Those following the Retro Reaction blog will know the Commodore 64 wasn’t something I owned back in the day. I came on board with computers in the Amiga era, though through family and friends I had played a ZX Spectrum. The only time I ever saw a breadbin was in the local electronics store, Knights, and I wanted it badly. My parents deemed it too old (and by that point 16‑bit was well and truly here). It wasn’t the machine I was fascinated with particularly, but the games. The C64 in the shop window had Batman and Bart Simpson on display.
Fast forward to modern times and the C64 Mini was released by RetroGames.biz. Better still, this version was pre‑loaded with games. I waited for a sale. Played it a bit, then read that the machine allowed new games to be loaded via USB… and the door was unlocked.
I found that the Commodore 64 is one machine that never really died. In fact, the retro scene for this computer is absolutely thriving. These aren’t all hobbyists either — some of the modern C64 games rival the ones that came out back in the day. Some are even being released commercially for original hardware (see publisher Psytronik).
Through further reading I learned that the C64 Mini is perhaps not the most complete way of enjoying this scene. Later, the C64 Maxi upgraded to a full‑sized keyboard, and later still Commodore were revived and released the Commodore 64 Ultimate. That one even allowed use of original hardware. Or, like me, if you’re a bit techy, there’s always the option of using a Pi 400 to unlock both the C64 homebrew scene and that of other 80s home computers.
Whichever way you choose to open the door to this retro‑modern rabbit hole is up to you. If you like your classic gaming, though, opening it is a must. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. For these old computers, it will forever be the 80s.
Next time: It turns out Max Caulfield isn’t the only video game protagonist who can rewind time. Sisters Millie and Molly can too — and they can do it on the Commodore 64. More on the sisters later.