Going MEGA: retro computing’s most ambitious project

David Crookes talks to the team giving one of Commodore’s lesser-known 8-bit computers, the prototype C65, a new lease of life

The Commodore 64 (C64) wasn’t the prettiest. Some would say it was downright ugly. But the 8-bit computer so famously compared to a bread bin turned out to be the best-selling single computer model of all time, racking up 17 million sales over 12 years. It could, however, have been improved. In 1989, Commodore looked to create a successor amid falling sales and a shifting interest towards consoles and 16-bit home computers. Over the course of two years it developed a prototype code-named “C64-DX”, with a set of advanced specs that pushed it close to the Commodore Amiga. “I loved the proposed machine with its built-in 3.5in floppy, faster CPU and crisp digital display,” said Paul Gardner-Stephen who, as a freelance software developer around that time, managed to get his hands on…

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PC Pro (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2021

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