The C64 Mini kinda rocks

Performa

Performa

Member
I've been messing around with a "The C64 Mini" recently- I'd picked one up for the RoboCup event, and since then had more time to really use it. I kinda like it- it's got a neat feature where with some tweaking, it can load pretty much anything off of a USB stick without tinkering or modding- which makes it easy to try out new/different software on the big TV. While I'm sure the "Maxi" with the working keyboard is better, and nothing will ever beat a real-deal Commodore 64, this thing is pretty amazing for just $40.
 
Performa

Performa

Member
AFK said:
The keyboard doesn't work?
Click to expand...
The C64 Mini is a tiny little device, and the keyboard is just for show. There is a kit to make it a working keyboard, but I haven't had the means to try that one yet. You can plug a regular USB keyboard into it, and it will recognize it- though there's only one screen that really warrants it in the default operating environment.

 
M

MattPilz

Member
You can plug a regular USB keyboard into it, and it will recognize it
Click to expand...
At Robocup I was playing around with the mini for the first time and was questioning how or why they included BASIC as part of that set when you only had a virtual keyboard to work with. It makes more sense if a regular USB keyboard works on it. Still the selection of titles seems a bit rushed for the device as if they'd just stuck a random assortment of ROMs onto it, some not well suited for non-keyboard usage.

That got me to read the Wiki and I see there also exists a full-scale remake of the C64 with functional keyboard and VIC-20 emulation support. That sounds pretty great. I thought I had more Commodore 64s but have only found one that has physical and internal damage (and several VIC-20). Though now I do finally have a 128 operational, next up is to try and fix my 1451 which is unable to read disks.
 
Performa

Performa

Member
MattPilz said:
At Robocup I was playing around with the mini for the first time and was questioning how or why they included BASIC as part of that set when you only had a virtual keyboard to work with. It makes more sense if a regular USB keyboard works on it. Still the selection of titles seems a bit rushed for the device as if they'd just stuck a random assortment of ROMs onto it, some not well suited for non-keyboard usage.

That got me to read the Wiki and I see there also exists a full-scale remake of the C64 with functional keyboard and VIC-20 emulation support. That sounds pretty great. I thought I had more Commodore 64s but have only found one that has physical and internal damage (and several VIC-20). Though now I do finally have a 128 operational, next up is to try and fix my 1451 which is unable to read disks.
Click to expand...
The "basic" included with the Mini is (at least according to some well argued theories online) the mini's way to sideload other programs without modifying the device. By naming files on a flash drive a certain way, you can use BASIC to load D64 files directly into the emulator- which is great if you want to play a game that's not preinstalled on it. The game mix on it was definitely whatever was cheapest for the developers to license, and not a true collection of C64 classics- it's missing a lot of great games.

I'd love to get my hands on a "Maxi" model, but they're tough to find outside of Europe. I'm not sure what the production bottleneck is there, as there's clearly still quite a lot of demand for the machines. I know if one ever comes up for sale again, I'll be adding one to the club's inventory.

If you need a working 1541, I've got several you're free to borrow. Swing by the shop next time you're over this way. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top