Thank you so much for this video. I was strongly considering a Mega65 after your previous video; but today you sealed the deal (although my new PC build is going to have to suffer some budget cutbacks to fund the purchase). A while back you put out a video asking whether it is time to save the original hardware some wear and tear, and use modern equivalents. That video resonated with me, because whilst there is something special about using original hardware, there is also an element of wanting to make sure it lasts for as long as possible. Getting it out for use would become a rather special occasion. Nothing available however, really did the job well enough. The emulation platforms do a remarkable job, but it still is never quite right. The technical wonder that is FPGA has opened so many doors over the past few years. Sure, things need more work, but the foundational hardware is there to really use a modern hardware setup. And significantly, all in a single cased unit. As a child I never had any of the Sinclair equipment (it was sometimes a lonely existence having a C64 surrounded by 48k and +2 kids), and whilst I wouldn't have swapped my C64 for any of the Sinclair releases, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for them. When there are working Speccy cores, I'd definitely have them in my regular rotation. Perhaps somebody will be able to create cores for the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Electron for some classroom nostalgia... The Mega65 offers what I want from a retro computer now. Something I can have setup on my desk, along with my work computers and games consoles that allows me to enjoy my childhood, without a load of fuss. And who knows, I first learned to program on a C64; maybe the game I'm about to start work on can sprout a retro side project version. Maybe I could finally write my first real C64 game, with an enhanced Mega65 version. If I can find the time to resurrect what little assembly ability I have. Anyhow, thank you (and all the Fractics) for the hard work you all put in. You never fail to hit me square in the nostalgia feels. Much love from back in Ole' Blighty.
I love this kind of perspective. Firstly I'm glad you feel that way about the vids. But also the machine. It makes me appreciate it all the more to see it through the eyes of someone looking for a modern way to replicate the physical hardware feel of the real things, without wearing them out and dealing with the maintenance. I agree, this is currently the best option we have that comes in a truly retro shell. BTW the Speccy core is now available, as should pop up in a correction to this video. I hope you can get hold of a MEGA 65 and enjoy it! Thanks for commenting.
It’s always interesting to read what I assume is a British perspective. I know the Spectrum was popular over there but wasn’t the UK one of Commodore’s biggest market? Here in Australia, the C64 was hands down the most popular home computer of the 80s, followed by the Apple IIe / IIc. The only way I knew the Spectrum existed was because many of the C64 game boxes showed the screenshots on the back of the different platforms. I remember being confused why they made games for a computer no one had (I didn’t realise it was a British phenomenon until years later). To this day I’ve never seen a Spectrum (any model) in the flesh. Which is funny because I now have a Sinclair QL in my collection - a computer even the English turned their noses up at.
Dang, RR's voice is so relaxing and calm, he's like the Bob Ross of retro computing. Ladies be like, "Oh I am totally subscribed." Nice work mate! Love your show!
Compared to the plain blue screen that faced me when I first received my C-64 40 years ago (+ 2 weeks), this would have blown my mind with the amount of things that can be done just "in the box". Great overview!
I really love how FPGAs have been adopted for bringing cool retro style things to life. Not in the budget to get one of these for the moment but some day perhaps. Thanks for all the fun and high quality videos you always put out there.
Yeah, great stuff. Getting cheaper and more and more attractive for hobbyists. Take $100 and you are in the game (see the F4PGA open source toolchain with the suggested architectures, if you or others are interested. BTW just a suggestion, there are a plethora of possibly "victims" on the market). But the note on the text card ( 1:59 ) is not true. If you are generous, you may say that the routing is similar to that of an ASIC or Standard IC (but that is not true, since with an FPGA works via nets and predefined units). In any case, the assertion regarding the SID Soundchip is questionable (meaning wrong), since FPGAs only have analog components on board in (very very very and expensive) special cases, which would contradict the role as a field programmable gate(!) array. Under no circumstances are these identical or similar with the analog circuit hardware that is integrated into a SID chip. Conclusion: Doesn't matter/Who cares?:) The emulation can finally be just as good or indistinguishable from the original. That is even the goal of an emulation.
Thanks for watching! Considering the cost of FPGAs (over $200 each) not to mention the mechanical keyboard & floppy drive, & all the machine can do, do you agree with my conclusions and review score?
"Considering 1 of the 2 FPGAs costs $380 alone" An elevated price due to the chip shortage. The two FPGAs used are out of stock with long lead times at both Mouser and Digikey. Octopart shows that the few places that have them are charging as much as double the normal price. Commander X16 apparently isn't as greatly affected since it was, by luck, designed to use more common, less exotic chips which I assume avoid the chip shortage? I'd like to see a tabular comparison of the Commander X16 versus MEGA65 - graphics, sound, benchmarks, etc.
Home computers were very cut down to fit a price but were not cheap. I think this is worth the money if you look at it as a boosted 1980's home computer. Obviously expensive compared to an old PC.
I agree 4/5 is fair, possibly even generous in the present state but the potential is certainly there as the platform grows and matures. My impression is that the price MEGA paid for the FPGAs (at least for the first batch) is closer to $200 than to $400 because their manufacturing/distribution partner Trenz is a large Xilinx customer and is being very generous because of the non-profit status and uniqueness of the project. I'm very satisfied with mine, but I do feel like I have to warn people that it's very much a work in progress and you're buying into an ongoing project, not a finished product. The pretty box and printed manual can give some people the wrong impression in that regard, though they also really add to the "Christmas 1982" feeling/experience when you get one. The MEGA team worked hard for that.
This system needs a warning sticker. It would cause sleep deprivation and skipped meals in my case. Wow, can't get over what is possible for a next gen C64.
@17:22 "Your Mega65 will self-destruct in 5 seconds." I wasn't expecting anything after that reference to Mission Impossible so I chose that moment to turn away to have a bite of chocolate, and then jumped slightly out of my seat at the noise of the explosion!
I have to admit, I'm super impressed at what they pulled off here. My one and only minor regret is it not being able to wear the Commodore badge. I wish the owners of that would licence it more. I don't think I'll be buying this though - I can't make my vintage computing problem worse by expanding into retrotech. But I'm glad these excellent two videos give me a really good taste of the thing.
I’m endlessly fascinated by the fact that many Brits seemed to call the C128 the Commodore “one two eight”, whereas here in Canada I’m used to hearing it called the Commodore “one twenty-eight”.
The direct translation of common way we say it in Finland would be "hundred two eight" ;p Trust me, in Finnish it rolls off ones tongue better than the ones you mentioned would ;) Also the way we pronounce is not using the "proper" ("book-language" or "literal") spelling of the Finnish words for two and eight. Just thought if you're fascinated by that, you might also enjoy this technically not very useful tidbit of knowledge ;)
@@robsku1 That is interesting, thank for sharing that! :) As an aside, are infrared saunas becoming popular in Finland? I've tried both, and I *vastly* prefer infrared saunas.
To get a directory listing, you oughtta try DIRECTORY or CATALOG command. At least one of those were in Basic 7.0 on the C-128, so should be available on this more advanced version of BASIC.
Enjoyed your review and the time you took to share your MEGA65 journey :) Some things I can share. Right now, to my ears, the 8580 SID sounds better than the 6581 SID (this will probably improve over time). Also, the background story on the intro-disk, we were thinking it would be a nice way to showcase what the community had created for the year. So yes, many of us are cutting our teeth with the new system, learning the ropes, and I'm looking forward to seeing the 1st gen coders get more and more ambitious over time :) We're also hoping the intro disks will be an annual thing, to showcase the community's creations each year :)
That’s some great insight into the decisions, thanks! I can see that the demo programs are more about showcasing the cool community than the machine’s ultimate capabilities. Keep up the great work.
