Commodore 64 undoubtedly represents one of the most important landmarks in the spreading of electronic gaming in many parts of the world. It was in fact the first mass computer to enter homes that left a permanent mark on the history of the video game industry. Launched in 1982, the C64 dominated the home computer scene until the late 80s when the Amiga was launched by Commodore with its 16-bit power and at the same time, the new gaming machines from Sega and Nintendo in particular continued to extend their range.

So, similarly to what happened to various consoles by the big N and very soon even to Sony’s PlayStation One, even this best-selling 8-bit computer has recently been miniaturized and sold in the market: this new version is in fact half the size of the original.

C64 Mini is the name of this “console”. Perhaps you will be surprised that the name Commodore does not appear in any way. The reason is because of a complex copyright-related issue that has been going on for many years and knowing when it will end is a bit like predicting whether or not you will win in book of ra online in the uk). The C64 Mini, however, was launched at the end of March this year along with a nice old-school retro style joystick, a few dozen games (64 to be precise and the number was not randomly chosen, of course…) already pre-installed getting some attention from long-time fans as well as from the media.

In recent days, we received a particularly interesting piece of news for those who have already bought the C64 Mini or are about to do so: Retro Games has indeed published a new firmware (v1.1.4) for the gaming machine, which allows you to load without effort new games and programs inside the console via USB ports. We can then add new games to the C64 Mini through a USB memory stick formatted in FAT32, without resorting to the not so user-friendly programming language called BASIC. From a legal point of view, Retro Games emphasizes how you can play only those titles that you already own on cassette or floppy disk and that were purchased previously.

Connectable to any modern TV via HDMI cable, the owners of the C64 Mini could already enjoy, from the day of the launch, 64 licensed and pre-installed vintage games made by some of the most popular developers in the 80s. Names include BBG Entertainment, Epyx, Gremlin Graphics, Hewson, Thalamus and The Bitmap Brothers sporting a range of titles including the Cybernoid shoot’em up, the California Games sports game, the futuristic Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe, the Boulder Dash puzzle, the Hawkeye action game and the very special Impossible Mission.

Probably for those who started playing only for a few years ago with hyper realistic 3D graphics you can ask how a few decades ago, millions of people could become passionate about very limited gaming experiences compared to what the current video games can offer. Anyway, those who have lived those years can never forget the magical atmosphere that you could feel with 8-bit computers, not only with the Commodore 64 but also with the ZX Spectrum and all computers of the MSX standard.

Want a C64 Mini? Check eBay and buy with confidence.

Carl Williams

It is time gaming journalism takes its rightful place as proper sources and not fanboys giving free advertising. If you wish to support writers like Carl please use the links below. https://www.paypal.me/WCW https://www.patreon.com/CarlWilliams