website/content/museum/commodore-c64-gs-games-system.md

---
title: Commodore C64 GS (Games System)
categories:
- Consoles
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1990'
cpus:
- '6510'
params:
  name: C64 GS (Games System)
  company: /companies/commodore
  company_name: Commodore
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: C64 GS (Games System)
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Commodore
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: Christmas 1990
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: None
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: Atari compatible controllers
  - label: CPU
    value: '6510'
  - label: SPEED
    value: 0.985 MHz (PAL) / 1.023 MHz (NTSC)
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: VIC II (Video), SID (Sound)
  - label: RAM
    value: 64 KB
  - label: ROM
    value: 20 KB
  - label: GRAPHIC MODES
    value: 'several, most used : 320 x 200'
  - label: COLORS
    value: '16'
  - label: SOUND
    value: 3 voices / 6 octaves (sound output through TV)
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: RGB (composite, chroma/luma and sound in/out), 2 x Joystick plugs, Cardridge slot, Power supply, RF TV output
  - label: BUILT IN MEDIA
    value: Cartridges
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: External PSU
  - label: PRICE
    value: £99.99 (UK, 1990)
  tabs:
  - photos
  - software
  - emulators
  - links
  photos:
  - title: C64GS
    subtitle: ''
    text: '[Thomas Conté](http://www.pas.net)'
    image: null
  screenshots:
  - title: GYRUSS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: LAST NINJA REMIX
    subtitle: Title screen 1
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: LAST NINJA REMIX
    subtitle: Title screen 2
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: LAST NINJA REMIX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: MOONPATROL
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: RICK DANGEROUS
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: STUNTCAR RACER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: INTERNATIONAL SOCCER
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: null
  - title: SCREENSHOT 1
    subtitle: ''
    text: |-
      When there is no cartridge inserted into the system, a small amiga-esque animation is diplayed, explaining how to insert a cartridge.

      The first image tells you that the system is powered but there is no cartridge inserted (thanks!).
    image: null
  - title: SCREENSHOT 2
    subtitle: ''
    text: This image tells you to switch off the system and to insert a cartridge.
    image: null
  - title: SCREENSHOT 3
    subtitle: ''
    text: The last image of the animation tells you to now switch on the system.
    image: null
  emulators:
  - title: MESS emulator
    url: http://www.mess.org
    platform: Other platform
    text: This well known multiplatform emulator emulates the C64 GS as well
  links:
  - title: Def guide to ZZAP64!
    url: http://www.zzap64.co.uk/zzap66/thec64gs.html
    text: An article from ZZAP64, dated from 1987, describing the brand new C64 GS system
  - title: The Secret Weapons of Commodore
    url: http://www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/secret/ultimax.html
    text: This excellent site as a very nice page about the C64 GS
  comments:
  - author: Nash
    date: Friday 8th December 2017
    text: This wouldn''t have been a terrible idea if, one, the cartridge games never required keyboard commands, and two, if it would have come out in 1985 or 6, instead of 1990...
  - author: Nik Williams (UK)
    date: Wednesday 2nd March 2005
    text: In 1991 I was working for a company that had the contract to repair all Commodore machines in the UK. I remember the C64 GS just as it was released but we didn't get many in for repair. At that time it was too little too late. If it had been released about 3 or 4 years earlier it could have been a great earner for Commodore.
  - author: Claus Ruglund Jakobsen (Denmark)
    date: Monday 5th July 2004
    text: My parents gave me a C64G for christmas present in 1990, already then they were stopping production, there was the original GS-joystick and the cartrigde that came with the gs in the box, the games were good, but the joystick was utterly bad.
  - author: Nuey San Waldman (Amsterdam (NL))
    date: Tuesday 27th April 2004
    text: Actually, this thing was also sold in The Netherlands. I remember looking at it in a store display (running a soccer game) wondering why Commodore even bothered making this thing.
  oc_id: 768
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230604170655/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=768
    date: '2023-06-04'
---

The C64 GS (Games System) is basically a C64 motherboard in a simple beige plastic case without a keyboad, serial port and tape interface. Apart from some minor ROM changes the circuitboard inside is exactly a C64. Thus it can play all the C64 cartridges that don't require interaction with the keyboard. Some cartridges were specificaly produced for the C64 GS, but there are a few... These cartridges could also be used with the original C64 or C128 both being equiped with the same cartridge slot.

Priced at £99.99 in UK (Christmas 1990), the console was packaged with a joystick and a cartridge containing International Soccer, Klax, Flimbo's Quest and Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O'Fun. But as history told us, putting aging computer technology into a gaming system, never made it a winner... The Amstrad GX-4000 (using CPC hardware), the Amiga CD-32 (using Amiga hardware), the Atari XEGS (using XE xomputers hardware) or the C64 GS never became top selling systems. The companies usually tried this strategy to desperatly compete with new waves of systems. For the C64 GS that was Nintendo NES and Sega Master System. The Megadrive was even released a few months later as well as the Nintendo Superfamicom (at least in Japan). Given this information, it's clear that the C64 GS, or the Amstrad GX-4000 released at the same time and same price, could not compete...

Moreover, for a few bucks more you could buy a real C64 computer! The C64 Games System was only sold in UK in 1990, and Denmark in 1991...It was a massive flop. 80,000 units were produced; less than 25% of them eventually sold. Most of the remaining units were taken back and dissassembled for parts for the 64G.

---

**Taneli Lukka** from Finland reports:

The machine actually has a cassette connector and user port on the motherboard, but there are no holes for them in the case, it seems that either the machine was originally supposed to have the ability to play tape games too (would seem quite likely, you really only need one or two buttons to load a game from tape) or then it was cheaper to manufacture the motherboard with fewer changes compared to the C=64 computer. There might have also been some peripherals planned for the user port, but both the cassette compatibility and the user port thing must have been scrapped well before release because there are no holes for them in the case. These ports did enable Commodore to use the unsold machines as parts for C=64 computers when the console bombed.

The machine came packaged with a Cheetah Annihilator joystick, which is probably one of the worst joysticks of all time. It's a real wonder why Commodore didn't use one of their own sticks (which are all manufactured by other companies, they just have C= stickers on them) which are not very good either, but atleast you can play with them. The reason might be that The Annihilator just matched the colour of the machine.

<table> <tr> <td></td> <td>We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.</td> <td></td> </tr> </table>