retrogames The C64 Mini USA Version - Not Machine Specific

Really cool little gadget. It comes with some pretty cool games. But it also supports loading .tap (tape) .d64/d81 (disk images) and .crt (cartridge images) for thousands of games you can find online. Though for some games you will need to read the manual on how to create .cjm files which lets you customize the emulation to make the games work (though most games don't require this). By the way, the manual is excellent. Let me just get one of the bad things out of the way. The joystick as other reviews have said is as cheap as it gets. Really not conducive to accurate control but it's enough to scratch the itch and experience the c64 at least. So to really effectively use this device I would recommend upgrading the joystick right away. If you're not sure, this is my setup that I'm pretty happy with: - A mini USB hub. (2 ports provided are not enough) So a hub with 4 ports should work. - Logitech G F710 Wireless Gamepad, this controller is wireless and its supported by the C64-mini. It's a quality controller which also works with the PC. So it's versatile. - a USB thumb drive. An inexpensive USB thumb-drive should work so that you can transfer the games you download with your computer to the C64-mini. - and a regular USB keyboard. Even though a virtual keyboard is provided, and accessible through the Start button on your controller/joystick. Having an actual physical keyboard is a notable quality of life improvement. One thing I did not realize before getting the C64-Mini is how vibrant the C64 community is. There are new games being released all the time and there is a huge community of C64 enthusiasts. This little machine has sent me back to my childhood and let me relive some of the coolest gaming moments of my youth. Furthermore it has intrigued my 10 year old nephew, who I didn't expect would love these 8-bit games as much as he does. I highly recommend this to anyone either looking to experience the early days of home computer entertainment, or those looking for a retro gaming experience that won't break the bank. If retro games are your thing, C64 has thousands of games.

Supper fun and well made

The C-64 mini is a great value at under $40 US. I like the interface and the music it plays. It reminds me a bit of the NES classic. The included joystick is the weak point of this system. It's nice that you can also use it with other emulators, such as RetroPie on the Raspberry Pi 4, but it feels quite stiff compared to old-school joysticks. The most serious problem though, is lack of durability from its design. Mine literally snapped after two months of moderate use. I was able to super-glue it back together, however, and it still works but seems more fragile. Fortunately, some other USB controllers will work on the system, but it is hit and miss. I was also able to update the firmware on the mini. It was pretty straightforward and added some extra games to it. The initial collection of 64 or so games is decent. Collectors from the US will recognize a lot of the Epyx titles. Quite a few other games come from across the pond, but the quality is really good, and the music is emulated quite well. You get a good mix of action, adventure, platformers, shmups, puzzles, etc. I recommend updating the firmware for a few extra gems. However....MANY outstanding classic titles are missing. There are no games here from EA, Accolade, Atari soft, Infocom, Psygnosis, Sierra, Scott Adams, etc. Fortunately, you can add more games with a flash drive. The biggest drawback to the mini is that it only has 2 USB ports. If it had 3, it would be near perfect. Here's why: You will need one port for the controller (obviously), and you'll need one port for a keyboard. Even my wireless keyboard works, which is sweet! You could use the on-screen virtual keyboard, but it's just tedious. Now, if you try to add more games (.d64 or .t64 files) with a flash drive, you would still need another USB port. So, I end up having to swap devices a lot and occasionally use the virtual keyboard. (Note - I have since fixed this problem by adding a $20 powered USB hub.) One other issue, is not with the mini itself, but with the original Commodore 64 design... After about 9 years of games, why couldn't all those software houses come to an agreement as to which port the joystick should plug into???!!! If you add games via flash, you will encounter this problem. Adding _J1 after the filename and before the .suffix will fix it most of the time. (Note - there is also a hotfix that will switch ports in-game using a 2 or 3 button combo on the controller. Make sure you upgrade the firmware first though!) Overall, it's still fun AND worth the price. If you're willing to splurge though, go for the c-64 max version.

Works great. I get to play all the games I played when I was a kid

The emulator is great, yet the achilles heel of this setup is the joystick that comes in the box. While it may look almost like the old Competition Pro high quality joystick from sold in the 80's that was almost indestructible (thanks to a metal rod within the plastic stick, and microswitches), the one in the box uses standard switches on the board, and no metal rod inside the stick. So needless to say... mine lasted about 10-20 hours of playing (normal activity and pressure, with games such as Boulder Dash), before the plastic stick decided to break on its weakest spot (you can probably guess where). Now I have to replace the whole purchase. So be prepared to get yourself a better joystick soon, though which one to pick that has the 4 useful extra buttons on the back ? The C64 Maxi ($400) includes a better joystick variant (inside its black stick is a metal rod which won't break easily). Yet I have not seen that joystick for sale separately, at least not recently. I don't want to buy a spare C64 mini joystick for $30 as a backup, as I expect it to break sooner or later. The alternative Koch model seems not to be available any more, either. So I guess I hope that my replacement won't break until some better joystick that I can buy becomes available..