Peri, while watching you experience the M65 I felt I was looking in the mirror (and liked what I saw for a change). I had a very similar rush of nostalgia and real joy experiencing the machine. But I also deeply felt your concluding frustrations over what a typical user might try to do (like, you know, load a physical disk in the disk drive). I think I spent most of my couple of days simply loading software to get it to run. Once done, it was a game of (blissful) whack-a-mole seeing what worked and what didn't and trying to learn the new user flow. After going through most of the demos and software I ultimately felt like I was ready to wait a bit. And if that meant coming back in 6 months or even a year, I was comfortable with that. I'd waited this long, what was another year? If I was a programmer I think I'd be trying to create for this machine if I had the time and skill. As a user, I hope someone out there (Shallan? Vogt? Sanderson? Someone else?) creates that "killer app" we all are proud to say, "Yep! I was here first. I knew it all along. What took you so long?" And it leaves everyone else jealous of our being early-adopters. But even if that never happens, I'm so so happy to have seen this project come this far. And to be able to call myself a believer, and fan.
Hi mate, I’m glad you got the nostalgic kick out of this that I hoped for viewers. It will be fun watching where this machine goes. And I will of course revisit and share with the community as always 🙌
Commodore had the weirdest R&D and marketing schemes. The Mega65 is something that would’ve been a weird one next to the Amiga and ST… much like the 128 was a very daft marketing strategy. The MEGA65 would’ve been great in 1984/1985 but it was planned for 88/89 (oh I see 91.. pffff) right? And when it would’ve been cheaper than the ST it would’ve stand a chance. But the Mega65 team did awesome with that handbook! A lovely retro spiral bound book… goosebumps!
Honestly, it's beautiful. I mean, we often complain that today's world, technology is focused around money, greed etc. but projects like this Mega 65 show that there are still some passionate human beings who are able to create fantastic, truly unique projects. To me, this is not a computer project anymore, it's more like pure (tech) art :) I love the feeling of it. It feels like it teleported from some parallel world, when Amiga never appeared, but instead Mega65 was the next release after C64 :)
Man, this computer comes with a detailed handbook and the new laptop I bought for my parents didn't even have a full spec sheet. Only a "manual" with some rudimentary information.
Once again, superb work here Mr Fractic! A fully entertaining, educating and fair review of the Mega65...only a true artist integrates an unexpected falling Duracell battery into the final cut😄Loved it. Also, many thanks for the mention, yes the Raster Rewrite Buffer sprite demo and Blaster are a couple of my creations for the machine. I hope others are inspired to check out the Mega65 in more detail - there is an no-cost emulator (xemu), so people can "dip their toe" in Mega65 water first. Great work and thank you again.
What an incredible retro-computer is this MEGA 65. I wish I had enough room for a CRT monitor so I could learn and play with this gem like with my Amiga 500 back then :)
@@wayland7150 native outputs are VGA and "Digital Video" (unlicensed/uncertified HDMI), though because the main core's output resolutions are 720x480@60 Hz or 720x576@50 Hz, compatibility with flat panel VGA and DVI/HDMI monitors can sometimes be iffy as not all of them support those EDTV (progressive scan SD) resolutions.
@@Pseudoplasmagore not all monitors like the MEGA65. It outputs some weird video modes that would be fine on old CRT monitors but aren't supported by all flat panel monitors/TVs. Some monitors I've tried only work in the 50hz mode or the 60hz mode but not both.
Thanks and big applause! Normally I can hardly stand watching more than some 2 minutes of videos of this type, you know, with somebody talking and presenting stuff for half an hour or more. But you with your real pleasant voice, technical solid background in combination with this interesting topic: got me, I watched the whole thing, liked it and subscribed. And now I'm thinking of ways on how to convince my wife that buying a MEGA 65 is a great idea :)
I love the design of the shell. Putting the floppy disk drive on the right side reminds me the Amstrad CPC 664 and Lord Sugar's "all in one" concept. The FPGA inside makes it extremely flexible, as well. Great video Chris, as always.
Is it HD or DD disks ? I have 10 HD disks in my bookshelf but i have to idea where to get DD disks anymore. Amiga was DD if i remember correctly. HD didn't work.
@@SirGeldi the drive is HD but currently the core/ROM support DD only. Users have reported success with HD disks as long as you cover the HD hole with opaque tape (the difference between the magnetic properties of DD and HD 3.5" is much less than between DD and HD 5.25"). Work was started on HD support with a custom format that may support around 3MB on a standard 1.44MB HD floppy, but then the first batch of machines were released and the chip shortage got worse so the team has had other priorities dealing with unforeseen issues and trying to get the next batches out. I'm looking forward to it when they have a chance to get back to it.
It's got the instant usability that the 1980's home computers had with ROM cartridges. It's got the ability to change personalities into other 80's and 90's microcomputers. I'd say it's pretty good but there are other new 80's machines that do this sort of thing too. If you were a whizz on those and want to use those skills again then having an 80's machine you know only 40 times faster is very cool.
I think the aspect ratio was adjusted because it thinks its on a wide screen monitor since most of us no longer have the CRTs anymore. But I will bet there is an option for that aspect ratio if you go back to that initial setup screen.
@@RetroRecipes are you a time traveler? Thiesi 19 minutes ago Retro Recipes 25 minutes ago It’s pretty miraculous all round honestly! how did you answer the question 6 minutes before he answered
Fully agree. But mostly only interesting for really fans of the C64. For those of us that only remember it from our youth and never had a C64, the price seems too high when you think you can play most game titles on a Pi without a problem.
If I had one of these I would want to see what I could do with the updated basic and improved sprite handling! The question for me is which would I want more, this or the Commanderx16?! Ugh!!!! Too much cool stuff!!! Thanks for the review!
Great review, my friend! I really was looking forward to this episode. I also ported my renderer into BASIC 10. Very advanced Commodore BASIC dialect and a joy to program! Thank you for your dedication and effort you put into this video. Its a great machine!
Nice video! That "restore" key behaviour that you observed appears to be true to original hardware. The "restore" key on an original VIC-20 or C64 or C128 will interrupt the CPU with a Non Maskable Interrupt (NMI) subroutine. I presume they replicated this on the Mega65. Some games can recover from an NMI. However, timing critical sound, video and disk routines will typically glitch out if not crash out.
FWIW, the ESC-T/ESC-B window stuff also works on the C128's native mode. Lots of powerful ESC sequences on that. ESC-@ to clear to end of screen, ESC-A to activate insert mode, ESC-C to get back out of it . . .
Please remember that C64s were originally designed for NTSC even though they were popular longer in PAL regions. C65 original specs are also based on the NTSC standard with references to YIQ video encoding (PAL uses YUV).
Yes, hence the crappy low percentage of screen use. If it was designed as PAL machine, it would have had either more lines of text, or more lines per character. With PAL you could show 256 progressive scanlines with ease, so that means 32 lines of the 8 pixel font, or 25 lines with 10 vertical pixels per character for a better readable font. We had a machine with 80 characters x 24 lines of 6x10 pixels. It had way smaller borders. But weird enough the Speccy was even worse with 32x24 characters of 8x8 pixels, and it was designed for PAL from start.
Ok..not a Mega 65 question...but I have to ask since it is a Commodore question: Have you ever heard of The Spartan by Mimic Systems? It was an Apple II hardware emulator for the C64. Not sure how I never came across that back in the day (and just found out about it recently)...would love to hear if you ever came across one? It would be really cool if you found one and could do a video on it! Not sure there are working ones anywhere out there anymore! Anyway, love your content! Thanks for entertaining me during a bit of a dark time right now....Warmest Regards
I found it pretty nostalgic when I started messing around with old computers, too... I've really enjoyed going back to using floppy media on these old machines.
What I really loved and used to impress me back in the days of the C64, Spectrum and Amiga was how coders used to exploit quirks, bugs or weakness of the hardware to achieve things they were never supposed to do, the hardware was obviously limited by the technology of the time but talented coders always managed to push them past what was considered possible. So they didn't just push the hardware to it's limits, they took it beyond that.
