Nostalgia in your Pocket! - Clickgamer's Pocket C64 1.1 Reviewed

[Tim Jump]

Most geeks who survived the 80s will recognize the Commodore 64 as one of the most popular home computers of its time, with fantastic graphics and sound and a huge library of games. Now, twenty-one years after it was introduced, Clickgamer has released a program which brings the C64 to your Pocket PC. Check out my review to see how they did.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/archon.gif" /><br /><br /><!><br /><i>Clickgamer has done an amazing job by creating an emulator for one of the most popular computers of the 1980s at a fantastic price, but not without a few flaws.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Background</b></span><br />Introduced in 1982, the Commodore 64 quickly became one of the most popular computers of its time - so popular in fact that Commodore was eventually listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as selling the most computers of a single model. The graphics on the C64 were great, the sound even better due to the custom SID chip built inside every system, so despite slow floppy disk access and a somewhat quirky DOS, it seemed like every other home with a computer had a Commodore...including mine (in fact, I traded my old Atari 130xe for one!). Without going too deeply into the history of the C64 (though you can find a great history page <a href="http://www.oldsoftware.com/history.html">here</a>), it goes without saying that although there were some great applications written for the C64, it was most well known for its massive library of games. When I was a teenager in the early stages of geekdom, one of my fondest dreams was to have a room with each of the computers available at the time - an Apple II, an Atari 800, a TRS-80...and of course a C64. Now, the fine folks at Clickgamer have created an emulator (<a href="http://www.computeruser.com/resources/dictionary/popup_definition.php?lookup=659">definition</a>) that allows you to carry the equivalent of a Commodore 64 and four disk drives in your pocket. How can you beat that?<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/DefendCrownTitle.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 1: Pocket C64 in action. I cannot decribe how beautiful it is to see this title screen on my iPAQ!</i><br /><br /><span><b>Features</b></span><br />Pocket C64 has a plethora of features designed to make running twenty-year-old software as painless as possible. First, the most noticeable is the key-for-key virtual replica of the Commodore 64 keyboard displayed at the bottom of the display in the default resolution mode. Every key works the same as it did on the original system; even the "restore" key is there which, after twenty years, I STILL don't know what it's used for. Any input methods can be mapped to either the cursor pad or the quickstart buttons on your Pocket PC; for instance I mapped the joystick to the cursor pad, the fire button to one button and the space bar (used to bypass intro screens on many games) to another. Speaking of resolution modes, there are a whopping 12 different modes - four standard modes, four landscape modes (omitting the virtual keyboard) and four inverted landscape modes for the southpaws out there. As I played around with different programs, I found that while some display modes were better for graphics, others better for text. Loading software is quite easy; with a click of the "auto" button above each virtual disk drive you can auto-boot any disk or tape image loaded into either RAM or your Storage Card (the emulator itself only takes about 400K of RAM) or you can select individual files either inside or separate from your disk images.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/outrun.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 2: Outrun in landscape mode. The incredible 8-bit graphics almost makes you feel like your hair is blowing in the wind, don't they?</i><br /><br />The preferences screen allows on-the-fly adjustment of video settings in case the display doesn't quite sync up with your memories of a certain game. Perhaps more importantly, several settings are available to make games run faster on slower machines: you can select the amount of frames the game skips or disable the sound to increase speed, disable the "fast reset" kernel hack to provide more "authentic" emulation or have Pocket C64 emulate the horribly slow Commodore 1541 disk drive in order to get past the more annoying copy protection on the games of the time. Finally, although not actually part of the program, Clickgamer's <a href="http://www.clickgamer.com/productfaq.htm?pid=4">Product FAQ page</a> provides a great resource for owners of Pocket C64, serving up everything from program tweaking tips to links to sites where you can download C64 software to play with. Just remember - be good and only download those games you already own(ed)!<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/preferences.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 3: The preferences screen in all its glory. You may tweak this program to your heart's content.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Gotchas</b></span><br />Although this is a great program, there are a few issues with the emulation. After testing around fifty games and programs, I only experienced around a 60% to 70% compatibility rate. While some games simply would not run, others would take so long to load using the 1541 emulation that my patience would run out before my batteries did (tip: after finally loading a slow game use the "save state" command so you won't have to wait around the next time you play). I also experienced a problem with collision detection on certain games - "Paradroid", one of my favorite games from the old days, was virtually unplayable due to this issue. Unfortunately, as stated on the FAQ page this is a known issue with Pocket C64 due to the game requiring exact cycle timing emulation (something unavailable with this program). I also had some problems with games running slow on my iPAQ 3835, although with frame skipping this effect was reduced - newer Pocket PCs should not have an issue. Finally, the FAQ recommends turning off programs such as Gigabar, Dashboard or PocketBlinds if you run this program, which can be a pain if you are a regular user of these apps. With all this said, one thing that should be taken into consideration is that this is a work in progress. Pocket C64 2.0 is being readied for release, which promises higher compatibility as well as a bunch of extras such as cartridge support, autoresuming of games and the like. So if something doesn't work now no matter how much you tweak it, it very well may in the future.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/paradroid.gif" /><br /><i>Figure 4: One of my favorite games, Paradroid. Unfortunately it didn't work so well this time around, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.</i><br /><br /><span><b>Where To Buy</b></span><br />Pocket C64 can be downloaded and purchased from <a href="http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?siteId=311&platformId=2&productType=2&catalog=0§ionId=0&productId=59730">Handango</a> (affiliate link) for the ridiculously low price of $6.95, which oddly enough is just a dollar more than 1% of the Commodore 64's original cost back in 1992 ($595). There is a feature-limited demo available which allows five minutes of play before prompting for an unlock key. Last but not least, program upgrades are free for registered users, so there's no reason to wait until the next version comes out.<br /><br /><b><span>Specifications</span></b><br />According to the Pocket C64 homepage, this program will work on any ARM, XScale, MIPS or SH3 Pocket PC device (I tested it on my ARM iPAQ). As stated previously, the program files take up a little over 400K of RAM and are not recommended for install on a storage card, though C64 disk images and program files can be installed wherever you want them.<br /><br /><b><span>Conclusions</span></b><br />Pocket C64 by Clickgamer is a fantastic product for those of us who feel the need to have a little nostalgia with us at all times. Although it's not perfect, an active developer receptive to suggestions makes up for a lot. Now, if it could only play 80s music while dispensing good old "New Coke" I'd be in heaven!