Tip #1: Make sure you update your Firmware to the newest version it is easy, the instruction on the website, just use a USB drive and throw the file onto it and update in the Tip #2: Don't compare this to modern systems it won't hold up but just have fun remembering simple times Tip #3: The keyboard is not a working keyboard but looks like a real one, but they do have a virtual or you can just plug in regular old USB keyboard with no problem, it is still super cool! --------------- If you are on the fence about buying this product, I would say just go for it! You will love it! Those of us who grew up playing on Apple IIe computers, NES, and C64, we all remember the floppy disk and fumbling with cassette tapes and other media to get things to work. I am not a Millennial nor am I Gen X I am proudly a Xennial, I had an Analog childhood but had a digital adulthood when everything changed, even though I was introduced to computers at a very young age, but was told by "teachers" to focus on doing things the old way, unless you were Mr. Wizard, who actually showed kids that computers were cool back then. These types of systems are perfect for people like me who want to have a modern nostalgic experience. Obviously the games don't compare to those of the modern world but they hold there value as remembrances. Some of the games I had played. Some were new to me. Not a complaint but a note is that the computer has no working keyboard, but that is okay because you can just plug one into the computer and the system has virtual keyboard built in. Remember to update the firmware it is on the C64 website. They have some extra games and some extra features, just use your USB flash drive.

First, please pay attention to the product description and specifications. This is a fully-working Commodore 64 emulator with a decorative, nostalgic case that is NOT a keyboard. It doesn't include a wall-wart but any 1Amp "phone charger" will work. It includes a charging cable and an HDMI cable. I strongly recommend adding a USB keyboard - my wireless keyboard worked just fine. This device CAN be configured to start up just like the original C64, blue screen and all. This is a well-supported device with a new firmware released this month (Feb 2021). It even included a couple of new games! This would be a great value just as a game system but the fact that it can be used as a retro computer also is just amazing.

I also own The C64 Micro Computer. I only have the E.U. version and wanted a North American version with some exclusive built-in games, so I bought this. Plus it is cute and smaller, so good to take along when travelling. It turned out that unlike my full sized C64, the Mini refused to recognize my USB drive and refused to recognize its joystick, even though the C64 could recognize both joysticks and the USB drive was fine. I exchanged the unit but the second unit had the same issue, so I knew two consecutive defective units sent to me by a good seller was extremely unlikely. I tried an online advice to reformat the drive but ensure it is not bootable, since I got a black screen restarting with the drive inside it. After backing up the drive files first, of course, I used Windows 10's Diskpart command. After selecting the correct drive, I: a) clean b) create partition primary c) format fs=fat32 quick I tried again on the Mini and this time the system settings was able to detect the latest firmware update (1.6.1). It installed and restarted. Immediately after the Mini recognized my USB drive easily, (the USB icon showed up in the Carousel) and it accepted both versions of the C64 joystick! If not for the issue that was a defect when the Mini was first released, the product would have gotten 4 stars from me. There are some good built-in games. However, the main attraction is that it emulates C64 games and it is much more plug-and-play than using an emulator on your computer. I was able to emulate all the 8 or 10 games I have tried so far. Some of them require slight renaming of .d64 files described in the ONLINE PDF manual (not the paper manual). All C64 units can play NTSC or PAL games. I'm giving this Mini 3 stars instead of 4 because the joystick isn't built as well as The C64. The circular base on the bottom is loose and not glued, and I don't feel satisfying clicks when I move the joystick like I do with The C64's. It is just my personal comfort, though - yours may be different. I also found only 2 ports to be annoying if I wanted to use the joystick, external keyboard, and USB drive. Something like an USB hub (it doesn't need to be powered) would be necessary to use all three at the same time. If you have good memories of using the C64 when you were younger, you would be happy with either product. You will have very quick load times compared to using the original with floppy disks! If you can only get one, I recommend the full sized The C64. I just love having the almost original keyboard and it makes some games easier (original keys and you can fit keyboard overlays from some boxed games on it since the size and dimensions are identical to the original keyboard). The C64 has a better joystick and four USB ports - so you can have an USB drive, two joysticks, and still have one free port since you will already have a keyboard. If you can only buy one region, I suggest E.U. - I personally think it has better/more interesting games and you can use .d64 files for any game you want that isn't in your system by default. I am still very happy with my Mini and I can see myself using it from time to time even though I still have The C64.