I find beyond amusing how the majority of English speakers cannot get the difference between the Saxon genitive IT'S, the possessive adjectives (mine, yours, his, her, ITS) and IT'S from the verb To be, especially native english speakers, considering IT'S something taught in primary school. 'ITS LIMITS'. And about that topic, if a hardware somehow allows to create a workaround to a limitation it means that workaround, even if not specifically imagined by ITS engineers, it was a possibility offered by ITS hardware design. Hence, IT'S only partially coding wizardry.
Woohaa! Thanks for featuring my game! Score or Die :D It was originally made for some shallans challenge if i remember correctly :D And it is not Basic game. I used TRSE, so it is dialect of pascal. I never used pascal before this so it took whopping 8 hours to make it happen. btw, i actually care for hardware so in game menu Mega65 is running only 3.5MHz but for some reason gameloop runs full speed 40MHz ;)
I'd really like one to be able to play my childhood memories. Even knowing the cost of manufacter it's just waay to expensive to feel comfortable buying one. Right now they are also in the early adopter phase so if they break it might be a hassle getting it fixed or even worse having to wait for a replacement. But I am really rooting for Mega65. It's great to see such a high quality product come along aside the recent mini remakes console makers have done. You can actually use all the functionality of this machine.
A score of 4 is just about right IMHO. I only wish it had come out with games that would show the world what this baby can really do. Sound wise, it's very impressive.
WOW! What a great looking machine. Aesthetically it looks awesome and the functionality looks out of this world. Where can I get me one of those beauties! Perifractic you are one lucky man indeed, you get to try out some amazing tech and do some wonderful things along the way. Thank you for showing us these remarkable machines 😊
Wow great computer. Many of us still pounder the question "What if Commodore Computers was still in business?" Maybe they would be ahead of the pack as they were in the 1980's but with Jack Tramiel gone who knows that future. Thanks again Retro recipes & perifractic
Would have made no difference, the PC was unstoppable by then. It did everything Commodore did, but better, with multiple manufacturers innovating and developing new add-on cards and standards to expand its capabilities. No one company could compete against it and the PC platform swept away all competing micros as it rose to dominance. Only Apple managed to survive by carving out a niche in DTP and music production markets and then thrived by turning towards building wildly successful, easy-to-use mobile devices.
@@little_fluffy_clouds You said it, Apple did survived. With more focus it could've been possible to survive. Direct competition against PCs, I agree, would have been impossible. But, well they are history now.
My Mom was a schoolteacher so my early childhood computing was mostly done on her classroom's luggable Apple IIc. When we got our own home computer it was an Apple IIGS. It was backward compatible and had all of the capabilities of the Apple II with the added graphics and sound enhancements of the IIGS on 16-bit IIGS exclusive software. The MEGA 65 feels like if the C64 were to have had a IIGS-like successor.
Thanks for another video about it, I must say the demo makers did a great job featuring all the hardware functions, that kind of stuff was often missing at platform launches bitd as I don't think many understood what the Amiga was when they first showed it off. I think it's worth the price if you got the money since it does many things like COREs, FPGAs are great but it's bit like the RAM situation in the late 70s to 80s of cost and supply limitations. Although vendors might want to consider layaway options as even a 4-month division can help sell units. It's a very cool machine, I really like the dual SID aspect, often forgotten how long it took to get stereo gaming as everything 8-bit tends to be mono sound only. Also those native graphic modes look sweet, Amiga grade. :D These intermediate models do have appeal but I think we appreciate them more now than we did before. :)
I like the two button-up shirt continuity glitch of the video. About the computer: A CPC 464 with Ulifac will do roughly the same for 1/5th the price. And it doesn't have the annoying key left of the left shift, the single reason to use a hammer on one of every original Commodore 64 family models. That moment your typing accidentaly becomes diahrea brown on purple..... The daily frustration of any Commodore 8-bit machine.
17:31 reminds me of my favorite show of all time, BBC's Life on Mars! I'm so tempted to get a Mega65. Super cool machine. Thanks for the video Perifractic!
A very fair score Perifractic. I would have been tempted to give it 4.5 as I think the audio is fantastic. However, 4 is a very fair score for the whole system.
Very happy to see your nostalgia way up high like that! You make me smile when you are having retro fun, probably cause Im the same geeky way. Thanks for the video my friend showing off what the Mega65 can do. At that price it's not for me, but I can see where the love and joy comes for those that purchase one. Well done :)
Grundig VS300 series VCRs (built around '85-'86) default to 3 : 7 (three, blank, colon, 7, blank). The internal state machine fixes this to 38:00 the next minute. Two hours later it rolls from 39:59 over to 30:00. It then counts normally up until it hits 39:59 again. It never goes back to any sane time (unless you set the clock, that is).
What this machine really needs is someone in a gray jacket and red shirt...Jim Butterfield style....to give us a nice VHS tape presentation of the machine. That user guide is important. You'll need that. Don't throw it away. We need the teardown too. Complete with comments about concert pianos.
That is an extremely promising machine. With a few more cores I might actually be tempted. Such as the Sharp X6800 series, The Sinclair QL (SuperBASIC was quite cool), The SAM Coupe, The BBC Master, The Acorn Archimedes and RISC PC, The Amstrad PCW, The Apple II GS, the Jupiter Ace, , The Memotech MX512 and maybe the IBM PC 5150. How would it fare as a word processor and productivity machine? Certainly, the keyboard is professional enough. I suppose it would support a printer of some sort. Also, does it actually network? A fantastic review, Perifractic. As always very committed to your work. Great job! Those double SID chips require some serious research. If it's FPGA could they make it Quad SID chips?
The more you think about it the more sexier it gets. It's the nostalgia glasses that prompted you to give this a 4/5. I've seen some videos on youtube (for instance that Agony owl sprite), and some raster interrupt stuff, which is definitely impressive. The really is the next step up to c64. I did some basic on c64 like most (recently got into basic again forgot how much fun it is, I'm actually dabbling around with assembly, not that I'm getting anywhere), never bothered with programming on Amiga (mostly music). With this one you can program basic/assembly next level (and you can emulate c64). More colors/faster/80 columns text. I'd rather have this than a new Playstation.
The text windowing via Esc codes has been there since the plus/4 and C128-pretty handy if you want to have a scrolling or otherwise mutable output window in a BASIC program without disturbing the rest of the screen.
first off, thanks for the great review. a difficult project to demo, not for the casual person getting into the c64 (a-la the fpga emu's and mister @$200) but clearly shows dedication and passion by the team. i'll keep an eye on it for the retro perspective and touchy-feely of actually running "original" tin. love it.
Given how you were talking about case molding, I'm assuming you're spearheading the case design for the Commander X16 for when it reaches its smaller form factor. Probably a good experience to check out the pros & cons of this project as the X16 is still in development. Personally, I think the multicore functionality makes its heftier price more reasonable. I went the MiSTer FPGA route because I wanted to cull my desire to buy every system under the sun. Though I can't imagine not having a real C64.
Sorry, but it's quite a bit of a stretch to claim that "in an FPGA, electrons flow in the same way as on the original chips". That is simply not true. Yes an FPGA is a chip. And the original piece of hardware it replaces is (was) also a chip. But that's where the similarities end. An FPGA basically consists of AND, OR, NAND gates and FlipFlops (yes there are other hardware circuits too but those are the most relevant). So it can "replicate" or "emulate" everything that also only consists of such logic blocks. However, things like the SID chip (and the VIC, and most other more complex chips as well) had lots of analog circuits on them. Capacitors. Resistor networks. Things like that. And those cannot be repolicated by simple gates. So the FPGA has to contain rather complex circuitry to approximate what the original chip does. Thus, there are considerable differences between an FPGA and the "original chip".
The built in disk drive is actually a very practical touch. On a PC the disk is far too small capacity and slow but on this machine it's to scale. If my home computer had come with a floppy drive back in 1983 it would have been so much better.
