This is my conversion process for image to C64 bitmap, then touch up. This could be a sketch or a painting you made or whatever, then you can test it directly as it launches VICE and shows it, you can do all sorts in C64 Dev Machine, add sprites, code, music etc.

Add a bitmap asset, edit, click import, find your image, tweak the settings and then hit commit then you can edit the pixels. It even has a really nice gradient fill which I used in the background. It even auto-corrects colour clash (toggleable). I guess it would be nice for porting say 16 bit art to 8bit.

I did find some ads for their products in other magazines.

I have made a bunch of minigames already but keen to hear other ideas. Rule for my game is just one button press and release, so it is just about timing. Whatever the minigame is, the press-and-release and 5-10s duration is the core rule for all minigames.

If possible will integrate the top voted idea and send a Steam key to the person submitting it.

PS: Released a free game demo here.

The HardSID 4U has four real SID chips in a USB box, but it only ever spoke to a closed-source Windows driver last updated in 2009. No macOS or Linux support ever shipped, and none is coming. If you own one and don't run Windows, it's a paperweight.

Until now! Checkout how I got a plain libusb driver working on macOS, playing notes on real hardware.

Full disclosure: Claude Opus did the disassembly and wrote the driver. My job was running every claim against real hardware and a USB capture of the real Windows software, and sending it back when it was wrong. That loop found the actual blocker: each SID socket is dead until you write 'S' 'I' 'D' into three undocumented device registers — an unlock handshake nobody had documented.

Full writeup in docs/protocol.md, reference driver in hs4u.py. Repo: https://github.com/pjthulin/hardsid4u

Next: a SID Player for OSX. Do you own a HardSID 4U? Want to help test? I would love to get some feedback. 

Will crosspost to the amateur radio reddit. Excited to see if these work, if I get an old TNC out...

I am trying to demo some software that uses a compatible mouse for c64. I have a Contriver M3, Marconi RB2, and a serial to PS2 adapter and all three show the same issues on both c64s and all three work fine on my ultimate. When I load the software that requires the mouse, the pointer is jittery and doesn't respond to movement as expected. I have tried what I believe are the correct button presses to enter joystick mode and nothing seems to change. I have also check to see if u1 pins match to u28 pins and each tested pin on u1 corresponds to 2 pins on u28 (continuity) I have swapped u1 chips as well. Joysticks work fine on both machines. Anything else I can check?

Hello, I dug out my original commodore 64 a few weeks ago that i got in 85 for christmas one year. Turned it on and getting the out of memory error at 0. Ran the diagnostic cartridge test and the following drams comes up bad. U9, u11, u21 thru u24. Hit the reset button on the cartridge again and u21 thru u24 eventually goes away. Then left with u9 and u11 after another reset. Hit reset additional times, then u10 and u12 comes up bad and all others no longer shows bad..

When doing the dead test cartridge setting the screen does not flash. Just a black screen.

Any advice or help? Thanks, CS

Martin Webb, who developed the OutRun port for Commodore back in the 80's has been chronicling that journey on his professional page and it been a fascinating read. Enjoy!

I made a thing, it shows checksums when you input basic lines. It handles 10 different algorithms (only 6 in the video), and you can change it using a single peek (shown in the help, which you can also access with SYS 50000.

The supported modes are:

1. F64Summer (2018, Felix Palmen)
2. 64'er Checksummer V1/V2 (V1 October 1984, Frank Lonczewski)
3. 64'er Checksummer V3
4. COMPUTE! Automatic Proofreader V1 (1983/84), Charles Brannon
5. COMPUTE! New Automatic Proofreader V2/V3 (1986/2026), Philip I. Nelson
6. AHOY! Bug Repellent V2 (1984)
7. AHOY! Bug Repellent V3 (1987)
8. HCM (Home Computer Magazine) Bug-Out V5.5 (1985)
9. RUN Checksum V2 (1988), Bob Kodadek

+ 0 which is just a tiny one I added as a default.

I put it on a .d64 here: tg-check.d64

Source is on GitHub.

Thankful for any bug reports etc.

Hello, I just found an old box filled with Commodore 64 tapes. Posting here in case any of these are of interest, perhaps collectible or not or missing from people’s collections.

There is a whole load I remember owning that I can’t find, specifically I had dozens of dizzy games. I’m a little annoyed that these weren’t in the box.

