Commodore 64, the iconic 8-bit computer from the early ’80s, was one of the first home computers for many people back in the day. Its ability to run basic games, office productivity software, and development tools made it one of the highest-selling single home PCs of all time. And now you can experience all of its retro charm through the lens of an Oculus Quest.
Created by YouTuber ‘OPEN PC Reviews‘, the emulator fully recreates the C64 for the Oculus Quest platform, including support for both Quest and Quest 2 headsets.
The new version for Quest, dubbed Real Commodore 64 – Virtually, follows a previous one developed by ‘OPEN PC Reviews’ for the Oculus Go. The Quest version includes full Touch support and room-scale locomotion so you can walk around the carefully decorated period room (plus a DeLorean parked outside).
If you’re already tantalized by the notion of playing Defender of the Crown (1986), Impossible Mission (1984), or Legacy of the Ancients (1987), you can download it for free over on SideQuest or sideload it manually via the apk to jump right in.
Also, if you haven’t tried out SideQuest yet, check out our articles on how to install games, which you can do either through your computer and also now through your Android phone.
As you’d expect, the emulator app doesn’t come with any ROMs, although they’re fairly simple to find since they’re mostly considered abandonware at this point. Once you pop your own ROMs into the game’s folder on Quest though, they’ll auto-populate into 3D floppy disks when in-game.
Once you’re in the app and have plenty of games to play, you’ll be able to make use of the fully-functional keyboard. There doesn’t seem to be a way to use an actual Bluetooth keyboard, which would be a fun bit of immersion for the touch typists among us.
‘OPEN PC Reviews’ says it should be coming to Oculus App Lab too, however it could take a few weeks as it goes through the publishing queue. There’s also the possibility of releasing a skinned-down version for SteamVR headsets, however its release isn’t certain yet.
Check out the video below to see it in action, and hear a little about its development from the creator himself.