I think this is a great project and it looks like they have done a LOT to get this whole thing where it has to be. It is interesting the comparison of the MEGA64 and the X16. The goals, I think are a bit different but both achieve something quite fantastic. The MEGA65 looks like, because it is FPGA based, it have any of its rough edges smoothed out over time. The benefit with the modern tech here is that you don't have to open up the case and replace ROMs to get the enhancements, they can be written to the FPGA. I totally understand the comment about the personality of the computer. I think that will become more apparent over time. As for me, I am not sure when I will get around to adding this to my collection of electronic joy. I have a number of things I haven't really dug into yet, cuz reasons. I also am well aware that the design of this machine is directly derived from the C65, but if I am honest, I am not really a fan of the drive on the side as it is presented. I would almost prefer a design where there isn't a drive at all and it is just wedge with an external drive... but then there is the whole distribution of software and the potential that surrounds it because of the drive. Tho, for the same reasons I don't buy 15" laptops with the number pad, I would have a hard time using this particular machine for prolong periods of time. Regardless of any of my misgivings, I think this is absolutely fantastic! They have done a spectacular job and I am hoping for incredible success. If only I could get just the motherboard and keyboard, hmmm.... Thanks again, so much for these videos. I truly enjoyed it!
Glad you liked this! For now I see the X16 as better if you want to learn about how real chips and computers work (aside from the video chip which is FPGA). Whereas the 65 is better if you want a powerhouse to “just run things” and replicate multiple systems, without necessarily knowing how they run. So yes I’d agree they are different markets and not really competing.
I've seen this before. It looks VERY cool. Would love to get my hands on one. But for the price I think I'll wait for a little more refinement. I hope that's not a bad choice on my part.
YASSS! Can't get the C64 game 'Gringos' anywhere! So glad they made the 'Showdown' remake. Oh the memories of my older brother constantly humiliating me... .. .
@RR Thank you for bringing us along with you on this journey down a branch of Commodore tech that might have been. Impressive for the time when it should have been realized. Would love to have owned one in ‘87, but I had an Atari 1200XL. Found a wonderland of software for it when my parents took me to Singapore and Hong Kong in ‘86 when I was nearly 16.
Now we just need a limited edition 2023 Gazette / Compute! magazine complete with Mega 65 BASIC program listings to type and and save to disk. Now that would be the ultimate retro experience.
In 1982, the C64 was considered a state of the art home computer, along side machines like the Atari 8 bit range. Not to take anything away from the people creating them, but like all these retro inspired computers, the Mega 65 is really just a nostalgic toy, a hobby machine, far removed from the capabilities of even the cheapest modern computers. It's a niche market. The C64 Maxi emulates the C64 and Vic 20 well enough for most, it accurately replicates like the look of the real thing, and it's cheap. The Mega 65 will be competing with that, the Commander X16, the Mister and several other machines.
I won't make up my mind on this until a few years down the line until games come out that actually make use of it's full capabilities. So far it shows promise, but not 666 euros worth of promise. Looking forward to seeing what people do with this.
Yep ..the price is ridiculous...at least a ZX Spectrum NEXT and NGO has a much more reasonable price tag. I got my NGO for 1/3 of that price. And NEXT already has a steady stream of games out for it.
well, when decking out a MiSTer one will spend to comparable sums as what a Mega65 is priced at. Given the FPGA and the ability to have new computer personalities added to it, the Mega65 becomes a nicer alternative for FPGA retro computing - and it's ready to go out of the box so no need to aquire all the pieces, put them together, and acquire necessary software/firmware. So this out of the box experience of the Mega65 has a value in and of itself - relative to devising a MiSTer setup
Watching the way some of the games looked as well as the graphic and sound capabilities of the machine left me wonder how it would compare to the, say, Amiga 500? It looks like it could be faster... Maybe someone will put these 2 machines head to head.
A thing of beauty, but at $666 + shipping and duties with the current exchange rate it’s a hard no!!🙅🏼♂️ This is for the Analogue owners, Streamers and High roller collectors!💰💰 I’ll stick with my lesser functional breadbin thanks!👌
Thank you for the review. I'm certainly intrigued by the MEGA 65 and it's future potential for sure. It's out of my price range right now but maybe some day down the line...? If the price does come down or I find myself with $666 to burn, yeah, I'll grab one. "Type boot" Sorry, Julia Roberts' knees aren't in there... yet. Maybe that'll be another future core for the MEGA 65?
Fascinating stuff. Surprised there was no sound in the Game Boy core, but cool to see that running. Definitely hope there will be more cores available (maybe even the C-One cores could be ported across?) Makes me want a MEGA 65 even more having seen this .
I added a correction that they said there should be sound and it may have been an issue with my video capture set up. Still a bit strange but definitely possible. I hope you can get hold of one in the future! Let me know if that GameBoy sound works ;-)
Obviously I plan to get one, because. But how brilliant would it be to see a Mega65 keyboard for the people who either can’t afford to actually buy one and/or use the emulator as well for development. It’s still a revenue stream to support the platform’s development and get’s the full experience out to the masses.
Excellent video, as always. Is the machine worth $666? If that’s what it costs to manufacture and distribute at zero profit, then yes, I guess it is. Would I pay $666 for it? No, I’m afraid not, it’s more than my gaming budget can stand.
Thank you so much for this video. I was strongly considering a Mega65 after your previous video; but today you sealed the deal (although my new PC build is going to have to suffer some budget cutbacks to fund the purchase).
A while back you put out a video asking whether it is time to save the original hardware some wear and tear, and use modern equivalents. That video resonated with me, because whilst there is something special about using original hardware, there is also an element of wanting to make sure it lasts for as long as possible. Getting it out for use would become a rather special occasion. Nothing available however, really did the job well enough. The emulation platforms do a remarkable job, but it still is never quite right.
The technical wonder that is FPGA has opened so many doors over the past few years. Sure, things need more work, but the foundational hardware is there to really use a modern hardware setup. And significantly, all in a single cased unit.
As a child I never had any of the Sinclair equipment (it was sometimes a lonely existence having a C64 surrounded by 48k and +2 kids), and whilst I wouldn't have swapped my C64 for any of the Sinclair releases, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for them. When there are working Speccy cores, I'd definitely have them in my regular rotation. Perhaps somebody will be able to create cores for the BBC Micro, and the Acorn Electron for some classroom nostalgia...
The Mega65 offers what I want from a retro computer now. Something I can have setup on my desk, along with my work computers and games consoles that allows me to enjoy my childhood, without a load of fuss. And who knows, I first learned to program on a C64; maybe the game I'm about to start work on can sprout a retro side project version. Maybe I could finally write my first real C64 game, with an enhanced Mega65 version. If I can find the time to resurrect what little assembly ability I have.
Anyhow, thank you (and all the Fractics) for the hard work you all put in. You never fail to hit me square in the nostalgia feels. Much love from back in Ole' Blighty.
I love this kind of perspective. Firstly I'm glad you feel that way about the vids. But also the machine. It makes me appreciate it all the more to see it through the eyes of someone looking for a modern way to replicate the physical hardware feel of the real things, without wearing them out and dealing with the maintenance. I agree, this is currently the best option we have that comes in a truly retro shell. BTW the Speccy core is now available, as should pop up in a correction to this video. I hope you can get hold of a MEGA 65 and enjoy it! Thanks for commenting.
It’s always interesting to read what I assume is a British perspective. I know the Spectrum was popular over there but wasn’t the UK one of Commodore’s biggest market?
Here in Australia, the C64 was hands down the most popular home computer of the 80s, followed by the Apple IIe / IIc. The only way I knew the Spectrum existed was because many of the C64 game boxes showed the screenshots on the back of the different platforms. I remember being confused why they made games for a computer no one had (I didn’t realise it was a British phenomenon until years later). To this day I’ve never seen a Spectrum (any model) in the flesh. Which is funny because I now have a Sinclair QL in my collection - a computer even the English turned their noses up at.
Dang, RR's voice is so relaxing and calm, he's like the Bob Ross of retro computing. Ladies be like, "Oh I am totally subscribed." Nice work mate! Love your show!
