commodore64
Latest
The C64 Mini brings its nostalgia to the US on October 9th
You no longer have to toy with importing The C64 Mini if you just have to relive a childhood spent mashing on a Commodore 64's keys. Retro Games has announced that its '80s revival will reach North American retail stores on October 9th. This version still includes 64 pre-loaded titles, including era favorites like Epyx's sports games (such as California Games and Winter Games), Boulder Dash and Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe. You can still add more, and even run C64 BASIC if you plug in a USB keyboard.
Microsoft’s ICE involvement illustrates tech’s denial problem
Nearly a decade ago, I had the good fortune of being one of the last people to interview the founder of Commodore International, Jack Tramiel (famous for Commodore computers and the popular C64), before he passed away. At 83, he died from heart failure after pioneering the consumer market for personal computers and home gaming, and working toward changing people's lives for the better through technology.
The C64 Mini review: Nostalgia’s not enough
Memory's a weird thing, isn't it? Your brain records every moment in your life and locks it away forever. And then suddenly, a sound, a smell, a piece of beige plastic can send you tumbling back to a different time. Sitting on the floor of my office, unboxing the C64 Mini, I wasn't 33 anymore but eight, sitting at the blue formica table in the corner of my bedroom. In front of me was a hand-me-down Commodore from my neighbor, an engineer who taught himself BASIC in his semi-retirement. He chain-smoked cigars and was never without a tin of stout in his hand, smells that permeated the skin of this computer, never to be washed away. It's these pangs of nostalgia that British company Retro Games Ltd. is looking to take advantage of to sell a "mini" version of the Commodore 64. For the uninitiated, the microcomputer was the computer of the '80s and the first machine that many folks ever got their hands on. Even in Great Britain, which had been the crucible of the Sinclair vs. Acorn battle, Commodore holds a special place in millions of hearts. My own Commodore 64 was hooked up to a 10-inch, black-and-white portable TV with a bent aerial. White-out was painted on to mark the tuning locations for BBC 1, BBC 2 and ITV, and I vividly remember playing (Pac-Man knock-off) Radar Rat Race purely because I had the cartridge, which loaded faster than games on cassette. I used that battered, beige machine for so long on that TV that, when I finished unboxing and turned the C64 Mini on, I was actually surprised to see it output video in color.
A mini version of the Commodore 64 is coming in 2018
It's hard to deny the popularity of Nintendo's retro mini systems. After all, demand far outstripped supply for the mini version of the original console, and the same is expected to happen for today's SNES release. It's not a surprise, then, that other companies are getting in on the action. Retro Games is launching a mini version of the 1982 computer Commodore 64 called the C64 Mini. It will be available in early 2018, with a price point of $70.
Commodore returns as a 5.5-inch, nostalgia-powered smartphone
It hasn't been a legitimate name in computing for over 20 years, but somehow the Commodore brand always manages to find a way back into our lives. In 2004, it came back as a simple TV-Game joystick. In 2011, Commodore USA sold gaming PCs stuffed into retro-styled keyboard chassis. Today, the brand is back again--as a nostalgia-stamped 5.5-inch Android smartphone.
Relive the history of computing at 'The Interface Experience'
At a time when devices are faster and slimmer than ever, a collection of bulky old computers can be amusing yet surprisingly evocative. The Interface Experience, an exhibition at the Bard Graduate Center's Focus Gallery in New York, brings on a rush of nostalgia with a ton of vintage machines. Kimon Keramidas, curator and director of the digital media lab, hopes that an interaction with aging technology will make people think critically about their current devices. Unlike the objects that are off-limits behind a glass wall in a museum, the machines at the exhibit are open and quite alive. They've been overhauled with custom programs to initiate a three-way exchange with the user, the software and the hardware.
'Blade Runner' tech gives 'Borderlands' its signature sound
"The Commodore 64 is like my Bible; that's when [game] music began because that's when they put an analog chip into a computer," composer Jesper Kyd says of the nearly 33-year-old home computer. "Before that it was PC or Atari and everything was like 'beep, beep, beep, beep-beep beep' and who the fuck wants to listen to that?"
MIDI spans 30 years at NAMM with Commodore 64 and Animoog (video)
You may have heard that the Musical Instrument Digital Interface protocol (aka MIDI) celebrates its 30th birthday this year. And where better than NAMM would the MIDI Manufacturer Association be able to fully demonstrate (and celebrate) the persevering protocol's coming of age? Part of the MMA's installation was a set-up destined to get geek hearts racing. A 1983 Commodore 64 connected to a Sequential Circuits Model 64 sequencer cartridge (with MIDI interface). From these vintage parts, the regular 5-pin MIDI cable heads out through the decades and into an IK Multimedia iRig MIDI, into an iPad, finally feeding its information into the Animoog app from equally longevous Moog. Watch old meet new in the gallery and video below.
