Commodore 64
mmmm...retro goodness
Back in the day, the second computer I owned was a Commodore 64. This machine survived until my freshman year of college (1989). Sadly, the device was stolen :-( , along with all the software I had acquired over the years...the damn thing is probably for sale on ebay.
Luckily, thanks to the magic of computer emulation you no longer need a C64 to run a C64! But if I see mine on Ebay, I'm coming for ya.
Commodore Nostalgia
- GB64 — a comprehensive desktop database that seeks to document all C64 games and SIDs... wow
- Lemon64 — the C64 site, with descriptions of games, pics of adverts, music, manuals, reviews and more
- Project 64 — an archive of printed material related to the C64, including game manuals!
- Stadium 64 — Not as expansive as Lemon 64, but lots of good reviews and screenshots on the many games it does cover.
- C64.com — nicely designed site with lots of files.
Emulators
- VICE is the emulator I use on my PC.
- CCS64 is another good emulator I have used on my PC under WinXP.
- Frodo is a C64 I use on my Gamepark32 (handheld gaming computer).
SID music
- SID2MIDI — just what the name implies, it converts SID files to MIDI files. Sort of. Very cool gizmo to have when you've an itch to do a C64 SID-remake. For instance, what if you wanted to fool around and make the Love Waltz From Archon (1.5M mp3)?
- SIDPlay Software to play those SIDs. Like having a C64 and a tinny TV speaker right in your computer workstation area.
- or... play them in WinAmp with SidAmp!
- The High Voltage SID Collection (AKA the HVSC) contains an unbelievable number of SID files. If there was a tune in a game, you'll find it here.
- There are lots of contemporary remixes of SID music to be found at remix.kwed.org. A good front-end to this site with lots of reviews can be found at Remix64.
VST SID emulation
Since it's not convenient for most of us to fire up a real C64 SID chip, let your CPU do the walking with a VST emulation:
Use a Real SID
OK, so you've been on ebay. You purchased my old, stolen C64 (damn you!). You've got a SID chip or 2. What to do?
- Prophet64 A catridge interface for C64 that provides 'modern' sequencer tools.
- Cynthcart is another catridge based synth for C64.
- HardSID is a PCI card that allows you to put a SID chip synth into your PC...no shit.
Commodore Today
Amazingly, there are companies and enthusiasts still creating new C64 related products:
- Protovision is a company creating new commercial games for the C64.
- Contiki is a modern OS that can run on a normal C64. No shit.
- LUnix is another modern OS for the C64. Holy retro-revision!
- WiNGs is another modern OS for C64, though it requires the SuperCPU add-on.
- The C-One is a FGPA (field gate programmable array) set up that can be reconfigured on-the-fly to become a working model of any number of retro-computers. I'm not making this up.
- The Commodore Scene lives on.
