The C64, returns.

Started by Steve Elliott, June 25, 2019, 23:14:30

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Steve Elliott

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Rick Nasher

Luv the commodore stuff.
But I still don't see the point.
How often would it really be used?
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Naughty Alien


Qube

Quote from: Rick Nasher on June 25, 2019, 23:44:05
Luv the commodore stuff.
But I still don't see the point.
How often would it really be used?

Quote from: Naughty Alien on June 26, 2019, 03:44:25
..nice but..no..

Yeah, that's what I thought about this. After a couple of hours of nostalgia it'd probably just then gather dust. Had it of been a full replica of the C64 with cassette / disk drive + the emulation side as an extra ( HDMI + USB etc ) I think the audience would possibly be bigger but still very limited to the nostalgia side.

I think you'd have more fun with a Raspberry Pi setup to emulate all the old retro kit ( as per my other post in the Pie 4 thread )
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Until the next time.

Xerra

#4
I disagree. The main selling point for me is that it's a Vic 20 as well. I've always wanted to code a 100% machine code Vic game since I was a teenager. I never learned enough of it to do more than just basic scrolling and char moving routines back then so I bought a real Vic 20 a year or so back on Ebay. Needless to say it never actually worked so I'd be looking at spending more dosh on getting it repaired and then getting probably modern power supply and so on.

I'll probably keep the Vic because I like looking at it in my collection of retro consoles up in the loft but I'll have one of these large C64 remakes to actually use for testing code and develop it on my Mac with Parallels and CBM ProgEd for convenience.

I have two C64 mini's here (one was a present which I've left still sealed as it might be worth a few quid in a decade or two) and even that doesn't put me off getting the big brother as well.
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Qube

#5
QuoteI disagree. The main selling point for me is that it's a Vic 20 as well.
Only by emulation and not real hardware. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of it and having a full sized C64 keyboard but I think I'd have more fun via a dedicated retro setup with a Pi, joystick and fast response monitor.

Gotta admit though it's a tempting purchase as it just looks the part :P

*edit* wonder if you use it as just a keyboard?.. I have the ZX Speccy version of a bluetooth keyboard and it feels very authentic to use.
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Until the next time.

Dabz

You just know the joystick is gonna spoil it all!!!  ;D ;D ;D

Dabz
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Xerra

Quote from: Dabz on June 26, 2019, 18:47:40
You just know the joystick is gonna spoil it all!!!  ;D ;D ;D

They say it's been redesigned so it must be internal improvements as it looks the same in the video. It's modeled on the old Competition Pro joystick which was, imho, the best joystick for commodore machines ever made. Mine outlasted all my machines as it was a fantastic bit of hardware. Even now on Ebay they go for a fair few quid. Hope it works as well as the original as the one that came with the Mini was really poor in comparison.
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fairgood


Qube

QuoteIt's modeled on the old Competition Pro joystick which was, imho, the best joystick for commodore machines ever made.
Nah, the Konix Speedking was the best ;D

QuoteThe Mega65 looks interesting also
Looks interesting but will it ever exist? I also wonder if it'll gain any sort of community. Perhaps if it's also fully C64 compatible it might get some interest from those who still create games and demos for it.
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Until the next time.

GW

Couldn't even afford to have some SID chip music..  Smells a bit like someone trying to cash in on nostalgia.

dawlane

The C64 just looks like it's going to be another cut price emulator using an ARM SOC. I've always thought doing this was just cheap and cashing in without any real work having to be done other than designing a PCB and a case.

The Mega65 looks interesting using FPGA (same as the Spectrum Next). I think that they will have to replace the floppy disk with a floppy emulator drive.

3DzForMe

#12
Hmmm, nostalgia is nice (after all I whiled away a few hours doing a speccy esque thing recently), however, I've a real Amiga 1200 that booted a couple of months ago. Whilst I relished the challenge of what could be achieved in Bliz Basic on the old Amiga, I confess, coding in something that looks specky (but clearly isn't under the covers) was fun. Actually coding in 8 bit world, too much like pushing jelly uphill these days . ;)
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Amanda Dearheart

I must be the weirdest guy living on Earth.   The C64 was my second computer that I ever owned.  The zx81 was my first, and while bad by today's standards, I still love it, and appreciate it for what it had to give.

I definitely am going to purchase one, maybe even two for the nostalgia reason, and finally to teach myself ml code.
I wish it were able to emulate the 128 as opposed to the Vic 20, but I can live with that.
BTW,  the specs say that it will boot in Vic20 mode basic.  Did Vic20 have a different set of basic instructions than the C64.

I know that the screen size of the Vic20 was smaller than the 64, but did it have sprites as well, and did it have a SID chip?
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Dabz

I would love to see a smaller form factor Amstrad with modern ports, I have my 6128 on my desk which I use, I love it to bits, its connected to my Wifi, so I can drag and drop roms into it via the browser on my PC, and yes, I can connect to bulletin boards on the net. I have it connected to SCART onto my monitor, but Amstrad video signals are a bit odd (Which is why you had to use a modulator to connect it to a TV back in the day), and to get the best picture, I have a scart coming out of my Amstrad, into the back of a DVD/RW player, a little bit of magic goes on inside the player, and it pumps out a great picture to the monitor.

Its a big setup really, it works really well and is crystal clear, and I could record stuff if I wanted... But, a little modern respin on the machine would be nice so I could declutter the whole shebang, they could significantly reduce the size of the machine by getting rid of the media readers on there (Disk drive or tape deck)... But they'll have to keep the keyboards as they were though, like, the 6128 is my fave, but the 464 with its pretty colours and layout does look good IMO! :)

Dabz
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