C̶o̶m̶m̶o̶d̶o̶r̶e̶ MEGA 65 Unboxing, History & Teardown!
Let’s explore the history of the Commodore 65, back as the MEGA 65, unbox it & do a mega teardown with the microscope! Check out PCBWay.com - great PCBs from just $5!
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• Special thanks to Ladyfractic & the Puppyfractics!
• All other media featured is marked as public domain on Google Images or used with written permission or shown under fair use law.
MENU
0:00 Intro/Commodore 65 History
3:51 fUnboxing MEGA 65
7:30 Exploring the device
13:48 Hardware Teardown
18:01 Under the Microscope
19:54 Setup & next steps
21:50 Supporter credits outro
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Thanks for watching! So is €666 too much for this non-profit machine or are we lucky to have these options? Is FPGA emulation or replication? How aromas trigger nostalgia - Nostrilgia!: kzhead.info/sun/ZLBsd5lxi5-AmKc/bejne.html
As a bit of a religious person I wouldn't pay 666 EUR even if it was too _little_ Would have been fine with a clean 699 EUR instead. But that's just me.
@@doq Perhaps not 616 either. According to some manuscripts.
@@doq but 69 sounds much better!
Replication of a sort. The "Natami" was going to be recreated using that technology. It's a type of soft hardware or a high-tech breadboard. Maybe it should be called, not firmware but very firmware, And probably a lot cheaper than mass manufacturing new microprocessors.
Surely they could have used off the shelf component chips to produce an 8 bit computer compatible with c64 . The MOS 6502 chip still produced and billions exists … could have done something clever with these?
I remember back in the lateish 70s. My dad took me to a radio shack and bought me a walki talki. I opened the box out in the car. My dad said smell it. I thought...WHAT?....why....he said just do it. AND OH!!!...that fresh electonics smell....still remember it to this day....and I still smell new electronics when I get them...:)
I can’t justify the purchase of one of these, so I will live vicariously through your excellent videos.
As a DevKit and MEGA65 owner (and with a ton of MEGA65 content on my channel), I'm biased but I do want to thank you for covering this wonderful computer. It needs more attention and you have the viewership to bring awareness. Something my small channel cannot do. Thank you and Cherrio! Be sure and come join the Discord community. That's where the real fun begins. Tag me when you arrive!
Cheers! My pleasure. Unfortunately I’m not on Discord. I have to watch the number of apps I use as it really eats into production time. I appreciate the invite. 👍🕹️
@@RetroRecipes Understand. If I can help answer any questions please feel free to reach out. If I can answer I will but if I can't, I'd be happy to liaise with the developer community for you. Can't wait to see part deux! Later, VeryFrantic! 😁
@@retroCombs Thank you! 🙌
What did you make for them, what you run on them now? Browser, online C64 apps? fun? The hardware is too old, but you still develop solutions, great portal you do here!
Having spent my childhood years around computer manufacturing in the late 70’s and early 80’s, I completely understand the smell. Now, imagine walking into a huge parts storage room with pallets of plastic cases, metal cages and thousands and thousands of IC storage tubes.
Even if I never owned the C64 (I had to wait for the Amiga 500 to have my first computer), I can't wait to see the part 2 of this series. I'm always amazed by what passionate people can do with modern technology to the retro world :)
Amiga is still in use... i only know the Fatboy Slim and Junkie XL people still need them. show how great they are, or stay in the past only?
i would not call that retro, even it looks like it from outside. inside it is anti-retro.
I'm so happy that there are still freaks loving retro-tech and giving everything to bring us the warm feeling of our childhood back. I'm waiting for an fullscale model of "the amiga"... Would by it, like i buyed the "the c64" too. Thanks for this brilliant unboxing.
Totally!
That's the feeling I had in 1982 opening my Atari 800 and again in 1985 opening my Amiga 1000!
OMG...opening an Amiga 1000 back in 1985 would have been the ultimate nerd dream! 😇 I remember visiting a guy from my school who had one of the first A1000...it was like Christmas Eve! 🥰
I have absolutely no need for this...... Which makes me want one even more. LOVE it !!! The design screams 80's and that makes me smile and remember those days. I was on the CoCo side of things back then, but I still remember wanting a 64 -- and eventually drooling over an Amiga that I couldn't afford lol -- Aaah young and broke :-P Thanks for the video, and I'll be waiting for the next installment!
