6.12.2020

I'm an old fart who grew up owning and collecting 8-bit computers, but had to grow up. There are emulators, all sorts of gadgets littering the house, and most of them are just fleeting attempts at reliving something long past and frankly, long outclassed.This was too hard to resist though. TheC64Mini was 'meh', no keyboard on a computer that existed with a keyboard - what is this, a C64GS? But TheC64? Full-size, fully beige, real keys with real horrible slow action (this is no gaming keyboard) and a microswitched Competition Pro clone joystick? Yes please!First of all: if you want to give a gift of a retro computer thing to your favourite Gen-Xer, this is probably the best one you will find,period. It's packaged authentically, it's pleasing to hold, but unlike trying to use a Commodore 64 on modern TVs etc. it JUST WORKS. Which really cannot be overstated - this is great.Second: This isn't some locked down, needs to be hacked to get away from the 64 included games system. You can program it. You can load disc, cartridge and tape images. It is as flexible as the Linux-based emulator it's essentially a derivative of.Finally: Yes, it is quite expensive. The joystick is easily worth £20 of this cost - you can buy them separately and they're well worth it for retrogaming on Windows/Mac/Pi etc. - as good as getting a classic joystick, and cheaper than decent USB-to-Atari adaptors. The case - you'd probably pay £30 for a case of this size and quality for your Raspberry Pi, even without a keyboard. Call the keyboard a fiver, but it's really more like £30 for the bespoke C64-style keys. Then you'd need the computer and software.So even if you're a DIY-nutter determined to save money with free software and cheap hardware, TheC64 is very good value.What's it actually like? A Commodore 64 with some modern user-friendly touches. You can boot up into the classic C64 BASIC mode and easily load and save software - it even creates a virtual disk image for your BASIC programs - or you can go into a Carousel mode with preloaded games. Gameplay is more than good enough - I can't compare to a real C64 anymore, but it never feels like there's something wrong even if the sound may be slightly different.The keyboard is quite slow for typing (authentic), but the joystick is great for games. Zynaps is one of my favourites, a proper shoot 'em up like a modest R-Type clone, and the joystick keeps up with rapid firing and movement as well as the real Competiion Pro ever did.HDMI output is easy - the only downside is that unlike some rivals there's no composite out for older TVs, but then the benefits totally outweigh that gripe.Could it have had DB9 joystick ports? Probably. That's my biggest criticism of it really. For comparison an upgraded C64 motherboard is more than twice as much as this, needs a real C64 to install it in, and isn't as easy to use. On a technical level this is basically a Pi clone board running some carefully optimised frontend - instead of getting nerdy about it, just enjoy that it exists and works so well any kid or busy adult can enjoy it immediately.This really is a no-brainer for retrogaming addicts and a great gift for 40+ year old kids remembering the first time they unwrapped a home computer under the tree. And yes, you can plug it into a giant LCD telly - but I find it really nice using an old small HDMI one (a monitor with speakers would do too) so you get the small screen inches-from-your-face reality that we had in the '80s.Even if it is in colour and not mum's old 9-inch black and white telly...

17.1.2020

I will try to be as brief as possible.Advantages :You get a 1:1 reproduction that matches the first version of the Commodore 64 case which had the size of the VIC.The color matches the original.The only difference i can see is :1. the letters on the upper part reading "C64" and "power" are not embossed. In the original the corresponding labels were embossed.2. the key '0' is centered and not aligned with the other numbers as in the original.My opinion? These details are negligible.The packaging quality is superb. They included all necessary padding for extra protection plus a plastic casewhich can be used as a dust cover. BUT !-> see disadvantages.You have the full package where you are able to play and program in basic like the good old times by plugging to the TV/Monitor.Games are represented faithfully by the Vice emulator. What i did not like with the current state is theability to customize (see disadvantages)Ability to load your own games by inserting a USB. This is a big plus for the C64 here, and its main selling point, as the prexisting list of 64 games does not depict the actual capabilities of the machine.Disadvantages :My main complain has to do with the person who is responsible for the packaging of the contents.How on earth is possible to put a plastic case that covers the keyboard that is BROKEN ?See attached pictures : picture 1 : the box is in excellent condition, so there was no foul play while in transportation.picture 2,3 : the plastic that covers the keyboard is broken.One could say that this is minor but i say that this is unacceptable, because there is no way that the person could do a mistake while doing the packaging.So the QUALITY CONTROL of packaging is not acceptable ; at least in my case.Other than that, I got a hardware that works as expected, and without marks or damage on the hardware itself.Secondly, the other disadvantage has to do with the customization of the emulatorfor each game or list of games.In order to assign specific buttons for each game you have to do a cumbersome process which is the following:remove the USB, and insert to a PC, and create a text file, comma separatedwith the assignments. A slow process, as you have to remove and insert each time you find out that you have to configure a new game, and it is also easy to miss a comma in the file and get all your key mapping wrong!The best choice would be to implement a simple menu as in the MAME case that you are able to assign buttons with the joystick directly by having a manuasking : press key for UP, press for DOWN etc and then internally the VICE generates the CJM file which is associated ith the game. This is not hard to implement. Unfortunately the current way for configuration, is an afterthought at its best.Last, while the joystick is upgraded with microswitches, it did not come with suction cups.What is weird is that youtube reviewers received a version with suction cups. I am not sureif we have another case of bad quality control in packaging or the company decided not to provide suction cups.Apart from the shortcomings, I suggest getting one especially if you owned the original, and it does not work, or it is lost. This machine is not for everyone, only for those who worked this machine back in the day. Current generation of players will be extremely annoyed if they use this ;)

