On this page I give you some tips to experience the true C64 games feeling!
These tips are beside the best tip anyone can give: just buy an old C64 or
go to your basement, dust of your old C64 or C128 and do the real thing.
Tip nr. 1: Connect your Arcade joystick to your PC!
This one is for all of you who want to play the old C64 games on their PC.
If you want the real experience, you definitely need to connect your old
joystick to your PC. In my opinion, your gamepad or keyboard is an inferior
solution. Did you play C64 games with your keyboard?! No you didn't. So get
your C64 joystick connected (preferably, use the superior Arcade joystick)!
But how can you connect your C64/Amiga joystick to your PC? This is where
Christoph Stahl and his companion Dirk come in the picture: they can provide
you with an interface! This interface basically is like a cable. You simply
plug it in your PC gameport, put your C64 joystick (1 or 2!) in the other end, select
the right driver in your OS and their you go!
All you need to know on the PC Competitor Pro (technical and order info) are
available from Christoph Stahl. Visit his website at:
I ordered an interface and I must stress that the interface is a superior
solution for C64 emulation. Although not very cheap, it is well worth the
investment. I am a very happy owner of the interface. The only problem that may arise is a Windows driver problem. This may appear
under Win 98, Win ME and / or Win 2000. The calibration may be a bit shaky.
Under Windows XP, the problem disappeared in my case.
A nice link is a link to the SUZO company: the company who produced the
Arcade joystick! Go to www.suzo.com for a quick look.
An alternative to the PC Competitor Pro is the recent release from www.speedlink.de . They have developed the Competition Pro USB. It is a look-a-like of the old joystick (but not exactly the same!) with an USB connection. It was recommended to us by Mike, who stated that he bought it and that we should give notice on our site. We didn't test it ourselves but it sure looks promising!
Here are some pics of the PC Competitor Pro, the Competition Pro USB and the Arcade joystick.
Tip nr. 2: Connect your PC or Amiga on a TV or an old monitor
There you are, sitting in front of your 17-inch screen with a 1024 * 768
resolution, emulating a C64 game. And those graphics seemed much better in
the old days!
This is basically caused by two reasons:
1. you're used to much better graphics now
2. you're blowing up the graphics of a C64 to a much higher resolution than
you did some 15 years ago
The first problem can only be solved by getting adjusted to the C64 graphics
again. But the second part of the problem can be solved!
Because you are watching C64 graphics at a big monitor (the old monitors
were 14-inch max!) with better resolutions and higher refresh rates, you see
the flaws of the C64 graphics better. You will feel much better if you could
watch these games on your TV! TV's have lower refresh rates and the images
are not so sharp. On small monitors, you will not blow up the flaws of the
graphics. Back in the old days, the graphics artist didn't create their art
on 17-inch screens!
How to connect a TV on your Amiga or PC? For Amiga owners, this is quite
simple: you need the right cable and then just connect it to your TV. For PC
owners, it is not so easy: you need a GFX card with at least a TV-out
connector. If you don't own such a card, you cannot connect your PC to your
TV. You also need the right cables, and most likely a TV with a SCART plug.
Get the right cables and a specific advise for your PC/TV combination at your
local hardware shop.
An alternative solution is provided by Kim Rasmussen from Denmark: he runs
his C64 emulator on a 15-inch monitor with a 400*300 resolution. He
recommends it as a 'close to TV-look'!
Tip nr. 3: Wanna play C64 games on your mobile?!
OK, believe this or not. But FRODO has made a C64 emulator for the Nokia 9210.
Now, C64 emulation has gone completely mobile! Wanna play The Great Giana
Sisters during a train trip? Or playing a game of Microprose Soccer when
your in the subway? Get yourself a Nokia 9210 and download the emulator at
the download center of www.my-communicator.com.
You can play the games available for download at the Alltime C64
Games Top 50. Here is a pic of the emulator in action:
Have you got a great tip on how to improve C64 emulation? Just drop me an
e-mail: rasputin(at)c64games.com.