Was never a C64 kid myself, but bought one during lockdown and have bought another 10 of them since! Was always fascinated by the C65 and watched this project develop, but couldn't justify the cost when it came out. But that's Ok, it's still fun watching other peoples' experiences with it. Great video!
On Covid, i bought so many technology from the past, old people did trash a lot! Justify the cost? They all trashed it, for who needs it prices, who needs old crap?
It's a huge loss that we can't ever give our children born in the 2000s, 2010s the same joy. Opening one box that is a quantum leap in their digital potential. Now they can get a phone that can do all they need for £150 and then upgrade every year until they buy their own for their own money for up to £1k. Or give them a 2md hand laptop for £300 that will do it all bar some game quality/resolution/fps. But everything will just run. Back in the day we dreamed of the thing for years and then we got it and then we enjoyed it for years. I had a C-64, then upgraded to a a 386SX-40. Then DX2-80. Everything since has been so gradual it didn't even register. Something was lost since then. And I am a bit sad. Got an Amiga 500 recently though, and that's the closest I got to that feeling ever since I was a child.
You should be able to use washers under the floppy drive to raise it just enough for the button to clear.
There's something quite unique about the aroma of 1980s electronics. I can still smell it in my mind even though I no longer have anything that smells like that.
and the good thing is, that we can use cheap usb logic analyzers and usb scopes to measure around and repair it or tweak and expand it on that 80s/ early 90s machines. that is not possible with 6 layer pcbs and ball grid arrays and smd parts that look like a dust particle. in my profession as an embedded systems software engineer, i have to deal with that small parts but i have expensive equipment around like stereo microscopes that costs many thousands of €/$ and good soldering equipment etc. but even that is sometimes a pain in the ass. and for hobbyists, that kind of equipment is not available. this is why these old electronics will even outlast a playstation 5. without the servers and serviceability, those modern game consoles are just a pile of expensive junk. made to keep the user out despite letting them pay a huge amount of money.
i only smell the new game cases. What does the 80s tech smell like? i dont really got anything tech related from the 80s
The smell of PCB solvent has left an indelible imprint on my nostalgia-ROM. The right unboxing takes me back to my 16k memory expansion module for my ZX-81 as a 10-year old at Christmas. As powerful as any pheromone! 🙂
Yes! For me it was the smell of my CoCo when I opened it on Christmas Day 1983 lol
When-oh-when will the technology of smell-o-vision arrive?! The aroma of hot electronics in plastic casing takes me back to the exciting times of my first CD/cassette player and having a hard disk in the A1200.
🙂 Same here mate. I remember, 30 years ago when i unboxed my 3M floppy discs or the 60 MB streamer data cartridge, those smell (did not care about those toxic chemicals what have been released) was much more interesting for me (geek) than any pizza nowadays. :) :)
Gotta love how he got lost in the smell-- somehow I knew *EXACTLY* what you meant as I remembered how my old plus/4 brick used to smell when it got hot 😅
When I got my Amiga 1000 way back I put all the boxes and stuff in plastic bags to preserve the new computer smell they had
I have a distinct memory of a smell associated with the Commodore 1541 drive. I think it was actually the DIN cable that came with it that emitted the smell, but I've never smelled anything quite like it since.
@@caulkins69 The 1541 had it's own CPU that could get pretty toasty with its own smell indeed! Never knew some software actually used it for a co-processor 🤯
Had Commodore released this machine in place of the C-128 they would have completely dominated the low-end 8bit PC market for the next decade. The specs sounded like an absolute dream machine that I would have wanted for a C-64 upgrade, instead of having to store up my allowance and scrounge money any way I could to afford an Amiga 500 in 1989 instead of something like this in 1987. a VIC-3 graphics chip and 2 SIDs, along with 128k and GEOS or a similar GUI-based OS? Absolute dominance of the 8-bit market. Commodore had so much potential but it was pillaged by Mehdi Ali and Irving Gould once Jack Tramiel had been ousted. You KNOW Jack would have plumped for this ultimate 'computer for the masses, not the classes' and thus given time for the Amiga platform to mature properly, and the PC world might have been very different today. Thank you for showing us this amazing piece of computer history that should have been that is now alive again today!
