Tag Archives: Commodore64

The C64 Mini brings its nostalgia to the US on October 9th

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You no longer have to toy with importing The C64 Mini if you just have to relive a childhood spent mashing on a Commodore 64's keys. Retro Games has announced that its '80s revival will reach North American retail stores on October 9th. This versio...

Microsoft’s ICE involvement illustrates tech’s denial problem

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Nearly a decade ago, I had the good fortune of being one of the last people to interview the founder of Commodore International, Jack Tramiel (famous for Commodore computers and the popular C64), before he passed away. At 83 he died from heart failur...

MIDI spans 30 years at NAMM with Commodore 64 and Animoog (video)

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MIDI spans 30 years at NAMM with Commodore 64 and Animoog (video)

You may have heard that the Musical Instrument Digital Interface protocol (aka MIDI) celebrates its 30th birthday this year. And where better than NAMM would the MIDI Manufacturer Association be able to fully demonstrate (and celebrate) the persevering protocol's coming of age? Part of the MMA's installation was a set-up destined to get geek hearts racing. A 1983 Commodore 64 connected to a Sequential Circuits Model 64 sequencer cartridge (with MIDI interface). From these vintage parts, the regular 5-pin MIDI cable heads out through the decades and into an IK Multimedia iRig MIDI, into an iPad, finally feeding its information into the Animoog app from equally longevous Moog. Watch old meet new in the gallery and video below.

Gallery: Commodore 64 and Animoog spans 30 years of MIDI (hands-on)

Billy Steele contributed to this report.

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Metalab wires its Blinkenwall to run from Commodore 64, gives no word on the obligatory Tetris port (video)

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Metalab wires its Blinkenwall to run from Commodore 64, no word on the obligatory Tetris port video

We've seen some ambitious Blinkenwalls in our time. Nearly all of the attention is unsurprisingly focused on the wall, however, and not on the often clever hardware and software behind it. Vienna's Metalab wants to shift the limelight by kicking it old school. Instead of the thoroughly modern Arduino and Fonera hotspot that normally light up Metalab's 45-block glass wall, the team's Blinken64 project swaps in a Commodore 64 with a cassette drive and the unusual Final Cartridge III feature extender. Getting lights to strobe requires dusting off more than just hardware -- all the animations have to be written in assembly-level MOS Technology 6510 code that even our nerdy parents might forget. The result you'll see in the video after the break is a far cry from the relatively easy, web-accessible hardware that normally powers such blinkenlight creations, but it's also a testament to how relevant classic technology can remain when it's in the right hands.

Continue reading Metalab wires its Blinkenwall to run from Commodore 64, gives no word on the obligatory Tetris port (video)

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Metalab wires its Blinkenwall to run from Commodore 64, gives no word on the obligatory Tetris port (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Commodore founder Jack Tramiel passes away at age 83

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Commodore founder Jack TramielTerribly sad news from the family of Jack Tramiel today. The Polish-born businessman is perhaps best known in the technology universe for his founding of Commodore International, the company responsible for the Commodore 64, 128, Amiga, etc. Tramiel's story is an inspiring one; he was born into a Jewish family, and during World War II, was sent to Auschwitz. He was rescued in April of 1945, and some 39 years later he purchased Atari Inc.'s Consumer division and formed the Atari Corporation that is so well recognized in gaming lore. As first reported by Forbes, Martin Goldberg -- a writer working on a book about the Atari brand and the early days of video games and computing with Atari Museum founder Curt Vendel -- had this to say: "Jack Tramiel was an immense influence in the consumer electronics and computing industries. A name once uttered in the same vein as Steve Jobs is today, his journey from concentration camp survivor to captain of industry is the stuff of legends." Tramiel leaves behind his wife, three sons and their extended families.

Commodore founder Jack Tramiel passes away at age 83 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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