21.11.2018

First things first. I bought TheC64 Mini not intending to use it. I bought it while it was in the Black Friday deals at £44.99, and I had a few quid left over on my Amazon so in the end it only cost me £21 in real money.I didn't intend to use it because I was never a C64 owner and therefore struggled to relate, and only really wanted it as an addition to my growing Mini collection - I currently own the NES, SNES and Neo Geo Minis, and have the PlayStation Mini pre ordered.Although I was never planning to take it out of the box I couldn't help myself. First impressions are that it is really well presented, and the packaging is very attractive and conveys a high quality,as does the build quality of the C64 mini itself, and easily rivals the build of the NES and SNES minis, which currently are the pinnacle of mini consoles.The menu system is also very attractive, listing the games along the bottom of the screen in a "carousel" format, with thumbnail images and a description of the game, as well as the year in which it originally launched. There's even a nice SID inspired tune playing in the background, very reminiscent of games of the day.I read some horror stories about the system being let down by the shoddy joystick, but I never found this to be too much of an issue. I never owned a C64 back in the day so I couldn't say how this new version compares to the original, but it seems to play fine with me - admittedly I have updated the machine to the latest firmware from the official website, so maybe this has helped ease the apparent lag that people had been experiencing. On other areas, to me the joystick is well thought out, having additional buttons to help make navigating and starting the on screen keyboard a little less painless. It's also nice to see a dedicated button for opening up a menu in game to save, open the virtual keyboard and exit without having to get up and press a button on the actual machine - this in particular is something that Nintendo can learn from.With regard to the games, not having owned a C64, there are very few games in the list of the 64 available pre loaded games that I have played, let alone heard of. Though I did still enjoy playing them and experiencing these classics for the first time, and emulation, from what I can gather, is pretty much spot on. Graphics appear sharp and large on my 4K TV.One thing that stands out the most on the available games, is just how good the SID sound chip in the original C64 really was. This thing can still produce some amazing tunes that even today still sound fantastic!Overall, even though I bought it to add to my collection with no intention to ever use, I am really impressed. The game collection, presentation and build quality are all really top notch and hard to fault. Also and added bonus is the fact that you can add a keyboard and the system is also compatible with many other controllers, something else that elevates the C64 Mini above all of the other Mini consoles currently available.For anyone interested in building their mini collection, or someone who is a huge fan of the C64 and its games, this is an essential purchase. I'm glad I bought one, and am happy to have it as part of my mini collection :)

30.3.2018

Let's get the bad out of the way, the joystick. It looks good, it's the right size, the buttons are responsive; however, the stick uses tactile switches, not micro switches, resulting in movement not being precise enough. Any of the 8 directions you press are either on or off, there's no inbetween, which makes games like Spindizzy pretty difficult to play. You'll find that flicking the stick is a common technique in making small movements in all games, but it makes me wonder how long the joystick will last using it this way.At least you can use your own USB controllers, and with that, here we are with the positives. Everything else!The carousel menu is well laid out, and easy to navigate.

31.3.2018

The first thing you are aware of is that its a nice quality item. Great packaging, and console/computer feels substantial and well put together. Definitely up there quality wise with the big Nins mini offerings.The joystick for me is fine. You can use other usb based controllers/joypads if you prefer, but from a pure nostalgic point of view this was the only controller type that would have completed the overall package, as back in the day this was mostly all there was.Games included are a pretty good selection, with some genuine classics.. Many are recognisable and a few not so, but overall i think most people would enjoy at least half depending on your preferred genre. Of course,

2.11.2018

I grew up using a ZX Spectrum, and I used to be in to the Speccy scene many years ago. But with the negative direction that is going with the Speccy I decided I was finally going to go for a C64 instead as the C64 scene is much more healthy and is less combative etc.I regret I didn't get a C64 years ago, the scene is so friendly to noobs like me, and the C64 mini is a great intro to the wonderful world of the Commodore 64. I bought mine from Argos same price as here, and when collecting the machine I was stopped by someone else in the queue who was amazed to see the C64 again, so looks like someone else will be buying one for Xmas :-)It handles well, looks great, doesn't take up a huge amount of room,

30.3.2018

OK - I've had this for a day now, and absolutely love it .... picture quality on my 55" TV is prefect - no fuzzy text at all!Containing the BASIC program as well is great, but I would advise you to buy a USB keyboard as the supplied onscreen one is quite frankly a pain to use.A good choice of games - not all to my liking, but there are some good old ones included that I used to love playing in my early 20's- Monty on the run and Bouderdash.Criticisms ....The keyboard showing on the machine is decorative only, but in all fairness, it would have been too small to use anyway.The joystick is not up to much ... a few goes at winter games would finish it off (so buy a microswitch one)At present,

11.4.2018

GOOD:- Excellent choice of games- Joystick feels comfortable enough for me- Ability to load own productions via D64 via USB stick in one of the USB two joystick ports- Emulation is quite accurate and much smoother, compared to through a normal C64- Good menu presentation with excellent music from a C64 legend- Ability to use USB keyboard for typing in programsDOWNERS:- Screen size (Top+Borders need to be wider, as some C64 programs make use of sprites inside the top+bottom borders)- Only one SID type. There are games which only suit the 8580 SID instead of 6581- Lack of choice of .D64 images to load. Instead, only 1 image can be loaded. - Hopefully temporaryOVERALL:I think this device is good,

9.4.2018

I have had many Commodore machines in my collection, from the CBM/PET upwards to the C64, 128D, Plus/4, and even some Amiga machines. This device is really very well done; the SID emulation seems to be very accurate and is of the old SID style (for those C64 hipsters out there). Unlike the C64DTV, the colours here are pretty accurate too, and one may emulate the CRT scan lines if desired.It is very easy to upgrade and, with a cheap USB keyboard, one may program it too. And whilst the games may be a little difficult for a younger generation, the device allows easy loading of public domain and commercially available disk images. I downloaded and purchased several titles from various online stores that sell C64 wares.