Oh man, I cannot wait for part 2. I was never a C64 guy, I went from a VIC20 to NES then SNES and Mega Drive, then to the Amiga 500 then 1200 so kinda skipped these but your way of making these vids is taking me back to the BASIC days. Said it before and I'll say it again - your enthusiasm is infectious and a joy to watch. Thanks Perifractic! As an aside - I recently finished the Chrononaut - enjoyed it immensely!
Glad you liked this Craig and thanks for the nice comment. Glad you liked the book too! It’s been quite thought provoking for me the more that comes out about UAPs recently… Hmm I wonder…
I went Vic20 to C64 to A500 myself. You might say I found my brand
The UFO interest only began after I moved to the 486 DX2 66 era in the 90s
you only played games, never developed? Use the Basic interpreter to go online now?
Sounds like you were a C64 guy at heart all along.
I'm in two minds about this. On one side, I love and salute the idea of a group of enthusiasts building a "what might have been" and bringing it to life with such commitment. On the flip side, the C64 did have a successor - the C128 - which was respectfully successful in its own right, but for a variety of reasons, never matched the success of its forebear. And then we have the Amiga 1000 which followed - which was so advanced and much more of a "giant leap than a small step" that it transcended completely whatever the C64 was and could be. Still a great video - and kudos for the comedy!
yep, peace of junk. This MEGA65 was invented long time ago. It's called Amiga Technologies Model 500. (Amigat 500). Even the specs are way worse than in Amiga so this is only for those old farts and C-64 hipsters which refuse to admit that world moved to Amiga to PC to 3dfx Windows PC which era we still live.
Of course, in between the C64 and the C128 we had the TED machines (C-16, Plus/4) which were nice machines that might have done well had they not been way overpriced for their capabilities. Their color range was rather nice (121 possible colors), whereas the C128 used the same VIC-II chip as the C64 and was therefore limited to the same 16 colors (or a different set of 16 if using the VDC-driven 80-column RGBI display). But they couldn't run C64 software. I loved my C128, but it was mostly a minor evolution of the 64. The C65, with its 16-bit processor and massively improved video capability, would have been a completely different beast. Seems like it would have divided the Commodore 16-bit market with the Amiga and made both of them undersell, though.
@@markjreed Double the power and memory, you call that minor evolution. With C128 you can do stuff which c64-losers can only dream. C-64 losers hates c128, they just irrationally hate it. They always hate it. C128 can run C64 software, You're out of your mind.
@@markjreed The C128 was definitely more of an "evolution" than a "revolution. Yes, we go more RAM, and a better BASIC - but we didn't get better Graphics and Sound Chips. And we also got CPM which was a waste of time. The step up from the C64 to the C128 definitely was not as significant as the step up from the VIC20 to the C64 unfortunately.
@@mcd3379 Yeah, 1985 was a bit late to be releasing a new CP/M machine, especially one so slow as the C128. It would have helped if CP/M could have run in 2MHz mode. I'd say the biggest real improvement that came with the 128 was probably the burst-mode I/O with 1571+ disk drives.
What a delightful video, truly. I probably won't be picking one of these up because I can't justify the expense for my level of enthusiasm, but I'm insanely impressed with it and I can see just how much they nailed this computer and how happy it'll make retro computing enthusiasts. FPGA is the future of retro tech in so many ways, from arcade & console games to old computers, we're entering a whole new age of preservation. It feels a lot more deliberate now than it did with software emulation, with a lot more care placed in the implementation and presentation. Not that I have a problem with software emulation at all, it's just something I've noticed with a lot of these projects.
The paraphernalia and desoldering gun in the background combined with line snorting was Los Angeles style geekery. 😂
The smelling... I had to smell mine at that moment, and it kind of reminded me of the production hall at Trenz Electronics. Yes, a very distinct electronics aroma ;) Looking forward to the next video! Feel free to drop by on our discord, we are happy to help!
Now I want to work at Trenz! Sorry I’m not on Discord - I have to limit the number of notifications from different apps but many thanks!
I had an Apple 2GS when I was a kid. Such an amazing machine!
I've been waiting to see this thing in action since it was first announced! Can't wait for Part 2! 👍
Wonderful review! I love how you emphasize the feeling we had when we were kids.
Just 30+ years too late to have any relevance... But never knew this existed. Thank you for the video as an original C64 owner...
