In 1982, the Commodore 64 was released as a home computer with several uses, and it would go on to be the highest-selling single computer model ever. While the Commodore 64 wasn’t considered to be a great option as a business computer, due to its slow disk drive performance, it was still a favorite for several things including word processing, desktop publishing, graphic design and gaming.
Here are five fascinating Commodore 64 facts.
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- The Commodore 64 is listed in the Guinness World Records as being the highest-selling single computer model ever. (source) Released in August of 1982, the Commodore 64 would go on to sell around 17 million units, which is even more impressive considering it had an introductory price of $595.00 in the United States, which would have been $1,719.04 in 2021 with inflation. The Commodore 64 was the best-selling 8-bit home computer of the 1980s.
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- Compared to other home computers at the time, you could actually purchase a Commodore 64 in toy stores. (source) One could actually find the Commodore 64 in malls, department stores and toy stores, and not just the shops of authorized dealers, which helped set it apart from other computer models at the time.
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- Despite the Commodore 64 ending production in April of 1994, it’s still in use today. (source) It’s actually still possible to run on windows through the WinVICE emulator, thus people are still using the Commodore 64 in some capacity even today.
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- The Commodore 64 had approximately 10,000 commercial software titles, which included games, development tools and office applications. (source) Of these software titles, 2,021 were video games. Some of the more popular games on the Commodore 64 included Impossible Mission, Target Renegade, Sword of Fargoal, Bubble Bobble and Maniac Mansion.
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- Despite dominating the market throughout the 1980s, Commodore would declare bankruptcy in 1994. (source) By the time the early 1990s around, home computers were becoming more affordable than ever before. Not only that, but they were becoming more capable for the regular user to enjoy, so it began to spell the end for consoles like the Commodore 64. Commodore would go on to the release the Amiga, but it was too little, too late, and the company would declare bankruptcy in 1994.
Did you ever own or play a Commodore 64 back in the day? If so, let us know about it in the comments down below!
Featured image photo credit: Bill Bertram (Pixel8), 2005. Originally found on Wikimedia.org. Image was resized and cropped. Creative Commons 2.5.
