Just got a VIC-20

[BenG76]

Well like the title says I just got a Commodore VIC-20. I have been selling some old tube radios and amps for a friend that has been selling off his fathers collection of old electronics and we ran across the computer in its original box. Anyways he told me I could have it since he knew I am into games and stuff.
I finally connected it to a TV today and it seems to work. This is my first old computer so I am completly new to this stuff. I dont have any games and or other extras with it.
Any recommendations on games, accesories, etc. I should pick up will be greatly appreciated. I am pretty stoked about it working and I would like to pick up a few games for it soon to try it out more.

[ApolloBoy]

http://mega-cart.com

It's a bit pricey, but well worth the money considering it has every cart ever made, and then some.

[Ze_ro]

Since the VIC-20 has a paltry 3.5K of free RAM available, you will probably want to look into a memory expander. Unfortunately, Commodore made three different sizes (3K, 8K and 16K), and they are incompatible! Each one of them rearranges the memory map differently, so a game that is meant for an 8K expander might not work with a 16K one.

Most games for the VIC came on either cartridge (which makes things nice and easy), or tape (which makes things very slow). There are a lot of good games available on cartridge, and that easy plug and play makes for a very console-like experience. Tapes unlock a bit wider range of software, but you'll need a datasette (they're really cheap on eBay, like $1 or $2). Of course, you could get a 1541 disk drive for it... though that might be a bit of overkill for the lil' old VIC.

--Zero

[BenG76]

Thanks ApolloBoy I looked at the site and that cart is pretty awesome. I may have to think about picking one of those up.

[kedawa]

I used to play a lot of Gorf and Radar Rat Race on my vic.

Can tape and disk software be converted to the mega-cart?
That would certainly make things easier.
I saw a demonstration of it last year at World of Commodore Show in toronto, but I don't remember any specifics.

EDIT: I see it's right there on that link:

It is a multi-purpose cartridge for both PAL and NTSC machines that allows you to play all known cartridge games released for the Vic-20 plus a selection of some of the best games released on tape or disk.

So I take it the software has to be hacked/recompiled for cart use.

[Mayhem]

I think they just got made into self loading images. After all, I supplied a few of the programs on the cartridge...

Also many games would work fine that needed 8k if you used the 16k memory expansion. The memory maps are quite similar, unlike the one for 3k though.

Getting the Megacart would be a large step. You get a lot of games, you get the ability to expand memory up to 32k (meaning you can also play the new RPG "Realms of Quest 3" that NEEDS 32k!) and a bundle of useful utilities. After that, you can get a datasette if you want to load in some original games, or maybe a disk drive (a C64 type 1541 will still work fine on the Vic) if you want to download and transfer some copies to play.

[phreakindee]

I made a video a while back for just such occassions. It may not answer all of your questions, but there's recommendations for games and what you'll probably want to get things going at first.

Vic-20 Review for new collectors

I also would recommend the mega-cart, however if you don't want to drop a lot of cash and don't need hundreds of games to play, many regular carts for the game are quite cheap if you buy them together. Some great arcade conversions are available for only a few dollars.

[gameofyou]

I have made a low-cost multicart, if you just want to test the waters first, with some of the games:
http://www.gamingenterprisesinc.com/vic20/

Enjoy your new computer!

[BenG76]

Thanks for all the replies guys. The guy that gave me this also had another old computer or two and he is going to give me first shot at whatever he has. As much stuff as his dad has theres no telling whats there.
I really like the mega cart idea so I may get that in a bit if I get any Christmas money.