This is so awesome (yep from a man with no nostalgia for the C64). A mate here in Perth has the mega 65 and I was lucky enough to see and touch it. Such amazing build quality. Throw an A1200 core on it and my interest will be peaked 😁
That’s the hope!
€600 seems like an incredibly reasonable price. Some people are quick to ignore that these are low volume devices, they don't have the staggering economy of scale of an Xbox. If they sold it for less they'd likely never make back the cost of the bespoke injection mould alone, let alone pay people for all their R&D time to make it happen.
Agreed
Have you seen the Heber and rmc case for the mister? They call it the multi system. Half the price and far more capable at least in terms of machines recreated and community size. I understand very well this is a low volume devices, but even in such circumstances there is good and bad and in price quality comparison, this does not meet the bar. An expensive FPGA with a single core? Put a mister in an amiga case and you have the same thing. This only works as a nostalgic exercice and even for that it's expensive.
@@bzuidgeest The MiSTer is great, but it has a much larger customer base and is made by a large UK industrial machine manufacturer. It's an excellent product, but it's also usually sold in a 3D printed case, or between two open sheets of acrylic. It doesn't compare in cost of production to the Mega 65. Both are great, and both are priced fair.
@@KingEurope1 yet the spectrum next ngo is about 300. And that is a similar project. I know about quite a lot of these kind of projects and this is by far one of the most expensive options i have seen. And it only does a single system. I cannot beat the nostalgia factor, but that is a lot of money for a badge. Yes low volume devices can be expensive, but if you get a lot that might be worth it, but you really don't in this case. Not compared to any other option out there and there are a lot these days. If you want to buy one for you nostalgia fix or as thank you to the designer that's fine. But you can put a mister in an Amiga case (or whatever you like) with an Amiga keyboard and get a lot of other systems too, well supported by a large community. Not two guys with a dream. They would have been smarter to just put the mister in their case, made a core and sell that. Cheaper and more functionality. It's an FPGA system anyway.
My very first pc was the commodore C64 when it first came out, around the early 80s, I think 82. I was 21 at the time and it came out in August around my birthday, and I know I bought it for my birthday.
I'd just buy a smell alone in a spray ;) IDK what the smell of that is, but I imagine the old computers smell. Amiga smelled awesome. They definitely should recreate that smell and sell it as a spray to apply on various computer parts like PC keyboards ;)
Nice box. Clearly inspired by the original C64 packaging.
Appreciating these honest reviews.
Because of the Smell: Try Bergamot with a Touch of Vanilla (Single or in Combination), if you want it even more Retro/Vintage add Musk and Cedarwood. Preferably not a Room-Fragrance like a Spray or something, but in the form of a Candle. When Warm, this Fragrance is reminiscent of the "Good-Old" Days 😉
I'm laughing at "Nostrilgia" and "Hippopotamus" a lot more than I rightly shoud be!!! Great video, thanks for putting this together :)
Greetings from Malaysia. The company, Alps Electric is still around today and manufacture mostly industrial and vehicle audio equipment such as Alpine and etc.
That’s cool! Thanks
Glad to see you finally got your hands on the MEGA 65! I ended up blowing quite a bit of cash getting both a Dev Kit (#203) and the first batch as depicted in the video. Nice to see you also own Hibernated 1. You're right, it's a beautiful machine and despite the cost, we're lucky to have this. I've been meaning to program something for this but can't seem to find the time right now. Looking forward to part 2! Your channel is one of the best retro channels on KZhead and your production values are incredible. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️
Your choice highlights the reason behind a big problem for the machine - a dearth of software for it. Because almost no DevKit buyers, were genuine developers - they were all hobbyists (at best) or collectors
@@txtworldYou're right about that. Although I did buy the Dev Kit to make something, I never got it up and running before the official launch. It sucks, and the lack of genuine MEGA 65 software/games (rather than C64 mode ports) is hurting the prospects of the machine greatly.
Never thought I’d see a 65. Even as a child, I had a feeling the next would be 128 since it’s double the 64 and you know how technology loves to double itself through the years. Now I’m waiting on the 129. 😁
The 128 came out in 1985.
You still produce music, Hardstyle? Thunderdome here, the old times, we still need skills in the industry, do collabs with creative people! Never forget 8 bit beats!