29.11.2018

This is a lovely system, and it's very clearly made with a huge amount of passion and respect for the legacy of the C64. It's very close to perfect but is slightly let down by two elements. Firstly, and as mentioned by many others, the joystick feels entirely wrong and really does make playing a few of the games (in particular the shoot em ups which really do need the feedback given by a microswitch to be playable, the rubber connections on this really do hurt) an arduous chore.Secondly, the game list is a great selection but it's quite obvious that a few major publishers weren't prepared to get involved in the system as a few decent replacements would have kicked this into overdrive.Even with the above flaws it's a lovely tribute to a great machine and well worth every penny.

4.4.2018

I have and still own an original C64. So how does this compare? It’s a lot smaller than the original but the colours, the none functioning keyboard even the light they have got right. Being able to use HDMI on the mini means you get a lot sharper and clearer picture than the original. The music chip (Sid) is even emulated very well and so are the games. The joystick on the other hand is a let down as it’s cheap and they should gone for a competition pro version although I’ve found my ps3 pad plugged in works well. A firmware update is being released tomorrow 5th April so that should hopefully fix some of the issues. This has been a great buy and I’m it taking me back years.

28.5.2018

This console is amazing. It really brought back memories of childhood. Some people complain about games seleciton but having hits like: Uridium, Pit Stop II, Boulder Dash and outstanding Creatures gives you hours and hours of gaming and you still have 60 more games to explore! Plus you can always load D64 file, and producers work on the new firmware that will allow you to load games even easier. The only complain is the joystick, it looks fantastic and I really like the additional buttons but.. it's rather hard to use, my hands are getting tired very quickly.. If you reallly think about serious gaming you need to get: iNNEXT Classic USB Gamepad Retro SNES USB Controller - it works great and the buttons are mapped so you have the full functionality of the orginal joystick.

7.1.2019

If you loved the computers of the 80's then chance is you owned or played on a friends Commodore 64. If so, this is an easy to connect version of the console and with the latest version of the firmware enables you to run files from an attached USB drive. The included games as part of the Carousel are a great start but it is now fantastic that you can load your own from the USB. The keyboard is operated by an on screen virtual keyboard or a USB one plugged into the device. However, having only 2 x USB ports does mean to use the joystick and USB stick, there is no space for an external keyboard. Only downside is a mediocre joystick.

13.5.2018

Great nostalgic piece of kit. Agree with others that the joystick is a bit cheap, and interesting to see how robust it will be. Have connected a wireless keyboard (using wireless usb dongle), which works well in Commodore Basic app. The 720p HD looks great and HDMI is convenient to connect to modern TVs. The sound emulating original SID chip sounds authentic. The main unit mini ‘breadbin’ design is cute and well made although my first unit has minor chip on one of the visual only keys. Amazon great service as usual sending a replacement next day. Being able to load games via USB should increase longevity.Would recommend to any Commodore 64 fan.PS - the games are still as tough as back in the

9.6.2019

I was holding off buying one of these Minis, since I have an extensive real c64 setup and a raspberry pi emulator with C64. However, I am a C64 fan so decided to buy one for use on another TV. It's far easier and quicker to use than retropie and the picture quality is better than the original C64. The virtual keyboard works well and although the joystick has been given a bad press, it's better than many joysticks which were around for the C64 in the 80s and most joysticks of the era did not have microswitches, so it's authentic in that respect. I'm happy it works with my USB hub but it doesn't work with 8bitdo N30 using USB which is unfortunate. Overall, worthwhile if you are a C64 fan.

26.7.2019

Firstly you need to get a memory stick and update the firmware do you can drag and drop additional games. Warning some of these only work with the joystick in port two you need to add an underscore and j1 or j2. Adding these old games like Buggy boy and Stunt Car Racer took me back! Now the niggle the joystick is not great. It is usable but not very intuitive. The keyboard is of course nonfunctional but one can easily be added or just use the virtual one. All in all get this if you can for a cheap price or wait for the full keyboard one out at Christmas!I bought mine from a supplier in Germany for about £30 they were fab!

16.10.2018

It works fine, games are alright, but it is quite shocking how far the technology (beginning, say with the screen resolution) has progressed. I had the original with peripherals (floppy disk drive, printer) and did some very serious professional work with it, in all of its 64K of RAM, what a joke today that is! I wrote simple games in its BASIC and assembler and also burned some interface chips with static electricity. It's cheap and so justifiable to be nostalgic. I doubt that one could interface the mini to the outside world, but maybe I will be proved wrong.

Retro Games The C64 Mini - Reviews

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