Oppo PSA: C64 Minis on sale for $25

"someassemblyrequired" (someassemblyrequired)
06/22/2020 at 19:43 • Filed to: Commodore

I know there’s a few retro gamers on here, and GameStop has the C64 Mini on clearance for a hair under $25 (originally $80). It comes with a joystick and bunch of games preloaded, but you can also import other games on a USB stick & connect a full size keyboard. It has HDMI out as well. There is a full size version with the same guts but a reproduction keyboard but it’s $150.

Here’s the link:

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DISCUSSION (18)

facw > someassemblyrequired
06/22/2020 at 19:52

But I have a full-sized C64 (that I’ve never used because I don’t have a power supply)! Honestly it’s probably going to the electronics recycling when I move.

Thomas Donohue > someassemblyrequired
06/22/2020 at 20:06

Ha.....thanks....going to pick one up as a gift for a friend. Very cool.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > facw
06/22/2020 at 20:08

I think I have a power supply among my stuff (the parents have my C64 in their basement and for some unknown reason they sent me the power supply in a box years ago ...)... It’s a really weird connector and incredibly heavy.

facw > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
06/22/2020 at 20:20

Yeah, if memory serves it’s a big old DIN connector on the cable.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > someassemblyrequired
06/22/2020 at 20:45

I have an SX-64, which I never use, and should probably sell, because it’s wor th $$$$ in the collector market... But I would be all over this deal if I didn’ t already have a C64 emulator on every computing device I own (with the exception of the PS4) and every C64 game known to man (including new ones.. seriously, P lanet x2 is some GREAT work from the 8-bit G uy... ). I’m kind of tempted anyway, but the Steam Link already gives me a C64 on the big-screen experience, and with better controller options.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > someassemblyrequired
06/22/2020 at 20:46

Having had the original as a kid, it’s funny that people have nostalgia for something that pocket calculators from the 90s are way more powerful than.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > someassemblyrequired
06/22/2020 at 21:47

Worth it just for Jumpman and Boul der Dash!

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > someassemblyrequired
06/22/2020 at 21:47

Worth it just for J umpman and B ouder D ash!

someassemblyrequired > facw
06/22/2020 at 22:30

They had a bad habit of going bad and cooking the computer - a modern power supply is a good idea, though they sell safety circuits for the original style bricks.

someassemblyrequired > facw
06/22/2020 at 22:31

nooooooooooooooo

someassemblyrequired > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
06/22/2020 at 22:33

Yeah I’m thinking of dumping my Compaq luggable , I think the big $$$s will probably only last a bit longer. There’s kind of a sweet spot with nostalgia, and I think we’re pretty much there.

Yeah with all the emulators around I wasn’t gonna spend $80, but for $25, the temptation was too great.

someassemblyrequired > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
06/22/2020 at 22:38

In a world where an Apple II nicely optioned was $2500, with IBM PCs going for about the same, the fairly capable $600 C64 was an achievable dream for most nerds. I don’t think they’ve forgotten.

someassemblyrequired > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
06/22/2020 at 22:38

Totally

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > facw
06/23/2020 at 01:27

It is a round DIN connector, can’t recall the number of pins, but it’s sufficiently different that it can’t be plugged into one of the other round DIN connectors on the computer. There are also DE9 ports on the side and some board edge connectors for cartridges, peripherals, etc.

Mine had the exotic 5.25” floppy drive and a slightly broken joystick.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > someassemblyrequired
06/23/2020 at 01:41

I mean, it was pretty good for the price for the era, like the Raspberry Pi equivalent of the 80s. But I’d argue that the Raspberry Pi was a better product in the context of the era when they were introduced.

That all said, I have nostalgia because it was my first computer - I learned to program on one. But it’s still more of a game console that you could program, and there are many emulators for them if you really want to run something that could run with under 64kb of RAM.

I guess it’s a cheap and easy way to relive the video games of the era.

facw > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
06/23/2020 at 09:13

I do have the 5.25" floppy drive, though I’m not sure how I would make use of it. I do probably still have a ‘90s vintage Windows machine with a 5.25" floppy, so maybe I could write something with that? ‘90s vintage Windows machine is also likely heading for the recycler.

someassemblyrequired > Eric @ opposite-lock.com
06/23/2020 at 09:26

Yeah, I mean it had Basic to throw off the parents, but it also had a terrific game library, and sound/graphics that were orders of magnitude better than the Atari 2600's. I have an emulator setup, but I also have most of the mini systems, so it’s a fun addition for $25.

But yeah the Arduino & Pi with their built in I/Os are the biggest advance in geek empowerment since the advent of Radio Shack.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > facw
06/24/2020 at 11:42

A random 90s IBM-compatible PC is definitely recycler fodder. Not sure about a C64.

I don’t think that they use the same disk format, so it’s unlikely to help you much.