Commander X16

[TCD]

I haven't found a thread about it, but I think it deserves one. Basically the 8-Bit Guy made a computer that is a spiritual successor to the 8 bit CBM machines. Here's the video: [ Show youtube player ]

Really impressive what they came up with

[kamelito]

https://twitter.com/atticthe/status/1452683985625223184

[van_dammesque]

Reminds me of the Spectrum Next, but also the next gen Amiga-->Hombre thread on here.

[Anubis]

I am not sure why build something like that, except just to prove that you can.



I watched some old episodes when this was still on drawing board and I am still not sure what good this will have, especially since that and much more is possible with MiSTer FPGA, where you just build cores and can come up with completely new machines out of the same box that can mimic Amiga, PC, Nintendo...


Still, kudos on building something new.

[TCD]

The idea (as far as I understand it and it is written on their homepage) is to have an 8-bit machine that doesn't rely on parts you can no longer get. But I think it's more about having a machine that you really would have liked to have back in the eighties

Just impressive that they got it working without any majoy foundraiser and only now when they actually are at the point of making actual machines ask for money. Just nice to see that it is possible to do it this way around and not 'give money, product might show up at one point'

[str0m]

[ Show youtube player ]

[DisasterIncarna]

clever stuff, moreso if their doing this with parts that are readily obtainable.

[stevelord]

Originally Posted by TCD

The idea (as far as I understand it and it is written on their homepage) is to have an 8-bit machine that doesn't rely on parts you can no longer get.

Unconvinced that's the case. There are plenty of options for building an 8-bit computer from currently available parts. A 16/32-bit computer should be doable.

Originally Posted by TCD

But I think it's more about having a machine that you really would have liked to have back in the eighties

I get the impression there may be a lot of this. After all, this all came out of two videos on David's dream 8-bit computer. The result definitely has unusual design decisions. A lot of the compromises people make in home computer designs today (e.g. Vera and the FPGA) result in peripheral hardware far in excess of the main computer's capability.

Originally Posted by TCD

Just impressive that they got it working without any majoy foundraiser

Definitions of major and what constitutes that point of manufacture may differ, but there's a fundraiser now if you're interested.

[UltraNarwhal]

I don't see the point of new hardware that's limited to 80s/90s standard, as a developer I'd be diluting my audience in an already niche hobby.

[fxgogo]

It is interesting for sure. Not sure I will jump in that pool. I do like the idea with a lot of these projects of going back to the 8bit systems and designing a new one with our collected knowledge and experience. That is what is so wonderful these days, that niche projects like this can exist and be viable.

[Trunchis]

This is absolutely pointless, since it will never be a viable development platform. Why create a new standard when there are plenty of 8-bit platforms around that are well supported and still get a steady stream of hardware and software?

[CCRider]

Originally Posted by Trunchis

This is absolutely pointless, since it will never be a viable development platform. Why create a new standard when there are plenty of 8-bit platforms around that are well supported and still get a steady stream of hardware and software?

Just because he's a famous Youtuber and, as such, he can.

[eXeler0]

Originally Posted by Trunchis

This is absolutely pointless, since it will never be a viable development platform. Why create a new standard when there are plenty of 8-bit platforms around that are well supported and still get a steady stream of hardware and software?

But the again why not, might be a small niche but for those who are involved, it seems to bring them joy. What does it really matter if it is identified as a viable platform or not ;-)
The charm of the old systems is that they are limited, but by creating your own system you get to decide what those limits are and then be happy playing around with it.

[kriz]

It is quite cool, but what price it will have will determine how far it can go IMHO ..

[dreadnought]

I like that it's not FPGA but a real chip. There's something alluring about that.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by dreadnought

I like that it's not FPGA but a real chip. There's something alluring about that.

Yep, same here. I'm also curious about the price.

[Trunchis]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

But the again why not, might be a small niche but for those who are involved, it seems to bring them joy. What does it really matter if it is identified as a viable platform or not ;-)
The charm of the old systems is that they are limited, but by creating your own system you get to decide what those limits are and then be happy playing around with it.

I get the appeal as an open-source hobbyist project. As a commercial product? Not so much. Maybe I'm not particularly thrilled about modern machines with such strict hardware limits. Back in the day, all we wanted was hardware that didn't have such limits. At the end of the day, unless you're a developer or want to get into development, this doesn't seem like a particularly appealing option.

Originally Posted by dreadnought

I like that it's not FPGA but a real chip. There's something alluring about that.

I mean, an FPGA is as much of a real chip as an ASIC. How it behaves is all down to the logic programming. In this case, they clearly went the ASIC route for the CPU because it made more sense than coming up with a new FPGA implementation. The X16 does have an FPGA for its graphics, sound and SC card access, though, so it's not like it's strictly using original hardware.

[dreadnought]

Originally Posted by Trunchis

I mean, an FPGA is as much of a real chip as an ASIC.

I had a bet with myself that somebody will say that in less than 3 posts, even though we all know that there is a difference. Now I can eat my favourite seaweed crackers tonight



But, ok, I did miss that their VERA chip is FPGA. That takes a bit of that shine off. Mind you, I'm just saying it all for the sake of the fact that we're so flooded with choice for all the retro options in 2022 that it's hard to find something which will make a new one stand out (yeah, "comes from well known utuber" doesn't do much for me, so...)

[TEG]

Originally Posted by eXeler0

The charm of the old systems is that they are limited, but by creating your own system you get to decide what those limits are and then be happy playing around with it.

Exactly, and puting the limits just a bit beyond what existed so it provide a new kind of experience in term of graphism/sound/speed/limitations.

And Less FPGA = More constraints = More fixed platform = More uniqueness experience = More fun on the long run

This project seems really cool, more philosophy put in than top engineering. Exactly what we need to dream and be inspired. The Byte Attic™ Tweet missed entirely the point.

[fxgogo]

As much as I love all these new platforms, my own time is limited so I have made a choice to rather deep dive in a few pools rather than bask in the shallows of many. So the Spectrum Next, Mega65, X16 and others will be Entertaining YT viewing for me.