Another case of vaporware ! In the end of 1990, Commodore decided to create a successor for the famous C64.They worked on a prototype called C64 DX then C65.
The C65 had new great features : a very special version of the 7510 with lot of new opcodes, great graphic modes (better than the Atari ST or the Amiga !) and a great new processor : the DMA / Blitter. This chip can be programmed with a list of instructions to copy or set blocks of memory.
The machine was meant to be fully compatible with the C64, but wasn't. A special key was added on the keyboard to switch between the two modes (C64 / C65).
The development of this machine was stopped (apparently because of problems with the VIC III controller and because of the cost of this computer), and because of the success of the Amiga (Notice that the C65 case looks like the Amiga one !).
Commodore produced about 50 C65's, the first ones display C64DX at boot, the latest display C65.
We need more info about this pong ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system,
please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.
Please consider donating your old computer / videogame system to Old-Computers.com or one of our partners from anywhere in the world (Europe, America, Asia, etc.).
Too little, too late. Amiga was already taking the world by storm.
Although this system should become a part of the VICE emulator$ It isn''t.
A very smart man made a 90$ working emulator here: https://github.com/lgblgblgb/xemu/wiki
And lots of videos of working units on www.youtube.com
What''s really neat is that most of the advanced features are available in C64 mode through simple Poke commands!
It''s easy to see why people paid $1000''s of dollars for the prototypes.
It would be really cool if a perfect emulator can be constructed, and the gear heads could port their C64 demos to the C65 emulator.
In fact the C65 could have challenged and beaten the IBM PC computers and Windows 3.1 of the era.
Sunday 13rd November 2016
Frankenburger
I do not think there was a special button to execute the transition between c65 and c64, but a particular power mode. Holding down the C$ key and turning the computer on, it went directly to c64.
Saturday 2nd April 2016
Mephisto
i think it was the best thing commodore did with the commodore 65 but.... amiga commes ....
Tuesday 28th October 2014
rendomizer (france)
NAME
C65
MANUFACTURER
Commodore
ORIGIN
U.S.A.
YEAR
1990
BUILT IN GAMES
Basic 10.0
CONTROLLERS
77 keys, including standard C64 keyboard + 8 function keys, TAB, Escape , ALT, CAPS Lock, no scroll, help
128 KB (DRAM), externally expandable from additional 512K bytes to 4MB
ROM
128 KB (including C64 Kernel and BASIC 2.2, C65 Kernel, Editor, BASIC 10.0, ML Monitor (like C128), DOS v10)
TEXT MODES
40 x 25 (C64 Mode), 80 x 25 (with blink, bold and underline attributes)
GRAPHIC MODES
All C64 modes (320 x 200 bitmap mode) + 320 / 640 / 1280 x 200 / 400 in 2, 4 or 8 planes, interlaces and non-interlaced
COLORS
Programmable 256-color RAM palette, with 16 intensity levels per primary color (yielding 4096 colors)
SOUND
Dual 8580r5 SID Sound chips. 6 voices, 3 per channel
I/O PORTS
RF video output jack, Analog video RGB port (DB-9), Composite video/audio port, Joystick (2), Cardridge slot, Tape, Serial bus port, User Port (RS232 compatible), RAM Expansion port, External floppy drive port, 2 x controller ports, Stereo audio output
