Hi, it's Robin. I'm making videos about 8-bit computers and video games, with an emphasis on program
In my latest video I play one of my favourite Commodore 64 games, 1982 launch title LeMans, and show how to dump this Ultimax cartridge to a disk file so I can (in a future video) examine the code. I think the game cheats a bit!
1982's LeMans racing game for the Commodore 64 is one of my all-time favourite cartridges, though it has a quirk that's always puzzled me. I'd like to disass...
The VIC-20 and some Commodore 64s have a bug in the INPUT statement that can prevent them from working properly. In my latest video I figure out the cause of the bug, and attempt to backport the KERNAL V3 C64 fix to the VIC-20.
New video here:
The Commodore VIC-20 and earlier versions of the Commodore 64 have a bug in their BASIC INPUT statement. If the programmer-specified prompt is longer than a ...
It's actually pretty easy to add support for command-line-style parameters to Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 programs by reading the line input buffer with some PEEKs. In this new video we examine how to do this, why this might be beneficial, and give some example code in BASIC and Assembly. We also learn a bit about how BASIC parses and interprets our code, and the internal structure of these commands and programs. And we look at the Commodore 128 feature to RUN a file from disk that further enhances the use of parameters.
It's actually pretty easy to add support for command-line-style parameters to Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 programs by reading the line input buffer with s...
For this year's Christmas Special, I play 20 of my favourite Atari VCS games on our new Atari 2600+ and my kids each choose which one they'd want for Christmas 1983.
I play 20 of my favourite Atari cartridges for my kids on our new Atari 2600+ so they can choose what game they'd like for Christmas 1983 in case that someho...
There's a bug lurking in the VAL() function of most early implementations of Microsoft BASIC that has the power to corrupt your program. We demonstrate it on the Commodore 64 and VIC-20, but it's present on many other 6502-based machines, as well as Z80 and even 6809 computers as discovered by many helpful people on the internets. We then attempt to explain why the bug happens: it's the result of a kind of nasty hack using Microsoft BASIC's evaluation routine combined with the particular edge case when an overflow error occurs.
There's a bug lurking in the VAL() function of most early implementations of Microsoft BASIC that has the power to corrupt your program. We demonstrate it on...
Why does the Commodore 64 have 38911 bytes free? We explore this in depth in this new video:
The Commodore 64's famous blue-on-blue boot message says "38911 BASIC BYTES FREE". But it's supposedly a 64K RAM system, so where did the rest of the RAM go?...
Many Commodore 64 programs are hardcoded to only load from device 8 - in this new video I try to get them to load from device 9 instead. Some work, some don't, but it was fun anyway.
Lots of Commodore 64 software is hardcoded to only load from device 8, typically a 1541 disk drive, despite Commodore making it very easy for developers to s...
While playing around with the VTech PreComputer 1000 from 1988, I got curious about the origin of the Pre-BASIC V1.0 built-into it. Did VTech really make an original BASIC for this toy computer? Knowing that the system has a Z80 CPU, we'll examine the BASIC in situ to see if it matches Microsoft's BASIC-80 in substantial ways. While there seem to be some small changes and several omissions, we find it has much in common with BASIC-80 and other Microsoft BASICs such as those on the Commodore 64.
While playing with the VTech PreComputer 1000 from 1988, I got curious about the origin of the Pre-BASIC V1.0 built-into it. Did VTech really make an origina...
Robin's pedanticism gets set off by incorrect Commodore 64 LOAD statements seen on t-shirts and documentary film trailers. We'll examine what's wrong with them and why, and explain how to fix them. And along the way we might learn a thing or two about loading from cassette and why accuracy matters - at least to some people.
Robin's pedanticism gets set off by incorrect Commodore 64 LOAD statements seen on t-shirts and documentary film trailers. We'll examine what's wrong with th...
A new video about the VTech PreComputer 1000 - a $70 toy computer from 1988 that is programmable in BASIC and has a surprisingly good keyboard for a toy. Better than any of those Timex/Sinclair keyboards, anyway :) Thanks to DJ Sures for lending it to me!
Unlike most toy computers and other electronic gadgets, besides the regular math and trivia games, the VTech PreComputer 1000 has a decent keyboard that's go...
The obscure Timex Sinclair 2068 is the North American version of the UK's famous Sinclair ZX Spectrum (aka Speccy) computer. We take a look at the box and a tour around the system, then attempt to type in a BASIC program with the T/S 2068's unique "one-touch" keyboard with the help of the "Timex Sinclair 2068 Beginner/Intermediate Guide" book by Fred Blechman. If we survive all that, we'll do a quick port of 10 PRINT since that's always a thing to do.
