Do you own a C64??

[Jbizzel]

Just wondering

[spider]

I've had to put no, but in the late 90's possibly early 2000's I was given a 'breadbin' C64 along with about 4 or 5 games, the only ones I remember were Action Biker (3D!) and Dynamite Dan. I passed it on after a few months. To be fair it was free as it did not work but that was merely a fuse! And it needed a full cleanup (strip clean rebuild) , aside from that... Well I did the sensible thing and passed it onto someone for free too.

I did like the keyboard feel but not the case design, not wanting to go into it here but despite risking a lynching I do prefer the style (but not the keyboard feel) of the later one.

Also does a +4 (CBM not prototype Sinclair!) count ? I only had that on loan sadly, I did like the look / feel of it but not the internals that much.

Joke answer I was going to put:

Spoiler

Yes I do but its hell to get a Spectrum .tzx to load on it , I've tried hundreds and none of them work! It must be a faulty C64

[Pobulous]

Somehow I've ended up with a C64C, a C64 breadbin, 1.5 Vic20s and only one Spectrum, and that's not even a rubber key model!

[Jbizzel]

Well I know it's a dangerous question.

I don't want a lynching either.

I have set up a bare metal c64 emulator on a RPI. And I've set it up with a 9pin joystick port and a push to make button for a menu.

The old style keyboard reminds me of the film alien. So I'm tempted to get a case and put my pi in it, and hook up the keyboard

[Jbizzel]

Somehow I've ended up with a C64C, a C64 breadbin, 1.5 Vic20s and only one Spectrum, and that's not even a rubber key model!

My first computer was a +2a and I didn't even know about the 48k until about 6 years later, when my friends dad has one between books on a shelf or something.

[Pobulous]

My first computer was a +2a and I didn't even know about the 48k until about 6 years later, when my friends dad has one between books on a shelf or something.

Only computer I had back in the day was a 48K rubber key - still prefer using that keyboard for gaming over any other keyboard, joystick or gamepad. From there I went straight to PCs. Nice to experience in the flesh some of the old machines that I missed out on - emulation isn't quite the same somehow. Got an Atari 800 XL, too. Also an ST that is broken and in bits.

[stupidget]

There was a chap that I used to hang around with at school who had a c64. I always remember thinking that screen looked ‘squashed’. But there was no denying the sound was amazing compared to my bleepy 48k Speccy.

[Jbizzel]

Atari ST is another one that I have loads of nostalgia for. It's the last computer I had that seemed to have personality.

After that I got into PCs and they never felt the same really.

I do have a CPC6128 with a colour CRT. That's a lot of fun for real retro feels.

And the z88 is such an interesting machine too.

I think I can get a broken c64 for about 40-50£ so might be a cheap fun project.

[Jbizzel]

There was a chap that I used to hang around with at school who had a c64. I always remember thinking that screen looked ‘squashed’. But there was no denying the sound was amazing compared to my bleepy 48k Speccy.

I remember seeing turtles and midnight resistance on the c64 and thinking fucccccccckkkkkk

But actually the spectrum versions are really good and I didn't even know about them tbh.

But know I can't see why I felt like that. They don't look special.

Creatures is amazing though. Wonder if the spectrum could do it justice?

[Arcachnar]

Yes. I actually still have. The same with a C128D (with original box and all) and an AV Famicom.

[Juan F. Ramirez]

I"ve voted for the most sensible option... the third!

But all kidding aside, if I happen to find a C64 in good condition somewhere and at a good price I reckon I wouldn't mind grabbing it (that's a thing I wouldn't say about a CPC or a MSX), it's a good machine, a bit brownish, but a good machine with a lot of interesting games.

[Nitrowing]

I'd never seen a C64 until long after I had my rubberkey and by then I wasn't interested. I was still happy with it until my brother spilt cola on it...
Next computer was a 600 Duron around 1999

[oO cozy Oo]

I had a Vic20 before the 48k rubber speccy after that failed i had a toastrack but still played 48k games on it, my mates has a C64 but the games felt a bit blocky to me the zx had a better look even with the colour clash

[PQR]

I don't own a C64 but I can appreciate the graphical and sound capabilities of it. It's definitely a machine with a very distinctive flavour (just like the Speccy of course).

Two years ago I was approached by people from the Ozmoo project, an interpreter of Infocom and Inform games that can be used for new interactive fiction works on the C64. They asked if I would be willing to convert my Clairsys pixel fonts for usage on their platform. That was the very first time I had to dive a little deeper into the workings of the C64. It was fun to do and nice to see a pixel font I made specifically for the Speccy on a C64.

[kokkiklhs]

Yes, I do own some 3-4 of them and two 128's. They simply rock, as spectums do, but in different ways.
All of them are fabulous machines, I love them equally both, commies and speccies!
These computers almost had a SOUL and surely their own PERSONALITY, they weren't just pieces of cheap electronic junk or multimedia machines, like modern computers...

[Jbizzel]

It was fun to do and nice to see a pixel font I made specifically for the Speccy on a C64.

Cool story

[Jbizzel]

Yes, I do own some 3-4 of them and two 128's. They simply rock, as spectums do, but in different ways.
All of them are fabulous machines, I love them equally both, commies and speccies!
These computers almost had a SOUL and surely their own PERSONALITY, they weren't just pieces of cheap electronic junk or multimedia machines, like modern computers...

