COMMODORE 64

THE BEST-SELLING SINGLE COMPUTER MODEL OF ALL TIME

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

PROCESSOR MOS Technology 6510
@ 1.023 MHz (NTSC)
@ 0.985 MHz (PAL)
MEMORY 64 KB RAM
20 KB ROM (BASIC + KERNAL)
38K available for programs
GRAPHICS - VIC-II 320×200 (Hi-res)
160×200 (Multicolor)
16 colors
8 hardware sprites
SOUND - SID 6581 3 independent voices
4 waveforms per voice
ADSR envelope
Revolutionary for its time
STORAGE Cassette tape (1530 Datassette)
5.25" floppy (1541 disk drive)
Cartridge port
I/O PORTS 2× joystick ports
RF/Composite/S-Video out
Expansion port
Serial, User port

EVOLUTION TIMELINE

1982 - Launch at CES
Introduced at Consumer Electronics Show in January. Price: $595 USD. Launched with aggressive marketing campaign targeting both home and business users.
1983 - Market Domination
Sales skyrocket with price drops to $200. Commodore's "Price War" strategy devastates competition. Featured in countless retail stores worldwide.
1984 - C64 Games System (C64GS)
Cartridge-only variant released in Europe. Attempt to compete with game consoles, but commercial failure due to high price and limited library.
1986 - C64C Released
Redesigned with cost-reduced motherboard and new case design matching the C128. Improved reliability and manufacturing efficiency.
1987-1990 - Peak Software Era
Golden age of C64 gaming. Ocean, Electronic Arts, Epyx, and others releasing masterpieces. Demo scene flourishes with incredible technical achievements.
1994 - Production Ends
Official production ceases after 12 years. Estimated 12.5-17 million units sold, making it the Guinness World Record holder for best-selling single computer model.
1994-Present - Legacy Lives On
Active demo scene continues to this day. New games still being developed. Hardware re-releases like TheC64 Mini and TheC64 Maxi bring classics to new audiences.

LEGENDARY GAMES

THE LAST NINJA
1987 | System 3
Isometric action-adventure masterpiece with groundbreaking graphics and atmospheric SID soundtrack. Follow ninja Armakuni through feudal Japan. Set new standards for C64 gaming.
IMPOSSIBLE MISSION
1984 | Epyx
"Another visitor! Stay a while... STAY FOREVER!" Iconic speech synthesis and puzzle-platformer gameplay. Search Professor Elvin Atombender's fortress in this timed adventure.
INTERNATIONAL KARATE+
1987 | System 3
Three-player simultaneous fighting game with stunning visuals. Backgrounds change with time of day. Rob Hubbard's amazing soundtrack. Still considered one of C64's best.
MANIAC MANSION
1987 | LucasArts
First SCUMM engine game from Ron Gilbert. Point-and-click adventure with multiple playable characters and endings. Brilliant humor and innovative interface. Gaming history milestone.
BOULDER DASH
1984 | First Star Software
Dig through caves, collect diamonds, avoid falling boulders. Addictive puzzle-action gameplay spawned countless clones. Physics-based mechanics were revolutionary.
PARALLAX
1986 | Sensible Software
Showcase of technical mastery with smooth scrolling in all directions. Unique split-screen cooperative gameplay. Pushed VIC-II chip to its absolute limits.

PLAY A CLASSIC: C64 BREAKOUT

Experience brick-breaking action with authentic C64 colors!

SCORE: 0 | LIVES: 3 | LEVEL: 1
Move paddle with ARROW KEYS or MOUSE

THE SID CHIP REVOLUTION

The Sound Interface Device (SID) chip was the C64's secret weapon. Designed by Bob Yannes, the MOS Technology 6581 was years ahead of its competition.

Musical Legacy

The SID chip spawned an entire genre of music. Composers like Rob Hubbard, Martin Galway, and Ben Daglish created soundtracks that are still celebrated today. The C64 demo scene pushed the SID to create sounds nobody thought possible, using innovative techniques like ring modulation and filter abuse.

Beyond Gaming

The C64 was more than a gaming machine. It taught an entire generation to program with its built-in BASIC interpreter. Many professional developers started their careers typing code from magazines like "Compute!" and "RUN". The C64 was a genuine home computer that balanced gaming, productivity, and education perfectly.

CULTURAL PHENOMENON

The Commodore 64 achieved what no other computer could: true mass-market success. Its combination of powerful hardware, affordable price, and massive software library made it unstoppable.

The Demo Scene

The C64 birthed the demo scene—where programmers competed to create the most impressive audiovisual displays. Groups like Fairlight, Booze Design, and Censor Design pushed the hardware far beyond what Commodore engineers thought possible. Demos still being created in 2024 continue to amaze with new tricks.

Enduring Influence

The C64's influence extends far beyond gaming. Its SID chip sound is featured in modern music. The "8-bit" aesthetic it helped define is now retro-chic. The C64 proved that technology could be both powerful and accessible, influencing every home computer that followed.