BMC64 vs POKE64
BMC64
github.comPOKE64
alexain.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | BMC64 | POKE64 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 0 |
| Spec score · Commodore 64 Emulators | 7.9 (#8) | 7.1 (#19) |
| Purpose | BMC64 is a bare-metal Commodore 64 emulator for Raspberry Pi. | POKE64 is a native Commodore 64 emulator for iPad built on the VICE x64sc core. |
| Support | The project points users to its official Discord community for support and discussion. | During beta, GitHub Issues is the preferred channel for technical reports and reproducible bug reports. |
Plans
In their own words
BMC64
BMC64 is a free, bare-metal Commodore 64 emulator for selected Raspberry Pi boards. Its bundled release also emulates the C128, VIC-20, Plus/4 and PET, including C64 PAL and NTSC variants. It uses VICE, with Plus4Emu available on Raspberry Pi 3 for more accurate Plus/4 emulation. Frames are timed to 50/60 Hz display refresh for smooth scrolling, and the project advertises low input-to-audio/video latency. A reported C64 boot over composite takes 4.1 seconds, with no shutdown sequence required. Wi-Fi and Ethernet support uses such as BBS access and C64 OS networking. Installation involves writing a release ZIP or image to a FAT32 SD card. Required ROM files must come from a legal source, and the minimum C64 ROM set is needed to start. Supported boards are Pi Zero, Zero 2W, Pi 2 and Pi 3; Pi 4 and later are unsupported. An optional local-network web interface manages status and SD-card files and can use a PIN.