--- title: Commodore VIC 20 categories: - Computers types: - Home Computer origins: - U.S.A. years: - '1981' cpus: - Commodore Semiconductor Group 6502A params: name: VIC 20 image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic20_1.jpg logo: /media/museum/logos/commodore_vic20_logo.gif company: /companies/commodore company_name: Commodore specs: - label: NAME value: VIC 20 - label: MANUFACTURER value: Commodore - label: TYPE value: Home Computer - label: ORIGIN value: U.S.A. - label: YEAR value: May 1981 - label: END OF PRODUCTION value: January 1985 - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE value: CBM Basic V2 - label: KEYBOARD value: Full-stroke keyboard, 4 function keys, 66 keys - label: CPU value: Commodore Semiconductor Group 6502A - label: SPEED value: 1.0227 Mhz - label: CO-PROCESSOR value: VIC-I (6560) for sound and graphics. - label: RAM value: 5 KB (3583 bytes free), expandable up to 32 KB - label: VRAM value: Screen memory shared with regular RAM - label: ROM value: 16 KB - label: TEXT MODES value: 23 rows x 22 columns - label: GRAPHIC MODES value: 184 x 176 - label: COLORS value: 8 character colors, 16 background/border colors - label: SOUND value: 3 voices / 3 octaves - label: SIZE / WEIGHT value: 40.3 x 20.4 x 7.2 cm / 1,8 Kg - label: I/O PORTS value: 1 joystick port, 1 user port, 1 serial port, 1 cartrige port, Composite video output, tape interface - label: POWER SUPPLY value: External power supply unit, 18 Watts - label: PRICE value: $299.95 (1981, U.S.A.) tabs: - photos - adverts - hardware - software - emulators - links - docs - videos forum_thread: 262 photos: - title: EVOLUTION OF THE VIC 20 CASE. subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/2vic20.jpg - title: INSIDE VIC-20 subtitle: '' text: |- The VIC-20 offered one of the first compact architectures which would later inspire the designs of many home computer manufacturers. **(1)** The keyboard can access up to 4 character sets and 8 programmable functions.\ **(2)** Housing for ROM or RAM expansion cartridges.\ **(3)** Power connector. Power is supplied by an external supply unit.\ **(4)** On/Off switch.\ **(5)** Analog port connector for a joystick, light pen or measuring instrument.\ **(6)** ROM chips holding the Basic language, character generator, and Input/Output routines.\ **(7)** 8-bit 6502 microprocessor from MOS Technology.\ **(8)** Aerial TV and RGB video output.\ **(9)** Serial interface connector. Able to manage several peripherals simultaneously.\ **(10)** Specialized chip dealing with video and sound generation.\ **(11)** Chips holding 5KB of RAM.\ **(12)** Keyboard connector.\ **(13-14)** Two specialized chips for input/output management.\ **(15)** Serial mode user connector.\ **(16)** Commodore tape recorder connector. image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic20_inside_1.jpg - title: VIC-20 BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic20_box_1.jpg - title: 'BOX #2' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic20_box_2.jpg - title: VIC-1001 subtitle: '' text: |- Before being introduced into the North American market, the VIC-20 was sold in Japan under the model name VIC-1001.\ It featured Japanese 'Katakana' characters in addition to the occidental ASCII characters set. Thanks to Michael Huebmer for this picture image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_2.jpg - title: VIC-1001 KEYBOARD subtitle: '' text: |- Notice the japanese characters Thanks to Michael Huebmer for this picture image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_keyboard.jpg - title: VIC-1001 BOX subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/photos/commodore_vic1001_box_1.jpg adverts: - title: 'ADVERT #1' subtitle: '' text: Picture courtesy of [Steve Browning, www.sbrowning.com/vintage](http://www.sbrowning.com/vintage). image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_pub_1.jpg - title: 'ADVERT #2' subtitle: '' text: |- Yes, it's really him – William Shatner (Captain Kirk).\ Did they really use VIC-20 in the Enterprise?