15 Quick Bits About the Commodore SX-64

It’s time for the next installment of “15 Quick Bits About…” In this set of Quick Bits, we’ll take a look at 15 facts about the Commodore SX-64. While I’ve owned several Commodore 64’s (and VIC-20’s) over the years, I’ve never owned an SX-64. If I ever come across one for a reasonable price, I’ll no doubt pick one up. However, not having what is essentially a portable Commodore 64 doesn’t mean that I can’t learn more about it (and share it here) in the meantime. So, let’s take a look…

Quick Bits on the Commodore SX-64

1. The Commodore SX-64 was the first full-color portable computer sporting a built-in 5″ display with a resolution of 320 x 200 pixels and 16 colors. [1] [2]
2. The Commodore SX-64 was announced in January 1983 at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and released one year later in January 1984 with a suggested retail price of $995 (USD). [2] [4] [6] [12]
3. The Commodore SX-64 was affectionately known as the “Executive 64” (and the “VIP-64” in Europe) due to its target market of business professionals. [1] [2]
4. The Commodore SX-64 was on the market for about three years between 1984 and 1986. [2] [4] [6]
5. The Commodore SX-64 weighed in at a luggable 23 pounds (10.5kg). While not light by today’s standards, it was still considered to be a very portable device. [1] [3]
6. Unlike the Commodore 64’s light blue characters on a dark blue background, the SX-64 uses dark blue characters on a white background for increased legibility on the 5″ screen. [2] [5]
7. The Commodore SX-64 carrying handle doubles as a support for the computer and can be locked in various positions to provide the best viewing angle. [5]
8. Commodore had plans to release a DX-64 with a second built-in disk drive (in the cavity above the original drive) but those plans were suspended. There have since been unconfirmed reports of the existence of a few DX-64s. [2] [5] [7]
9. With the inclusion of a built-in disk drive, Commodore chose not to include the Datasette (cassette) port on the SX-64, posing some challenges for non-Commodore printers that relied on this port for power. [2] [5]
10. The keyboard for the Commodore SX-64 doubled as the cover for the computer while in storage or in transit. The keyboard connected to the base unit with the supplied cord while in use. [8]
11. An optional Z-80 Microprocessor add-on could be purchased for the Commodore SX-64 providing the ability to run the CP/M Operating System and compatible software. [8]
12. The Commodore SX-64 had minor differences in its Kernel ROM as compared to the Commodore 64, including different keyboard shortcuts (e.g., Shift + Run/Stop), lack of cassette routines, and different (default) screen colors. [9] [11]
13. The Commodore SX-64 runs SX-64 BASIC v2.0 – the same BASIC used by the Commodore 64. [6]
14. Limitations of the original power supply provided in the Commodore SX-64 limited expandability; However, this was addressed with an updated power supply in later production runs. [6]
15. The exact number of Commodore SX-64 units sold is not documented; However, sales were generally considered to be low. Total sales were likely in the tens of thousands. [2] [6] [10]

References

1. Commodore SX-64 (110v US). Centre for Computing History. Retrieved 15 Aug 2023.
2. Commodore SX-64. Wikipedia. Retrieved 15 Aug 2023.
3. Remembering the Commodore SX-64. The Register. 20 Jan 2008.
4. Commodore SX-64 “Executive”. oldcomputers.net. Retrieved 19 Aug 2023.
5. SX-64 Portable Computer. Ahoy!, Issue 14, Pages 37, Feb 1985.
6. Executive 64. C64 Wiki. Retrieved 19 Aug 2023.
7. Meet the Affordable Portable. Run, Volume 1, Number 5, Page 48, May 1984.
8. Commodore Portable SX-64 Color Computer User’s Guide. Copyright 1983. Commodore Business Machines.
9. Commodore SX-64 Restoration. Adam’s Vintage Computer Restorations. 1 June 2021.
10. Commodore SX-64 Serial Register. Retrieved on 4 Sep 2023.
11. Commodore SX-64 repair and trivia. The 8-Bit Guy. YouTube. 24 Nov 2022.
12. 1983 Winter Consumer Electronics Show. Creative Computing. Vol. 9, No. 4. April 1983.

Other Quick Bits

This is one in a series of Quick Bits, including:

1. Commodore 64
2. Commodore VIC-20
3. Texas Instruments TI-99/4 & TI-99/4A
4. TRS-80 Pocket Computer PC-2
5. TRS-80 Color Computer (CoCo) 2
6. TRS-80 Model 100/102
7. Palm IIIe
8. Compaq C120 (Pocket PC)
9. Compaq Portable
10. Commodore SX-64

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