It’s just a happy little accident 🎨
The Bob Ross of Retro. Brilliant
The only benefit to smoking 40 Marlboro a day! 🚬
My wife too. Lock your doors fellas.
Damn, your right ! Bob Ross of retro ❤
Compared to the plain blue screen that faced me when I first received my C-64 40 years ago (+ 2 weeks), this would have blown my mind with the amount of things that can be done just "in the box". Great overview!
I really love how FPGAs have been adopted for bringing cool retro style things to life. Not in the budget to get one of these for the moment but some day perhaps. Thanks for all the fun and high quality videos you always put out there.
Yeah, great stuff. Getting cheaper and more and more attractive for hobbyists. Take $100 and you are in the game (see the F4PGA open source toolchain with the suggested architectures, if you or others are interested. BTW just a suggestion, there are a plethora of possibly "victims" on the market).
But the note on the text card ( 1:59 ) is not true. If you are generous, you may say that the routing is similar to that of an ASIC or Standard IC (but that is not true, since with an FPGA works via nets and predefined units). In any case, the assertion regarding the SID Soundchip is questionable (meaning wrong), since FPGAs only have analog components on board in (very very very and expensive) special cases, which would contradict the role as a field programmable gate(!) array. Under no circumstances are these identical or similar with the analog circuit hardware that is integrated into a SID chip.
Conclusion: Doesn't matter/Who cares?:) The emulation can finally be just as good or indistinguishable from the original. That is even the goal of an emulation.
Thanks for watching! Considering the cost of FPGAs (over $200 each) not to mention the mechanical keyboard & floppy drive, & all the machine can do, do you agree with my conclusions and review score?
"Considering 1 of the 2 FPGAs costs $380 alone"
An elevated price due to the chip shortage. The two FPGAs used are out of stock with long lead times at both Mouser and Digikey. Octopart shows that the few places that have them are charging as much as double the normal price. Commander X16 apparently isn't as greatly affected since it was, by luck, designed to use more common, less exotic chips which I assume avoid the chip shortage? I'd like to see a tabular comparison of the Commander X16 versus MEGA65 - graphics, sound, benchmarks, etc.
Some bug fixes to be done. I guess it's worth it to those who really want it. For me I would LOVE a replica Atari Falcon. One day I hope.
You could have played the Red Dwarf theme!!!
Home computers were very cut down to fit a price but were not cheap. I think this is worth the money if you look at it as a boosted 1980's home computer. Obviously expensive compared to an old PC.
I agree 4/5 is fair, possibly even generous in the present state but the potential is certainly there as the platform grows and matures.
My impression is that the price MEGA paid for the FPGAs (at least for the first batch) is closer to $200 than to $400 because their manufacturing/distribution partner Trenz is a large Xilinx customer and is being very generous because of the non-profit status and uniqueness of the project.
I'm very satisfied with mine, but I do feel like I have to warn people that it's very much a work in progress and you're buying into an ongoing project, not a finished product. The pretty box and printed manual can give some people the wrong impression in that regard, though they also really add to the "Christmas 1982" feeling/experience when you get one. The MEGA team worked hard for that.
Funny thing, the case is sinking on my original C64 too! It's authenticity thing :)
This system needs a warning sticker. It would cause sleep deprivation and skipped meals in my case. Wow, can't get over what is possible for a next gen C64.
@17:22 "Your Mega65 will self-destruct in 5 seconds." I wasn't expecting anything after that reference to Mission Impossible so I chose that moment to turn away to have a bite of chocolate, and then jumped slightly out of my seat at the noise of the explosion!
Sorry!
@@RetroRecipes Don't worry, it was funny :)
It's cool that it can achieve similar graphics to the Amiga but has the great C64 sound.
I have to admit, I'm super impressed at what they pulled off here. My one and only minor regret is it not being able to wear the Commodore badge. I wish the owners of that would licence it more. I don't think I'll be buying this though - I can't make my vintage computing problem worse by expanding into retrotech. But I'm glad these excellent two videos give me a really good taste of the thing.
I’m endlessly fascinated by the fact that many Brits seemed to call the C128 the Commodore “one two eight”, whereas here in Canada I’m used to hearing it called the Commodore “one twenty-eight”.
The direct translation of common way we say it in Finland would be "hundred two eight" ;p Trust me, in Finnish it rolls off ones tongue better than the ones you mentioned would ;)
Also the way we pronounce is not using the "proper" ("book-language" or "literal") spelling of the Finnish words for two and eight.
Just thought if you're fascinated by that, you might also enjoy this technically not very useful tidbit of knowledge ;)
@@robsku1 That is interesting, thank for sharing that! :)
As an aside, are infrared saunas becoming popular in Finland? I've tried both, and I *vastly* prefer infrared saunas.
I showered my desk in coffee. Twice. The explosions made me jump 😂
haha oops sorry!
I'm a first batch owner. I love it. I'm always carving out time to fiddle with it. I can't wait for more software!
To get a directory listing, you oughtta try DIRECTORY or CATALOG command. At least one of those were in Basic 7.0 on the C-128, so should be available on this more advanced version of BASIC.
Since this is after, they should implement a GO 128 mode.
Enjoyed your review and the time you took to share your MEGA65 journey :) Some things I can share. Right now, to my ears, the 8580 SID sounds better than the 6581 SID (this will probably improve over time). Also, the background story on the intro-disk, we were thinking it would be a nice way to showcase what the community had created for the year. So yes, many of us are cutting our teeth with the new system, learning the ropes, and I'm looking forward to seeing the 1st gen coders get more and more ambitious over time :) We're also hoping the intro disks will be an annual thing, to showcase the community's creations each year :)
That’s some great insight into the decisions, thanks! I can see that the demo programs are more about showcasing the cool community than the machine’s ultimate capabilities. Keep up the great work.
Peri, while watching you experience the M65 I felt I was looking in the mirror (and liked what I saw for a change). I had a very similar rush of nostalgia and real joy experiencing the machine. But I also deeply felt your concluding frustrations over what a typical user might try to do (like, you know, load a physical disk in the disk drive). I think I spent most of my couple of days simply loading software to get it to run. Once done, it was a game of (blissful) whack-a-mole seeing what worked and what didn't and trying to learn the new user flow. After going through most of the demos and software I ultimately felt like I was ready to wait a bit. And if that meant coming back in 6 months or even a year, I was comfortable with that. I'd waited this long, what was another year? If I was a programmer I think I'd be trying to create for this machine if I had the time and skill. As a user, I hope someone out there (Shallan? Vogt? Sanderson? Someone else?) creates that "killer app" we all are proud to say, "Yep! I was here first. I knew it all along. What took you so long?" And it leaves everyone else jealous of our being early-adopters. But even if that never happens, I'm so so happy to have seen this project come this far. And to be able to call myself a believer, and fan.
Hi mate, I’m glad you got the nostalgic kick out of this that I hoped for viewers. It will be fun watching where this machine goes. And I will of course revisit and share with the community as always 🙌
Commodore had the weirdest R&D and marketing schemes. The Mega65 is something that would’ve been a weird one next to the Amiga and ST… much like the 128 was a very daft marketing strategy. The MEGA65 would’ve been great in 1984/1985 but it was planned for 88/89 (oh I see 91.. pffff) right? And when it would’ve been cheaper than the ST it would’ve stand a chance.
But the Mega65 team did awesome with that handbook! A lovely retro spiral bound book… goosebumps!
Honestly, it's beautiful. I mean, we often complain that today's world, technology is focused around money, greed etc. but projects like this Mega 65 show that there are still some passionate human beings who are able to create fantastic, truly unique projects. To me, this is not a computer project anymore, it's more like pure (tech) art :)
I love the feeling of it. It feels like it teleported from some parallel world, when Amiga never appeared, but instead Mega65 was the next release after C64 :)
Man, this computer comes with a detailed handbook and the new laptop I bought for my parents didn't even have a full spec sheet. Only a "manual" with some rudimentary information.