[Programmer]

I started programming on a Commodore Pet with 4k of memory and a cassette drive. I carried around a "book" of cassettes with the programs I wrote and a binder of source code.

I then moved up to a 32k machine and a floppy disk drive.

Next was a Vic20 for a little while and I had fun writing games for this machine.

But the Commodore 64 would be my real first love. I adore my 64. I mean, who would not want a computer that Captain Kirk said was the best? I spent hours playing and programming on my Commodore 64. I used to copy games and hack and trade with friends. It was the first computer I saved up for and bought with my own money.

Then came my Amiga. I really loved that machine. After my Amiga I went into DOS machines and been developing in windows ever since.

The nostalgia value of this program is radically high, dude.

thanks

[sponge]

I think it's a bit unfair to list the imperfect emulation as a gotcha, or otherwise problem in the program, as we still don't have perfect C64 emulators on the desktop (from my experience) but for emulation newbies, it should be pointed out I suppose.

"I used to copy games"
Gah.. that annoying Don't Copy That Floppy video is stuck in my head now!
http://www.sajuta.org/videos/dctf-1.wmv

[aroma]

Ahhh... my sweet, sweet Comodore 64. I loved that machine &lt;sniff> &lt;sniff>.

Oh the days of playing Mail Order Monsters... any other fans of this spectacular game out there???

[quidproquo]

I remember fondly my C64. Boy that disk drive would scream at just under 1 Mhz!!

My twin brother and I used to sit around for hours and play Ultima III. One of the few role playing games that I actually finished to its conclusion.

Also, my high school buddies used to come over and we would have some real intense competition with the "Summer Games" olympic competition game. Boy - that was fun.... the joy sticks weren't very ergonomic back then (more like a square block with a small post attached and one button) but it sure was fun competition.

I will have to look into this emulator program....if nothing else but for the memories. :wink:

[davidspalding]

I miss my old Tandy Color Computer 3. 128 KB RAM, dual floppy disk drives, OS/9 work processing on a Magnavox RGB monitor.... I have but one or two photos of my little setup. :_(

Great games and fun learning some BASIC programming. &lt;sniff, sniff>

[javageek]

I still have a few Commodores, drives, monitor, and about 200 floppies! :D

[Kati Compton]

Ahhh... my sweet, sweet Comodore 64. I loved that machine &lt;sniff> &lt;sniff>.

Oh the days of playing Mail Order Monsters... any other fans of this spectacular game out there???
Yep. But I wanted to spend less time fighting with mine and more time building it.... :)

There's a yearly C64 convention in NW Indiana (right over the border) that I usually go to.

[whydidnt]

The C64 was my first computer....

