4 ms·
> Nobody doubts that the C64 was the greatest selling single computer model of all time There were at least two models of the C64... the brown breadbin style o
by mattl 7y ago
> Nobody doubts that the C64 was the greatest selling single computer model of all time
There were at least two models of the C64... the brown breadbin style one and the sleak white model from the 90s.
- reaperducer 7y agoI guess it depends on how to defined "model." An IBM PS/2 30 is a vastly different model of computer from a PS/2 70, but they're both IBM PS/2's. The bread bin C-64 and the 128-looking C-64 were the same† computer in a slightly different shaped case. † Yes, the motherboard was a different revision, but even in the breadbin 64, the motherboard was revised several times.
- rusk 7y agoThere were some subtle differences between these models. Most notably the sound chip.
- einr 7y agoOf course, Commodore being Commodore (notorious for not sticking to spec and instead frequently just using whatever parts they had in stock or could get a good deal on), there are C64C's with "breadbin" motherboards and breadbins with C64C motherboards (C64G, etc.), and while most C64C's have the 8580 SID and most breadbins have the 6581, this is not true 100% of the time. You really have to open any given C64 to see what you're actually dealing with.
- rusk 7y agoWell, the thing about the SID in particular, is that it relied upon imperfections in the MOS silicon fabrication process to produce certain analogue effects (a fairly common approachh in electronic instruments in the 80s). Problem is, that as processes improved it gets harder to produce noise in this way. The later generations of SID produced a “cleaner” sound, but not faithful to the original to the point that certain effects exploting these imperfections (eg some funky sound sample techniques) were broken on the newer version. I’ve read somewhere that it isn't possible to produce the SID at all with modern technology because processes are just so “clean” now.
- ido 7y agoThe white version came out at 1986[0], not in the 90s. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64#Commodore_64C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_64#Commodore_64C
- einr 7y agoJust talking case designs, there's the bog-standard C64, the C64C, the C64G, the SX64, the PET64/Educator 64/4064 and the C64GS. At least. I would argue that they're for all intents and purposes the same computer, just like a desktop PC is still the same machine if you put it in a different case.
- omarhaneef 7y agoAnd the Commodore 128 which was only useful because you could run it as a C64.
- einr 7y agoThe C128 is a lot more convenient to develop for. It has a built-in sprite editor and monitor in ROM, has really useful BASIC with graphics and sound commands instead of having to use obscure POKEs for everything (it's Microsoft BASIC 7.0 instead of the ancient BASIC v2 on the C64 -- Tramiel finally splurged for a renewed license). It's really a shame that more software did not take advantage of its capabilities.