\ That would certainly explain a lot of things... Picture courtesy of [Steve Browning, www.sbrowning.com/vintage](http://www.sbrowning.com/vintage). image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_pub_2.jpg - title: 'ADVERT #3' subtitle: '' text: Picture courtesy of Steve Browning, www.sbrowning.com/vintage. image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_pub_3.jpg - title: 'ADVERT #4 (1982)' subtitle: '' text: Circa September, 1982. This is likely one of the final Commodore advertisements for the VIC-20, as the C64 was soon to be launched. image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_pub_4.jpg - title: 'ADVERT #5' subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_pub_price-of-a-toy.jpg - title: NEW ZEALAND ADVERT subtitle: '' text: dated February 1984 from Bits & Bytes image: null - title: WONDER COMPUTE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_adv_wonder-compute.jpg - title: VC20 GERMAN ADVERT subtitle: '' text: Thanks to Christian Hart for this scan image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vc20_pub-de_1.jpg - title: ITALIAN AD subtitle: '' text: |- “Why be content with a video game system?\ Today, the VIC-20 is available at a special price.” Courtesy of **http://angelmemories.cjb.net/** image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_vic20_aditaly_1.jpg - title: SPANISH ADVERT (MAY 1982) subtitle: '' text: '' image: null - title: PROMOTIONAL PICTURE subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore-vic20_prm_1.jpg - title: COMMODORE WATCHES! subtitle: '' text: |- While manufacturing and selling calculators in 1977, Commodore sold wristwatches. Thanks to **Chuck Guzis** image: /media/museum/pubs/commodore_64_watchad_1.jpg hardware: - title: VIC-1525 subtitle: Dot-matrix printer. text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_vic-1525_printer_1.jpg - title: TAPE-RECORDER subtitle: Data storage unit. text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_vic20_taperecorder_1.jpg - title: SERIAL RS232 MODULE subtitle: Serial connectivity module. text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_vic20_serialmodule_1.jpg - title: VICMODEM subtitle: Model 1600 text: The official VIC-20 modem. image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_vic20_vicmodem_1.jpg - title: 8 KB RAM MODULE subtitle: 8K RAM expansion cartridge. text: '' image: /media/museum/hardware/commodore_vic20_8krammodule_1.jpg emulators: - title: Pfau Zeh url: http://www.classicgaming.com/pfauzeh/ platform: Windows text: Nice VIC-20 emulator for Windows - title: Power20 url: http://www.infinite-loop.at/Power20/index.html platform: Apple text: VIC-20 emulator for MacOS - title: MESS url: http://www.mess.org/ platform: Multiplatform text: MESS emulates the VIC-20 - title: VICE url: http://www.viceteam.org/ platform: Multiplatform text: VICE is a multiplatform emulator that supports the Commodore VIC-20, C64, C128, and PET models. links: - title: Arma's Home page url: http://www.timsplace.plus.com/ text: VIC 20 dedicated site, with a lot of tape inlay scans! - title: Commodore VIC-20 file archive url: http://www.funet.fi/pub/cbm/vic20/index.html text: The title says it all... - title: Commodore VIC-20 Tribute page url: http://www.geocities.com/rmelick/new_page_2.htm text: 'Lot of stuff here : history, technical documents, interviews, etc.' - title: Denial - The Commodore VIC-20 Community url: http://sleepingelephant.com/denial/ text: Forum, Wiki, Roms, Docs, FAQs, News, Links - title: GameBase VIC20 url: http://home.wanadoo.nl/dirkhuppelde/ text: VIC20 game database - title: Ray Carlsens's Commodore repair articles url: http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm.html text: 'Commodore Repair Articles (Ray Carlsen): Includes detailed repair tips such as “Repairing the VIC-20: Chips vs. Symptoms and Diagnostics''''.' - title: The Geek site url: http://www.kdef.com/geek/vic/ text: VIC-20 software, emulators, specifications, and more. - title: VIC-20 Cartridge Software Reviews url: http://www.zimmers.net/anonftp/pub/cbm/vic20/Cartzilla.html#sea-wolf text: Many game reviews by Ward F. Shrake - title: Week End Gamer - VIC 20 Archive url: http://www.weekend-gamer.co.uk/Vic20/Index.htm text: Great! Lot of interesting stuff here - title: Wikipedia - VIC-20 article url: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodore_VIC-20 text: '' docs: - title: PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE url: null cover: /media/museum/docs/couvs/commodore_vic20_programmers-reference-guide.jpg text: |- **PROGRAMMER'S REFERENCE GUIDE**\ written by Commodore  compiled/archived by Asbjorn Djupdal\  type of document : PDF\  source : www.old-computers.com videos: - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - meeting url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUKUHjBhb2Q text: 'Length: 31 