Commander X16

Recently I sold my Amiga 500, Commodore 64c, Gameboy Advance and Gameboy.

I decided to purchase a new retro-style computer called the Commander X16. It was created by the 8 bit guy and is currently in production. I put in my order and it should be shipped by the end of January.

This is the Commander X16 once it’s assembled in the Lazer3D case I also bought.

Commander X16

I got a SNES joypad controller from Retro Sales.

This plugs directly into the Commander X16 so you can play games.

The Commander X16 is based on the Commodore 64 and in fact has the same CPU: Motorola 65C02. It has the Commodore 64 BASIC Operating System (KERNAL) which has had new commands and functionality added for the new specifications. It has a VERA graphics system which has higher resolutions and more colours than the C=64. There is also a Yamaha YM2151 sound chip and VERA sound which is PSG and can play sounds a’la the C=64 with voices and envelopes as well as play small samples. It comes with 512kb as standard with bank-switched memory blocks. You can expand it with more memory, a WIFI card and new sound wavetables. You can find more info on the Wiki.

I have been inspired by Old Skool Coder who is porting Defender (arcade version) to Commander X16. He already ported Manic Miner which looks really good. He’s programming the CX16 in Assembly.

I decided to try learning a new programming language: Prog8!

I also set up a website for my new programming and games which will be coming soon: Suite16.au

As I learn Prog8 I’m also writing tutorials on that website and working on a book which will be released for free in PDF format. Below is an example of animating tiles in Prog8:

The game I’m currently writing is a combination of Boulderdash and Paganitzu (which I already ported to the VZ200 last year). I’m adding my own twist and a new name! It’s mostly inspired by those games.

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