The obscure Timex Sinclair 2068 is the North American version of the UK's famous Sinclair ZX Spectrum (aka Speccy) computer. We take a look at the box and a ...
Today we're using our trusty Commodore 64 to decode a hidden PETSCII message from 1984 from Björn Skifs, the singer of "Hooked On A Feeling" (covered by Blue Swede):
There's a PETSCII-encoded secret message on the cover of the 1984 solo album from Björn Skifs, who is famous as the singer of "Hooked On A Feeling" covered b...
New video! David Youd and I discuss the Electronic Arts logo and loading screen: is it ECA or EOA or... square, circle, and triangle?
Then we go on an enormous easter egg hunt looking for the symbols hidden on their cover art from 1983 to 1992.
After sharing some VCFMW and Electronic Arts history, David Youd and I discuss EA's original logo which is (despite many schoolyard arguments) a cube, sphere...
My next video, about all the hidden logos on the covers of Electronic Arts' games, will debut at the virtual Commodore Retro eXpo (CRX 2023) this Sunday at 4 pm Eastern time, which will be the "Day 3" stream. In the meantime check out the streams from Day 1 and Day 2 (today) with lots of other great talks:
Videos of the Commodore Retro eXpo events!
A new video about the Zeus64 assembler for the Commodore 64. It has a strange bug that freaked out at least one user late at night. That is, a bug-shaped sprite that buzzes around on screen under certain unlikely circumstances.
The Zeus 64 6510 machine language assembler package for the Commodore 64 has a bug lurking in it. Like, an actual digital bee or fly type thing that will buz...
A new video about C64 Mode on the Commodore 128 - we'll find some (rare) examples of C64 games that don't work on the C128, and where possible determine why and fix them.
The Commodore 128 has a highly accurate Commodore 64 mode built into it. Because of the huge games library for the C64, some C128s spent most of their time i...
Another hour+ video packed with everything else the Penultimate+2 can do for your Commodore VIC-20. We demonstrate using the file browser and auto-detect RAM expansion capabilities to play games from an SD2IEC drive that require 0K, 3K, and 35K expansions. We demonstrate use of ALL the utilities built-in: VICMON machine language monitor, VICKIT assembler, Super Expander BASIC enhancement, BASIC 4 disk commands, CBM Command disk manager, VIC Forth, VICTERM (special appearance by Michael Doornbos of imapenguin.com with his KIM-1 clone), diagnostic tools and even more. We wrap up with my latest thoughts on VIC-20 RAM expansion and why it came to be this way. I've also collected a huge number of links while researching this episode which can be found in the video description.
https://youtu.be/JTxiR4ZKfvo
Another hour+ video packed with everything else the Penultimate+2 can do for your Commodore VIC-20. We demonstrate using the file browser and auto-detect RAM...
One Commodore VIC-20 cartridge to rule them all? Tynemouth Software and The Future Was 8-Bit have teamed up to make the Penultimate+2 cartridge which contains over 200 VIC-20 games spanning from the original games made in Japan by Hal Laboratory in 1980 to modern games made in the present day. In addition it contains useful utilities, programming languages, diagnostic tools, flexible software-controlled RAM upgrades and even more. In this first video we have a look at a fraction of the games available. We'll follow up in another video with a detailed look at all the rest of the cartridge's features.
One Commodore VIC-20 cartridge to rule them all? Tynemouth Software and The Future Was 8-Bit have teamed up to make the Penultimate+2 cartridge which contain...
My latest video is about "cracking" a Commodore 64 game (Livingstone, I Presume?) from cassette so the bug it shipped with can be fixed. The basic principles shown work with most C64 tape games.
In a previous video we took a look at the crash in the Commodore 64 port of the Operasoft game "Livingstone, I Presume?", unraveling the cause of the crash a...
My latest video gives a few different examples of programming "Hello World" on the Commodore 64 in assembly / machine language / machine code. I also briefly show some garbage produced through ChatGPT when asked for "Hello World" examples.
https://youtu.be/CHLzzfEmj3I
Today we look at programming the classic "Hello World" program on the Commodore 64. First we show the trivial BASIC version, and then 6502/6510 Assembly Lang...
My latest video is about the C64 adventure-platformer "Livingstone, I Presume?" that shipped with a game-breaking bug. I demonstrate the crash, and then attempt to determine the cause and fix. Fun stuff!
"Livingstone, I Presume?" is a puzzle platform adventure that had me entranced as a kid. Unfortunately, the Commodore 64 version I played always crashed at a...