Once again, superb work here Mr Fractic! A fully entertaining, educating and fair review of the Mega65...only a true artist integrates an unexpected falling Duracell battery into the final cut😄Loved it. Also, many thanks for the mention, yes the Raster Rewrite Buffer sprite demo and Blaster are a couple of my creations for the machine. I hope others are inspired to check out the Mega65 in more detail - there is an no-cost emulator (xemu), so people can "dip their toe" in Mega65 water first.
Great work and thank you again.
Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️ And keep up the great work.
What an incredible retro-computer is this MEGA 65.
I wish I had enough room for a CRT monitor so I could learn and play with this gem like with my Amiga 500 back then :)
If you have a monitor I am sure you could plug this into it.
@@wayland7150 native outputs are VGA and "Digital Video" (unlicensed/uncertified HDMI), though because the main core's output resolutions are 720x480@60 Hz or 720x576@50 Hz, compatibility with flat panel VGA and DVI/HDMI monitors can sometimes be iffy as not all of them support those EDTV (progressive scan SD) resolutions.
@@KithKanan64 what
@@Pseudoplasmagore not all monitors like the MEGA65. It outputs some weird video modes that would be fine on old CRT monitors but aren't supported by all flat panel monitors/TVs. Some monitors I've tried only work in the 50hz mode or the 60hz mode but not both.
32:00 that glass of soda near the Mega65 makes me so nervous for it.
Thanks and big applause! Normally I can hardly stand watching more than some 2 minutes of videos of this type, you know, with somebody talking and presenting stuff for half an hour or more.
But you with your real pleasant voice, technical solid background in combination with this interesting topic: got me, I watched the whole thing, liked it and subscribed. And now I'm thinking of ways on how to convince my wife that buying a MEGA 65 is a great idea :)
Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️
Such an interesting mix of old and new technology! That ringed manual does remind me of using the C64 one as a kid.
Looks incredible! Great video too, it's such a chill vibe watching your channel and it always feels really cosy haha thank you
Thank you so much!!
I love the design of the shell. Putting the floppy disk drive on the right side reminds me the Amstrad CPC 664 and Lord Sugar's "all in one" concept. The FPGA inside makes it extremely flexible, as well. Great video Chris, as always.
Is it HD or DD disks ?
I have 10 HD disks in my bookshelf but i have to idea where to get DD disks anymore.
Amiga was DD if i remember correctly. HD didn't work.
@@SirGeldi the disk drive is new old stock, so I guess it is HD
@@SirGeldi the drive is HD but currently the core/ROM support DD only. Users have reported success with HD disks as long as you cover the HD hole with opaque tape (the difference between the magnetic properties of DD and HD 3.5" is much less than between DD and HD 5.25"). Work was started on HD support with a custom format that may support around 3MB on a standard 1.44MB HD floppy, but then the first batch of machines were released and the chip shortage got worse so the team has had other priorities dealing with unforeseen issues and trying to get the next batches out. I'm looking forward to it when they have a chance to get back to it.
It's got the instant usability that the 1980's home computers had with ROM cartridges. It's got the ability to change personalities into other 80's and 90's microcomputers. I'd say it's pretty good but there are other new 80's machines that do this sort of thing too. If you were a whizz on those and want to use those skills again then having an 80's machine you know only 40 times faster is very cool.
Fun and fair review! Thanks, Perifractic.
I think the aspect ratio was adjusted because it thinks its on a wide screen monitor since most of us no longer have the CRTs anymore. But I will bet there is an option for that aspect ratio if you go back to that initial setup screen.
The sheer level of dedication and passion behind this project leaves me speechless!
It’s pretty miraculous all round honestly!
@@RetroRecipes are you a time traveler?
Thiesi 19 minutes ago
Retro Recipes 25 minutes ago It’s pretty miraculous all round honestly!
how did you answer the question 6 minutes before he answered
@@robchissy It looks completely normal here. Maybe just refresh?
@@robchissy I'm not allowed to tell you that
Fully agree. But mostly only interesting for really fans of the C64. For those of us that only remember it from our youth and never had a C64, the price seems too high when you think you can play most game titles on a Pi without a problem.
If I had one of these I would want to see what I could do with the updated basic and improved sprite handling! The question for me is which would I want more, this or the Commanderx16?! Ugh!!!! Too much cool stuff!!! Thanks for the review!
Great review, my friend! I really was looking forward to this episode. I also ported my renderer into BASIC 10. Very advanced Commodore BASIC dialect and a joy to program! Thank you for your dedication and effort you put into this video. Its a great machine!
Glad it was helpful! You ported your wireframe renderer to v10? Nice!
Nice video! That "restore" key behaviour that you observed appears to be true to original hardware. The "restore" key on an original VIC-20 or C64 or C128 will interrupt the CPU with a Non Maskable Interrupt (NMI) subroutine. I presume they replicated this on the Mega65. Some games can recover from an NMI. However, timing critical sound, video and disk routines will typically glitch out if not crash out.
FWIW, the ESC-T/ESC-B window stuff also works on the C128's native mode. Lots of powerful ESC sequences on that. ESC-@ to clear to end of screen, ESC-A to activate insert mode, ESC-C to get back out of it . . .
Please remember that C64s were originally designed for NTSC even though they were popular longer in PAL regions. C65 original specs are also based on the NTSC standard with references to YIQ video encoding (PAL uses YUV).
Correct but that doesn’t change the fact that most games and demos were made in PAL. That’s just the way it was.
Yes, hence the crappy low percentage of screen use. If it was designed as PAL machine, it would have had either more lines of text, or more lines per character. With PAL you could show 256 progressive scanlines with ease, so that means 32 lines of the 8 pixel font, or 25 lines with 10 vertical pixels per character for a better readable font. We had a machine with 80 characters x 24 lines of 6x10 pixels. It had way smaller borders. But weird enough the Speccy was even worse with 32x24 characters of 8x8 pixels, and it was designed for PAL from start.
Ok..not a Mega 65 question...but I have to ask since it is a Commodore question: Have you ever heard of The Spartan by Mimic Systems? It was an Apple II hardware emulator for the C64. Not sure how I never came across that back in the day (and just found out about it recently)...would love to hear if you ever came across one? It would be really cool if you found one and could do a video on it! Not sure there are working ones anywhere out there anymore! Anyway, love your content! Thanks for entertaining me during a bit of a dark time right now....Warmest Regards
You’re welcome sir. And no I haven’t heard of that but I’ll add it to the admittedly long list 👍🕹️
Oh I miss using 3.5 floppies. So many memories on various machines….pure nostalgia
I found it pretty nostalgic when I started messing around with old computers, too... I've really enjoyed going back to using floppy media on these old machines.
I would rather have seen it on the side, with a numpad instead of a floppy-bump. Maybe they do a second model, the MEGA130 in C128 shape.
What I really loved and used to impress me back in the days of the C64, Spectrum and Amiga was how coders used to exploit quirks, bugs or weakness of the hardware to achieve things they were never supposed to do, the hardware was obviously limited by the technology of the time but talented coders always managed to push them past what was considered possible. So they didn't just push the hardware to it's limits, they took it beyond that.
I find beyond amusing how the majority of English speakers cannot get the difference between the Saxon genitive IT'S, the possessive adjectives (mine, yours, his, her, ITS) and IT'S from the verb To be, especially native english speakers, considering IT'S something taught in primary school.
'ITS LIMITS'.
And about that topic, if a hardware somehow allows to create a workaround to a limitation it means that workaround, even if not specifically imagined by ITS engineers, it was a possibility offered by ITS hardware design. Hence, IT'S only partially coding wizardry.
Woohaa! Thanks for featuring my game! Score or Die :D It was originally made for some shallans challenge if i remember correctly :D And it is not Basic game.
I used TRSE, so it is dialect of pascal. I never used pascal before this so it took whopping 8 hours to make it happen.
btw, i actually care for hardware so in game menu Mega65 is running only 3.5MHz but for some reason gameloop runs full speed 40MHz ;)
Nice work!!
