The Commodore C64 “Maxi” (Made by Retro Games LTD) has been released and is now available in much of Europe and Australia/New Zealand. The date for the North American launch however, has yet to be determined. Stock has been limited but reviews are coming out from various contributors and it looks like the emulation device is plenty well capable. Two particular reviews of note having come from North American based contributors, The 8-Bit Guy and 8-Bit Show and Tell. These two reviewers really set the C64 Maxi through its paces and shows off the capabilities and deficiencies of this emulation based device.
Of these two videos, The 8-Bit Guy utilizes a custom program he made to determine latency (lag) and his methodology on documenting it. 8-Bit Show and Tell displayed his knowledge of BASIC and utilizing several workarounds to expand RAM and enhance programs. These two reviewers compared both the Maxi to real Commodore 64 models and 8-Bit Guy opened up the Maxi to reveal it’s inner workings.
They both note a certain quality to detail in the C64 Maxi as well as improvements made over the C64 “Mini”, Retro Games Limited first attempt at an emulation based C64. Overall, impression seem to be good with the C64 Maxi. The convenience of this emulation based solution has merit and both reviewers lay out a realistic case for using this device. Price might hold potential buyers back, but a few fans might find use for this take on such a great classic.
LINKS: Main Site | https://retrogames.biz/thec64