1
DEVELOPMENT
The VIC-20 was the culmination of multiple projects within
the Commodore Business Machines organization. CEO Jack
Tramiel wanted to create a quality, low-cost, mass-market
computer to compete with the Japanese machines soon to reach
the West. The Commodore PET, launched in 1977, had been
selling reasonably well but was considered too expensive to be a
mainstream household computer.
>> Meanwhile, as the new owners of MOS Technology,
Commodore had developed the MOS Technology VIC, or Video
Interface Chip. Commodore had intended the VIC to be a general-
purpose video and sound processor, powering everything from
game consoles to hospital equipment. However, they were
struggling to find buyers.
>> For the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in summer 1980,
Robert Yannes had developed a prototype computer called the
MicroPET. The MicroPET impressed Jack Tramiel, who decided
it would be the basis for their new budget home computer.
>> The MicroPET lacked many essential components, so other
parts, such as the cartridge port, joystick adapter, ‘Kernal’, and
BASIC interpreter, were taken from the PET. Video and sound
would be handled by Commodore’s VIC processor. The base unit
was powered by the trusty MOS 6502 processor, with a 20KB
ROM and 5KB of RAM.2
LAUNCH
The VIC-20 was initially given a trial release in Japan in
June 1980, under the moniker VIC-1001, before being
released in North America in May 1981. The VIC-20 made an
excellent impression on the public, aided by a famous advertising
campaign that involved William Shatner, and had sold a million
units within a year.
>> The VIC-20 led an aggressive price war and was a
masterclass in deciding where to spend and save money. Its
introductory price of $299.95 not only dramatically undercut the
competition, but it also had a much better keyboard.
>> Graphically, the VIC-20 doesn’t have actual bitmap graphics
but uses spare text characters that can be modified extensively.
This could yield surprisingly good results.
>> The standard 5KB of RAM was the VIC-20’s weak point. By
1980, most computers were shipping with at least 8KB of RAM,
if not 16KB or higher.
>> The system used 1.5KB just to boot up, leaving the user with
only 3.5 KB of memory. This made RAM expander cartridges
commonplace. The most popular games were on cartridge,
which could contain extra RAM, thereby getting around the
system’s memory limitations.THIS MONTH, WE COVER a Commodore titan that was a huge success in the 1980s, though it
was eventually overshadowed by the more successful Commodore 64. Launched in 1980, three
years after Commodore’s first personal computer, the PET, the VIC-20 was a sales phenomenon,
becoming the first computer to sell over a million units. Aimed at the general consumer, rather
than enthusiasts, the VIC-20 (also known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan)
was labeled the ‘computer of the future’ and served as a personal computer for tech giants
such as Elon Musk, Linus Torvalds, and id Software’s John Carmack. –JOHN KNIGHTYOU’LL NEED THIS
ALMOST ANY PC
Windows or Linux
Emulator comes pre-loaded with
a BIOS. VICE: https://vice-emu.
sourceforge.io/3
SOFTWARE AND GAMING
The VIC-20’s cost-cutting had a noticeable effect
on the kind of software that defined the system.
The standard text mode was only 22 characters wide,
making it unsuitable for serious business software,
though the VIC-20 still featured plenty of educational
titles. There was also only one joystick port and no
dedicated sound chip for serious audio.
>> Despite these limitations, the VIC-20 became a
gaming juggernaut with an impressive library of games.
>> Although titles such as Frogger (1983) and Q-Bert
(1983) betray the simple character-based graphics,
most games were still attractive and often exceeded the
primitive graphics in Atari 2600 titles.
>> In 1983, Atari made a slew of ports, such as
Pac-Man, Dig-Dug, Galaxian, and Moon Patrol.
Battlezone was a surprising inclusion, given the
machine’s graphical limitations, but its 3D wireframe
gameplay is genuinely solid.
>> Sega also had numerous titles that year, such as the
excellent Buck Rogers – Planet of Zoom, and the highly
ambitious Star Trek – SOS. Even Nintendo got in on the
act with a wildly popular version of Donkey Kong.
>> Beyond arcade hits, the VIC-20 has many innovative
classics. Skyhawk (1983) is a horizontal jet fighter game
with a great sense of movement and speed. Laser Zone
(1983) and Attack of the Mutant Camels (1983) are Jeff
Minter classics, with strange controls and chaotic
sensory overload.
>> We were particularly impressed by Sierra Online’s
Lunar Leeper (1981), which has stunning animations.Machine of the Month:
Commodore VIC-20
>> Jeff Minter’s Aggressor (1982) is one of the VIC’s many
clone titles, which are often better than official ports.64 MAXIMU MPC MAR 2022
R&D