The C64 Mini is a small replica of the classic Commodore 64 computer that comes with a joystick, an HDMI cable for connecting to modern TVs, and it comes with 64 games pre-installed.

First unveiled a little over a year ago, the C64 Mini is now available for purchase in the United States (better late than never).

You can pick one up for $80 from Walmart, GameStop, or Amazon.

The C64 Mini is largely yet-another-attempt to cash in on the success of retro gaming consoles like the NES Mini. There are plenty of other ways to play C64 games. But there’s something kind of charming about this little device that’s a 50 percent scale replica of the original.

It’s also easier to set up than an emulator. All you need is a power adapter and a TV. Plug it in, power it up, and you’ve got access to dozens of licensed games out of the box.

Unlike some other retro consoles, the C64 Mini also allows you to load your own games and files via a USB flash drive. And since it runs BASIC, you’re not only limited to playing games.

One thing to keep in mind is that the keyboard on the device itself is non-functional. So if you want to use a keyboard with the C64 Mini you’ll need to connect one to one of the two USB ports.

You also might want to check out some reviews the ones I’ve seen from sites including Engadget, GamesRadar, IGN,  and TechRadar have been mixed.

Updae: Or if you’d rather play C64 games in your web browser, the Internet Archive can help. The web site just added a new collection of Commodore 64 games and programs which are playable online, thanks to a hosted version of the VICE C64 emulator.

via TabletMonkeys

 

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7 replies on “C64 Mini now available in the US for $80”

  1. Here’s the links to Archive.org’s Compute! and Compute’s! Gazette Magazine scans.
    https://archive.org/details/compute-magazine
    https://archive.org/details/compute-gazette

    These make great companions for the C64 Mini. They had plenty of coverage of the C64 as well BASIC source listings for games and other programs. Youngsters today can experience what it was like back-in-the-day to type in the source for games and programs. Just watch out for typos. 😀

  2. My pre-order is ready to pick up today. It’ll be fun to revisit some of those games but what sealed the deal for me was the inclusion of the BASIC interpreter. I’m curious to see just how faithful it is to the original. Will PEEKs and POKEs work the same? 🙂 And will there be a virtual 1541 floppy drive? 😛

  3. “an HDMI cable for connecting to modern PCs”

    Should that not be “modern monitors [and TVs]”?

    1. What is weird is that, though they are including an HDMI cable, they apparently are NOT including a power supply. (Apparently you must connect it to a powered USB port)

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