@@lucasrem Love Nintendo 8bit beats!
Your dog must know more about vintage computers than I do.
Great video RR! Very excited to see part 2 and 3 coming up! Check the rooftop sprinklers! Did your neighbors install them also, it's an idea that should go viral I would think.
Thank you! Yes one neighbour has followed suit. Luckily even if every house doesn’t have them it forms a humid microclimate that helps neighbouring houses too.
The very high prices of retro C64's on eBay has just fallen through the floor. You know your near Christmas when this stuff starts to appear. The first computer room at my school in the 80's had 12 C64's and within a week thieves stole the lot. Back in the day they were very hot property.
Are you literally saying that asking or selling prices for the C64 have fallen? Or was this hyperbole?
Heya Leo! I didn't know you were into Retro ;)
@@merlinathrawes6191 The video was shoved into my feed at the top of the page, so someone paying for me to click on it
@@leokimvideo Well, it's a quality click lol. NO redbacks or choo choo's but plenty of memberberries.
leokimvideo What school needed the C64 systems, what lessons, programming skills, Basic coding, for then loops, 'goto 10' etc hard lines. US was apple 2, UK and Europe was Basic, Acorn electron the skool computer #1, but your school, where was it? You forgot? Stolen in the 1980 years? Did your shool bought needing gaming systems?
Thx for the video. I pre-ordered in January and can hardly wait for it to come!
I wonder if simply putting spacer(s) under the floppy would raise it up enough for better insertion?
That's what she said!
Loving the depth and contents of the last couple of videos. It is like Retro 'Retro Recipes'.
ЯЯRR
@@RetroRecipes That looks a little like the sound MPs they make in parliament in the UK when they are supporting announcements vocally. Usually, spelt rerr, but your logo works better.
Reminds me of opening my C64 on Christmas Day back in the 80s. I played Blue Max and the love affair began. Eventually I upgraded to a disk drive from Evesham Micros and that enabled me to experience Wasteland. God I loved that game and was so sad when it ended. Great memories flooding back whilst watching your enthusiasm for this cool little machine. Many thanks
That’s lovely
Wastelands was the 3rd greatest CRPG released on the C64 (After Ultima IV and Alternate Reality: The Dungeon) and one I was proud to play to completion, glad you loved it as much as I did! The PC sequels from a couple years back were excellent as well, but nothing can touch that 'Bard's Tale' combat interface combined with insanely detailed storyline that required a manual to keep streight. A total gem. Every time I "ripped a clip, turning (xEnemy) into a fine red mist" just made me grin my 13 year old psychopath grin. 😁
You get it🙂
I personally approve of the high amount of TWSS gags appearing in this video.
Ok, glad too see I am NOT the only freak who loves the smell of fresh motherboards. It reminds me of the arcades I used to visit in the 80s. To this day, I will go to the copier room at work when a new copier comes in and takes me back to a simpler time LOL! ;)
BRING BACK COMMODORE COMPUTERS I AM FED UP WITH THE APPLE AND MICROSOFT DOMINANCE!!!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Sitting here watching on a 32" 165Hz IPS panel and thinking I really miss CRTs.
Love your style! It's nice to see others share their appreciation for the wonderful world of scent too
I recently got that 80’s electronic smell when I bought a mint edition of Tomy Kingman LSI game which came in the original plastic bag inside. You can never forget that smell and I had been trying to find it ever since the 80’s.
Got one for a while, flashed it to the newest Core / Rom, and love it. Have a look at the newest PDF user guide, as it already has more than 80 changes included. It‘s a really nice device, and runs approx. 100 times faster than a C64 (with OS sw optimizations, and running at selectable 40MHz). Now you can run basic programs fast enough.
Been loving mine since May. It's amazing, draws you in, has "real feel" Commodore genes (in a way Amiga didn't), and feels like a true successor to the '64. The goal is to get people involved in every which way possble and become part of this machine going forwards. Not just one of those that sit at the side and say "Not many games for it?"
Exciting stuff indeed, I look forward to see this put through its paces.
I watch your channel all the time even though I had an Atari 800 back in the day. You have so much love for all the retro tech it's really delightful to watch.
Cheers Seth!
