I am looking for something to kill some time with, title says it all.
My gut says commodore 128 is a good choice. What is your opinion?
Game boy and nes are pretty easy with modern day tools.
I would like something like a commodore where the entire programming is done on the machine itself, just looking to broad my horizon. Assembly is not an issue.
Sounds like you have your answer! Also sounds like a fun project. GL!
Are you looking to run on actual hardware?
If not then you might want to also consider fantasy consoles.
It’s not technically retro but I’ve found Pico-8 a great way to build retro like games! It’s pretends to be a console of a bygone era and gives a bunch of restrictions on size of game and 128x128 resolution.
The app comes with a pixel editor, sfx and music editor, and a code editor built in. The games are easy to share and you can play them on a mobile browser. On the downside, it costs 15 dollars for the app.
Not old, but retro in a way, Playdate is a pretty fun machine to play with and if you want you can end up selling in their catalog (online shop both for browser and console). I have wanted to start doing something for it for the last year (im a game desginer) but i havent coded in like 5 years at this point and work leaves me exhausted to learn new stuff.
If you intend (or would at least like) for other people to play/try out/use what you make, consider going with a Commodore 64 instead of a 128; for people with physical hardware, the 64 is far more popular and will have a wider base of users.
Of course the 64 is a bit more limited than the 128, but handling that is part of the fun of retrocomputing. “It’s not the lines that make playing Tetris interesting - it’s the walls.”
The commodore 64 is harvested for the SID chips, which why I find it difficult to find a fully working example. I agree with you fully otherwise.
Do you know a website where I can the SID chips or clones? (Close enough is close enough, I dont want to produce chiptunes). If you can help me otherwise, help is welcome. Also problems with video and sound out, any solutions. You seem knowledgeable, thanks!
If your gut is saying C128, then start there. Have fun 🙂.
