16 Facts About Commodore 128

Commodore 128, known as the C128, C-128, C= 128, is the last 8-bit home computer that was commercially released by Commodore Business Machines.

CCommodore 128 is a significantly expanded successor to the C64, with nearly full compatibility.

CCommodore 128's keyboard includes four cursor keys, an Alt key, Help key, Esc key, Tab key and a numeric keypad.

The most common remedy is to remove the shield, which Commodore 128 had added late in development to comply with FCC radio-frequency regulations.

CCommodore 128 has twice the RAM of the C64, a far higher proportion of which is available for BASIC programming, due to the new MMU bank-switching chip.

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Commodore 128's ROM contains an easter egg: Entering the command SYS 32800, 123, 45, 6 in native mode reveals a screen with a listing of the machine's main developers followed by the message Link arms, don't make them.

Early CCommodore 128 prototypes had a single ROM, with a slightly improved character set over that of the C64.

Some of the few C64 programs that fail on a CCommodore 128 will run correctly when the caps lock key is pressed down.

An easy way to differentiate between a hardware C64 and a CCommodore 128 operating in C64 mode, typically used from within a running program, is to write a value different from $FF to memory address $D02F (53295), a register which is used to decode the extra keys of the CCommodore 128 (the numerical keypad and some other keys).

Late in 1985, Commodore released to the European market a new version of the C128 with a redesigned chassis resembling the Amiga 1000.

CCommodore 128 released in the United Kingdom on 25 July 1985, and in North America in November 1985.

The four-fold increase in video RAM over that installed in the "flat" CCommodore 128 made it possible, among other things, to maintain multiple text screens in support of a true windowing system, or generate higher-resolution graphics with a more flexible color palette.

One of the Commodore 128's major selling points is its total compatibility with the 64, a point that's worked more against the Commodore 128 than for it.

CCommodore 128 was certainly a better business machine than the C64, but not really a better gaming machine.

The main reason that the CCommodore 128 still sold fairly well was probably that it was a much better machine for hobbyist programming than the C64, as well as being a natural follow-on model to owners with significant investments in C64 peripherals and software.

Commodore 128 stated that the VDC video chip and Z80 were sources of trouble during the machine's design.