Note Type
General NotesNote
The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit entry level home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, 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, eventually reaching 2.5 million. 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."
Manufacturer Commodore Business Machines
Type Home computer
Release date Japan: 1980; 45 years ago, Worldwide: 1981; 44 years ago
Lifespan 5 years
Introductory price US$299.95 (equivalent to $1,040 in 2024)
Discontinued January 1985; 40 years ago
Units sold 2.5 million[1]
Operating system Commodore KERNAL
Commodore BASIC 2.0
CPU MOS Technology 6502 @ 1.108 MHz (PAL)[2] @ 1.02 MHz (NTSC)
Memory 20 KB ROM + 5 KB (3.5 KB free) RAM (expandable to 32 KB)
3.5 KB for BASIC (expandable to 27.5 KB)[a]
Graphics MOS Technology VIC
Sound MOS Technology VIC; 1 noise and 3 square channels[3]
Successor Commodore 64, MAX MachineNote Type
Object Specific InformationNote
This computer was purchased from a Goodwill online auction along with a complete Microlog Air-1/Airdisk radio interface system. This system connected the VIC-20 to a ham radio for TTY and morse code operations. This item has been tested as is fully functional.
