VIC-20

VIC-20 is a video game platform.
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An 8-bit computer produced by Commodore Electronics Ltd. It was the first microcomputer to sell one million units.

Summary

The VIC-20
The VIC-20
The VIC-20 debuted in June of 1980 at the Computer Electronics Show but its development started almost by accident two years earlier.  Commodore engineered and manufactured the "Video Interface Chip 6506" or VIC1 for the video game market. However Commodore had a problem when trying to sell the chip to console manufactures, the video game industry was beginning to collapse.  After not being able to sell the chip, Commodore used the chip as an impetus for developing the VIC-20 as an inexpensive home computer.  By early 1981, when the VIC actually hit store shelves, and the first few months of 1985, when the last VIC production line was shut down, it sold extremely well for a computer at the time.  The VIC-20 computer line had a very impressive peak daily production of 9000 units (an enormous number at the time) and was the world’s first computer to sell more than 1 million units.

Development

Commodore PET 4032
Commodore PET 4032
The VIC was the successor to Commodore's PET line of computers, but Commodore decided to treat the VIC differently than the PET line. Commodore sold the PET product line through a tightly controlled channel of authorized resellers, which gave the PET a professional image but limited mass market sales.  When VIC arrived, Commodore had a whole new plan: sell them everywhere they could, and appeal to the mass market. Soon VIC computers and peripherals were appearing in all kinds of stores from automotive store and department stores to toy stores and hobby shops.  There were still authorized resellers who provided a high level of service and had qualified hardware technicians on site but the majority of VIC's were sold in stores that that people today would never suspect of selling computers. 
 TV Screen Not Included
 TV Screen Not Included

Jack Tramiel, being the frugal and hard liner that he is, told his engineers they could only use 1K chips in the new machine because Commodore had huge inventory they were unable to use in other products.  In the end the VIC had 5.5K of RAM, 2K of which was used by the Basic Operating System.  To do any real development in such a small area required machine language.  
 
Unfortunately 3.5K was not even large enough to load a machine language compiler, so it appeared as if the VIC was crippled by its frugal design.  This was such an issue that developers for software for the VIC-20 were often forced to write code for the machine by hand.  Fortunately Commodore soon released several ROM expansion packs, similar to what happened to the N64.  Commodore powered their machine using the 1Mhz, 8 Bit CSG/MOS 6502 CPU.  With good (for the time) sound and color graphics, Commodore had a technical marvel and the machine became a smash hit.  Like the PET, the Commodore VIC-20 was released worldwide relatively quickly after its U.S. and Canadian introduction.

Revolutionary Design

The Full Package
The Full Package
Like many of their previous computer the VIC -20 had many innovations that shaped the computer industry greatly. The Commodore VIC-20 was the first color computer that retailed as a "computer for the masses" at less than US$300.

 Commodore's very user friendly BASIC 2.0 operating system and programming language booted when the machine was turned on.  No peripherals were required except a television to be used as a monitor.  Countless software developers began building their skills using a VIC20 bought for a Christmas or birthday present, years before many schools had reasonable computer courses. The VIC-20 provided many consumers with experience with programming for computers.

Many peripherals, like the VIC 1515 printer, 300 Baud VIC Modem, CBM 1020 Docking Station, 1540 Floppy Drive, and 1530 CN2 Cassette Drive were released to various levels of retail demand.  A VIC 20 combined with Terminal Cartridge and VIC Modem was one of the only ways to use BBS services and pre-internet Information Services like CompuServe. Unlike the PET, Commodore never produced Basic 4.0 upgrade ROM chips for the VIC. 
Cassettes for the VIC-20
Cassettes for the VIC-20

Reception and Sales

Some critics said the machine was seriously underpowered, and in many departments it was, but consumers bought them as fast as Commodore could produce them.  Other than the extremely affordable price, consumers were attracted to the VIC because most software for the system came on easy to use ROM cartridges that just plugged in the back and worked without the need for any extraneous input. For its user friendly design the VIC-20 sold over 2.5 million units worldwide.

 
The End of the System

The End of an Era
The End of an Era
Late 1982 saw the beginning of the end: the more expensive but much more capable Commodore 64 was announced. Just as the VIC 20 was becoming popular and many stores and some multi-level marketing organizations had acquired significant inventories, rumors began to emerge that Commodore was completing work on a vastly more powerful version of the VIC 20, which at the time was rumored to be called the VIC 64.

As the rumors of the impending C64 release continued there was excitement and uncertainty in the Commodore distribution channel and consumers. This was probably the first experience many consumers had ever encountered with the feeling we now refer to "upgrading".  Undoubtedly some were resentful. Some of those who had acquired large inventories of VIC product found themselves scrambling to modify their marketing plans and to obtain price-protection as the value of VIC 20 products plummeted.

However the future could simply not be stopped. As Commodore 64 production ramped up, VIC prices dropped, and by 1984 it was obvious that there would not be a place in the Commodore lineup for the venerable VIC-20.
 

System Specifications

  
CPU:    MOS 6502, 1MHz
 
RAM:    5K (3.5K for the user)
 
Display: (Screen not included)   
    22 X 23 text
    176 X 184, 16 colors max
 
Ports:    composite video
    joystick, cartridge, user port
    serial peripheral port
 
Peripherals:    cassette recorder
    printer, modem
    external floppy drive
 
OS:    ROM BASIC
 

Fun Facts

 The VIC had different names in different parts of the world:

  •     The German produced VIC's were labeled VC-20 which was supposed to be a play on the hugely popular and inexpensive Volkswagen car brand: the VolksComputer was a big hit in Europe.  The impetus for changing the name was likely that "VIC" spoken the German way is very close to f*ck.
  •     In Japan the VIC-20 was sold as a VIC-1001.

 As to why the VIC-20 was given the name it was given the Commodore Executive responsible for the VIC's development, Michael Tomczyk, has stated repeatedly that he choose the name simply because he thought it "sounded good."
VIC-20 games Edit
Add a Game to VIC-20
Name Platforms Developer
Tetris Deluxe GBC, VC20 Elorginform
Volos released on July 14, 2006 VC20, SPEC
ViColumn VC20 Cosine
Jewels 20 released on July 29, 2005 VC20
VIQ-Bert released on July 29, 2002 VC20
Sport Sport released on Jan. 1, 2002 VC20
Dragonwing released on Jan. 1, 2002 VC20
Zapactris released on Jan. 1, 2002 VC20
Battlezone VC20, ARC, 2600, C64, APL2 Atari, Inc.
Cops and Robbers C64, VC20, A800 Atlantis Software Limited
General Information Edit
Platform Name: VIC-20
Release Date: May 1, 1980
Online Support: False
Install Base: 2,500,000
Original Price: $300
Producing Company: Commodore Electronics Ltd.
Total Games: games
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Recurring Appearances
Space first in Spacewar!
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Sherwood Forest first in
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Underground first in
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Atlantis first in
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Mine first in
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Spaceship first in Spacewar!
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Galaxian Flagship first in
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Orange first in
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Cherry first in
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Power Pellet first in Pac-Man
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Strawberry first in
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Tire first in
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Apple first in
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Dot first in
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