Games - Commodore 64

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	Games - Commodore 64

The Commodore 64 (C64, CBM 64/CBM64, C= 64), also sometimes nicknamed "the breadbin" due to its shape, is a home computer with 64 kilobytes of RAM that was popular in the 1980s. Released by Commodore Business Machines (CBM) to the public in August 1982 at a price of US$ 595, it offered sound and graphics performance that compared favorably with the standard at that time. During the Commodore 64's lifetime (between 1982 and 1993), total sales exceeded 22 million units. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the Commodore 64 still remains the best selling computer model of all time.

Unlike computers that were distributed only through authorized dealers, Commodore also targeted department stores and toy stores. The unit could be plugged directly into a television set and play games, giving it much of the appeal of dedicated video game consoles like the Atari 2600. The pricing of the C64 is considered to be a major catalyst in the video game crash of 1983.

Approximately 10,000 software titles were made for the Commodore 64—this includes development tools, office applications, and games. The machine is also credited with popularizing the computer demo scene. Though the original hardware is now used only by a few hobbyists, emulators allow anyone with a modern computer to run these programs on their desktop (with varying degrees of success and functionality).

History

Origins

In January 1981, MOS Technology, Inc., Commodore's integrated-circuit design subsidiary, initiated a project to design the graphic and audio chips for a next generation video game console. Design work for the chips, named MOS Technology VIC-II (graphics) and MOS Technology SID (audio), was completed in November 1981.

A game console project was then initiated by Commodore that would use the new chips was called the Ultimax or alternatively the Commodore MAX Machine
, engineered by Yashi Terakura from Commodore Japan. This project was eventually cancelled, just a few machines were ever manufactured and only for the japanese market.

At the same time in mid-1981, Robert Russell (system programmer and architect on the VIC-20) and Robert "Bob" Yannes (engineer of the SID) were critical of the current product line-up at Commodore, which was a continuation of the Commodore PET line aimed at business users. Instead, with the support of Al Charpentier (engineer of the VIC-II) and Charles Winterble (manager of MOS Technology) they proposed a true low-cost sequel to the VIC-20 to Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel. Tramiel dictated that the machine should have 64KB of RAM memory since prices on the memory market were declining. Although 64 kB of RAM cost over US $100 at the time, he knew that DRAM prices were falling, and would drop to an acceptable level before full production was reached. Tramiel also set a deadline for the 1982 Consumer Electronics Show, in the first weekend of January. The meeting was in November so this gave the engineers about two months to complete working prototypes for the show.

The product was codenamed the VIC-40. The team that constructed it consisted of Robert Russell, Robert "Bob" Yannes and David A. Ziembicki. The design, prototypes and some sample software was finished in time for the show, after the team had worked tirelessly over both Thanksgiving and Christmas weekends.

When the product was to be presented, the VIC-40 product was renamed C64 in order to fit into the current Commodore business products lineup which contained the P128 and the B256, both named by a letter and their respective memory size.

The C64 made an impressive debut, as recalled by Production Engineer David A. Ziembicki: "All we saw at our booth were Atari people with their mouths dropping open, saying, 'How can you do that for $595?'" The answer, as it turned out, was vertical integration; thanks to Commodore's ownership of MOS Technology's semiconductor fabrication facilities, each C64 had an estimated production cost of only $135.

Winning the market war

The C64 faced a wide range of competing home computers at its introduction in August 1982. With an impressive price point coupled with the 64's advanced hardware, it quickly out-classed many of its competitors. In the United States the greatest competitors to the C64 were the Atari 800 and Apple II. The Atari 800 was very similar in hardware terms, but it was very expensive to build, which soon forced Atari to move their production to the Far East. It also forced Atari to redesign their machine to be more cost effective, resulting in the 600XL/800XL line. The aging Apple II was no match for the C64's graphics and sound abilities, but was very expandable with its internal expansion slots, a feature lacking in the 64.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Commodore 64 ]

Games - Commodore 64

History

Origins

Winning the market war

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