Coding firmware for a gaming monitor packed with wishlists researched by actual gamers proved tricky, and while Eve is pushing to get the long-awaited Spectrum into the hands of buyers, eager users will have to wait a little longer. They will have to.

This is the second time Eve has announced a delay. Originally scheduled to be released last December, Eve has pushed back the release to February of this year, citing the need to fix "bugs, design imperfections, manufacturing tolerances, and compatibility issues.

And now? Eve says it will not meet its late February target and has adjusted its schedule accordingly:

"At this point, the firmware is the bottleneck. As with any software development, firmware development is often unpredictable, and new challenges appear as soon as another is overcome. Our firmware team is challenged more than usual with a unique blend of cutting-edge technology and uncommon features," Eve announced in a blog post.

Eve actually completed the core design about a year and a half ago, when he unveiled the first functional prototype. At that point, it was a matter of working out the kinks and fine-tuning.

Unfortunately for Eve, the monitor market was advancing at a fairly rapid pace; had the Spectrum shipped on time, it would have been the first gaming monitor with HDMI 2.1 connectivity, allowing it to take full advantage of the latest GPUs and gaming consoles. However, other monitor manufacturers announced the 32-inch ROG Swift PG32UQ with HDMI 2.1 at CES.

Spectrum boasts a FreeSync Premium Pro certified display that also supports G-Sync, and all three models have LG IPS screens, each with a fast 1ms response time. As you can see, there is much to like, but the competition will only get tougher as time goes on.

As for the firmware issues, EvE has not only delayed the release, but has also given the two-person firmware team more time to get things right.

Hopefully this is the last delay. Even if competitors catch up, the specs are solid. Repeated delays will not help. However, there is still hope, as the Atari VCS has finally shipped to its supporters.