Back from the Grave: Commodore VIC-20 (Part 1: blank, dark screen)

(This is unchanged from the original post, aside from this message.  Blogger simply decided it wanted to revert the post to a draft and change its posting date, and I'm unable to figure out why)

Launched in 1980, the VIC-20 (sold as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) was the first computer of any kind to sell in excess of one million units.  Pairing the already established MOS 6502 (used in the PET as well as Apple's II), a custom graphics chip (VIC) originally intended for game consoles, and an introductory price of just $299 it effectively created the entry-level computer market and filled it in spite of its shortcomings (such as only 5KB of RAM, though expandable to 32KB).

Eventually it would finally give way to the juggernaut that was the Commodore 64 which, while incompatible with most VIC-20 software and twice the price, was simply too much better to ignore.  Commodore would eventually retire the VIC-20 in 1985 after superseding it with the similarly low-cost (and much less successful) 264 series; specifically the Commodore 16.

Back from the Grave: Commodore 64 (phantom characters, low BASIC RAM, no sound)

The Commodore 64.  Arguably the best known home PC ever made, and certainly the most popular single model ever produced having shipped an estimated 10 to 17 million units in its 12 year lifespan.  As far as completely 8-bit units were concerned, there simply wasn't anything better: 64KB of RAM, 16 colours (up to 4 usable at the same time), 8 hardware sprites, 3-channel fully synthesised sound, a generous 320x200 display (160x200 in multi-colour) and plenty of inputs and outputs.  Other vendors needed to use 16-bit components just to keep up, and it still wasn't enough.

Eventually the C64 would ultimately be defeated by itself.  The vast majority of its software became gaming related and the 8-bit system simply couldn't compete against the emerging 16-bit console market.  With no direct successor to keep its design legacy alive, the rise of the x86 ecosystem, now moving to 32-bit, was simply the final nail in the coffin.