The C64 Mini Black Edition is on sale for the first time since its release last October. The Amazon-exclusive retro console is up for grabs for $88 (was $120). The $32 discount is pretty great, but if you’re lucky, you can save even more. Amazon is offering an additional 25% off to select shoppers. If you’re eligible for the extra savings, you’ll see a coupon box below the price. With the box checked, the C64 Mini Black Edition drops to only $66 at checkout.
The original C64 Mini released in 2018 for $70 and included 64 classic games from the 1980s. The Black Edition is a limited release that celebrates the talented homebrew developers who make modern Commodore games that work on real hardware. The preloaded catalog features 25 modern C64 games, including Sam’s Journey, A Pig Quest, and several other games that are now considered by many as all-time Commodore 64 experiences.
The vast majority of the new games–19 to be exact–are sold on itch.io by well-known Commodore 64 publishers such as Psytronik and Protovision. Psytronik’s games are usually five bucks or less, but titles published by Protovision tend to carry higher price tags. There are four preloaded Protovision games that would normally cost around $55 combined: Sam’s Journey ($24), A Pig Quest ($11.61), MW Ultra ($11), and Yeti Mountain ($9). These are among the most ambitious C64 games around. For instance, developer Knights of Bytes created over 2,000 screens for Sam’s Journey’s 30 extremely long levels. It’s one of the best retro platformers I’ve ever played (it’s also available on NES), so it’s not surprising that the game’s protagonist is featured on the front of the Black Edition’s box.
$88 (was $120) | $66 if eligible for 25% coupon discount
The Black Edition comes with the same accessories and inserts as the original version: modernized C64 USB Joystick with six buttons, USB power cable, HDMI cord, and instruction manual. Like numerous other mini consoles, it doesn’t come with an AC adapter, but basically any USB brick will work. Or you can just power it through one of the USB ports on your TV.
The C64 Mini is approximately half the size of the original Commodore 64 computer. The “keyboard” is decorative–none of the mini home computers have functioning keyboards. But if you want to use the BASIC interpreter to write your own programs and/or boot games you add to The C64 Mini via USB stick, you can plug just about any keyboard into the second USB port. You can also connect a second joystick or controller for multiplayer.
The Retro Games Ltd. C64 Joystick is only available from resellers these days, so it’ll cost you $50 to get an identical second joystick. Amazon does have refurbished C64 Joysticks in “excellent” condition for $30.
The C64 Mini displays games in 720p resolution in pixel perfect or original 4:3 aspect ratios. You can add scanlines (CRT filter) if you want to replicate the classic look. All preloaded games have four save slots, and you can save your progress at any point.
Here’s the full list of modern Commodore 64 games included on The C64 Mini – Black Edition out of the box. The prices next to each title are what you’d pay on itch.io. Games without prices are available to download for free.
The 25 Modern C64 Games:
- A Pig Quest ($11.61)
- Caren and the Tangled Tentacles (~$80, Physical)
- Galencia ($5)
- Good Kniight ($4)
- Grid Pix ($2)
- Guns ‘N’ Ghosts ($3)
- Hessian ($2)
- Hunter’s Moon Remastered ($5)
- It’s Magic 2 ($2.22)
- Joe Gunn: Gold Edition
- Metal Warrior Ultra ($11)
- Millie & Molly ($2)
- Nixy and the Seeds of Doom
- Ooze: The Escape
- p0 Snake
- Pains ‘N’ Aches ($5)
- Planet Golf (~$43, Physical)
- Rocky Memphis: The Legend of Atlantis ($5)
- Runn ‘N’ Gunn ($2)
- Sam’s Journey ($24)
- Shadow Switcher
- Spinning Image
- Steel Ranger ($5)
- Yeti Mountain ($9)
You can find plenty of other modern C64 homebrew on itch.io. If you buy a ROM from itch.io or another site, you can load it on The C64 Mini via USB.
Check out the original C64 Mini and its catalog of retro games below.
$70
The original C64 Mini is only available from third-party sellers, but you can still buy it for its original $70 MSRP. Your order will be shipped directly from Amazon.
Here’s the full list of 64 classic Commodore games:
- Alleykat
- Anarchy
- Armalyte – Competition Edition
- Avenger
- Battle Valley
- Boulder Dash
- Bounder
- California Games
- Chip’s Challenge
- Confusion
- Cosmic Causeway
- Creatures
- Cyberdyne Warrior
- Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine
- Cybernoid II: The Revenge
- Deflektor
- Everyone’s a Wally
- Firelord
- Gribbly’s Day Out
- Hawkeye
- Heartland
- Herobotix
- Highway Encounter
- Hunter’s Moon
- Hysteria
- Impossible Mission
- Impossible Mission II
- IO
- Jumpman
- Mega Apocalypse
- Mission A.D.
- Monty Mole
- Monty on the Run
- Nebulus
- Netherworld
- Nobby the Aardvark
- Nodes of Yesod
- Paradroid
- Pitstop II
- Ranarama
- Robin of the Wood
- Rubicon
- Skate Crazy
- Skool Daze
- Snare
- Speedball
- Speedball 2 – Brutal Deluxe
- Spindizzy
- Star Paws
- Steel
- Street Sports Baseball
- Summer Games II
- Super Cycle
- Temple of Apshai Triology
- The Arc of Yesod
- Thing Bounces Back
- Thing on a Spring
- Trailblazer
- Uchi Mata
- Uridium
- Who Dares Wins II
- Winter Games
- World Games
- Zynaps
$190 | Releases June 26
If you want a classic Commodore home computer with a working keyboard, you’re in luck. Retro Games Ltd.’s next big release is a modernized reimagining of Commodore’s Amiga 1200. The A1200 comes with a full-size keyboard, a wired mouse, and a wired gamepad. The retro computer is preloaded with 25 classic Amiga games. Slated to release June 26, The A1200 is available to preorder in the US exclusively at Amazon for $190.
June 26 could be an expensive day for retro gaming enthusiasts, because Retro Games Ltd. is releasing a modern version of Sinclair’s ZX Spectrum as a limited Collector’s Edition. It’s available to preorder exclusively at Plaion Replai for $275 and comes with The Spectrum, a white Quickshot II Joystick, a working Spectrum printer, a Microdrive USB Stick, a spiral-bound user manual, and a collectible edition of Crash, a magazine originally published from 1984 to 1991.
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