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News Retro Games unveils TheC64 Mini retro console

Discussion in 'Article Discussion' started by bit-tech, 2 Oct 2017.

  1. bit-tech

    bit-tech Supreme Overlord Lover of bit-tech Administrator

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    Read more
     
    bit-tech, 2 Oct 2017
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  2. SMIFFYDUDE

    SMIFFYDUDE Supermodders on my D

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    I don't get the appeal of these naff emulators in a box we've been seeng over that past couple of years. I'd rather buy a proper C64 and a special SD card reader for the same money. In fact yesterday I very nearly did.
     
    SMIFFYDUDE, 2 Oct 2017
    #2
  3. XXAOSICXX

    XXAOSICXX Minimodder

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    "hardware sprint handling" -> sprite :)
     
    XXAOSICXX, 2 Oct 2017
    #3
  4. jb0

    jb0 Minimodder

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    Yet Another Lazy Arm Box.
    They could've thrown this money at the Mega65 gang, and made something WORTHWHILE.
    http://mega65.org/
    ​
    MOBs, actually. Sprite was a registered trademark of TI, after all. :p
    Though I rather like the idea of a C64 popping out little legs and dashing across the desk.
     
    jb0, 2 Oct 2017
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  5. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Whoopsie: fixed, ta!
    This guy retros. However, that's only half the story: while the VIC-II's documentation uses MOBs (Movable Object Blocks), the official Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide calls 'em sprites just like good ol' TI. Like so:

    [​IMG]

    (Yes, I had a copy readily to-hand. Don't you?)

    Fun fact: Atari used to call sprites "player-missile graphics," again thanks to TI's trademark.
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 3 Oct 2017
    #5
  6. bawjaws

    bawjaws Multimodder

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    Bobs > *

    Man, I miss my Amiga at times.
     
    bawjaws, 3 Oct 2017
    #6
  7. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Blitter OBjects! Man, remember when having a blitter chip was cutting-edge?
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 3 Oct 2017
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  8. bawjaws

    bawjaws Multimodder

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    Hell yeah. But then again, I remember when having custom chips to deal with such exotic tasks as audio and graphics was revolutionary :D

    Agnus, Paula, Denise (and Gary). We salute you!
     
    bawjaws, 3 Oct 2017
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  9. jb0

    jb0 Minimodder

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    I grew up with a 99/4a loaded out by a father that both worked at TI AND was a huge computer nerd(including a Horizon RAM Disk! Solid-state drives, 80s-style!). I've never owned a C64, but I DO have a datasheet(100-page "sheet") for the TMS9918A in my line of sight right now.
    I am slightly biased in my knowledge.

    And I really should do something about my Commodore illiteracy.
     
    jb0, 4 Oct 2017
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  10. Gareth Halfacree

    Gareth Halfacree WIIGII! Lover of bit-tech Administrator Super Moderator Moderator

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    Niiice! Most niche documentation I could immediately lay hands on is probably this...

    [​IMG]

    ..."Dave's copy" of provisional technical documentation for the Vermont Research Model 8401-3 disk controller for the DEC PDP-11, dated May 1979, complete with photocopies of hand-written corrections and annotations. Keep meaning to scan it, but I don't have a scanner with an automatic document feeder and there's a load of pages to it!
     
    Gareth Halfacree, 4 Oct 2017
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  11. jb0

    jb0 Minimodder

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    Very nice! My nichiest is probably a manual for an ELF-II computer. Which is dreadfully uninteresting, just because the first response is "what the heck's an ELF-II?", as is the second.
    The 9918A datasheet just seemed relevant as "TI programming documentation." Though now that I think of it, the closest analog to the C64 Programmer's Reference on the TI side is probably the Editor/Assembler manual.
     
    jb0, 7 Oct 2017
    #11
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