Guide Note

The Commodore 64 was a popular home computer developed and marketed by Commodore International. It remains the best selling computer on the market with over 30 million units sold, beating the Apple II series and IBM computers which were sold at the time.

Fast Facts

1. Developed by: Commodore International
2. Price: $595 (upon release)
3. Released: August 1982
4. Discontinued: April 1994
5. Memory: 64 KB
6. Processor: MOS Technology 6510 @ 1.02 MHz (NTSC version) / 0.985MHz (PAL version)
7. Operating System: Commodore BASIC 2.0
8. Bestselling personal computer of all time

History

While it was no dynamo by 21st century standards, the Commodore 64 had its roots in even cruder technology: Commodore International was founded in 1955 as a typewriter assembly company, by Holocaust survivor and US Army veteran Jack Tramiel. After helping pioneer the pocket calculator, Commodore unveiled the PET microcomputer in 1977, and later, the VIC 20. In 1982, the Commodore 64 was released. Initially listing for $595, the price would drop to around $200 within the first year, and to under $100 by the time of its discontinuation in 1994. The model became the bestselling home computer of all time—and a technological icon by the year 2000, giving birth to a small international community of nostalgic Commodore devotees. Vintage Commodore games can be downloaded from the Wii Personal Console.