I had an Amstrad 464, it was the competitor across the pond to the C64. It was so fancy, it had a cassette deck built in! If anyone thought listening to dialup modems were annoying, the sound from the tape decks was nails on a blackboard. Some games took 30 minutes to load, and if you died, you had to reload the game. Happy days... were so rare back then lol.
Honestly, when I first got my hands on a real C65, OFCOURSE, I sniffed at the chips on the PCB. I mean, the owner paid a few 10k's for it and it didn't harm the computer. It smelled like magic, that's what I can tell.
Ah,the smell of a new C-64,i will never forget that :)
Love the unboxing and can't wait to see the rest! I remember those smells and everyone thought I was nuts even smelling my new Commodore Magazines. Let me ask you bluntly, can I move in? You have better toys than I do! 😂😉
Come on in!
@@RetroRecipes I'm moving in too, just so you know.
@@danboid Great I just tidied the studio and there’s more space now!
@@RetroRecipes Perfect! I can be your box smell assistant, making sure you get the best quality whiffs during unboxings. I've got my stage name sorted- Nostrildamus.
This thing is beyond awesome. The fact that it goes above and beyond the common emulator and is a true 8 bit PC finished and released in modern times, it's so darn cool. But man that price... Ouch. Not really a deal breaker, but definitely an acquisition delayer. Still, reguardless of that, it existing in the first place may just make up for it.
I guess they wont change the case. Because this case was created from an original C65 they got for recreating the case. Also, I got this machine. It works great. The C64 Mode is "limited" in compatibility due to the C65 Mode (and its interconnects). However, ther MISTer C64 Kernel was already ported, and it got great compatibility already.
It always feels like 'I'm coming home' when I watch one of your excellent videos 😊
That’s very nice thank you and welcome home
Pretty cool little machine there. I felt by 1992 Commodore was about 5 years too late to introduce a new member to the C64 line. This is exactly what the 128 should have been. By 1992 Commodore should have been looking for a way to lower the cost of Amiga to replace the C64, or simply market the Amiga 600 better than they did.
Can't handle the nostalgia! If we ever have to take on Skynet it will probably be with these human friendly retro PC's.
You had me at the smell of the plastic off gassing. That is my favorite scent!
THE CORRS JOKE HAD ME SPIT OUT MY COFFEE🤣
😅
Mega video! Very excited to see part 2!
Coming soon!
Its so amazing!! I love this episode. It seems you always make me personally smile with your content. I hope others feel the same way. Nostalgia has to mean something to us. It does.
Is it just me or is your hair transforming into the HOFF?!!!
I know what you mean about the smell. The greatest memory I have on my Amiga was taking it out of its pink plastic wrapper on Christmas day and being hit by the aroma. I had a C64 many years before that, but it was my father than unboxed it (big kid!).l and I missed that thrill.
Nice to see the Mega65 come out. The biggest problem is the price. I know the first units are always the most expensive to produce but the initial price is quite high to justify and that's going to hold back quite a few people from acquiring a unit. As bad as I want one I will have to sit the initial release out because even I am having a hard time justifying the price. Based on the release price I suspect the Mega65 people believe the unit will not sell in any great numbers which would justify the high price. If they believe otherwise the price would of been probably closer to half the cost and still some would view that as being too high.
There are bigger problems than the price ... the uncertainty & lack of product availability, being the main stumbling block - having to preorder at least a year in advance, with the date you'll finally receive it being “anyone's guess”. Unless - like RR - you’re fortunate enough to be a favored customer. The dearth of software for it, is another issue
Would love to see this or the C65 compared to the C128. They seem to be similar in their goal of the ultimate 8-bit.
Ok, that isn't fair, the C128 would need stereo Pokey upgrade, SuperCPU, and maybe digimax for starters.
Keyboard G 80's Synthwave Please upload your synth creations here, 8 bit skills are needed, reviving these old gen machines! If you are creative, we know there is a market now, Hip Hop, Radio too, people with skills!
@@danaeckel5523 are you creative too, please upload what you have created on them please.
i am clueless on any of these machines, but its just special to see a ton of people still dig this kind of old tech.Very cool
Finally he has it!!!! Gotto go watch this now 😊 Was that 22 minutes? I hadn’t noticed… the hallmark of quality content
Nice video. I'm looking forward to seeing stuff running on the the machine. Hopefully we'll see developers embrace it.
What are they developing on them, Music ? Yeah, show why we need them now, running!
