FUSE Preview Release: Sinclair ZX Spectrum emulator for Wii with USB keyboard support

There’s a new bit of emulation currently being developed for the Wii, and this time, it’s for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The name of the emulator is called FUSE, short for Free Unix Spectrum Emulator, and its being developed by Bg. Learn more about it after the jump!

Download: FUSE Preview Release

There’s a new bit of emulation currently being developed for the Wii, and this time, it’s for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. The name of the emulator is called FUSE, short for Free Unix Spectrum Emulator, and its being developed by Bg.

Here’s an explanation of the app, straight from the developer:

Most Spectrum software assumes you have a keyboard attached (since the original Spectrum is an all-in-one home computer). FUSE for the Wii supports USB keyboards. You will probably need one.

When you run FUSE, you get the Spectrum 48K boot screen. You can now attach a USB keyboard and write BASIC programs!

You can also push the HOME button on your Wiimote. This brings up a menu that you can use to load Spectrum games from SD card. The A button selects a menu entry, the B button brings you up one menu. You should also tell FUSE to use your Wiimote as a Sinclair Joystick: Options->Joysticks->Joystick 1->Sinclair Joystick

Now, when you start a game, tell the game to use the Sinclair interface. Hold the Wiimote sideways so the 1&2 buttons are on the right. The directional pad is your joystick, 2 is Fire button 1, 1 is Fire button 2.

To quit FUSE, bring up the menu and select File->Exit, press A on the question whether you really want to quit.

Do note that this app still has a couple of bugs and lacks certain features (hence it’s called a preview release). That being said, the app is usable in this state so you might want to give it a try.

After downloading it, install it by placing it under /apps on your SD card. Then just run it. Enjoy!

Download: FUSE Preview Release