C64 by ChronoCoders
github.com
Spec sheet
- Purpose
- C64 is a cycle-accurate Commodore 64 and 1541 disk-drive emulator written from scratch in C11.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Audience
- The design notes describe the documentation as intended for people extending or porting the code and people seeking to understand or trust its behaviour.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- License
- The repository source code is available under the MIT License, which grants use without charge and disclaims warranties.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Maker
- The maker profile identifies Altug Tatlisu and lists New York, US as the location.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Accuracy limits
- The design notes say digital components are modelled to the cycle while the SID filter and mixing use labelled fixed-point approximations.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Audio and graphics
- Its documented features include VIC-II graphics modes and sprites, plus SID 6581 sound resampled to 44.1 kHz.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Build requirements
- The GUI binary requires a C11 compiler and SDL2; the project documents Linux x86-64 and Windows x86-64 using MSYS2 MinGW64 as verified platforms.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Controls
- Keyboard, joystick, and SDL-recognized game controllers are supported, with configurable joystick port and keyboard layout.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- CPU and bus
- The C64 and 1541 run in separate clock domains and communicate over a modelled IEC serial bus.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Disk drive
- The 1541 drive supports LOAD, SAVE, and NEW, with disk changes written back to the .d64 file on clean exit.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Disk support
- The 1541 model supports LOAD, SAVE, and NEW, and writes disk changes back to the .d64 file on clean exit.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Graphics
- The VIC-II implementation covers five graphics modes, sprites, collisions, badlines, raster interrupts, and border effects.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Hardware emulation
- It models the C64 and 1541 as separate machines with independent clock domains and a real IEC serial bus.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Headless mode
- The emulator supports a --headless mode and can run without an audio device, pacing to realtime from a wall-clock frame timer.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Input
- Input options include keyboard mapping modes, joystick port switching, cursor-key joystick controls, and SDL-recognized game controllers.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- License limits
- The MIT license covers repository source only; it does not cover ROM images, disk images, cartridges, or other software used with the emulator.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Requirements
- Building requires a C11 compiler and SDL2 for the GUI binary; the project documents Linux x86-64 and Windows x86-64 using MSYS2 MinGW64 as verified platforms.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- ROM requirement
- Copyrighted C64 and 1541 ROM images are not included, so users must supply their own legally obtained copies.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Save states
- Snapshots are limited to the same platform, build, endianness, and compiler ABI.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Snapshots
- Save-state snapshots are limited to the same platform, build, compiler layout, and byte order.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Software compatibility
- The project says it runs commercial software, including real games verified beyond unit tests.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
- Sound
- The SID 6581 model includes oscillators, four waveforms, sync, ring modulation, ADSR, a multimode filter, and 44.1 kHz resampling.Read 7 Oct 2026 · github.com
Where Specifiction places it
- Commodore 64 Emulators#10 of 317.6