Commodore64 DTV: a complete C64 on a single ASIC

S

Simon82

Newcomer
Hello to all,

I'd like to know if you've ever bought or known this excellent rebuild of a wonderful PC as Commodore sixty-fooooouuurrr :)D) was in the first 80's.

dtv.jpg


This "TV only gadject" was built to be only a 30in1 complete game taken from a set of good C64 games. Unlike other similar gadject this "videogame" was not a simple generic asic containing ported and converted games from C64 library BUT all the C64 architecture was rebuild (by the brain of wonderful and cute Jeri Ellsworth) completely inside a new ASIC built on modern (relatively considering 0,35u process from what I know) technology and after they added a modified kernel version and a rom/flash containing some games that could palyed without keyboard.

If this technically was not enough for people loving retro' things, another thing was discovered; in a 2 layer PCB there are all the possible connections to have a PS2 keyboard, a IEC floppy and other things (2 joystick...).
So lot of hacker/modder buy this game and build a micro C64 that is identically to an old C64 with some good enchanment relatively palette (256 color maximun) and other things. In native mode all is used at original low level hardware.


Board with connection discovered in this years

C64DTV_solderpoints.jpg
 
This is a cool thing.. But I wonder how low-level compatible this thing really is. There are games towards the end of C64 lifespan that did some pretty funky things with the video and sound hardware.
Peace.
 
As much as I loved my commodore 64. I remember great times pirating disks use nibbler copy proggies...staying up late to get the nightowl rate on Quantum link... playing infocom text advatures and micropose sim games. Load"*",8,1 baby!! Sadly though almost all the action games felt fundamentally 'broken'. I dont remember ever beating many action games. There was always a cheap level somewhere about at level 3. Like the drop ship level in Aliens or Predator when the predator would just drop down and kill you out of nowhere without warning and there was nothing you could do, or the maze level in Platoon.

Sadly, I don't think I could handle many c64 games these days. I would rather hold onto my memories of them being fun.
 
Pozen said:
Sadly, I don't think I could handle many c64 games these days.
Click to expand...
I think that's a fundamental issue with many modern day remakes, the old originals were often very shallow and simple compared to modern games, but nostalgia plays tricks on our minds.
 
That's because you guys played the wrong games! ;)

Mail Order Monsters, Rags to Riches, 'Ninja,' and Wings of Fury... these were games that will forever stand the test of time. Makes me want to go dig up my C64, cross my fingers that the disc drive still works, and boot some games up!
 
Carl B said:
That's because you guys played the wrong games! ;)

Mail Order Monsters, Rags to Riches, 'Ninja,' and Wings of Fury... these were games that will forever stand the test of time. Makes me want to go dig up my C64, cross my fingers that the disc drive still works, and boot some games up!
Click to expand...

There are at least a couple of games on the DTV thing that are still worth playing IMHO - Paradroid and Impossible Mission. A lot of the others were considered top games at the time too (it's mostly the back-catalog of Hewson and Epyx, who at the time were both churning out some pretty good stuff).
 
I bought one of those with the intention of modding it (adding PS/2 keyboard an IEC diskdrive connector).
Unfortunately the mod didn't work (not responding to keyboard). We did the same mod on a friends unit and it worked fine on his. Grrr..

Anwyay, it's a cool toy, and some very impressive ASIC design by Ms. Ellsworth! :)
 
Man... I miss mine. Although the only game I really remember well was wheel of fortune, because me and my sister would play it for hours... all the other games are just vague memories.

I used the commodore monitor that came with the C64 machine for years after I stopped using the C64 (up until SNES time, even!).
 
I bought one of these about a year ago. Some of the 'games' are just sections clipped out of full games.
You can play some of the events from the various Winter and/or Summer Games titles from Epyx. There are no real complex games, though. Mostly very 'demo scene' type of stuff. It has Jumpman Jr., though :).
The stick is awful. Very imprecise.
I can see it being a good toy for modders, but if you want to relive some C64 greatness, this is not the answer.
 
Riddlewire said:
I bought one of these about a year ago. Some of the 'games' are just sections clipped out of full games.
You can play some of the events from the various Winter and/or Summer Games titles from Epyx. There are no real complex games, though. Mostly very 'demo scene' type of stuff. It has Jumpman Jr., though :).
The stick is awful. Very imprecise.
I can see it being a good toy for modders, but if you want to relive some C64 greatness, this is not the answer.
Click to expand...

Did you get the original US version or the newer one for the EU market (that I think was sold in the US as well, but I could be wrong)?

I thought the original had some cut-down games but the EU "version 2" fixed those issues and had the full games. I could be wrong though, I got mine purely for the nostalgia factor and perhaps for modding, and I haven't gotten around to plugging it in to a TV yet!
 
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