I'd really like one to be able to play my childhood memories. Even knowing the cost of manufacter it's just waay to expensive to feel comfortable buying one. Right now they are also in the early adopter phase so if they break it might be a hassle getting it fixed or even worse having to wait for a replacement. But I am really rooting for Mega65. It's great to see such a high quality product come along aside the recent mini remakes console makers have done. You can actually use all the functionality of this machine.
A score of 4 is just about right IMHO. I only wish it had come out with games that would show the world what this baby can really do. Sound wise, it's very impressive.
Maybe the included games are to teach BASIC programming, instead of having to type them in from the manual?
WOW! What a great looking machine. Aesthetically it looks awesome and the functionality looks out of this world. Where can I get me one of those beauties! Perifractic you are one lucky man indeed, you get to try out some amazing tech and do some wonderful things along the way. Thank you for showing us these remarkable machines 😊
Thank you! Link in description 👍🕹️
Wow great computer. Many of us still pounder the question "What if Commodore Computers was still in business?"
Maybe they would be ahead of the pack as they were in the 1980's but with Jack Tramiel gone who knows that future.
Thanks again Retro recipes & perifractic
This project was one of the reason why they are not anymore. To much money waste on retro projects than R&D of the future. Besides der PC venture.
Would have made no difference, the PC was unstoppable by then. It did everything Commodore did, but better, with multiple manufacturers innovating and developing new add-on cards and standards to expand its capabilities. No one company could compete against it and the PC platform swept away all competing micros as it rose to dominance. Only Apple managed to survive by carving out a niche in DTP and music production markets and then thrived by turning towards building wildly successful, easy-to-use mobile devices.
@@little_fluffy_clouds You said it, Apple did survived. With more focus it could've been possible to survive. Direct competition against PCs, I agree, would have been impossible.
But, well they are history now.
My Mom was a schoolteacher so my early childhood computing was mostly done on her classroom's luggable Apple IIc. When we got our own home computer it was an Apple IIGS. It was backward compatible and had all of the capabilities of the Apple II with the added graphics and sound enhancements of the IIGS on 16-bit IIGS exclusive software. The MEGA 65 feels like if the C64 were to have had a IIGS-like successor.
Funny I said the same in part 1
@@RetroRecipes and here I was thinking I had an original thought 😊
Great video and review! Thank you for taking enough time to really see what this machine is and can be. In the end you really got it right!
Thank you 🙏
Thanks for another video about it, I must say the demo makers did a great job featuring all the hardware functions, that kind of stuff was often missing at platform launches bitd as I don't think many understood what the Amiga was when they first showed it off.
I think it's worth the price if you got the money since it does many things like COREs, FPGAs are great but it's bit like the RAM situation in the late 70s to 80s of cost and supply limitations. Although vendors might want to consider layaway options as even a 4-month division can help sell units.
It's a very cool machine, I really like the dual SID aspect, often forgotten how long it took to get stereo gaming as everything 8-bit tends to be mono sound only. Also those native graphic modes look sweet, Amiga grade. :D These intermediate models do have appeal but I think we appreciate them more now than we did before. :)
I like the two button-up shirt continuity glitch of the video. About the computer: A CPC 464 with Ulifac will do roughly the same for 1/5th the price. And it doesn't have the annoying key left of the left shift, the single reason to use a hammer on one of every original Commodore 64 family models. That moment your typing accidentaly becomes diahrea brown on purple..... The daily frustration of any Commodore 8-bit machine.
17:31 reminds me of my favorite show of all time, BBC's Life on Mars!
I'm so tempted to get a Mega65. Super cool machine. Thanks for the video Perifractic!
Jupiter lander was the first game I got for my c64. I think it was originally released for the vic 20, which may explain the joystick port issue.
A very fair score Perifractic. I would have been tempted to give it 4.5 as I think the audio is fantastic. However, 4 is a very fair score for the whole system.
$666 is typically half a month's salary over here... if I had one! I've been unemployed the last 15 years, so I guess this is not for me right now.
Very happy to see your nostalgia way up high like that! You make me smile when you are having retro fun, probably cause Im the same geeky way. Thanks for the video my friend showing off what the Mega65 can do. At that price it's not for me, but I can see where the love and joy comes for those that purchase one. Well done :)
Glad you enjoyed it!
Grundig VS300 series VCRs (built around '85-'86) default to 3 : 7 (three, blank, colon, 7, blank). The internal state machine fixes this to 38:00 the next minute. Two hours later it rolls from 39:59 over to 30:00. It then counts normally up until it hits 39:59 again. It never goes back to any sane time (unless you set the clock, that is).
What this machine really needs is someone in a gray jacket and red shirt...Jim Butterfield style....to give us a nice VHS tape presentation of the machine. That user guide is important. You'll need that. Don't throw it away.
We need the teardown too. Complete with comments about concert pianos.
Teardown in part 1 😉
@@davedave9308 Lol if only…
That is an extremely promising machine. With a few more cores I might actually be tempted.
Such as the Sharp X6800 series, The Sinclair QL (SuperBASIC was quite cool), The SAM Coupe, The BBC Master, The Acorn Archimedes and RISC PC, The Amstrad PCW, The Apple II GS, the Jupiter Ace, , The Memotech MX512 and maybe the IBM PC 5150.
How would it fare as a word processor and productivity machine? Certainly, the keyboard is professional enough. I suppose it would support a printer of some sort. Also, does it actually network?
A fantastic review, Perifractic. As always very committed to your work. Great job!
Those double SID chips require some serious research. If it's FPGA could they make it Quad SID chips?
It is quad SID as per my pop up correction that should be displayed when I say dual
May as well give it all of them from the era if possible. Each core widens it's appeal, how about CoCo3 and Dragon 64.
@@RetroRecipes Oh. That is very cool. We should see some very interesting Audio created on that platform.
The more you think about it the more sexier it gets. It's the nostalgia glasses that prompted you to give this a 4/5. I've seen some videos on youtube (for instance that Agony owl sprite), and some raster interrupt stuff, which is definitely impressive. The really is the next step up to c64. I did some basic on c64 like most (recently got into basic again forgot how much fun it is, I'm actually dabbling around with assembly, not that I'm getting anywhere), never bothered with programming on Amiga (mostly music). With this one you can program basic/assembly next level (and you can emulate c64). More colors/faster/80 columns text. I'd rather have this than a new Playstation.
The text windowing via Esc codes has been there since the plus/4 and C128-pretty handy if you want to have a scrolling or otherwise mutable output window in a BASIC program without disturbing the rest of the screen.
Somehow I never knew that!
first off, thanks for the great review. a difficult project to demo, not for the casual person getting into the c64 (a-la the fpga emu's and mister @$200) but clearly shows dedication and passion by the team. i'll keep an eye on it for the retro perspective and touchy-feely of actually running "original" tin. love it.
I'm curious if it'll be possible to run a Commander X16 core with the Mega 65? That would be interesting, I think.
Given how you were talking about case molding, I'm assuming you're spearheading the case design for the Commander X16 for when it reaches its smaller form factor. Probably a good experience to check out the pros & cons of this project as the X16 is still in development.
Personally, I think the multicore functionality makes its heftier price more reasonable. I went the MiSTer FPGA route because I wanted to cull my desire to buy every system under the sun. Though I can't imagine not having a real C64.
Good points. I have stepped back from the X16 project, probably permanently. But I will be getting a review unit from the first public batch.
Battery got upset you replaced your gameboy with a mega 65 lol!
Sorry, but it's quite a bit of a stretch to claim that "in an FPGA, electrons flow in the same way as on the original chips". That is simply not true. Yes an FPGA is a chip. And the original piece of hardware it replaces is (was) also a chip. But that's where the similarities end. An FPGA basically consists of AND, OR, NAND gates and FlipFlops (yes there are other hardware circuits too but those are the most relevant). So it can "replicate" or "emulate" everything that also only consists of such logic blocks. However, things like the SID chip (and the VIC, and most other more complex chips as well) had lots of analog circuits on them. Capacitors. Resistor networks. Things like that. And those cannot be repolicated by simple gates. So the FPGA has to contain rather complex circuitry to approximate what the original chip does. Thus, there are considerable differences between an FPGA and the "original chip".
