The museum thread
Why this brand matters
Commodore's history in personal computing is inseparable from MOS Technology. Owning the 6502 family and later custom-chip design gave Commodore unusual control over cost, allowing it to turn silicon economics into a retail weapon.
The same company then moved from PET business machines to the VIC-20 and C64 mass market, experimented with the TED family and compatibility in the C128, and finally acquired Amiga's 68000-based custom-chip architecture.
Major machines and families
This is a historical map of the machines relevant to this museum's story, not merely a list of the models currently emulated.
| Period | Machine / family | Why it belongs in the story | Museum status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | MOS KIM-1 | Low-cost 6502 development computer; a direct window into the processor before the home-computer appliance | Playable |
| 1977–1980 | PET 2001 / 30xx / 40xx | Integrated all-in-one computers that established Commodore as a complete system vendor | Playable: PET 4032 |
| 1980 | VIC-20 | First million-selling computer; low price and retail distribution broadened the home-computer audience | Playable |
| 1982 | Commodore 64 | 6510, VIC-II and SID became one of the defining combinations of the 8-bit era | Playable |
| 1982–1983 | CBM-II / B-series / P-series | Ambitious business and personal follow-ons that never displaced PET/C64 momentum | Not yet emulated |
| 1984 | Commodore 16 / Plus/4 | TED-based family aimed at lower-cost and productivity niches but incompatible with the C64 software base | Playable: C16 |
| 1985 | Commodore 128 | 8502 + Z80, C64 compatibility, CP/M and 80-column VDC in one machine | Playable |
| 1985–1987 | Amiga 1000 / 500 / 2000 | 68000 computers built around Agnus, Denise and Paula custom chips | Playable: Amiga 500 |
| 1990–1992 | Amiga 3000 / 1200 / 4000 | Faster 68020/030/040 systems and later AGA graphics extending the Amiga architecture | Not yet emulated |
| 1990–1991 | Commodore 65 prototype | Unreleased C64 successor that shows how difficult it was to replace a dominant compatible platform | Not yet emulated |
| 1993 | Amiga CD32 | Console adaptation of AGA-era Amiga technology | Not yet emulated |
Continue the story
Commodore / MOS / Amiga in context
Brand histories overlap: CPUs, operating systems, standards, classroom adoption and software ecosystems routinely crossed manufacturer boundaries.
Technical specifications and chronology on this manufacturer page are intended to remain traceable to original documentation and established archives. See the source path for this family →