40 years ago, Commodore launched the Commodore 64 dwelling computer, which region sales records, shook the American video game substitute to its core, and launched programming to a abilities of kids across the realm. Here’s why it change into special.
Pc programs for the Loads, No longer the Classes
Trusty one 365 days after pleasing the realm with the Commodore VIC-20, which broke charge limitations within the home computing dwelling, Commodore upped itself with the Commodore 64, which incorporated spectacular sound capabilities, sprite-basically basically based graphics, and a whopping 64 kilobytes (KB) of memory for an equally pleasing charge of $595 (about $1,804 this present day, adjusted for inflation).
In truth, having 64 KB of RAM in a sub-$600 computer change into this type of mountainous deal that it grew to was allotment of the computer’s identify: Commodore 64. Its low charge, which undercut equally-equipped machines from Atari, Apple, Radio Shack, and Texas Devices, perfectly aligned with Commodore founder Jack Tramiel’s slogan, “Pc programs for the plenty, now not the courses.”
Commodore rounded out its specs with a MOS 6510 CPU running at 1 MHz and an array of custom chips such because the VIC-II video chip and the MOS 6581 “SID” chip that would per chance per chance fabricate spectacular multi-exclaim music and sound effects.
As a low-price dwelling computer, the Commodore 64 basically competed in opposition to Atari 800 computer line, the TI-99/4A, the Apple II assortment, and to a level, the IBM PC within the US. Within the UK, it confronted off in opposition to the ZX Spectrum and the BBC Micro. It change into a success lawful out of the gate.
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What Used to be Utilizing a Commodore 64 Worship?
With the Commodore 64, the keyboard and major computer circuitry had been combined into one unit. Most of us with a Commodore 64 connected the computer to a apartment TV region or composite computer screen for a remark. If they wrote any applications within the constructed-in Commodore BASIC programming language, they’d set them to disk with the Commodore 1541—or to cassette tape utilizing the Commodore 1530 Datasette pressure. Commercial utility got here on tape, disk, or walk-in ROM cartridge.
Even when the Commodore 64 change into a capable deepest computer for productivity apps unprejudiced like be aware processing and spreadsheets, many folk (in particular kids) oldschool it basically as a game console. The C64 got here with two Atari-cherish minded joystick ports constructed in, which made gaming a lunge as soon as you happen to already owned a one-button Atari 2600-vogue joystick (which had been available within the US on the time.)
For those that scroll through standard game database Lemon 64’s checklist of top C64 video games, you’ll watch that the C64’s titles spanned a massive different of genres, including motion, RPG, simulation, formula, adventure, platformer, and extra. Standard C64 video games encompass Maniac Mansion, Zak McCracken, Sid Meier’s Pirates!, M.U.L.E., the Ultima assortment, Bruce Lee, IK+, Turrican, and a grand port of Bubble Bobble, among many others.
Over time, publishers launched a staggering assortment of video games—over 4,000—for the C64 out of over 10,000 utility titles overall). And the C64 platform is now not technically ineffective: Retro followers continue to assemble new Commodore 64 video games this present day.
The Commodore 64’s Legacy
The Commodore 64 change into a success from the open, mercurial selling briskly. Between 1983 and 1986, Commodore 64 captured 30-40% of the US deepest computer market. Estimates of Commodore 64 sales numbers differ wildly (and there are now not any exhausting records available to analyze), but over its 11-365 days lifespan, some imagine Commodore supplied 12.5-17 million C64 fashions.
To on this level in time, the Guinness Book of World Info lists the Commodore 64 because the finest-selling single model of desktop computer ever launched. The “desktop” qualifier is foremost because some computer programs since then, such because the iPad, iPhone, or Raspberry Pi occupy exceeded sales of the C64, reckoning on how you count. Easy, the C64 change into wildly winning for its time.
Regarded as one of the most explanations for its mountainous sales numbers change into Commodore’s scorched-earth tactic of undercutting opponents with ever-lower costs. Conserving up with Commodore’s aggressive C64 charge drops squeezed Texas Devices out of the home computer market and partly precipitated Atari’s neatly-known business failure in 1983, leading to the North American video game wreck.
All over all of it, Commodore held on, and the C64 remained standard in Europe. Over time, Commodore produced a entire lot of variations and extensions of the Commodore 64, including the Commodore 64C, Commodore SX-64, Commodore 64 Games Blueprint, and the Commodore 128. Commodore stopped producing the Commodore 64 in 1994 when Commodore itself filed for monetary danger.
This day, many folk who