Until the power supply melted one night. :bawl: That's right, I went to play with it one morning and had no power, after checking everything, I realized that a huge hole had melted the power supply right to my carpet. I guess I'm lucky the house didn't start on fire. I "upgraded" to an IBM XT clone after that happened, but still missed some of the programs I had on the C64

Back to the emulator. Is there anyway to get my convert my old C64 floppies for use with this? I guess what I'm asking is there a PC based program that would allow me to convert my C64 programs to something the emulator could use? I have an old baseball game that I would love to get onto my PPC if at all possible.

Whydidnt

[patwoods]

Wow... I miss the old days of my 300 baud modem... I can type faster than it could receive data :) Even as an old Atari person, I still remember the same things, surfing the local BBS scene, pirating software by using a dual-cassette deck!

BTW, have you seen this? These guys are nuts!
http://www.dunkels.com/adam/tfe/

[Jason Dunn]

Gah.. that annoying Don't Copy That Floppy video is stuck in my head now!

That was seriously entertaining! :-)

[Ed Hansberry]

Ahhhh... Archon. The memories all flood back now. I loved my C-64. How many subscribed to Compute's Gazette? How many used their binary entry program and keyed for days to get their word processor in - SpeedScript!

Hmm.... googling..... :google: seems you can still download it here - http://www.atarimagazines.com/compute/gazette/198705-speedscript.html

Maybe I'll load this up and SpeedScript then forgo Pocket Word! :lol:

Oh man... Speedscript is only 6KB at http://files.chatnfiles.com/carousel/comdore/64APPS/

Those were the days....

[Tim Jump]

I think it's a bit unfair to list the imperfect emulation as a gotcha, or otherwise problem in the program, as we still don't have perfect C64 emulators on the desktop (from my experience) but for emulation newbies, it should be pointed out I suppose.

"I used to copy games"
Gah.. that annoying Don't Copy That Floppy video is stuck in my head now!
http://www.sajuta.org/videos/dctf-1.wmv
That was exactly why I mentioned it as a gotcha - for the average user that expects perfect compatibility. Anyone else who has dabbled in emulation knows that 100% compatibility is somewhat of a rare thing.

And thank you SO much for sticking that song in my head now. :lol:

[bigkingfun]

Maybe I'll load this up and SpeedScript then forgo Pocket Word! :lol:

I was thinking this very thing when I installed Pocket C64 - thanks for the link :D

[Tim Jump]

Back to the emulator. Is there anyway to get my convert my old C64 floppies for use with this? I guess what I'm asking is there a PC based program that would allow me to convert my C64 programs to something the emulator could use? I have an old baseball game that I would love to get onto my PPC if at all possible.
I've found that your best bet is to try and find the game somewhere out there on the net...there's a TON of C64 games and programs already out there, so there's a good chance you'll find that game on one of the bigger sites.

If you just can't find it anywhere, you're probably going to need an X1541 cable to transfer files and programs back and forth between your C64 and your PC. I found some information about it here (http://almighty.c64.org/index.html#xcable), including where to buy one or how to make one yourself if you feel capable.

[aroma]

There was a wizards game that me and my brothers used to paly for hours and hours and hours... but I can't quite remember the name...

[Jason Dunn]

Ahhhh... Archon. The memories all flood back now.

I remember playing Archon for the Apple IIe I had - what a game! It was so very cool... :D

[Jacob]

The one dissappointment I had with this emulator was that playing Ultima IV was such a pain.

I LOVED that game on my C64!!

Good thing Jumpman plays well :D :mrgreen:

[JTWise]

Jumpman - now there are some fond memories! I bought my C64 when I was in 7th grade and swore up and down to my parents that I would use it to learn programming and word processing. :rotfl: Like that really happened. My personal list of favorites:

Beachhead 1 & 2
Jumpman & JM Jr
Leaderboard Golf
Raid over Moscow
Impossible Mission

I bought this program from Clickgamer a few months ago on special for $4.95. Great program !!!
:way to go:

[bjornkeizers]

The first computer I ever used was a C64 as well. This was back in school, I think it was .. oh must've been 1990 thereabouts.. was pretty old back then, but still a great machine.

I also have fond memorys of those MSX's [i think that's what they were called] Had this big tape deck, and you had to pop in a tape, fiddle around with it a bit, and then magically, it'd start emitting screeching noises and five minutes later, you'd see an intro screen :D Those were the days my friends!

[Mark Rejhon]

Hi,

You can buy a 1541 disk drive for cheap off eBay and then connect it to your PC. You need to use software such as Star Commander:
http://sta.c64.org/sc.html

I have a big batch of nearly 20 year old computer programs I wrote, and I've got it running in the emulator. I had the foresight back in 1991 to put all my programs on a BBS, which I downloaded to my 386 back then, so I now have all my original programs, all of which run flawlessly under today's C64 emulators!