Metalab wires its Blinkenwall to run from Commodore 64, gives no word on the obligatory Tetris port (video)
We've seen some ambitious Blinkenwalls in our time. Nearly all of the attention is unsurprisingly focused on the wall, however, and not on the often clever hardware and software behind it. Vienna's Metalab wants to shift the limelight by kicking it old school. Instead of the thoroughly modern Arduino and Fonera hotspot that normally light up Metalab's 45-block glass wall, the team's Blinken64 project swaps in a Commodore 64 with a cassette drive and the unusual Final Cartridge III feature extender. Getting lights to strobe requires dusting off more than just hardware -- all the animations have to be written in assembly-level MOS Technology 6510 code that even our nerdy parents might forget. The result you'll see in the video after the break is a far cry from the relatively easy, web-accessible hardware that normally powers such blinkenlight creations, but it's also a testament to how relevant classic technology can remain when it's in the right hands.
Commodore founder Jack Tramiel passes away at age 83
Terribly sad news from the family of Jack Tramiel today. The Polish-born businessman is perhaps best known in the technology universe for his founding of Commodore International, the company responsible for the Commodore 64, 128, Amiga, etc. Tramiel's story is an inspiring one; he was born into a Jewish family, and during World War II, was sent to Auschwitz. He was rescued in April of 1945, and some 39 years later he purchased Atari Inc.'s Consumer division and formed the Atari Corporation that is so well recognized in gaming lore. As first reported by Forbes, Martin Goldberg -- a writer working on a book about the Atari brand and the early days of video games and computing with Atari Museum founder Curt Vendel -- had this to say: "Jack Tramiel was an immense influence in the consumer electronics and computing industries. A name once uttered in the same vein as Steve Jobs is today, his journey from concentration camp survivor to captain of industry is the stuff of legends." Tramiel leaves behind his wife, three sons and their extended families.
New Commodore C64 gets stacked against the original, deemed a worthy successor (video)
We know a few of you have been waiting with bated breath for the retooled Commodore C64 to arrive, so we're not at all surprised that the first people to claim one are wasting no time putting its tactile keys through its paces. In that clip you see below, YouTube user "EternalPtah" places the three decades-old original next to its Atom-powered successor, comparing everything from the beige color to the height of the function keys. All told, he reassures us, the twenty-first century iteration is a worthy follow-up to the vintage model, even if it does replace the power light with a button. If you've got four minutes to spare, hit play for what will probably be the most nostalgic hands-on you see this week. [Thanks, Ian]
Commodore USA begins shipping replica C64s next week, fulfilling your beige breadbox dreams (video)
If you're like us, you've probably been holding your breath in anticipation since Commodore USA announced its replica of the famous C64. It promised a keyboard PC that duplicated the original's retro-beige finish, with an Atom CPU and an NVIDIA Ion graphics card under the hood. But despite numerous announcements, and even after a cross-promotion with Tron: Legacy, they've yet to ship any products. The latest word from the company has pre-orders shipping next week, in five different varieties, from a barebones chassis and card reader to the C64x Ultimate – an $895 machine that includes 1TB hard drive and a Blu-ray player. If you haven't been teased enough over the past year of delays, hit the video after the break for more preview images.
Commodore USA puts the new C64 up for pre-sales, unveils far-less-retrotastic VIC-Slim
Now that Commodore USA has sufficiently piqued your curiosity with a revamped Commodore 64 prototype, it's ready to capitalize on the idea. Quite literally, we might add. $595 buys you the basic basic model with an 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom D525 chip, NVIDIA ION 2 graphics, 2GB of RAM and a 160GB hard drive -- which it promises to deliver by "early June" -- with hundred-dollar increments adding premium features like an additional 2GB of memory, a Blu-Ray drive, up to 1TB of storage, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi and Bluetooth. However, if you're simply looking for a compact keyboard computer (rather than reliving 80's nostalgia) there's another option on tap -- a likely rebadged thin wedge of a machine that Commodore's calling the VIC-Slim. Even at just $395, though, something tells us it won't be the "wonder computer" of 2011.
Commodore USA's all new C64 finds a friend in Tron on the road to availability
Been a bit skeptical of Commodore USA's promise to bring back the venerable Commodore 64 with some up-to-date PC specs? We can't blame you, but the company is now working to change some minds, and is finally proving that it is in fact the real deal. In addition to revealing some pictures of an early prototype a little while back (pictured after the break), the company has also somehow managed to team up with Disney, and it will be promoting the new C64s with an ad included with every copy of Tron: Legacy (pictured above). Still no word of an actual release date, unfortunately, but Commodore USA will apparently be launching a new website tomorrow to coincide with the DVD and Blu-ray release, so hopefully it will have a few more details to share then. In the meantime, you can check out more prototype shots at the link below.
