Classic Computer, Modern Twist: Web Browser Hosts Java-Powered Commodore VIC-20 Emulator

by Les Pounder

Captain Kirk called the Commodore VIC 20 "The wonder computer of the 1980s" and it makes me wonder if he hacked the Kobayashi Maru simulator with one of these? If you want to relive the home computer boom of the early 1980s, this browser based emulator is just for you.

Lane Ewing's browser based JVic VIC20 emulator is sheer fun! As you can probably guess from the name, JVic is a Commodore VIC 20 emulator written in Java and designed with mobile devices in mind.



The user interface is a series of pages which you can move through by swiping, or for desktop users there are buttons to navigate. Each page has different games and demos can be selected by pressing the thumbnail. Dig Dug, Donkey Kong, Elite, Gorf, Manic Miner, Pac-Man, the gang are all here, ready to be played.

Is your favourte missing from the list? No problem, you can drag and drop any VIC 20 .d64, .prg, .crt, .tap or .zip file and JVic will run it!

Tweak your VIC!



You can pass URL parameters to tweak the config of the virtual VIC 20. In the GIF above, I have used the URL https://vic20.games/#/basic?RAM=32K to run the BASIC interpreter and boost my VIC 20 to a whopping 32KB of RAM. Other tweaks are for the TV region, PAL or NTSC and the type of file being loaded, CART, DISK, PRG or TAPE.

Running JVic



There are many ways to use JVic. You can install the web app as JVic uses the Progressive Web App (PWA) spec. In my Chrome browser I get the icon in the address bar. You can also install JVic to your Android phone using this method, in fact, this is how Ewing prefers to install on to their Android device.

You can also install the Java version to your computer. The .jar file is executable and because its Java, it can run on Windows, Mac and Linux. If you have an Android device, then there is a signed APK file that you can install. Note that there is no JVic app in the Google Play Store so beware of fakes!

Lastly, you can install JVic on to your own web server and run the emulator for your visitors.

Would you like to learn more?

Ewing has a helpful Github repository that details the project and all of the features mentioned, but in greater detail.