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The Commodore VIC-20 was one of Commodore’s earliest
personal computers that came out on the market after the PET, but well before
the range of Commodore 64 computers that showed the company’s technological
advancement through the latter part of the 1980s. The Commodore VIC-20 first
appeared in 1980 at the Computer Electronics Show – it was the first personal
color computer to sell for under $300 in the U.S.
Techopedia Explains Commodore VIC-20
The Commodore VIC-20 was powered by an 8-bit CPU with a 22-character screen and 5.5k of RAM. It was produced under the guidance of Jack Tramiel, who later left Commodore for Atari.
The Commodore VIC-20 was widely touted as a versatile personal computer and a learning resource for school-age children. In late 1982, Commodore announced the Commodore 64, and other powerful computers started to emerge on the market. However, during that time, the Commodore VIC-20 had shipped over one million units, making it one of the more popular personal computers of its time. It also served as an alternate console for Bally Midway video games.
