BMC64 vs Power64
BMC64
github.comPower64
infinite-loop.atSide by side
| Figure | BMC64 | Power64 |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Commodore 64 Emulators | 7.9 (#8) | 8.3 (#4) |
| Input devices | It supports USB plug-and-play and 8BitDo Retro Keyboards over USB or a 2.4 GHz receiver. | The emulator supports keyboard mapping, USB joysticks, mouse, paddles, lightpen and gamepads. |
| Installation | Installation uses a release ZIP or image written to a FAT32 SD card for a supported Raspberry Pi. | Installation requires copying the application to a hard-disk location; ROM files are bundled and no extra files are required. |
| Purpose | BMC64 is a bare-metal Commodore 64 emulator for Raspberry Pi. | Power64 emulates the Commodore 64 so users can run C64 software on an Apple Macintosh. |
| Support | The project points users to its official Discord community for support and discussion. | The download page provides the author's support email and says he will try to help with download problems, including by sending Power64 by email. |
Plans
Power64
- Power64 registration$30, paid once
- Power64 single user license$32, paid once
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.
Power64
Power64 emulates the Commodore 64 for running C64 software on an Apple Macintosh. It models the MOS 6510 processor, including illegal opcodes, and provides cycle-precise VIC video features and SID sound with a reSID interface. Drive emulation covers 1541, 1571, and 1581 systems, alongside disk and tape images including D64, X64, G41, D71, D81, T64, TAP, and Lynx. Macintosh access supports C64 and P00 files. Input options include USB or mapped keyboard joysticks, mouse, paddles, and lightpen. Users can mount disks by drag and drop, copy files among disks, tapes, and the Mac hard disk, use the built-in monitor/debugger, and run multiple C64 instances. Version 4.9.5 targets PowerPC and runs on Intel Macs only through Rosetta; it does not work on OS X 10.7. The unregistered version allows ten-minute sessions. Registration costs $32, paid once.