The Commodore 64 returns as a modern PC
If you want a working Commodore 64 in your home, but would also like something that you could actually use as a computer, somehow there's now a product to fit your needs. The new Commodore 64x looks as much like the beige wedge of old as you could ever expect, but has an Intel Dual Core 525 Atom processor, 2GB of RAM, and an Nvidia Ion 2 graphics chipset. Though it's now a PC in C64 clothing, it's also designed to run the original software, using either an emulator or a custom Workbench 5 operating system, both of which are included. No release date or price information has been announced yet, but you can stare at pictures of the prototype in our gallery while you wait for information on your new Impossible Mission machine.%Gallery-111797%
As Apple relaxes App Store rules, C64 emulator for iOS gets BASIC again
If you weren't already convinced that Apple is seriously easing back on some of its more annoying App Store restrictions with the appearance of titles like GV Voice (a Google Voice client), this news might help. After a wild ride of ping-pong approvals and pulls, Manomio's C64 emulator has reappeared in the Store with its BASIC interpreter fully intact, and available for your coding pleasure. We've tested the software and can confirm that you will indeed be able to revisit your youth (provided your youth took place in the early 80's) via the newest version of the software. Of course, it's not super fun to program using the tiny, virtual C64 keyboard provided onscreen, but couple this with a Bluetooth keyboard of your choosing, and you can pretty much go wild. The emulator is available right this moment for $4.99, and obviously it's a free upgrade for those who've already bought in.
Commodore USA announces the PC64, an Atom-powered PC in a replica Commodore case
We have a fondness for Commodore computers (as you've probably noticed by now) and we are psyched that Commodore USA is still flying the flag for the once-ubiquitous brand, but as they always are in this biz, things are a little... complicated. We were first contacted way back in March when the company shared the news that it had acquired the rights to sell PCs under the name. Then what happened? Turns out this was not exactly the case... although CEO Barry Altman assured us that they were on their way towards hammering out a deal. And here we are, in possession of a press release saying that indeed, Commodore USA, LLC, and Commodore Licensing B.V. have finally come to an agreement, meaning that your subsequent purchases will at least come with a Commodore decal. But that ain't all! This also paves the way for the company's newest offering, the Commodore PC64, an Intel Atom-powered PC featuring 4GB DDR3 memory, SATA 1TB HDD, HDMI output, optical drive (either DVD/CD or optional Blu-ray), and more -- all in "an exact replica" of the original beige C64 chassis. Of course, doing any significant amount of work with the original Commodore keyboard will probably be a challenge, but we like to think we're up to it. As always, we'll believe it when we see it, but in the meantime we'd like to be the first to formally request a review unit. If everything goes according to plan, this bad boy should be out in time for the holidays. PR after the break.
Commodore 64 1.2 released in the App Store with three new free games
The creators of Commodore 64, that emulator app that eventually gained Apple's blessing, emailed to say that they have released a brand new version [iTunes link] with some brand new (old) C64 games to revisit. The gist of this one is that you can buy C64 ROMs to play through in-app purchases, but right out of the gate with version 1.2, three different games are free: Bruce Lee, Laser Squad, and Samurai Warrior. So if any of those ring your nostalgic bell, you can go jump in on the app now -- it's $1.99. If you want to add in some extra games, it'll cost you 99 cents each, but they've now made Alleykat, Uridium, Paradroid, Stormlord and Nebulus all available that way. Unfortunately, not all emulator developers have been able to secure such a deal with Apple, but C64 enthusiasts have to be excited about what's available with this one.
VC in Brief: Wonder Boy III (SMS) and Cybernoid (C64)
This week's Virtual Console update is quite the doozie, giving us one obscure C64 title and one game we've played a billion times. We don't mean to sound bitter, but we're pretty sure there's a baker's dozen Wonder Boy games littering the lands of the Virtual Console. Check 'em out above! Cybernoid (C64, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap (Sega Master System, 1 player, 500 Wii Points) Every week, we like to check out what's new on the Virtual Console. We offer these videos as a sort of taste to help you decide whether or not you would want the game in question. We also toss in our own two cents because we're pushy jerks like that.
iPhone Commodore 64 app removed from App Store
Were you happy to hear that C64, the iPhone Commodore 64 emulator app, had been approved by Apple and finally seen release? We were too. Try to remember that feeling, then, as we tell you that after having been rejected, and then finally accepted, it's been pulled from the App Store.When developer Manomio learned that the C64's BASIC interpreter was the problem the first time, it removed obvious access, but left the interpreter in the software so it could be re-enabled later if Apple changed its mind. However, some users discovered how to access BASIC. Apple found out and removed it before anyone could use the C64's incredible computing power to blow the iPhone platform wide open.Manomio has (re)re-submitted the app, so hopefully it'll actually make it to the App Store and stay there this time.[Via Engadget]