Besides the famous 10 PRINT, one of my favourite type-in programs from the Commodore 64 User's Guide is "More Bouncing Balls" in which a ball bounces off the borders of the screen. Inspired by Josip Retro Bits' 2-line version of this program, I attempt to squeeze it down to one line, with some other diversions along the way.
Besides the famous 10 PRINT, one of my favourite type-in programs from the Commodore 64 User's Guide is "More Bouncing Balls" in which a ball bounces off the...
Turning the Atari 2600 into a "Real Computer" with the SpectraVideo CompuMate add-on keyboard:
The SpectraVideo CompuMate is an add-on keyboard and cartridge for the Atari 2600 (formerly Atari VCS) that promises to turn your game console into a Powerfu...
Programmer Ian Witham has created a short Commodore 64 BASIC program that procedurally generates a very interesting 3D landscape. We examine how it works, and then focus our efforts on optimizing the program so it can fit in a single 80-column line of code.
Programmer Ian Witham created a short Commodore 64 BASIC program that procedurally generates a very interesting 3D landscape. We examine how it works, and th...
Is there a tiny type-in program listing hiding inside a Thorn EMI EMITAPE Computer Cassette? I tracked a brand new, unopened C20 tape down, thanks to a tip from viewer EdwardianTeaChest, and opened the early 1982-vintage cassette. There are in fact two listings, one for the Commodore VIC-20, and another for the Sinclair ZX81. Join me as we type these programs in on vintage hardware, and figure out what they do.
Is there a tiny type-in program listing hiding inside a Thorn EMI EMITAPE Computer Cassette? I tracked a brand new, unopened C20 tape down, thanks to a tip f...
In this new video, we take a look at some of my collection of vinyl records and CDs that are somehow inspired by or connected to Commodore computers. One Intelligent Dance Music album is VIC-20 themed and even includes a type-in program that we try! Another is named after the Commodore PET, or my favourite Commodore magazine. Another has a Commodore 64 program hidden on it that promises the greatest Telespeil ever on the next album! Another is a synth record about Kayak Championships published by Commodore that borrows from Phil Collins in a very strange way. Or another song is about using your Commodore 64 for free long distance calls and getting busted by the Feds. Much variety, but all of it is somehow Commodore-connected.
Let's take a look at some of my collection of vinyl records and CDs that are somehow inspired by or connected to Commodore computers. One Intelligent Dance M...
New 2 hour (!) video examining the Commodore 64 BASIC code that begins every chapter (34 of them) of Jason Rekulak's 2017 novel "The Impossible Fortress". With bonus section near the end about "The Eternal Castle".
The Impossible Fortress is a novel by Jason Rekulak about the (mis)adventures of a 14-year-old Commodore 64 programmer in 1987. Each chapter opens with a sni...
We take a look at a rare MS-DOS floppy disk containing a Super Secret Coded Message from the band Information Society (INSOC) in 1988. After some initial problems reading the disk, we run the program and figure out the secret code to access The Message, with a bit of help from an ancient Commodore 64 emulator. Suspecting there's more going on, we then examine the helpfully included C source code, and learn of a backdoor code that reveals the true extent of Information Society's plan for the future.
We take a look at a rare MS-DOS floppy disk containing a Super Secret Coded Message from the band Information Society (INSOC) in 1988. After some initial pro...
Even though it was essentially an Amiga 500 with a CD-ROM drive hiding inside a hi-fi stereo component case, Commodore left the Amiga name off the CDTV because they didn't want it to be considered a computer; instead they wanted it in your living room, hooked up to your high-end entertainment system's television and speakers. In many ways, the CDTV was forward-thinking, but it did not sell well and in the end most surplus units were sold bundled with a keyboard, mouse, and floppy drive, ironically, as Amiga computers. We take a look at the CDTV in its originally intended context as part of a 1990s home theatre, and try some of the many abilities of this device, including playing CDXL digital movies, CD+G CDs, early interactive multimedia encyclopedias, games, the wireless controller, and of course hunt for the Easter Egg hiding in the preferences screen.
Even though it was essentially an Amiga 500 with a CD-ROM drive hiding inside a hi-fi stereo component case, Commodore left the Amiga name off the CDTV becau...
My new video is a very deep look at TIME (TI and TI$) on the Commodore 64 and 128, including bugs and potential ROM patches, differences between PAL and NTSC, jiffy length, how the system clock is implemented, and more.
We take our deepest look yet at the TI and TI$ "variables" on the Commodore 64 and 128: how they look like variables but are called functions and how they're...
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