Greetings and a big thank you for this Video from Germany 👋
Nice review, it's a very cool project. Kind of a Commodore equivalent to the Spectrum Next project, just a bit faster and with a disk drive built in.
Indeed!
The built in disk drive is actually a very practical touch. On a PC the disk is far too small capacity and slow but on this machine it's to scale. If my home computer had come with a floppy drive back in 1983 it would have been so much better.
I think this is a great project and it looks like they have done a LOT to get this whole thing where it has to be. It is interesting the comparison of the MEGA64 and the X16. The goals, I think are a bit different but both achieve something quite fantastic. The MEGA65 looks like, because it is FPGA based, it have any of its rough edges smoothed out over time. The benefit with the modern tech here is that you don't have to open up the case and replace ROMs to get the enhancements, they can be written to the FPGA. I totally understand the comment about the personality of the computer. I think that will become more apparent over time.
As for me, I am not sure when I will get around to adding this to my collection of electronic joy. I have a number of things I haven't really dug into yet, cuz reasons. I also am well aware that the design of this machine is directly derived from the C65, but if I am honest, I am not really a fan of the drive on the side as it is presented. I would almost prefer a design where there isn't a drive at all and it is just wedge with an external drive... but then there is the whole distribution of software and the potential that surrounds it because of the drive. Tho, for the same reasons I don't buy 15" laptops with the number pad, I would have a hard time using this particular machine for prolong periods of time.
Regardless of any of my misgivings, I think this is absolutely fantastic! They have done a spectacular job and I am hoping for incredible success. If only I could get just the motherboard and keyboard, hmmm....
Thanks again, so much for these videos. I truly enjoyed it!
Glad you liked this! For now I see the X16 as better if you want to learn about how real chips and computers work (aside from the video chip which is FPGA). Whereas the 65 is better if you want a powerhouse to “just run things” and replicate multiple systems, without necessarily knowing how they run. So yes I’d agree they are different markets and not really competing.
The Monty Don of retro computing
Monty Don the run?
@@RetroRecipes Only younger obviously
@@itsmatt517 🙏
That C64 OS pixel art...
it was JUST her own shoulder.
Loving the production values.
Very nice video indeed, so nostalgic, so beautifully made! Congratulations 👏👏👏
Thank you 🙏
I've seen this before. It looks VERY cool. Would love to get my hands on one. But for the price I think I'll wait for a little more refinement. I hope that's not a bad choice on my part.
Mega65 - a slow burner pleasure trip for the next 30 years...
Would love an update on this video. The core is much improved, ROM is improved and the C64 core is just amazing.
YASSS! Can't get the C64 game 'Gringos' anywhere! So glad they made the 'Showdown' remake. Oh the memories of my older brother constantly humiliating me... .. .
1:20 The Sid chip sounds awesome through my Wharfedale speakers.
@RR Thank you for bringing us along with you on this journey down a branch of Commodore tech that might have been. Impressive for the time when it should have been realized. Would love to have owned one in ‘87, but I had an Atari 1200XL. Found a wonderland of software for it when my parents took me to Singapore and Hong Kong in ‘86 when I was nearly 16.
This is actually freaking 'Frankenstein' machine! ;-)
Now we just need a limited edition 2023 Gazette / Compute! magazine complete with Mega 65 BASIC program listings to type and and save to disk. Now that would be the ultimate retro experience.
Well, Introductory price of C64 was US$595 in 1982 (equivalent to $1,670 in 2021)
$1,600 in 2021 is equivalent to $2,000 in 2022
@@customsongmaker We dont know that yet until year is over, basic statistics
@@customsongmaker It is for many purchases.
In 1982, the C64 was considered a state of the art home computer, along side machines like the Atari 8 bit range. Not to take anything away from the people creating them, but like all these retro inspired computers, the Mega 65 is really just a nostalgic toy, a hobby machine, far removed from the capabilities of even the cheapest modern computers. It's a niche market. The C64 Maxi emulates the C64 and Vic 20 well enough for most, it accurately replicates like the look of the real thing, and it's cheap. The Mega 65 will be competing with that, the Commander X16, the Mister and several other machines.
I won't make up my mind on this until a few years down the line until games come out that actually make use of it's full capabilities. So far it shows promise, but not 666 euros worth of promise. Looking forward to seeing what people do with this.
Yep ..the price is ridiculous...at least a ZX Spectrum NEXT and NGO has a much more reasonable price tag. I got my NGO for 1/3 of that price. And NEXT already has a steady stream of games out for it.
well, when decking out a MiSTer one will spend to comparable sums as what a Mega65 is priced at. Given the FPGA and the ability to have new computer personalities added to it, the Mega65 becomes a nicer alternative for FPGA retro computing - and it's ready to go out of the box so no need to aquire all the pieces, put them together, and acquire necessary software/firmware. So this out of the box experience of the Mega65 has a value in and of itself - relative to devising a MiSTer setup
Another great video and amazing machine. There is indeed some nostalgia to sitting down and taking time to....RTFM :)
Watching the way some of the games looked as well as the graphic and sound capabilities of the machine left me wonder how it would compare to the, say, Amiga 500? It looks like it could be faster... Maybe someone will put these 2 machines head to head.
Looks and sounds amazing and within some time it will get better, it leaves you in a day dream of future possibilities
The GEOS looked very smart, reminded me of a MAC as soon as I saw it.
A thing of beauty, but at $666 + shipping and duties with the current exchange rate it’s a hard no!!🙅🏼♂️
This is for the Analogue owners, Streamers and High roller collectors!💰💰
I’ll stick with my lesser functional breadbin thanks!👌
That music on Jupiter Lander is actually the music from Moon Cresta!
Thank you for the review. I'm certainly intrigued by the MEGA 65 and it's future potential for sure. It's out of my price range right now but maybe some day down the line...? If the price does come down or I find myself with $666 to burn, yeah, I'll grab one.
"Type boot" Sorry, Julia Roberts' knees aren't in there... yet. Maybe that'll be another future core for the MEGA 65?
Hahaha!
31:50 - you killed Wilhelm!
It was time.
You're eyes look extra shiny @ 2:00
#nostalgia
I like how it tells you to "insert a disc. In drive a einlegen" when you format it... 😏
New nostalgia...sums it up for me - great honest review peri.
I know what I want for Christmas this year LOL!!! I'd just pay $1 more, just because of the triple sixes 😂
Fascinating stuff.
Surprised there was no sound in the Game Boy core, but cool to see that running. Definitely hope there will be more cores available (maybe even the C-One cores could be ported across?)
Makes me want a MEGA 65 even more having seen this .
I added a correction that they said there should be sound and it may have been an issue with my video capture set up. Still a bit strange but definitely possible. I hope you can get hold of one in the future! Let me know if that GameBoy sound works ;-)
@@RetroRecipes I've played the GB core on mine and the sound is fine. I'm piping sound via HDMI and splitting off the sound to bookshelf speakers.
Thank you very much! I love this!
Definitely does look like something Commodore would have put out.
that's worth the cost than the Amiga 500.
Obviously I plan to get one, because.
But how brilliant would it be to see a Mega65 keyboard for the people who either can’t afford to actually buy one and/or use the emulator as well for development.
It’s still a revenue stream to support the platform’s development and get’s the full experience out to the masses.
Excellent video, as always. Is the machine worth $666? If that’s what it costs to manufacture and distribute at zero profit, then yes, I guess it is. Would I pay $666 for it? No, I’m afraid not, it’s more than my gaming budget can stand.
17:30 About half an hour ago, I saw a video with a bang not nearly as loud as that one, but he warned those of us who use headphones.:o)
Sorry!