37 years ago today: the Commodore 64 debut at CES #VintageComputing #RetroComputing #Commodore

 Commodore 64 was first revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas (1982)

Via @IL0VEthe80s37 years ago today, in 1982, the Commodore 64 was first revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show, in Las Vegas.

The C64 has been listed in the Guinness World Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time, with independent estimates placing the number sold between 10 and 17 million units. Volume production started in early 1982, marketing in August for US$595 (equivalent to $1,545 in 2018). Preceded by the Commodore VIC-20 and Commodore PET, the C64 took its name from its 64 kilobytes (65,536 bytes) of RAM. With support for multicolor sprites and a custom chip for waveform generation, the C64 could create superior visuals and audio compared to systems without such custom hardware.

The C64 dominated the low-end computer market for most of the 1980s.

Do you have fond memories of the C64? Post your memories in the comments below.


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14 Comments

  1. Jeffrey Findley

    I’ve still got quite a bit of C-64 hardware at home including my original “breadbox” C-64 from 1985. Recently, I’ve been playing with Pi1541 with is a Raspberry Pi based Commodore 1541 floppy drive emulator. Now I don’t have to worry anymore about my 30+ year old floppy disks going bad. 😉

  2. I have an actual C-64 and VIC-20 with everything but the saving devices and printer.

  3. Happy birthday C64!!

    I feel old – I still have my C64/1541 and a bunch of software from back in the day! Now I’m itching to pull it out of the closet and play… The Pi1541 project seems like a good place to start…

  4. I learned algebra on the Vic 20, made music, played games, read the magazine RUN every month, eventually got GEOS and made some awesome 2D monochrome 16 bit graphics. MULE was my favorite game!!

    It was truly what got me into computers and really woke me up to how powerful such a now “small” computer can be!

    Probably the best Gen X computer ever…

  5. I learned algebra on the Vic 20, made music, played games, read the magazine RUN every month, eventually got GEOS and made some awesome 2D monochrome 16 bit graphics. MULE was my favorite game!!

    It was truly what got me into computers and really woke me up to how powerful such a now "small" computer can be!

    Probably the best Gen X computer ever…

  6. My first C=64 was in a VIC-20 case with various perf boards wired in.

    Loved being a Beta tester.

    But damn I feel old…

    "I adore my 64"

    I went on to sell over 2,000 units that Christmas in Victoria BC

  7. Spudro von Spördenberg

    Still have C64, VIC-20 etc with datassettes and disk drives and original monitor all in working order…

  8. I had everything in the pic plus both an 801 and 802 printer. Had GEOS too! Loved the EA games like Summer and Winter games plus Gunship and The Bards Tale. Still have all that plus umpteen character disks. Need to pull it out and fire it up this weekend!

  9. I still have a few C64’s, 128C’s, Amigas and a Vic20 and various drives, discs, dot matrix printer, etc that my dad had. We had a Commodore club in town.

  10. I have SO MANY memories of the C64! I built a number of external devices that interfaced to it, and even ran a BBS on it in the early 1990’s. My website (link in comment header) shows just some of what I’ve done with C= computers over the years. 🙂 I have a complete C64 system set up nearby, but I haven’t used it in a number of years. Last I know, it still worked. 🙂 Thanks for the memories!

  11. After one year discovering Basic on Sinclair ZX81 (with 16ko ram expansion !), I should move to a ZX Spectrum but hopefully (!) it was sold out, so I (my father) bought a C=64 !!! I still remembered, from the demo tape, the first time I saw this balloon (my first contact with a sprite) moving over a nice background, I was really impressed by colors and resolution compared to the poor resolution and black and white of my previous Sinclair. « Que de bons souvenirs ! » did you notice the 1541 in Spielberg’s movie « ready player one » ??? 😉 … cracked by papou64 🙂

  12. The C64 was where I really learnt to program, kickstarting a 30-year career (so far) in programming. I wrote live music sequencing software in machine code, with a home-designed MIDI interface on veroboard and a hacked Roland drum machine wired to the pins on the C64 printer port … before the Atari ST, Ableton or Logic Pro! Picture from early 1985 doing a gig at Bath University, UK https://www.instagram.com/p/9RVtSEDtwR/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=60un58wgzvm4

  13. I started with commodore in 84 I was so exited and was eager to find fellow users! After I find I little view I started a computer club it was awesome we still meet up sometimes on the great ‘XParty’
    My first meeting there was incredible! Like the old days are back again!!!
    Thanks commodore !!!

  14. I had the c64 as a gift in 1984. The most beautiful Christmas of my childhood

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