly compared to these 16bit machines. However it is a pure 8bit computer only and still seems to be the most complex system compatible with the Speccy.

All additional modern Speccy add-ons, even bundled into one big Spectrum Advanced Machine (based on the FPGA technology), mainly lack the quality operating system with improved BASIC interpreter, that could support all their possibilities together without system restrictions. The need of the compatibility with thousands of games and with hundreds of utilities based on the old good Spectrum ROM is the main reason of this limitation.

Nowadays the SuperSpectrum could actually mean:

• turbo CPU and DMA processor
  Mayhem Accelerator, SAM Turbo-IF, Data-Gear
• memory upgrade from 512KB to 4MB
  OneMeg, Pentagon 512KB, Profi IF
• professional keyboard
  PC Keyboard IF, Proface IF, YAZSAKI
• PC mouse with add. buttons and a wheel
  Mouse Turbo IF, Serial Mouse IF, K-Mouse
• ethernet/communication interface
  Trinity Ethernet Interface, Spectranet, SIF
• improved BASIC and DOS command system
  BDOS, +DivIDE, +3e DOS, ResiDOS, ESXDOS, MDOS3, BS-DOS
• expanded sound abilities
  Quazar Surround, SAMDAC/EDDAC, Turbo-Sound IF, SID IF
• simple modern storage device (no more archaic floppy disks) - see links on the right side