A real joy to watch as always.. the sniffing of the computer made me laugh. 😆 It's nice to see you in your element - surrounded by tech, with a child-like enthusiasm for modern retro things! I agree that we are spoilt for choice these days! That being said, the cost of the MEGA65 seems pretty extreme to me, but then what do I know? I guess these things cost a lot of money to develop in the first place.. I think I'm happy to stick with my C64! Maxi 😁 I am very excited to see the next part where you show us what it can do! 🤓
Glad you liked it! Interestingly the C65 was going to retail for $350 which is around $680 today with inflation. I know items like THEC64 have been sold for much less than that, but perhaps it puts it in perspective a bit. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
If you sum up the cost of all the components the price isn‘t high. Remember it‘s a low volume project, and purchasing all components on your own would come to even more costs. However, there are ways to use e.g. a Nexys Board for going cheaper w/o the nice keyboard, disc drive, etc. Or even for very low cost using the software emulator xemu on a pc. For me nothing beats the feeling to have a complete system, though. And it‘s capable enough with speed and memory to program to your leisure.
Just love the 80s reference using Airwolf!
Absolutely love your channel. Your studio is quality. Had no idea a C65 was planned!
Thank you for your kind words! Means a lot 👍🕹️
@@RetroRecipes My pleasure, I’m still in awe of the A500 mini/A1200 build. Absolutely phenomenal work.
Maybe it was better that it never came out. In my opinion the C65 would have turned into the Amiga 600 of the C64, if you know what I mean.
Not bad. Will be interesting to see the Commander X16 when it comes (If it is still in production).
I WAS SHOCKED AT JUST HOW LITTLE IS INSIDE THE MACHINE!!!
Anybody who starts off a video, snorting off a Retro computer, gets my sub😆👍jokes aside, great set up, wow. God….. I miss the 80’s …90’s… best yrs. of my life.
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man you keep taking my back to my childhood with such an incredible beatifull way
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Price... Considering how many pople question it in the comments, maybe it would be a good thing to address it in your next video. I will try to put some short points: 1. For MEGA team this is a non profit project. That means that the countless of hours invested in the last 7 years are given for free. 2. This is an open source project. Anyone can contribute, and already there are a large number of people producing tools and software for Mega65. It is given for free. 3. Trenz, the company that assembles and ships Mega65 is a great admirer of the project and is doing this with no profit. 4. Case: the tool for the injection molding, which is amazingly expensive to make, was financed by the donation of the community! I think it was ca. 66k eur. This is not in the machine price. It is given for free 5. Keyboard: high quality cherryMX based mechanical keyboard designed by GMK with double shot keycaps. This alone costs 100+ eur. And on top of that we get a proper keyboard for the machine. 6. FPGA and the mainboard: he Mega65 board is customized and based on Xilinx™ Artix A7 200T FPGA. Without going into how much the customization costs, the A7 200T itself is more than 300+ eur. And Mega65 machine has 2 additional FPGA chips. 7. MEGA team did not want to compromise on the quality of components or production. This is not intended to be a cheaply made project... I could go on and on... But the most amazing thing about this project is that we got something that only partially existed as a C65 prototype and would never be available to us if not for Mega65 team and their dedication and hard work. We got a new 8 bit machine and no one knows its potential yet, just like with C64 when it came out. And this is priceless. The shear size of the work involved in this project, and that it is released in a complete machine is nothing short of a miracle.
Yes I think it would be a great and interesting video!
Oh man. That is SO freakin' cool! You hit the nail on the head as far as how spoiled we are that products like this are released this many years later and that there is such a strong, thriving, and producing community for our retro tech!
Great video as always, thank you. Makes me wonder if the Commander X16 will continue.
Ciao, in 1986 i own my first Commodore VC20, but in late 1989 my Amiga 500, which i liked much more.. so i started to do some graphics and Music using tracker Programs..my last Amiga was the 1200..many greetings from Brunswick in Germany :)
Lovely piece of hardware! This was literally the stuff of future dreams for us A500 owners who wanted to stay in the times. I still can't get over your studio though... I want to live under a desk there please..
Come on in!
@@RetroRecipes 😅I'll start packing.
Actually I might have misunderstood what this computer is at the start haha.
Is it really packaged without any real use of plastic? Thats so cool!