Yes, that's it with the 8 bit and 16 bit computers. They seem to have a soul and personality that later machines don't imho.

I like that they're all in one, instantly on, and you can program them without anything extra.

[flatduckrecords]

I do, a "C64C". It was a hand-me-down from a kind neighbour. I think they'd moved onto a newfangled PC and he knew that I liked my Spectrum so thought I might get some fun from it. (And since I no longer have my original Speccy, the Commie is actually the computer I've had the longest!) Looking back, it must have been the well-known Night Moves pack (with the Ocean movie-tie in games) but all the boxes, even the cassette boxes, were long gone before I got my hands on it. Midnight Resistance was my fave out of those I think.

It's actually responsible for getting me back in touch with Spectrum stuff. One of my first forays into retro computer eBay was late 2019 to buy a DIY-kit Final Cartridge III. The soldering was awful and I didn't even have snips to trim the component leads, but it worked! I did not "get into 6502 coding", however, and next thing you know a (resonably-priced, pre-lockdown-retro-bubble) +2A is arriving and I was unreasonably excited about it.

Anway, sorry, staying on topic. My C64: it's a modest set up. Just a dozen or so games on tape and a couple of cartriges. No disk drive or monitor or anything fancy. I think my favourite was Stunt Car Racer, which was on one of the carts along with Rick Dangerous so I played that a lot too (but never got very far!). The other cart was Navy Seals - I enjoyed that as well, but likewise never got very far. If I had a whole weekend to kill I might even load up the Last Ninja 2 from tape.

Shadow Over Hawksmill and Hessian are a couple of really good modern games I've picked up. And if you get bored of all that, there's always the C64 Spectrum Simulator!

* At that time I was still a couple of months away from giving up on my (20-years-lost) Spectrum +2A magically turning up. Sorry if I've mentioned this apocryphal tale before!

[Pegaz]

Well I know it's a dangerous question.

I don't want a lynching either.

I have set up a bare metal c64 emulator on a RPI. And I've set it up with a 9pin joystick port and a push to make button for a menu.

The old style keyboard reminds me of the film alien. So I'm tempted to get a case and put my pi in it, and hook up the keyboard

Yes, BMC64 is absolutely amazing emulator, so close to the real thing, if you play with the settings a little, visually there is no difference between what you see on the screen and the real C64.
https://github.com/randyrossi/bmc64/blo ... /README.md
In addition, it supports other Commodore models, Plus4, Vic 20, C128 (both modes) and even the PET series.
There is also a lite version for the Pi Zero, but a realistic minimum is a Pi3, to run everything at 100% speed.

[Jbizzel]

I had trouble with the lite version. Lots of things crashed, tbh I didn't know what I was doing. C64 seems to fun great with pi 2 which is a cheaper option. I got mine on eBay:)

[Arcachnar]

Yeah. Last Ninja 2 is pretty good. I loved Last Ninja 1 as well. And yes. I fully agree. These computers just having a soul. Having something over it that makes them very very good.

I got mine from back in the years that it came out. My setup of the C128D is pretty modest as well. It looks like this:

[1024MAK]

Err, yes. In fact, three of them. A bread bin (that’s in storage) and two 64C models. I also have a 128 and a 128D. On my Linux PC I also have the VICE emulator.

I don’t have a Commodore branded monitor, but do have one working Commodore disk drive plus a couple of broken ones I got off eBay just to see what goes wrong with them (but have never gotten around to actually investigating ). I don’t actually know how many Commodore cassette decks I have, because for some insane reason, they get thrown in with bundles of other stuff that I would buy for for or two specific items…

But don’t worry, Sinclair computers (ZX80, ZX81’s, ZX Spectrum 16K rubber key, ZX Spectrum 48K rubber key’s, ZX Spectrum+‘s, ZX Spectrum 128, a couple of +2 (grey), +2B, +3, +3B, QL’s and a couple of Z88’s and a Next) far outnumber them

And yes, I also have various other 8 and 16/32 bit machines. But that’s off topic…

Funnily enough, that last night I had a brief play with BASIC on VICE in C64 mode, just for fun!

Mark

[Matt_B]

Yes, I've got one. It was salvaged from my late father-in-law's garage after his death where I'd think that it had sat for at least twenty five years.

Amazingly it still worked and I've gradually been cleaning it up and accumulating bits and pieces for it since.

I don't think I'd have gone out and bought one, but it was a nice find.

[kokkiklhs]

but do have one working Commodore disk drive plus a couple of broken ones I got off eBay just to see what goes wrong with them (but have never gotten around to actually investigating

Mark, the usual suspect(s) here are 95% one or both 6522, most times an easy fix, especially if they are socketed...

[Morpheus]

I started off with a 48K Speccy back in '83 and I later bought a C64 when the likes of Mercenary,Paradroid and Uridium were released. These days aside from my Z80 based computers I have a couple of 6502 & 6809 Based computers which include a 64 & C128 Flat. I predominantly use my Spectrum +2 the most though, now I have a SMART Card V3 with the 128K snapshot feature. I don't limit myself to one format these days as there are loads of good games on all formats but the Spectrum is my main focus.