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On This Day - 3rd October

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Psion is founded
1980

Psion is founded

Psion, the British software company founded by Dr David Potter, is established in London.

Psion would soon develop a close relationship with Sinclair Research, producing software for the ZX81 and later the ZX Spectrum.

Among Psion's early Sinclair software were VU-Calc, VU-File, VU-3D, Flight Simulation and Planetoids. The cassette release of Planetoids also included Missile on its B-side.

Psion's Horizons collection brought together several programs designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the ZX Spectrum, including Thro' the Wall, Evolution, Life and Waves.

These early programs illustrate the breadth of Psion's work for Sinclair, ranging from games and simulations to serious applications such as spreadsheets, databases and 3D graphics.

Psion would later move beyond software and become famous for its own hardware, including the Psion Organiser, introduced in 1984.
Source: Companies House — PSION HOLDINGS LIMITED, Company No. 01520131 Incorporated 3 October 1980 as Redcheer Limited; renamed Psion PLC on 31 December 1980.
Companies House records the company as incorporated on 3 October 1980 under the name Redcheer Limited. It changed its name to Psion PLC on 31 December 1980. Psion subsequently became closely associated with Sinclair Research, producing a substantial range of software for the ZX81 and ZX Spectrum. Contemporary and archival sources document titles including Horizons, Flight Simulation, Planetoids, Missile, VU-Calc, VU-File, VU-3D, Thro' the Wall, Evolution, Life and Waves. Horizons was a compilation designed to demonstrate the capabilities of the ZX Spectrum, with Thro' the Wall, Evolution, Life and Waves among its programs. Missile was associated with the Planetoids release.
Psion Psion Software David Potter Sinclair Research ZX Spectrum ZX81 Sinclair software computer software software history British computing Horizons VU-Calc VU-File VU-3D Flight Simulation Planetoids

Also in this month

Other historical information recorded for October.

Spectrum sales top 500,000
1983

Spectrum sales top 500,000

Sinclair Research announced that sales of the ZX Spectrum had passed half a million machines. The figure covered mail-order and retail sales between April 1982 and August 1983. Sinclair said the Spectrum had sold faster than the ZX81 over comparable periods and promised continued support through new peripherals, including the recently launched ZX Interface 1 and Microdrives.
Source: Sinclair User October 1983
Sinclair User Issue 19 reported that Sinclair Spectrum sales had exceeded 500,000. The figures covered sales from April 1982 to August 1983 and included both mail-order and retail sales. The article compared this with 400,000 ZX81s sold between March 1981 and July 1982. It also mentioned the August launch of the ZX Interface 1 and Microdrive, with a joystick and cartridge interface planned for later in the year.
ZX Spectrum Sinclair Research Spectrum Sales Sinclair Sales ZX Interface 1 Microdrive ZX81 Sinclair Hardware Sinclair Peripherals UK Home Computers
Sinclair User Issue 19
Deus Ex Machina Released
1984

Deus Ex Machina Released

Automata released Deus Ex Machina, an ambitious multimedia work created by Mel Croucher and programmed for the ZX Spectrum by Andrew Stagg. Designed as an experience combining computer graphics, narration, music and a separate synchronised audio soundtrack, the 48K Spectrum program follows a lifeform through creation, birth, development, adulthood and death. The soundtrack featured contributions from performers including Ian Dury, Jon Pertwee, Frankie Howerd, Donna Bailey and E. P. Thompson. Croucher later described Deus Ex Machina as “the best game you never played”, a phrase subsequently used as the title of his book about the project and its creation.
Source: Sinclair User, November 1984; Your Spectrum, December 1984; Mel Croucher interview; Deus Ex Machina: The Best Game You Never Played in Your Life
Contemporary Sinclair User and Your Spectrum material documents Automata's Deus Ex Machina as a highly unusual 48K Spectrum production combining a computer program with a separate synchronised audio soundtrack. The work was created by Mel Croucher and programmed by Andrew Stagg, with contributions from Ian Dury, Jon Pertwee, Frankie Howerd, Donna Bailey and E. P. Thompson. In later interviews and his book about the project, Croucher reflected on Deus Ex Machina and described it as “the best game you never played”. The commonly cited release period is October 1984, although an exact day has not yet been established from contemporary evidence.
Deus Ex Machina Mel Croucher Andrew Stagg Automata Ian Dury Jon Pertwee Frankie Howerd Donna Bailey E. P. Thompson ZX Spectrum 48K Spectrum Multimedia Interactive Audio Soundtrack Music Experimental Software Art Software Simulation Adventure Philosophy Political Commentary
Page Revised: 07/09/2026

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