Jump to content
IGNORED

The C64 Mini

Revival

By Revival
in Retro & Arcade Gaming

 Share

Recommended Posts

Lorfarius

Lorfarius

Posted
Posted
52 minutes ago, Darhkwing said:

If they get dropped to under £30 i will get one. The C64 was my first computer and i have a lot of good memories of it but returning to some of the games i liked, the gameplay doesn't hold up.

 

There are several games on this collection i would like but not enough to spend £60 + on.

 

Does it support more games? (SD card etc?) i would love to add stuff like Hunchback1+2, The Human Race, Jet Set Willy, Chiller, Dizzy, Star Quake etc

 

You can stick a USB stick in it and load games from that using Basic.  They've also said they will be adding an option in an upcoming update to add games to the menu.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vimster

Vimster

Posted
Posted
4 minutes ago, Lorfarius said:

 

You can stick a USB stick in it and load games from that using Basic.  They've also said they will be adding an option in an upcoming update to add games to the menu.

In that review above it mentioned something about a store. Are they going to be selling games for this?

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Protocol Penguin

Protocol Penguin

Posted
Posted

I think the C64 is probably the best 8-bit computer to base one of these devices on. A decent C64 game will move really smoothy, thanks to the C64's sprite handling, which has helped the games age well despite the system's notorious oblong pixels and brown-centric colour palette.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Goose

Goose

Posted
Posted

 I wouldn't mind adding Buggy Boy. I loved the C64 version. 

 

It's a bit more expensive here, works out to about £80. That's OK, like I said, I just saved a $1000 by not buying a new PC. However, I do feel this has a very high chance of becoming another Snes Mini. Play most games once, some a few times more, then it gathers dust under the TV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
loathsomeleopard

loathsomeleopard

Posted
Posted
On 27/03/2018 at 06:30, Lorfarius said:

 

From where? It's being reviewed all over.

 

From the local distributor who asked for an embargo as part of getting a review unit. 

 

It usually happens because there's a global embargo, although this one seems to have been video reviewed quite extensively; less so in print/text online. No idea why.


Thankfully, that embargo has now lifted, so my longer thoughts in depth (plus bonus jokes) on the C64 Mini can be read here.

 

Enjoy.

1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
gunrock

gunrock

Posted
Posted (edited)

From what I have heard it's just an ARM soc on a board running an emulator. The aesthetic is nice and all, but for that price a MiST FPGA/Mistica FPGA 16 which runs many more systems and supports USB keyboard and original and USB joysticks/controllers.

 

Failing that, a Pi 3 in a C64 3d printed case - much cheaper than both.

Edited by gunrock
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Lorfarius

Lorfarius

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, gunrock said:

From what I have heard it's just an ARM soc on a board running an emulator. The aesthetic is nice and all, but for that price a MiST FPGA/Mistica FPGA 16 which runs many more systems and supports USB keyboard and original and USB joysticks/controllers.

 

Failing that, a Pi 3 in a C64 3d printed case - much cheaper than both.

 

Yawn. How many times do people have to come forward, sneer and say "oh just get a rasp Pi".  You can say that for anything. Why bother buying original gear when you can get a Pi? etc. etc. A Pi is cheaper but it's not instant on, its not as convenient, can take ages to setup for most people, needs a keyboard to exit and close down or it corrupts SD cards, and will cost even more if you go down the route of getting a C64 case printed (which look rough compared to this) + controller. The Pi is far from perfect and has its own problems.

 

I've GOT a Rasp Pi 3 and guess what... I'm buying one :wacko: Also this supports a USB keyboard and other controllers too. 

6
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SeanR

SeanR

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, gunrock said:

From what I have heard it's just an ARM soc on a board running an emulator. The aesthetic is nice and all, but for that price a MiST FPGA/Mistica FPGA 16 which runs many more systems and supports USB keyboard and original and USB joysticks/controllers.

 

Failing that, a Pi 3 in a C64 3d printed case - much cheaper than both.

 

tumblr_m0c5xr06dk1qzwarqo1_500.gif

2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Clipper

Clipper

Posted
Posted
58 minutes ago, OogyBoogy said:

Once you rename a d64 file for the mini to read from, can you write to it as well?

 

i think when you save it saves the machine state to a "slot" on teh internal memory and you can have 4 for basic so you could load 4 games individually and save them so having 4 extra games on there to access.

