The system is quite good as a C64 emulator (as we all know, VICE 2.4 is quite good). Suffixes can be combined, so that if we want to use accurate disk access and joystick port 1 for a given game, we can rename the.
d64 file name, so that the Mini will allow you to use the joystick for that game. So, if you want to play with Outrun for instance, you must add the suffix _J1 to the.
This way, the Mini will know that it must use accurate disk mode.Īs far as I can see, renaming cannot be done from the mini, so it must be done on the PC side.īy default, The C64 mini assumes port 2 is used by all games. So, for instance, Cabal.d64 should be renamed as Cabal_AD.d64. The easiest way to do this in my opinion is to add the suffix _AD on game names on the USB flash drive. So, we must tell the Mini to use accurate disk access (true drive emulation in VICE) so that most if not all custom loaders will work. This is incompatible with most games using disk access. One important thing: by default, the C64 mini will load games using fast disk mode. An USB pen drive icon will now appear on the game carousel screen, allowing you to start up the games you added by the file loader. d64 files of your games on the USB flash drive, then connect it to the C64 mini. For storing games you just need a flash USB drive (FAT 32 formatted).
Information on firmware update can be found here. Since the launch the firmware has been updated so that adding new games is quite easy. Many good titles are missing in my opinion, so the ability of adding more games is quite important if not crucial. Some games are nice and famous titles like Cybernoid I and II, Impossible Mission, Monty on the Run and Boulderdash. Power supply is not included (a good +5V 1A power supply will do). The C64 Mini comes with a good packing, a manual, HDMI and USB cables. Evaluating the C64 Mini in terms of performance is just telling how good this microsystem is as a Commodore 64 emulator. So, the mini is not a reimplementation of the Commodore 64, like the DTV was.
Rather, here we have some sort of scaled down computer board running Linux and the X64 Commodore 64 emulator from VICE 2.4. Despite the good looking case reproducing quite well the likes of a true Commodore 64 first series, what’s inside it’s not a Commodore 64. Is it a new Commodore 64? Certainly, it isn’t. 79 euros seemed a bit too much last year, but since a C64 mini can be now bought for 37 euros, I didn’t wait any longer. Price was the main reason for the purchase delay. After one year wait I finally decided to buy The C64 mini.