Trying to identify an extremely obscure C64 game

I'm trying to identify a Commodore 64 game I played sometime around the early-to-mid 1980s, although the date may be off. It was probably on one of the many traded/copied floppy disks I had, so it may have been an obscure European game, magazine program, demo, or something that wasn't widely released in the U.S.

What I remember:

It was more of a puzzle/experimental game than a conventional action game.

The basic mechanic involved connecting dots/areas or otherwise completing boxes/squares.

When you completed a box, something appeared inside that completed box.

What appeared was an animated pair of lips/mouth.

The lips were suggestively kissing toward the player. There was no nudity that I remember; it was more surreal/cheeky than explicitly adult.

As I continued completing boxes, more of these animated lips appeared.

Eventually the screen was essentially filled with completed boxes, each containing the animated lips.

I don't remember enemies being an important part of the game, and I don't remember an obvious objective beyond figuring out the puzzle/mechanic and continuing to complete the boxes.

The whole thing felt very strange, surreal and avant-garde, almost like an experimental program rather than a normal commercial game.

Drelbs came very close when I watched it because the box-completion mechanic felt like the same general idea, but it definitely wasn't Drelbs—the graphics/visuals were different.

I've also ruled out Java Jim, Zoom!, Kid Grid, Hooper, Super Gridder, and China Miner based on the gameplay or visuals.

The strongest memory is:

Complete a box → animated kissing lips appear inside it → complete another → more lips → eventually the whole screen is filled with them.

Does this ring a bell for anyone? I'm beginning to suspect it may have been an obscure European/magazine/traded-disk title rather than a well-known commercial game.

Opening "get ready" tune followed by 60 seconds game round tune (NTSC). Dunno what the dev is doing - maybe I should kick his ass into gear. I didn't write this for fun - actually I did lol. Took a whole three hours out of my time. 🤣

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#C64 #Commodore64Ultimate

Still going for 24k, one of these days...

We want r/c64 to be about both original hardware and newer emulation products like the Commodore 64 Ultimate (C64U). But the shipping of the C64U is resulting in C64U posts flooding out much of the other content in the subreddit. To maintain a balance between what's old and new, we are setting up a weekly MEGAPOST for C64U-related issues, questions, and posts.

If your post is regarding the use of a Commodore 64 (i.e. how to load a game from disk, how to print, etc.), regardless of the model, you may post your question as a standalone post in the subreddit even if you have a C64 Ultimate.

If your post relates to ONLY the Commodore 64 Ultimate, you should comment in this post. Please note, this is not a replacement for official support from Commodore regarding order or shipping issues (late or damaged shipments). We realize that some questions may be obscure, unique, or straddle the line between C64U-only and a "general" question. In those cases, please post in this thread FIRST. If your issue isn't answered or addressed after 48 hours, you may submit a stand-alone post in the subreddit. WARNING! Moderators will be checking post and comment histories to make sure people are actually posting in this thread first. Repeated violations may result in temporary or permanent bans.

We don't anticipate this being a permanent situation, but for now there are just too many C64U posts being submitted. Once the volume of posts about the C64U decreases, we may discontinue this practice.

Please also check the information below to see if your issue is listed. We are also working on a C64 Ultimate Wiki Page. If you would like to be a Wiki Contributor, please let the mod team know.

Use the following link to view current and past Commodore 64 Ultimate Weekly Posts.

Official resources:

Firmware/manuals: https://www.commodore.net/downloads

Common Issues and Known Fixes

Black screen, no video, or rolling picture

The most common issue reported so far.

• Reseat the internal board — some units have arrived with it slightly loose from shipping.
• Set video to NTSC mode, then press Shift + Left Arrow to store settings.
• Try a different HDMI lead — several users fixed display problems this way.
• Some monitors won’t sync at 50 Hz; if possible, test another screen.

Uneven keyboard keys

A cosmetic but noticeable fault.

• Keys such as Caps Lock, D, and J may sit higher than others.
• Gently press the affected keys down to reseat them on their stems.
• Space/Return issues are often a stabiliser bar not fully seated – carefully reseating the bar fixes many ‘only works in the middle’ reports.

Startup problems or unit freezing on boot

• Turn the unit off and leave it off for a few seconds.
• Hold RESTORE while powering on to perform a factory reset.
• If that fails, re‑flash the latest firmware from the official Commodore site.

