The WiC64 Brings Classic Commodores Online, Google Maps Included
A computing system is never seriously useless except if men and women quit developing new program for it. By that evaluate, the Commodore 64 is alive and nicely: new games, demos, and utilities are continue to becoming produced on a typical basis. Obtaining those new plans on to an aged laptop was normally a bit of a inconvenience even though, necessitating possibly an SD card adapter for the Commodore or a immediate cable connection from an net-linked Computer. Luckily for us, there is now a simpler way to get your most recent computer software updates many thanks to a WiFi adapter referred to as WiC64. This adapter plugs into the growth port of a basic Commodore and lets you obtain programs instantly into memory. [Tommy Ovesen] about at [Arctic Retro] bought one and explored its quite a few characteristics.
The basic design and style of the WiC64 is uncomplicated: an ESP32 mounted on an adapter board that connects its facts bus to that of the Commodore 64, 128 or VIC-20. A basic system, which you continue to need to have to transfer the previous way, lets you configure the gadget and connect to a WiFi community. Once which is completed, an interactive BBS-model software is launched that will allow you to accessibility a array of on-line providers. The WiC64 developers offer these, but considering the fact that the system is entirely open up-source there is nothing halting you from running your very own servers as effectively.
A person element that seriously would seem to defy the C64’s hardware limitations is a absolutely functional edition of Google Maps. Even with the Commodore’s confined resolution and shade depth, it does a really respectable career of exhibiting maps, satellite images, and even Avenue See images.
Utilizing the WiC64 demands no components modifications to the Commodore 64, but a custom made ROM is available that permits a several handy characteristics these types of as LOADing courses directly from a website tackle. There have been several tries at acquiring common Commodores on-line, but none so far that managed to get complicated apps like Google Maps operating. We have viewed YouTube video clips being performed on a Commodore PET however.
