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Commodore VIC-20
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| Manufacturer | Commodore Business Machines |
|---|---|
| Type | Home computer |
| Release date | 1980 (VIC-1001) Japan / 1981 |
| Lifespan | 5 years |
| Introductory price | US$299.95 (equivalent to $794.66 in 2019) |
| Discontinued | January 1985; 36 years ago |
| Operating system | Commodore KERNAL Commodore BASIC 2.0 |
| CPU | MOS Technology 6502 @ 1.108404 MHz (PAL) [1] @ 1.02 MHz (NTSC) |
| Memory | 20 KB ROM + 5 KB RAM (expandable to 32 KB), 3.5 KB for BASIC (expandable to 27.5 KB) |
| Storage | Compact Cassette, floppy disk |
| Display | Commodore 1701 |
| Graphics | VIC 176 x 184 3-bpp |
| Sound | 3 × square, 1 × noise, mono[2] |
| Input | Tape, floppy disk, cartridge |
| Predecessor | Commodore PET |
| Successor | Commodore 64, Commodore 16, Commodore MAX Machine |
The Commodore VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980,[3] roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the PET. The VIC-20 was the first computer of any description to sell one million units.[4] It was described as "one of the first anti-spectatorial, non-esoteric computers by design...no longer relegated to hobbyist/enthusiasts or those with money, the computer Commodore developed was the computer of the future."[5]
The VIC-20 was called VC-20 in Germany because the pronunciation of VIC with a German accent sounds like the German expletives "fick" or "wichsen".[6][7] The term VC was marketed as though it was an abbreviation of VolksComputer ("people's computer," similar to Volkswagen and Volksempfänger).[8]
