C64 RPi 3 conversion
amigalove.com
amigalove.com
- scrolling quality (I appreciated C64 for its 50/60fps scrollings, but in my experience, emulators screw that)
- graphics quality (usually, once on digital screen, all the NTSC/PAL artefacts disappears, making the graphics quite different from an original C64)
On an LCD screen however, there's a whole new set of artefacts appear .. mostly vertical lines. There's ways to address this, some are more involved [0] than others [1]
[0] https://www.videogameperfection.com/2016/08/17/lumafix-64-re...
No cartridge port, user port, a/v port (important for audio in), or cassette port (important for power). So no interesting hardware add-ons will work with this.
All you can do is run software that came on a floppy disk. While that's the majority of software, if you're doing this you're a hardware tinkerer. And the C-64's hardware add-ons were amazingly diverse and interesting.
However the plan is, unlike here, to add support for real hardware. For example:
- reading real cartridges (already have a breakout board for this)
- supporting original controllers (already done, inc 4 way adapters)
- supporting the expansion port (no idea how, but shouldn't be *awful* to do).
If Phase 5 would deliver the replacement keycaps from their crowdfunded campaign three years ago we'd be able to do these conversions without touching a real 64. I haven't given up hope -- the machinery and molds are being moved to a company that specializes in this kind of low-volume production.
Maybe with these we could finally build the Commodore 256 ;-)
That said, it's not like the C64 is rare. I'd be more concerned about someone doing this to an Altair or a Lisa...
At least, I hope they don't.
Plus if we are completely honest, a refurbished original would also have more longevity than one with a raspberry pi which will have an initial novelty factor but then quickly get forgotten about once the Pi becomes obsolete.