Commodore achieved a masterful feat by offering in January 1982, at the Computer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, a computer for less than 600 dollars, available in supermarkets.
With its ability to sprite, that is to say to display animated sequences of images made of pixels, the Commodore 64 is the perfect machine to bring the magic of arcade gaming to your home, at an affordable price. . In addition, it can be connected to a monitor with a resolution of 320×200 pixels or simply to a television screen.
The Commodore 64 is therefore a computer and not a game console: it can also be used in text mode, or quite simply programmed, in BASIC or assembly language. It is not the great luxury of computers, but it is really cheap to produce (it is estimated its unit production cost at 135 dollars for the time).
The Commodore 64 was put on sale in the course of 1982. The public and the press adored it and considered that the sound chip, the SID, was a veritable little synthesizer all by itself: it possessed three channels, each with its own sound envelope generator. An important point in the world of video games, which does not go without music.
At first, however, the Commodore 64 did not sell well, due to manufacturing defects on the first models, but above all because the offer of compatible programs for this computer did not yet exist. But it’s only a matter of time, thanks in particular to a hyper-aggressive pricing policy.
It is also believed that with its pricing policy, Commodore helped precipitate the video game crisis of 1983: too many consoles, too many games, not enough units. Many small manufacturers thus disappeared at this time, but Commodore and its C64 survived.
The Commodore 64 was produced until 1993. [EPA/Keystone]
In 1984, the company attempted to release a successor, the Commodore Plus/4, but without sprite capability. The public sulked, but as more complex models were developed, the Commodore 64 became the entry-level machine, and its price fell even further.
During this time, Jack Tramiel took care to make available to the public the documentation necessary to program on the Commodore 64, while others like Atari jealously guarded their secrets. A very democratic decision, which probably contributed to the accession of the C64 to the status of cult computer, and which allowed developers to take advantage of all its flexibility, especially in terms of music.
>> To listen: the fourth episode of “Spectrum” on the Commodore 64:
One of the greatest composers is called Rob Hubbard. This Englishman has written or transcribed the music for around 75 video games, including a good part on the Commodore 64. It is thanks to him that chiptune or 8-bit music was born. Many groups claim this heritage: Flying Lotus, Beck, The Killers, Crystal Castles or Postal Service.
It is through this path and that of the demo scene, which pays homage to sprites, that the Commodore 64 entered and remained in visual and sound pop culture.
In 1994, after eleven and a half years of production, the C64 left the market. Until 1988, it still represented 42% of the market in the United States, but the rise of PC games is irresistible, and Commodore goes bankrupt. In 1995, Commodore’s stocks and patents were bought by the German company Escom, which in turn closed its doors a year later.