7.2.2020

I was sceptical about TheC64 full sized modern build of the classic Commodore 64. I mean, it’s emulation to start with, how good can it be?Well, I had to wait for stock to come in, that suggested it might be a good product, bad products don’t sell out so quickly. So, as soon as I saw there was stock I ordered one. It arrived, taking a little longer than normal but that was OK, Amazon had told me it would.I eagerly opened the Amazon brown cardboard box to discover the TheC64 box, complete with beautiful graphics. Opening that box I saw TheC64 in all its glory. It looked just like the original C64, minus a few ports and adding a few modern conveniences (like HDMI and USB). It looked great,with a satisfying weight, even though the case is mostly empty (as seen on numerous YouTube videos).Unpacking everything else, I couldn’t wait to hook it up and get back to the 1980s. Setup was easy, plug in the enclosed joystick and go through a couple of setup screens and you’re all done. There are two default modes, the Carousel (where you can access the 64 built in games) and Classic mode (where you choose to go to the classic C64 or Vic 20 programming environment. I am not that interested in playing games, I got the machine to relive my early programming days.I’d completed the setup and was looking at the blue on blue screen that looked just like the old C64, except it was on a big, modern, smart tv. I pressed a key on the keyboard... nothing. I tried a few more keys... a lot more nothing. None of the keys worked. I tried the old ’turn it off and on again’ routine but no joy, which was ironic because the joystick worked fine.I called Amazon support and spent 10 minutes trying to explain that it wasn’t a usb or Bluetooth keyboard, finally they put me in touch with the manufacturer, Retro Games Ltd., unfortunately it was the sales department. Although the guy was brilliant, he first checked everything and then said it did sound like a problem, but being in sales he’d have to get a tech guy to contact me. He then promised a tech guy would call me later that day. The sales guy called back and said that as the keyboard wasn’t working at all it was a faulty unit, so I should contact Amazon and arrange to return it and get a replacement (if a replacement was available, as stock was limited again!)My call to Amazon, sales not tech, went much better. They reordered a unit and gave me the instructions to return the faulty one. Three days later I had the replacement and it works just perfectly.I was hugely impressed by the Retro Games Ltd. sales team, very professional and sympathetic. It’s a true measure of a company, how they deal with problems, and Retro Games Ltd. were fantastic.As for TheC64, it really does give the same experience as the original, with the bonus of USB support. Looking at that blue in blue screen you really feel as if your programming an original C64. There are emulators available for both PC and Mac, but TheC64 is a complete package, with a pretty good, retro feeling, keyboard, and the real clincher, the PETSCII characters printed on the front of the keys (just like the original). Not only that, you get 2 retro computer experiences, a C64 and Vic-20... plus 64 games! A truly fantastic product!

22.6.2021

the reasons why not first.Well first off I thought all these Retro machines were just a mini arcade box.I thought the games would be dated.I thought no one would use or dev the games.I found the new full sized THEC64 for sale on amazon, and I found myself researching it, most emulators never recreated a retro consoles without perfect keyboard and joystick and executables. the c64 mini was just a box with lets face it dated games.--------------------------------------------the reasons for it as I found themI bought THEC64 first because I saw they run the thousands of games you can download and put on a FAT32 USB stick, and the Price was equivalent to the original C64.then the quality when I opened the box ,

22.2.2021

First off a disclaimer: I didn't have a C64 back in the day so I'm not an expert on them.That being said...this is a very well made up-to-date version of the venerable Commodore 64. However, it's primarily aimed at software nostalgists, not hardware ones, as this lacks all of the interfaces of the original. Instead you get four USB ports, a single HDMI port, and a single Micro USB socket for power. So (sadly for some) you won't be plugging in a 1541 disk drive or a Simon's BASIC cartridge with adaptors (even assuming it's possible, which I genuinely don't know).I comes with a very well made joystick with eight (count them, eight!) buttons for controlling the unit.

27.12.2019

After a few days using this system I feel a have to put digital pen to paper. I think the first thing people will want to know is, “Is it better than the C64 Mini?”. Well the answer is yes! Absolutely and here is why.1. Hardware.a. Nothing can beat having the real feel of the C64 keyboard for the nostalgia experience. Having proper function keys allows certain games to be played that were not practical before, Eddie Kid’s Jump Challenge for instance. The keys have the right amount of bounce and the whole package feels right.b. The new microswitched joystick is excellent with the emulator functions on buttons that very quickly become second nature.