I'm convinced 'new plastic' carries the smell of the injection moulding machines - a hot machine oil. I challenge you to recreate that in your future restorations!
I actually did recreate it in my Nostrilgia video!
This was truly amazing. And I love your sense of humor. Excellent presentation.
Thank you for your kind words 🙏
FPGA solutions like the Mister are expensive, though the best way to “emulate” old hardware. The cost is certainly understandable. I wonder if this is compatible with the new C64 OS.
Yet the mister is far cheaper and it does a lot more. And the mister has a big community.
Is great they went to the trouble of getting 3.5 floppy disk from where ever to make this work.
Agreed!
Can't wait for the MEGA-69
10:18 Cut out the widest cover of the ports at the back and make 2 holes on the sides and put a rope into the holes and make a mustache holder like accessory; and make 1 hole on the smaller one and make a necklace from it. So, now you can take the smell with you always. 8:15 You're welcome! May the smell be with you... always. 8:35
I was thinking about pre-ordering one a few months ago. Wouldn't mind having one, and the X16 if that is able to take off.
I just preordered one from the next batch myself. I was mostly wanting to get back into C64 development, but I couldn't find a TheC64 Maxi, and I didn't want to use OG hardware or emulation (which VICE isn't working on my current PC for some reason). So an actual, physical system that's new works for me.
You cannot get C64 Maxi in the USA I think we had one batch and it was already sold out when released.
I managed to get a C64 Maxi on Amazon last year, or I should say my wife got one and gave it to me for Christmas. If it was a 128 maxi it would have been like reliving Christmas 1986 in Western Wisconsin... good memories.
@@lawrencehubbard2985 I noticed. Kinda sucks, but it is what it is. The M65 should do what I want it to do, and if not, I can always buy another C64. There's plenty on EvilBay.
@@tdalloutdoors4293 you can find used European C64 maxi for around $250-$275 no warranty. You can see from the pictures there is damage to most of them the joy stick mostly. But then you have to get a power supply also to go with a new joystick and you are taking a chance of it even working. I will wait for the next batch and enjoy the c64. mini and a500 mini for now and hope they do a a500 maxi.
I get that it's not cheap from a consumer perspective, but when I do a quick mental run-down of the BOM... how in the hell are they making any money on this? Seriously - look up the prices on those components... mechanical keyboard, old floppy drive, the FGA is like $300... and making and tooling up those molds... seriously? Their margins must be pretty tight!
Yep it’s not for profit
It's not a consumer product, it's a labour of love and niche product for enthusiasts who can afford it. They'll only be looking to cover their costs. Maybe their time.
@@andrewdunbar828 I can assure you no one is having their time covered. Also, the team have all made significant financial contributions that they will never see returned. It is purely a labour of love, and while we wish we could sell them for $49.95, it's a minor miracle that the thing is under $1,000.
@@PaulGardnerStephen Great to hear. That's exactly what I expected. Good on you all for making it happen! I hope you sell all you make.
Great review. My father had a complete set of Commodore Plus/4, Commodore 1702 monitor, floppy disk drive (Commodore 1541), cassette drive (Datassette 1531), and printer (MPS-802). But... PC spirit had conquered us. From 1988 PC user... But... I always liked 8-bit era of computing. I just want to mention that they are still companies that making 3.5" floppy disk drives in China. Black color only. Also Samsung still produces the SFD321 model.
The nostralgia thing is very up my ally. Thank-you for linking. Also thrilled with this video. Excited for part 2!!
Up your ally? More like up your nostril surely.
I am so wondering if the enhanced speed or RAM will mean that BASIC runs faster because I used to do all my animation and sound in BASIC almost entirely and I'd love to redo all those but running faster/smoother. Can't wait for Part 2 and more!
Yes, it will. … and you can select how ‚FAST‘, but I don‘t want to spoil too much
Definitely too pricey for my taste but glad it exists and a hell of a lot cheaper than a real C65! A good friend of mine has a C65 (serial number 31 fact fans!) and I don't think he'd sell it for any amount of money.
Great unpacking video 🤘🏻 will see for review
I want one. I want some tweaking to get finished and I'll be in heaven. Bravo gents!
Perryfratic, you never told us where we can buy a Mega65 or that game Hibernated (?).
Links in description as always 👍🕹️