The Commodore 64 and Spectrum 48k: A Nostalgic Rivalry in Retro Gaming
The retro Gaming rivalry between Nintendo and Sega may be what comes to mind when you think of the 1980s, but there was another battle going on between Commodore and Sinclair. The Nintendo vs Sega rivalry introduced the world to the Game Boy and Game Gear, but the Commodore 64 and Spectrum 48k are also old-school favourites that still inspire nostalgia, rivalry, and arguments over their merits.
In a lively Reddit thread, users reminisce about the gaming rivalry between Nintendo and Sega, bringing up the competition between the C64 and Spectrum 48k, and highlighting the differences between the Atari ST and Amiga computers.
“I think the C64 won because it had the better games,” one user says. “Also because it had the best controller.”
“The Amiga had the better sound and came with better bundled games,” another replies. “But most of all, the Atari ST was utter garbage, so it was either C64 or Amiga.”
Other users express their love for the Commodore 64 and their desire to clear out the Spectrum users. “The C64 was a really good computer. I used the tape drive a lot, but I still remember the days when I’d have to wait for a game to load off the floppy drive. The C64 was a real computer and not just a gaming machine.”
“I have one,” another user replies. “I’ve used it twice in the last ten years.”
Amid the banter, a user admits to still owning their Amiga500 and expresses interest in trying out an Acorn Archimedes. They share fond memories of loading games on tape decks and the excitement of playing with friends. They recall the long loading times of the past and laugh at today’s complaints, while another user mentions a cousin giving them a broken tape deck and the frustrations of loading games, and highlights the importance of walking away from the computer to avoid accidentally pressing the joystick button.
The conversation shifts to the Giana Sisters game, with a user mentioning having to input a code for Jet-Set Willy and their desire to own a Commodore computer, and sharing their love for buying magazines with game tapes on the front.
“There’s something… almost haunting about the loading noise of the Spectrum,” someone comments. “I remember staying up late to play Giana because the tape deck needed to cool down after playing tapes all day.”
“I had the tape deck,” another replies. “It was so satisfying to put a new game in the tape deck, press PLAY, and have it load.”
“I had a Giana poster on my wall when I was a kid,” someone shares. “I think I still have it somewhere. I would have been one of those weird kids who wanted to play it on the NES, but I’m glad I didn’t get my wish.”
“I’m glad it never came out on NES or Master System,” another replies. “I want the experience to be just like it was for me in the ‘80s.”
“The Spectrum’s graphics were amazing,” someone shares. “I remember playing Metal Gear on it and being blown away by how nice it looked.”
“I wish I had a Spectrum,” someone else replies. “I was so jealous of my brother. I remember looking through the pages of a computer magazine and thinking the Spectrum games looked so much nicer than the C64 games.”
“I had a ZX Spectrum and really loved it,” another chimes in. “It had great games, but it was kinda crappy. I still miss it, though.”
“I had a C64 and Spectrum,” another replies. “I wish I still had them both. I miss my old games and computers.”
