leolinden Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 Okay, I was listening to a podcast last night about retro computers. I had a very good idea, I wanted to see what you guys thought and see if I could get any feedback and or support. What if there was a computer that you bought, it has a raspberry pi in it, but it kind of looks like a C64. It has a floppy drive in it and TV out. It runs a linux distro, BUT it automatically starts a program that acts like BASIC or something. It can boot from the floppy drive automatically and stuff too. It would be packaged and work like an old computer. It could also run its own OS, but that would be odd making the drivers and stuff. What do you think? The idea is loose right now, but if I find a way to make it, this might go somewhere. This could be the RetroVGS of computers. Retro obsessed dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Professor Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 Did you see what happened with Commodore USA a few years back? I think they tried this sort of thing with a modern rerelease of the C64. These sorts of projects tend to be very expensive and can piss off a lot of people if done the wrong way. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_USA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 I dunno... but I do think a very futuristic looking retro looking computer of this nature could be kind of cool and maybe scaled down to a smaller size since the Pi is so small. To say you'll take a Pi and throw it in a identical case like the 64 would most probably indeed piss a lot of people off or get flack for it. To come up with an entirely new design and use some sort of specialized or dedicated chips/processors would be interesting maybe but I dunno... 7800 - 130XE - XEGS - Lynx - Jaguar - ISO: Atari Falcon030 | STBook |STe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leolinden Posted August 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 Not the 64 per say, but a similar case. A new design, a new way to run the games, new games, etc. like the Retro VGS. I think it would work. Gonna need to brush up on coding then... I just want someone to be able to walk into a store and buy a specialy branded computer, don't need to worry about CPU or anything because the games for the system always work.Simple games, anyone can write them on it. No internet. Just good old retro style computing. Unless someone wants to help me jk Retro obsessed dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 It would have to be specialized and I mean more than just a Raspberry Pi hardware I feel... I've got a killer idea for a case though ;-) pull your 3D printer out haha... 7800 - 130XE - XEGS - Lynx - Jaguar - ISO: Atari Falcon030 | STBook |STe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yo-Yo Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 I like your idea and I support you Leo. Let me know if I can help. I'll ask you the same thing I'd ask the guys making the Retro VGS console.. why create a new retro console/computer that is expensive, costs more money, takes more time to learn to code for something new, and has a small user base, when you could more easily develop for an existing retro platform that people already own and have been collecting for years? It's a cool idea but I'm trying to see the advantage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clint Thompson Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 I think maybe making a combination retro computer would be kind of cool actually - one that could play both C64 and Atari 800/XE carts and disks with a nice sleek futuristic look and if it could be affordable, it would possibly make up for the gap with the high rising costs of older C64 or 800 machines and give the end user the best of both worlds in one package. Naturally using modernized tech somehow maybe in FPGA-like style as mentioned like the RVGS.. though I'm not sure how you get around the proprietary chip software. The 800 could feature stereo Pokey and other enhancements like 1MB ram and similar enhancements could be done for the 64 side of it as mods have surely been made... I'm not a Commodore junkie so I know very little about that side of the spectrum other than Load 8,1 lol 7800 - 130XE - XEGS - Lynx - Jaguar - ISO: Atari Falcon030 | STBook |STe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leolinden Posted August 25, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 YoYo, I was listening to stories about people who were getting to their TRS-80s and other computers on the Floppy Days podcast. I wanted to feel that same feeling of picking up the actual box and buying the thing and buying games for it. I want people my age who want to feel the awesomeness of getting this computer that plays fun games that is also a development kit in itself that you can make your own games with friends or yourself. It feels more... special. I'd rather use the pi than anything else because they are inexpensive and are pretty powerful. I can run the software for the retro side over a linux distro, I don't need a GUI due to the text based nature of the whole thing. Just wondering what version of BASIC I should use. FreeBASIC? JustBASIC? I don't know, I'll figure it out. Retro obsessed dude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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