 

If you mean attaching a disc image and writing to it? Depends if the emulation covers save as well as load commands - in theory it should.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Vimster

Vimster

Posted
Posted

On a related note, the guy who designed the superb 1541Ultimate II cartridge has a project on the go at the moment, the Ultimate64. It's basically a total replacement board for the original 64 using an FPGA, so essentially you could take a dead C64 and swap it out. There aren't many details at the moment but it's pretty exciting stuff. It's set to have HDMI output, a fully-working cartridge port, the 1541UltimateII+ built in, amongst other features. I suspect it won't be cheap but if you wanted something as near as damn it to original hardware (and it would be partially original) it might be worth keeping an eye on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Ryan

Ryan

Posted
Posted
51 minutes ago, Vimster said:

On a related note, the guy who designed the superb 1541Ultimate II cartridge has a project on the go at the moment, the Ultimate64. It's basically a total replacement board for the original 64 using an FPGA, so essentially you could take a dead C64 and swap it out. There aren't many details at the moment but it's pretty exciting stuff. It's set to have HDMI output, a fully-working cartridge port, the 1541UltimateII+ built in, amongst other features. I suspect it won't be cheap but if you wanted something as near as damn it to original hardware (and it would be partially original) it might be worth keeping an eye on.

 

The first batch - 400 or so units - are being made available to order now. Personally I'll wait on the next revision, it gives him a chance to work out the kinks.

 

Apparently some people have made replacement cases, I'm going to order one to go with the Ultimate 64 :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Clipper

Clipper

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Camel said:

1541 Ultimate is a cartridge that emulates a 1541 drive.  Like a flash cart type affair.  Ultimate 64 is the C64 replacement.

 

https://ultimate64.com/

thats brilliant thanks - pricey but may be worjht it if it is compatible with all proper peripherals (c2n etc and 1541) and cartridges....

 

i.e. if it is a working c64 but "modern"  then sounds perfect.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
gizmo1990

gizmo1990

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Goose said:

Cracked and got one! Got the impression they weren’t short of stock. Not sure how popular the original machine was here. I know my wife had one growing up.

 

Over here, the C64 was the ferrari of 8bits. Think it was a good £100 more expensive than the others.

 

CPC 464 forever, losers!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Camel

Camel

Posted
Posted

The genuinely expensive option was the BBC.  The annoying thing about the C64 was that to get the most out of it, you really needed a disk drive and those were priced the same as the actual computers over here.  Madness.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Clipper

Clipper

Posted
Posted

arrived and had a play these are random thoughts not a review :D

 

1) The unit itself is gorgeous a lovely thing to behold and the packaging is as good or better than most actual consoles real premium feel to it

2) The emulation, to me, seems spot on even the SID emulation - however obviously even old c64s didnt all sound the same!

3) I find the scanlines intrusive and prefer a clean look

4) The joystick is, hmmmm, not great is what I would say - not micro-switched and as a result a bit woolly feeling, usable but imprecise sadly. They have cheaped out on this and that is a real shame. Would like to see ability to use a wider range of controllers - that review says works with usb controler with 8 buttons. My speedking didnt work via my pc-usb adaptor (obv doesnt have 8 buttons) but it doesn't work with a wired Xbox one controller. So neither of my pc controllers work.

5) Loading game from usb is limited and fiddly(it only sees one d64 which has to have a specific name) but you can save state the session and have upto 4 games in the save states as long as they don't multiload. If they multiload you have to have the stick in and load it the fiddly way.

6) Saving WORKS. I had a d64 of sheep in space which I had loaded and save stated. As a test I then restarted basic and typed in a quick programme and then did SAVE "TEST",8 and it said it had saved and indeed a list showed TEST was on my "disk". I reset and went into basic and listed and it was still there, I loaded it and ran it just fine so the emulation is pretty complete in terms of BASIC.

7) I can't see instructions only a small paragraph so that is a shame!

8) Playing sheep in space to start game you need to press f1 and need to open virtual keyboard to make that happen, you can't manually "map" the joystick buttons per game for the USB loaded ones. As far as I can see extra button mappings are hard coded to the individual game for the ones on the system already and you can't change mappings.

 

and that's all I have done so far, I played Alleykat, PAradroid, Uridium,BOulderdash,speedball2 (which is a very playable alternative to the Amiga version) and all seemed fine and feature complete.

 

I just need to find a decent microswitch stick that works with this thing!

3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue. Use of this website is subject to our Privacy Policy, Terms of Use, and Guidelines.

  I accept