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Mini Commodore 64 is Coming to North America on October 9

posted by chromas on Wednesday July 25 2018, @10:22PM   
from the POKE⠀53271,0⠀:⠀POKE⠀53277,0 dept.

Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:

In case you missed it, last September Retro Games announced it was going to put out a mini version of 1982's Commodore 64 called the THEC64 Mini. The system actually shipped in Europe earlier this year, and is finally coming to North America on October 9, just in time for the holiday season. It's available for preorder now for $70.

Half the size of the original version, it comes with 64 preinstalled licensed games including Impossible Mission II, Boulder Dash, Jumpman, Pitstop II and Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe that may bring back some fond memories if you were born in the '60s or early '70s. Perhaps because it's too retro, it doesn't have quite the same kind of appeal as Nintendo's NES Classic or SNES Classic mini consoles, which sold out quickly at launch.

-- submitted from IRC

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Original Submission

• Popularity or lack thereof Popularity or lack thereof (Score: 4, Insightful) by requerdanos on Thursday July 26 2018, @12:16AM (2 children)

  by requerdanos (5997) on Thursday July 26 2018, @12:16AM (#712799) Journal

  Perhaps because it's too retro, it doesn't have quite the same kind of appeal as [other classic] mini consoles

  Maybe that's why. Or maybe it's for reasons like (to quote TFA [thec64.com]):

  Note: The keyboard keys are non-functional

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+2
  Insightful=2, Total=2
  Extra 'Insightful' Modifier		0
  Karma-Bonus Modifier		+1
  Total Score:		4

• Re:Popularity or lack thereof (Score: 2) by jmorris on Thursday July 26 2018, @12:48AM

  by jmorris (4844) on Thursday July 26 2018, @12:48AM (#712811)

  Think that is a big part. Reproducing NES amd SNES controllers apparently isn't hard. Reproducing vintage keyboards is something none of the retro computing projects have managed and the software written for those old 8bit computers was highly optimized around the very different compromises in the keyboards of each model. Running those old programs on a modern PC keyboard loses a lot in translation. Which is why this gadget puts almost all the focus on games playable with a joystick. But even those vary and games play better or worse with the right style of stick.

  Parent

• Re:Popularity or lack thereof (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 26 2018, @08:45PM

  by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 26 2018, @08:45PM (#713357)

  oh what the hell, seriously?!?

  why not just mount it in a beige box at that point

  Parent