The Commodore PET is the first home computer Commodore produced. First released in 1977, the PET ended production in 1982.
There were several models of the Commodore PET, to target business users as well as the home user.
Several models of the PET exist; variations of 2001, 3000, 4000, 8000 & 9000 series were produced over the 5 years of its life. Each of the series had built-in displays, meaning the product delivered an all-in-one home computing/business solution.
All models utilised the MOS 6502 processor clocked @ 1mhz. The only exception is the SuperPET 9000 series, which had a second processor, a Motorola 6809. Designed to be a higher-end machine, the 9000 series targets more academic & professional uses.
Commodore PETs were initially modular by design to allow RAM upgrades, but the 4000 series put paid to this by removing the sockets from the board. This was primarily due to users of the 3000 series simply buying lower-spec PETs and upgrading the RAM themselves.
The Commodore PET series was superseded by the CBM-II in 1982.
How To Emulate This System?
Commodore PET emulation is reasonably well catered for, we recommend taking a look at RetroArch if you are seeking an all-in-one solution. RetroArch emulates a large number of systems including the Commodore PET. RetroArch is a front end that utilises emulator ‘cores’, it is reasonably easy to use and has lots of good supporting documentation on how to use it. RetroArch is available across a number of platforms including Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Raspberry Pi, and many consoles. Take a look at our quick start guide for RetroArch which can get you up and running in 5 minutes.
The king of Commodore emulation has long reigned in the form of VICE (the Versatile Commodore Emulator). VICE provides emulation of pretty much all of Commodore’s systems except the Amiga.
It is the most complete all-in-one Commodore system emulator package available. We definitely recommended VICE as a single point to emulate most Commodore systems.
| Emulator | Description | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| VICE | The most configurable and advanced Commodore emulator, emulating a number of Commodore systems including the Commodore PET. Certainly recommended if you want to play around with more in-depth settings. | Windows / OSX / L |
A lifelong avid gamer and computing enthusiast, Matt has decades of Retro Gaming experience. Now over 40 years old, Matt now even considers himself retro, but fortunately, nobody has developed a Matt emulator (not yet at least!).