31.12.2020

Very pleased with product though had a minor hiccup at start. I had set the TV output to 60hz which caused the games and sounds to run faster even though I set it as a PAL machine. Found out after that using 60hz TV mode increases speed and had to factory reset to choose 50hz. Manual could be a little bit more informative.Before ordering this I had asked a question about using a sid player to playback sid files of HVSC from disk/SD (similar to SD2IEC on a real C64) which wasn't answered but I have found out with using it that it can be done in a manner. Can't access a full SD card/usb drive as a directory but can make disk image files containing the sids with about 30 sids on a disk.

13.12.2019

Only had it a day, so first impressions:1. Quality of manufacture looks pretty good, with the exception that one of the joystick buttons sticks a bit (might loosen off with time and use). Haven't had a chance yet to compare it side by side with my original C64, but looks identical to my rusty memory - with the obvious exception that it doesn't have the same ports as the original. Keyboard feel is fine, not quite as good as I remember the original one as but not bad. The joystick isn't as good as an original Zipstick, but it is OK.2. Included games are pretty good for the most part. Some all time classics in the list. Haven't tried adding my own games yet, will update review once I have.3.

21.1.2020

It's easy to set up and use. You get everything you need to connect it to a TV and get started. It has built in games covering a range of styles, shooting, platform, puzzles, RPGs and a text adventure. You can freeze a game at any time and you can save up to four frozen positions for each game and reload them later. If you want more you can download games from retro sites on the internet and put them on a memory stick. It can play Commodore 64 and VIC-20 games.In classic mode it works like a real Commodore 64. You can type in Basic programs and run them. If you plug in a memory stick you get a virtual disc drive. Each virtual floppy disc is stored as a file on the memory stick.

19.12.2019

These retro games are just as much fun to play now as ever. But now you don't have to worry about load times, adapters blowing or having to find an old flickering CRT tv. Everything about the attention to detail here is splendid - you can enjoy having a commodore 64 again and it's just as good, if not better than it was before for a couple of reasons: this is like a real 64, you can boot from BASIC, save and load programs. It's also a VIC20, the predecessor to the 64 which although appears less powerful had better arcade style higher speed games. But for me, the main thing is that it is a real computer that you can program. If Retrogames get the marketing right (and they have so far)

25.1.2020

[ORIGINAL REVIEW]You might think this review is a bit harsh, and a firmware update may yet make things perfect, but at the moment the machine has a fatal flaw which means it's back in its box. Yes, it looks like a near-identical copy of the original and the output, complete with fake scanlines, looks great on a modern TV, but ... it runs 20% too fast. The BASIC variable TI$ advances 1 minute 12 seconds in 1 actual minute and whilst that doesn't sound like too much of a problem it means the the keyboard responds in a peculiar way, games don't behave as they should, and music sounds all wrong. At the moment you're probably still better off with an emulator on a PC,

26.3.2021

the c64, a great machine for emulation, easy to use, you can even code, though the first one i had, the keyboard didn't work, that was a zavvi purchase i then sent back and purchased here on amazon for a similar price at £90.you can add more games suing a usb (8gb , no need for bigger TBH) , the instructions on their website are clear and easy to use on how to set up those games to make them work, the latest update has been good, though the menu to do the switch joysticks from p1 to p2 port won't work, but i get around it with 2 joysticks.this is a good alternative to an original, though you can't beat original hardware, which a refurbished one can cost £80 to £160 depending on what comes with it,

30.12.2019

Like having a real C64 without the issues and worries of the old hardware.I got my 'The C64' from Game on launch day. Right from the start you can tell this is a quality product. The box is actually very similar to the original Commodore 64 when it was released in 1982! The machine is extremely well built and doesn't feel cheap. The keyboard isn't quite the same as the original, more like a high quality PC keyboard. The connectivity is excellent, with four USB ports and a micro USB for power.The built in games are okay, with some classics, but the real beauty is the ability to play your own via ROM images on a Flash drive. You can play disk, tape and cartridge ROMs.

17.1.2020

What can I say?Growing up I was the proud owner of a ZX Spectrum, but I always wanted to own a C64.Well In 2018 I bought the C64 mini and I was totally hooked!And when they said this was coming out I pre-ordered and have been busy playing, programming, and generally having loads of fun on my lovely C64 or as some have called it the C64 maxi.It has more than enough USB ports for joysticks, USB Memory sticks etc and you can download extra games to supplement the 64 that come with it and loads them via a USB stick.Any negatives? Erm, not really, although I think some people are working on getting old peripherals to work with the Maxi.

8.3.2020

i am loving it, though some games are somehow running too fast and requires controller breaking speeds.also : started laughing when i saw that there is a software update available for the c64... i mean just sooo 21st century... :)the box was slightly damaged upon arrival, but the c64 is in tip top shape and quite a few people in the office were jealous... which made me feel special :)i had no chance to work on it yet, but i am sure it will be fun. it is just a shame that i can not use the old cartridges - i am fully aware of the reasons, so no complaints here, but that would have been the cherry on the top:)anyway - i felt 6 years old again while opening the box and plugging it in and ....

Retro Games The C64 Maxi - Reviews

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