Chapter 1: Overview

The Commander X16 is a modern home computer in the philosophy of Commodore computers like the VIC-20 and the C64.

Features:

• 8-bit 65C02 CPU at 8 MHz
• 512 KB or 2 MB RAM banked RAM
• 512 KB ROM
• Expansion Cards (Gen 1) & Cartridges (Gen 1 and Gen 2)
  • Up to 3.5MB of RAM/ROM
  • 5 32-byte Memory-Mapped IO slots
• VERA video controller
  • Up to 640x480 resolution
  • 256 colors from a palette of 4096
  • 128 sprites
  • VGA, NTSC and RGB output
• three sound generators
  • Yamaha YM2151: 8 channels, FM synthesis
  • VERA PSG: 16 channels, 4 waveforms
  • VERA PCM: 48 kHz, 16 bit, stereo
• Connectivity:
  • PS/2 keyboard and mouse
  • 4 NES/SNES controllers
  • SD card
  • Commodore Serial Bus ("IEC")
  • Many Free GPIOs ("user port")

As a modern sibling of the line of Commodore home computers, the Commander X16 is reasonably compatible with computers of that line.

• Pure BASIC programs are fully backwards compatible with the VIC-20 and the C64.
• POKEs for video and audio are not compatible with any Commodore computer. (There are no VIC or SID chips, for example.)
• Pure machine language programs ($FF81+ KERNAL API) are compatible with Commodore computers.