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - prepared for ? url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nkgZZn6Rzk text: 'Length: 31 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - 2 kind of teenagers url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMLsQAJ-oHU text: 'Length: 31 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - looking for a job url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lql-otlQfNo text: 'Length: 32 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - fish tank url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pYMHm_Y60s text: 'Length: 31 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - fish tank url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0_mF4J23R0 text: 'Length: 12 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - Neighborhood url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG6NR7_Jfk0 text: 'Length: 11 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - thank you url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkBvhHYV5qE text: 'Length: 11 s' - title: Commodore Vic 20 commercial - William Shatner url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUEI7mm8M7Q text: 'Length: 28 s' software: - /software/adventure - /software/alien-a-k-a-super-alien - /software/capture-the-flag - /software/jupiter-lander - /software/mastermind - /software/pirate-s-cove-adventure - /software/seawolf - /software/terraguard - /software/the-count - /software/vic-avenger - /software/voodoo-castle oc_id: 252 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230528042202/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=252 date: '2023-05-28' --- The VIC-20 – a "family" version of the [PET series](/museum/commodore-pet-2001/) (using the same microprocessor and Basic language) – was the first computer to sell more than one million units. Once dubbed the **MicroPET** during the 1980 Computer Electronics Show, it later became known as the VIC-20. VIC referenced the **VIC-I** (Video Interface Chip) chip used for graphics and sound. There does not seem to be any obvious rationale behind the usage of the number 20, other than the fact that it was close to the 22 characters per line and to the combined RAM and ROM memory in the machine (5 KB RAM + 16 KB ROM), or the total 8 KB Basic, 8 KB Kernel and 4 KB Character maps... Regarding the name, **Michael Tomczyk**, (manager of the VIC project) recalls:\ "*VIC sounded like a truck driver, so I insisted on attaching a number. I picked ‘20’ and when Jack Tramiel asked, ‘Why 20?’ I replied, ‘because it's a friendly number and this has to be a friendly computer.*' He agreed. The number 20 has no relation to any technical feature -- just my idea of a friendly sounding number. That sounds a bit bizarre looking back on it, but we did a lot of things by instinct in those days." The VIC-20 was designed by **Bob Yannes** who also created the SID chip for the C64. He later joined Ensoniq to design synthesizers. The Video Interface Chip (or ‘VIC’ as it is commonly called), is one of the most important silicon chips in the VIC-20 microcomputer, coming second only to the 6502A microprocessor itself. The VIC is a specially constructed input-output (I/O) chip that offers a large variety of functions, but as suggested by its name, is primarily concerned with the production of the video output signal. It was originally intended to be sold to third-party manufacturers for use in video game machines. Demand for the chip was low, and so Commodore decided to make their own system to recoup their losses. The VIC-20 was initially launched in Japan in late 1980 (under the ‘[VIC-1001](/museum/commodore-vic-1001/)’ name) with a Japanese 'Katakana' set of characters. It was subsequently released in North America in May of 1981. Though these are the "official" release dates, several prototypes of the Commodore VIC-20 were reportedly available in late 1979. These early machines offered only 4 KB of RAM and used a different set of game cartridges. Thanks to the colorful graphics and low cost, the VIC-20 was an immediate success. At its peak, more than 9000 units rolled off the assembly line each day. Adding to its success was the fact that it was the first color computer to break the $300 (USD) price barrier. A wide range of peripherals and software were developed for the VIC-20. The failed [Commodore 16](/museum/commodore-c16/) eventually became the successor of the VIC-20. --- Contributors: Brian Bagnall, Rick Melick