Items tagged with C64
What is old is new (and popular) again, or so it seems with recent tech trends, and particularly retro gaming. Fueled in-part by Nintendo and its NES Classic and SNES Classic systems, retro consoles and computers are seeing a surge in rebirths. Here is one more for the pile—THEVIC20, a fully licensed re-imagining of the the original VIC-20 from the glorious early days of personal computing in the 1980s. The company behind the project is Retro Games, the same one that brought back the Commodore 64 with its TheC64 system. "Following its launch in 1981, the original VIC-20 home computer went on to become the first computer of any kind to sell one million units, and even now still holds a special...
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If you follow HotHardware regularly, then you know that we have a sweet spot for the Commodore 64. When we last visited the retro computer, Retro Games Ltd. had shown off the first images of its full-sized “new” Commodore 64 prototype that will be available some time later this year. Today, we’re getting some more Commodore 64 goodness in the form of a sequel to a game that was first released back in 1984. Bruce Lee was a platform video game originally created for the Atari 400 and 800, but was also ported to the Commodore 64. The game drew favorable reviews upon its release and was embraced by the Commodore 64 crowd. A sequel to the game is now available...
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The C64 mini is a tiny, retro-console, in the same vein as devices like the NES and SNES Classic Editions and the Sony PlayStation Classic. The C64 mini, of course, is designed to mimic the beloved Commodore 64, which was the best-selling, single model personal computer, of all time – but in a much smaller package. After a couple of firmware updates, the C64 mini has generally been well received. The diminutive system includes a host of games and offers the ability to program or run your own as well. The keyboard on the mini is not functional, however, so you’re forced to plug in a USB keyboard, and figure out which keys are mapped to some of the original Commodore 64’s proprietary...
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Retro gaming is all the rage right now, and companies are trying to replicate the success Nintendo had with the NES Classic and SNES Classic. Amid all the noise, however, is a fun and interesting project that pays homage to the Commodore 64, one of the most popular home computers of all time, while combining a passion for Lego blocks. A self-proclaimed "retroholic" who goes by the name Perifractic wanted to find out if he could build a full-size working Lego Commodore 64, complete with a functioning LED, a mechanical Lego keyboard, and a Lego PCB. "When I saw a mini Commodore 64 made of Lego, I thought 'What about a full-size one'? This started me down a wormhole or discovery and creation. You...
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An upcoming documentary – The Commodore Story – is poised to hit long-time computer geeks that witnessed the birth of the 8-bit personal computing revolution right in the feels. At one point in time, Commodore was a billion dollar company and trailblazer in the fledgling personal computer market. Commodore’s accomplishments included the creation of the single, best-selling PC of all the time, the Commodore 64, and the introduction of the Amiga, which was the most advanced personal computer money could buy at the time. The Amiga offered multimedia features that were unmatched for many years, it was affordably priced (relatively speaking), and was the first personal computer...
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One common complaint in the twenty-first century is that nothing is built to last. Even complex, expensive computers seem to have a relatively short shelf-life nowadays. One computer in a small auto repair shop in Gdansk, Poland, however, has survived for the last twenty-five years against all odds. In January a photo was taken by Facebook user Bartek for the page Retrokomp/Loaderror. The picture recently resurfaced on Commodore USA’s Facebook page. The computer claiming victory here is a Commodore C64C that has been balancing driveshafts non-stop for a quarter of a century. The C64C looks like it would fit right in with a scene from Fallout 4 and has even survived a nasty flood and pigeon poop....
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It's with heavy hearts that we report the death of Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore International, who passed away at the age of 83. Tramiel, born in Poland in 1928, died while surrounded by family on Sunday, April 8, according to Forbes. He is survived by his wife Helen and their three sons, Gary, Sam, and Leonard, along with their extended families and millions of fans and the computing industry at large, including those who might not have been familiar with his name until now. By all means an unlikely pioneer in PCs, Tramiel was a taxi driver when he founded a typewriter repair business named Commodore Portable Typewriter. His business would later morph into a typewriter manufacturing outfit...
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Commodore USA LLC promised a working C64 replica (with modern internals) by "late spring," but despite a tie-in with Tron: Legacy, nothing has shipped yet. However, in a YouTube post (somewhat less obvious that a press release, guys) the company has promised pre-orders will begin shipping this week. Commodore USA posted the video, which shows their Florida facilities, on Friday, June 17. It's just a montage, really, but the post with the video at YouTube's site has the important info: shipping of pre-orders begin this week. Pricing ranges all the way from $250 (for a pretty much empty chassis) to $895. The C64 will sport a mini-ITX PC motherboard featuring a dual-core D525 Atom CPU (1.8Ghz) and...
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It's been nearly 17 years since the Commodore 64 was officially discontinued, but the iconic system is being prepared for a relaunch. The Commodore brand was acquired last September by Barry Altman, with the specific intent of providing a system that no longer exists. "Thirty years ago computers were an all-in-one product, with the keyboard, memory and components built inside," Mr. Altman explained. “Over the years that has changed, and we believe there is a huge potential to revive the early format." Since a depressingly large number of you weren't old enough to play with a C64 when it was one of the hottest products anyone could buy. Commodore's decision to include top-notch graphics...
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For a long time geek like me, who got his start in computing by spending countless hours in front of a Commodore 64, Ben Heck's latest mod is about as cool as it gets. Using the original parts from a working C64, Ben crafted a fully functional laptop, complete with a custom enclosure and 15" LCD screen."This project somehow has the distinction of being both the longest and fastest portable electronics project I have ever done. I originally started making a C64 laptop in the fall of 2006, and kept pecking away at it every so often. Finally, a few weeks ago, I said “screw it” and started over.I redid everything in a week and a half - the shortest project ever. (The previous record hold was the...
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Iwill ZPC64 Review @ AMDZone: "We have been testing Iwill boards since their early VIA Socket 462 offerings, and to tell you the truth we were a bit surprised to see them jump into the small form factor crowd. They did with a lineup that has certainly been different than just the normal bread box style solution. Amongst their most interesting offerings is the very small ZPC64 which at a mere 75mm wide still manages to fit a power AGP video card in it. Before we get to our testing of the ZPC64 lets look at the full specifications." Creative Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) @ CoolTechZone.com: "It's been quite a while since we have seen any major activity in the sound card arena. It was around...
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DFI's PC64 - Motherboard More i820 and RAMBUS action on the test-bench Intel's new i820 chipset is slowly being accepted and brought to market by various motherboard manufacturers. It is obvious that this has been a pains taking process for the Motherboard Vendors in the market, as release dates for many of the major players have slipped due to compatibility and stability issues. DFI is one of the few motherboard vendors to release a full i820/RAMBUS implementation. This is our first look ever at a DFI product, here at Hot Hardware. What did we think? That's why you are here, we suppose. Please, read on. DFI PC64 Specifications / Features Standard i820...
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