Back the Breadbox Retro Computer Simulator on Indiegogo

Last Updated on April 24, 2024

An unusual crowdfunder has launched on Indiegogo, giving you the chance to back a project aiming to create software simulations of classic Commodore hardware.

States the crowdfunder:

Breadbox is created with latest Game Technology. It contains a growing collection of fully functional – RUNNABLE – Retro Computers.

All computers and devices are interactable, beautifully rendered 3D models with realistic look, smooth animations, and authentic sounds.

Breadbox is designed to be user-friendly and easy to setup. Included tutorials will give everybody a good start into retro computing.

A fixed target of £86,827 has been set, although at the time of writing it has 0% with 30 days to run.

Often, retro gaming crowdfunders do well, but they’re almost always hardware based. A software simulation (as opposed to emulation) seems more niche than most crowdfunding projects.

Simulation or Emulation?

Aiming to let you code on a simulation of the original hardware or play games, project creator Bitfall is aiming high. Listing Apple IIe, Atari 400, TI-99/4A, ZX Spectrum, SVI-728, and BBC Micro as possible future inclusions, the initial release will include simulations of the Commodore PET-2001, VIC-20, and Commodore 64.

So, how does a simulation differ from emulation, and what does the difference really mean when the project relies on “a special version of VICE”? At this stage it appears that VICE will run within a graphical representation of the corresponding hardware. Simulated peripherals will also be included, suggesting a that the main use of this experience will be in VR.

Expecting to have a £59.99 release price on Steam, the project aims to include

Three retro computers: Commodore PET 2001, VIC-20 and Commodore 64.
Essential peripherals and accessories like, monitor, disk drive, tape recorder, cassette, diskette, cartridge*, joystick* and manual**.
Interactivity for the key events like, power switch, keyboard presses, tape and diskette handling, joystick connections, cassette recorder and disk drive functions.
Interactions will contain animations and audio. Sound effects are recorded using authentic hardware.
Upgrades to current graphics and animations. We are happy how the product looks already, but we aim for visually more impressive look!
Out-of-the-box keyboard mappings, to at least US and UK keyboards.
Easy keyboard mapping customization, for all keyboard layouts.
Easy to follow tutorial mode and/or tutorial videos to show you how Breadbox works and how to start with the retro computers.
VICE-emulator integration and easy installation.
Download and install Breadbox from Steam and/or other digital distribution service.

Head to Indiegogo to pledge your support for Breadbox.