Return of the Commodore C64 - Seriously........

Back when the world of personal computing was young, Commodore computers pretty much were the ones to beat. The company offered a pretty compelling argument, if you're going to spend money on a gaming platform, why not spend it on an actual computer that played awesome (for the time) video games instead.

With the success of the company's entry level personal computer, the VIC 20, Commodore released their next generation platform the C64 in 1982. This 8-bit wonder machine offered an unheard of 64K standard memory, standard audio and video that was better than IBM and Apple's offerings, all for a mere $595 which was far less expensive than anything comparable. It game with a built in RF modulator which allowed you to connect it to a TV and came built in with the Basic programming language on startup. Nothing could come close to that at the time.

Commodore Data Cassette

The machine's success came in part from Commodore's decision to offer it through regular retail outlets, department stores and toy retailers as well as regular electronic stores. This coupled with the availability of over 10,000 titles helped push the total number of units sold to almost 17 million worldwide making it the best selling personal computer model of all time according to the Guiness Book of World Records.

Despite its success and the release of newer and more powerful models, Commodore struggled and went bankrupt in 1994. As with most things these days, old is new again.

Commodore USA has bought the rights and will be releasing a modernized version of the C64 featuring modern guts including a dual core 1.8Ghz Atom processor, Nvidia video chipset, up to 4GB of ram, memory readers, USB ports, HDMI outputs and built in WiFi. The price ? Just like 1982 starting at just $595. I'm not sure what that really says about technology when you think about it. I have more computing power in my toaster than the original C64 and it only cost me $20. Having said that, I can't play any games with it.

Pre-orders have been strong and or many nostalgic users it will surely be a hit. The company plans to revive the VIC and Amiga lines as well which could take this whole retro thing to a whole new level. Rather than having gadgets that look modern and high tech, it will be far hipper to have a clunky looking thing that kicks technical butt. I'm sure Motorola is watching this with eager anticipation.

BONUS !!! Vic-20 Commercial featuring The Shat !!

Comments

Retro Heatwave Video of the Day - Hot In The City

People say that relentless heat can mess you up in many ways. It can make some people nauseous, dehydrate you, give you a headache, make you drowsy or in some cases, it destroys your ability spell ! I'm not bying itt thoughh. I thunck thets a lode of crips. Yup, it's been a pretty hot one this week with temperature records being broken, hydro grids being strained to the limit and people with air conditioning suddenly having friends over unexpectedly. You can actually buy a raw steak and cook it on your dashboard during the drive home. While some would say this heat wave is a result of global warming, others say it is the coming of the end. I just think it's a great excuse to hear a great summer retro classic !

New Site

Just a heads up, the blog has now moved to a more modern WordPress site over at https://retroguyswonderland.com Site is up and under slight construction. New posts coming soon! - Retroguy's Son (The SysOp)

Retro Arcade Game of the Day - Raiden

One of the things that was cool about video games back in the early years of gaming was the ability to just enter a game and start playing. No muss, no fuss. No long intro story lines, no boring tasks to complete before it got interesting, just sit and start blasting. Great to relieve some stress in the middle of the day. Raiden was one of those games. The arcade version was released in 1990 and is a classic scrolling shoot em' up game. Easy to control with only two options, shoot or bomb. Nice and simple yet loads of fun. Enjoy ! Controls Arrow Keys – Movement Space key – Select Enter key – Start “Z” key – a “X” key – b “A” key – x “S” key – y “D” key – l “C” key – r To save your game: hover over the emulator screen and use the icons to save your progress. Down arrow icon (save), Up arrow icon (load).

Earth, Wind and Ozzy !!

There is no doubt that the advent of technology has produced many amazing things that most of us never saw coming or would ever think was possible. Furthest from anyone's mind would be the mashing of two polar opposite musical styles of heavy metal and funk. Not possible you say? Check out the fine work by DJ Cummerbund as he seamlessly combines the heavy metal madness of Ozzy Osbourne with the super slick, funky rhythms of Earth, Wind and Fire to produce a mashup of Crazy Train and September. Ain't technology grand??

The Return of Retroguy !!

Hi everyone - been a while since my last post. Hey, life happens! I had to put this on the back burner for a while but thanks for all the kind words! Fear not, I'm back!! Been working on the look of the page so this you may see changes for the next little while. Plenty more to come but for now, check out this awesome cover from Hall and Oats from the "Live From Darryl's House" web series featuring the Canadian electro-pop duo Chromeo. As always - Keep It Retro !

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