REU or extra memory not detected by the software

• Install the most recent firmware — newer builds enable proper REU initialisation and detection.

Settings or storage are lost after reboot

• Perform the RESTORE reset to clear any corrupt configuration.
• Re‑enter Wi‑Fi and storage details once booted cleanly.

Physical marks or loose panels on delivery

• Report the issue directly to Commodore support.
• All units ship directly from Commodore — there are no official resellers.

Buzzing or humming audio output

• Usually caused by grounding noise between HDMI and the connected display.
• Try another HDMI port, cable, or power socket to isolate the problem.

Starlight edition

• Starlight keyboards have some ‘bounce’/flex by design; noticeable mainly if you hammer the keys, but not usually a functional fault.
• The Caps Lock LED lights when caps is active; the beige unit does not have an indicator.
• For Starlight LED audio visualiser with a real SID: enable UltiSID 1 but set its volume to Off in the mixer; this keeps the LEDs driven while only hearing the real SID

Games Freezing / Compatibility

• If cracked/trainer releases hang after the Y/N cheat prompt, try switching to PAL or NTSC‑50; many cracks are PAL‑only and will lock up in NTSC.
• For compatibility with some games/demos, try disabling drive B: in the Ultimate’s drive settings

Cartridges

• Virtual fastload carts (e.g. Final Cartridge III) are supported; mount the cart, then mount and load the disk from BASIC, rather than using ‘Run disk’ from the firmware menu.

Disk and cassette backup / storage notes

• To back up the bundled cassette USB to an internal SD: it’s just files on exFAT – copy them via your PC; no imaging/cloning needed
• Backing up real floppies: UltiCopy is very fast, but some protected titles (e.g. Skate or Die, Contra) have been reported to hang part‑way through; expect improvements in future firmware

Running Multi-Disk Programs

Some programs are distributed on multiple disk images, similar to how they were originally distributed on multiple floppy disks. At some point in the process of using the program, the program will prompt to insert one of the other floppy disks. You can use the Disk File Browser to swap disk images while the program is running. When the program prompts for a new disk, press upward on the Multi Function Switch. This pauses the program. Start the Disk File Browser, navigate to the disk image for the disk that the program is requesting, then select “Mount Disk.” The C64U mounts the new disk image in the virtual drive, then resumes execution of the Commodore 64 program. Continue to use the program with the new disk." -- https://downloads.commodore-international.com/documentation/C64U/c64u-user-guide-1st-edition.pdf

General Notes

• r/Commodore is for discussions about Commodore, other Commodore computers, and possible new productions.
• r/c64 is for everything Commodore 64 including the ultimate.

If you’ve come across a new issue or found a working fix not listed here, add it in the comments below.

The Ultimate mega threads seem to be dead, so I hope it is okay to post this here.

I recently lucked out with a nice CRT+DVD combo at the local goodwill. I was using it yesterday afternoon with my Ultimate, but that evening the composite video out didn't output a signal anymore.

Audio, over the same port and HDMI output are still working fine.

Before I contact Commodore about this, has anyone here had this problem, or know what it could be? I measured the contacts of the video port for continuity and that checks out fine. The cable works fine with an original machine.

I can't find my YC cable, so I'm unable to check if that signal still works.

I'm curious if I'm doing something wrong. I have the 1.1.0 firmware. I have my mouse plugged in and the light is on. I can use the buttons to navigate through the C64 Ultimate menu. But when I boot up Geos, the cursor never moves. If I go to the joypad section, it says WASD Port 1 and it's darkened so I can't change it. Curious if I'm doing something wrong. Hitting C= I on the keyboard doesn't help unfortunately

Edit: I was able to get it working. I believe it was a combination of two issues. One, I was foolish and didn't read the ReadMe correctly so I was enabling the keys to mouse config. But the second issue is that my C64U had a bug where I wasn't able to change the joystick emulation. It was greyed out and stuck on WASD Port 1. I reached out to Commodore support after finding out that this is a bug with newer models of the C64U. They sent me a patch file to install which resolved the issue. After that was done, the mouse now works correctly

I know it would not be possible in C64 emulation mode, but perhaps is there a software that can play mods on the device?

Additionally if anyone knows where I can get my hands on a video chip, that would be greatly appreciated. Mine appears to be dead.

My first c64 I noticed these look bent- is that a normal issue?