Commodore 64 Mini Your Thoughts???

mediamogul

@RetroFreak89 said in Commodore 64 Mini Your Thoughts???:

The C64 Mini been out for a whle now...
But it just had an official update and now you can add and play any Commodore 64 games.
What do you think about this?

Former Sierra employee, Jason Lindsey (aka Metal Jesus Rocks) put out a great video reviewing the recent update. It's really the only review I've seen so far where someone truly knowledgeable about the platform and library gave their thoughts.

ByteThis

@RetroFreak89 The current Hakchi CE dev team is working on modding it : https://www.reddit.com/r/miniSNESmods/comments/9kjy19/c64_mini_hacking_development_vlog_1_big/

Whether it is worth it in the end is still up in the air regarding the specs of the hardware and it's capabilities..They are also in for a mod of the new Playstation Mini Classic.

A Former User

For the money, I would stick to my Pi. You can then play ALL the commodore machines from that era, not just the C64.
For a small form factor, I hate the non-working keyboard. Price, was a obvious decision, but it means using the on-screen keyboard.

If it wasn't for the Pi, I would just stick to the real C64. They're fairly cheap, since they sold millions, and can output a fairly decent picture - it's not limited to RF. You can buy modern storage options like the Pi1541, or SD2IEC, and store every game on a micro sdcard. You can get a Tapuino, and load tape images exactly like the real thing, and it's 100% reliable.

I do like the look of it, and would love a empty case version to mount a Pi inside - because it's injection moulded it looks a lot better than the 3D printed versions on ebay.
If this was cheaper, then I might be tempted to get one for the novelty. But I already own a real C64 breadbin, a C64c model, + a Pi1541, SD2IEC, and Tapuino. So, along with my Pi, I'm already sorted for Commodore machines.

mediamogul

@John_RM_70

Personally, I agree with you that I would much rather have a Pi for Commodore emulation, but just to address a few of your comments...

I would stick to my Pi. You can then play ALL the commodore machines from that era, not just the C64.

Once the Hakchi mod is released, it'll be capable of running many other systems, presumably including other Commodore models. Granted, the hardware is less capable than the NES/SNES mini, so there's no real reason to choose the C64 mini over those, outside of the casing.

I hate the non-working keyboard. Price, was a obvious decision, but it means using the on-screen keyboard.

You can also plug in any USB keyboard, including wireless USB models, which would definitely make playing the games that need it much more comfortable.

You can buy modern storage options like the Pi1541, or SD2IEC, and store every game on a micro sdcard.

While this is definitely possible, I've tried loading the tens of thousands of C64 games I have in my collection to various Commodore loaders and emulation setups and the result is way too unwieldy. Even breaking the titles into alphabetic sub-directories is often too much. In the end, a smaller, curated collection is almost always necessary.

A Former User

@mediamogul said in Commodore 64 Mini Your Thoughts???:

While this is definitely possible, I've tried loading the tens of thousands of C64 games I have in my collection to various Commodore loaders and emulation setups and the result is way too unwieldy. Even breaking the titles into alphabetic sub-directories is often too much. In the end, a smaller, curated collection is almost always necessary.

Seriously ? On my Pi1541, you just select the game using the Pi1541 screen and buttons, then on the C64 just type the usual load"*",8,1 - and thats it. And it's 100x more reliable than a real 1541.
With a Tapuino, you do the same. Select a game on the screen using the buttons, and on the C64 just hit c + runstop and off it goes.

Just make sure all games are unzipped. Don't have too many deep folders, I try to keep everything in the root of the sdcard. So, A-Z folders, a Publisher folder - for my favourite devs, and sometimes a popular folder for games I used to own. Keep the sdcards as low in size as required. I never go above 4Gb, and use quality brands.

I do this for all my retro hardware. I use modern solutions to load games. My Pi, is for when I just want to use my Sony CRT, and the awesome Hori V4 Arcade stick - can't use this on the real machines, sadly.

mediamogul

@John_RM_70

Oh, for sure. I've never had issues with the software running, outside of the regular foibles you might expect from traditional use. I was referring to the practicality of navigating through "every game" in the C64 library, seeing as how there are tens of thousands. Even breaking up the collection alphabetically and then further breaking down the over populated letters like 'S' into their own sub directories can be a nightmare to navigate.

Thorr69

Does the C64 mini support the use of a USB hub? It seems to me there could be a problem after you unlock the firmware to access your thumb drive games. The thumb drive occupies a USB slot. The joystick a second. But you need a third slot for a keyboard.

edmaul69

@Thorr69 the only thing that might not work on the hub would be the thumb drive. But i suspect that would work on it too. Might need a self powered hub though.

Thorr69

Searching through the facebook group shows that USB hubs can be used for the most part. However, as much as I really want one of these, it appears that multi-disk games just aren't going to work. Since all of my favorite games are multi-disk RPGs, I am going to have to take a wait-and-see position. (Of course, I might not have this desire if c64 emulation on my Pi actually functioned.)

A Former User

C64 emulation on the Pi, is very good.
I have ran my C64c connected to a 1701 monitor, right next to my Pi running vice, and it looks and sounds pretty close.
Only Sam's Journey, was one recent game where the music just didn't quite sound right.
If I didn't have the real thing, I would take the Pi, any day, over the Mini.

edmaul69

@Thorr69 install lr-vice and the bios files. Should work fine.

RetroFreak89

I almost got the mini but i found out the joystick is really bad
People tell me to use a gamepad if thats the case might as well do that on my pi then
I rly wanted it for the joystick and how it looks but i also dont wanna hook up a usb gamepad i can already do that now so.

KN4THX

I am not a big fan of the 'mini' systems. Perhaps it would be worthwhile to put money back into those developers/manufacturers but my experience on the Pi is so much more than the minis will ever be. If I did not have to work for my experiences then I would probably never play. There's a lot of pride and self satisfaction that makes objects have more value than they are.

Now, if they added a mini 50lb 5-1/4" floppy disk drive, a mini cassette, and some extra syntax errors then I may consider it, as that would be the whole experience.

edmaul69

@TheDataCereal “extra syntax errors” 😂😂

vitmanoj

I think the case looks pretty neat, but the $80 is way too much for me to ever even think about purchasing one. I actually own one of those joysticks with the built-in fpga C64 in it that I bought for $3 at a thrift store, and while not quite as functional as the C64 mini without modification, it's served me well enough, and I plan on modding it when I get a change.