Commodore VIC-1001

The VIC-1001 was the Japanese-market debut of Commodore’s low-cost VIC computer, preceding the internationally named VIC-20.

It helped demonstrate that a colour computer could be sold through mass-market retail channels.

Notable Features

• Japanese character support and market-specific badging distinguish it.
• The VIC chip combined video and sound in a low-cost design.

Historical Significance

• It helped demonstrate that a colour computer could be sold through mass-market retail channels.

Collector’s Notes

• Board revision, regional video standard, power supply, keyboard legends and original accessories should be recorded.
• Memory, storage, displays and expansion hardware should be documented because configurations often changed during a system’s working life.

Specifications

Technical Information
Name	Commodore VIC-1001
Manufacturer	Commodore
Launched	Tuesday, January 1, 1980
Discontinued	1990s
Country	United States
CPU	MOS 6502 at approximately 1.02 MHz
Units Sold
Form Factor	Keyboard computer
Power	External or internal mains supply according to model
Networking	Commodore serial networking and third-party network adapters where supported
Operating System	Commodore BASIC 2.0
Expansion / I/O	Cartridge, cassette, serial IEC, user port and joystick
Keyboard	Integrated Japanese keyboard
Storage	Datasette, cartridge and Commodore serial disk drives
Sound	Three-voice VIC sound plus noise
Colours	Eight colours initially; border/background combinations
Graphics	VIC graphics with programmable characters
Display	Television or monitor; 22 x 23 text
ROM	20KB ROM including BASIC 2.0, KERNAL and character data
RAM	5KB standard; approximately 3.5KB available to BASIC
CPU Speed	Approximately 1.02 MHz