EMwhite Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 I have the Mammoth joystick all-in and a pair of C64 Minis but after watching Robin's Show-n-tell on the Maxi, I'm hooked. Anybody have it that does not like it? My 8 bit collection is well represented but at present, the C64 contingent is a pair of SX-64s and only one works well; the other has a crap SID and a memory issue and is sans kbd. Do any thoughts on +'s or -'s on the Maxi? (I checked other threads and see some bits and pieces but not a dedicated topic so apologies if this is already 'someplace'; please direct me) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 My biggest minus on the maxi is that it isn't available state side at the previously announced price of $130, so it is likely I'll never bother getting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Administrators TomXP411 Posted July 12, 2021 Super Administrators Share Posted July 12, 2021 I wouldn't bother with a TheC64 at this point. if you really want the vintage experience on an emulated system, set up a Raspberry Pi/BMC system. You can buy a "for parts" breadbin or C style computer on EBay, some 3D printed mounting hardware, and a PCB that hooks up to the Pi's GPIO connector for the keyboard. That will give you a much better experience than the TheC64. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 (edited) I don't own one since it's not available in the NA market yet, and the "scalped" ones you can buy are vastly overpriced. You can a real Commodore 64 for the price the Maxi's are going for. lol That being said, I do own a C64 Mini, and while I do like it and play with it a lot, for me it's basically just a Commodore 64 "themed emulator". I picked it up on Amazon for under $30, so cheaper than a Raspberry Pi, and emulates almost everything I already do on Windows and my Pi 4. The C64 Maxi falls in the same category for me, just with a working keyboard. While I would not mind having one, that's not going to happen unless it's released here, and significantly cheaper. Since you really are just buying a themed emulator with a keyboard. In all reality, my knowledge of the Maxi mainly stems from David's Dec. 2019 video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxx2F4ffmeE Edited July 12, 2021 by Strider 3AM Typos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMwhite Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 I just bought two from the UK at a very good price -or- I’ve been had, and am about to get ripped off when nothing arrives. I was completely unaware that it never shipped to the US. Robin had his review of the CDN model in December of 2019. Of course he had ‘a’ part in its development. The suggestion above is good but I already have enough science projects so hope this is as faithful as it appears. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 When you get yours, you will have to let me know what you think! Like I said, I would not mind having one, once they are readily available here at MSRP. I have always had a soft spot for "plug & play" TV game devices, so this is no different. lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Strider said: When you get yours, you will have to let me know what you think! Like I said, I would not mind having one, once they are readily available here at MSRP. I have always had a soft spot for "plug & play" TV game devices, so this is no different. lol I really, more than anything, just want the keyboard ... I can use it as an emulated C=64. Or I think I can probably repurpose it. At the prices I see for imported units, I'll pass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMwhite Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 $165 including shipping (ea) again, assuming it shows up. Will just take comfort that it works. One modern power cable, one HDMI. And the joystick has clickey micro switches (improved from the ‘mini’) which I believe can be swapped out for leaf. I spent $200 on just the Commander keyboard from WASD which is of course lovely. This will not be ‘that’ experience but probably better than the high-end keyboard with VICE considering the ways in which tools are integrated as demo’d by *show-and-tell. Will share findings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 12, 2021 Share Posted July 12, 2021 $165? Where did you find that price? Though they're bound to be out by now... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EMwhite Posted July 12, 2021 Author Share Posted July 12, 2021 That was the 'per' price for buying two, including shipping; the back out VAT but I may or may not have to pay the Tariff man when it arrives. I'll PM you the deets. Don't want to create a stir before I find out if this place is legit or not. Sometimes if it seems too good to be true... I can stomach losing that much $$ but will not be able to get over the guilt if it ends up scamming the many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 13, 2021 Share Posted July 13, 2021 Thanks for the info. I went ahead and risked ordering one as well, along with an extra joystick and a few other things since shipping was fixed rate. {knock on wood} Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Wow, that was fast international shipping! I ordered it Monday night, and it arrived about an hour ago. Some videos. Not professional in any way shape or form. If you'd like to see something like that, you can check out my messing with scammers videos which come closer. This is self explanatory .This is just me going through it from first power up. You might hear some minor background chatter as I'm talking to my youngest child about it. The funniest observation when I showed what a C= 64 looked like when turned on: "It looks like a blue screen of death." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 16, 2021 Share Posted July 16, 2021 Note: Unlike the one 8BG reviewed in late 2019, this one does not include a US compatible plug. Not a big deal since I have no shortage of wall to USB adapters, but just FYI. Otherwise it is as "advertised". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 Very nice! That is soooooooo tempting. It's just hard to pay the current price and shipping when I already have a Mini, and have SO many other emulated systems at the moment. But.... I still want one. I also have a lot of Arduino/Pi based projects going on that I have dropped several hundred dollars on in the past few months, getting parts and upgrading my tools. The internal struggle is very real. haha On a side note, @Scott Robison, while looking at your videos I noticed you had the Star Trek parody skit from the Carol Burnett show on there, I had not seen that in YEARS. Such a great skit! "Are you AC or DC?" "Get your own lamp!" Growing up my mom was a huge Carol Burnett fan, so needless to say, I seen a lot of her stuff on VHS and re-runs. Her invisible husband turning out to be Leonard Nimoy as Spock, the memories. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Robison Posted July 17, 2021 Share Posted July 17, 2021 2 minutes ago, Strider said: Very nice! That is soooooooo tempting. It's just hard to pay the current price and shipping when I already have a Mini, and have SO many other emulated systems at the moment. But.... I still want one. I also have a lot of Arduino/Pi based projects going on that I have dropped several hundred dollars on in the past few months, getting parts and upgrading my tools. The internal struggle is very real. haha On a side note, @Scott Robison, while looking at your videos I noticed you had the Star Trek parody skit from the Carol Burnett show on there, I had not seen that in YEARS. Such a great skit! "Are you AC or DC?" "Get your own lamp!" Growing up my mom was a huge Carol Burnett fan, so needless to say, I seen a lot of her stuff on VHS and re-runs. Her invisible husband turning out to be Leonard Nimoy as Spock, the memories. lol I understand. I wound up paying $173 including shipping (if I rationalize things by spreading the total shipping cost across the five items I bought). That was a bit more than I wanted to spend as I was hoping to buy it at list price or better on Amazon with free prime shipping, but that hasn't worked out so well. But considering all the other options I've found were $225 or more plus shipping, I decided to indulge myself. What I really need are more hours in the day to do everything I want. As for the Star Trek parody skit ... I just happened upon that on some cable channel one day and thanks to DVR, I was able to plug in a capture device and rip it. I couldn't find it anywhere on YouTube, so I took the chance of a copyright strike and uploaded it. Other sketches I'm aware of I had seen on YouTube, but not the one I posted. One of these days I'll get back to recording YouTube content regularly. Today is just not that day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strider Posted July 20, 2021 Share Posted July 20, 2021 @EMwhite or @Scott Robison, would you mind sending me a PM with the info where you picked yours up? The more I read up on them and watch videos ... the more I want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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