Max Machine / Ultimax

The Commodore MAX Machine, also known as Ultimax in the United States and VC-10 in Germany, was a home computer designed and sold by Commodore International in Japan, beginning in early 1982, a predecessor to the popular Commodore 64. The Commodore 64 manual mentions the machine by name, suggesting that Commodore intended to sell the machine internationally; however, it is unclear whether the machine was ever actually sold outside Japan. It is considered a rarity.

“The **Max Machine** (also known as the **UltiMax** in USA / Canada; and the **VC-10** in Germany) was a games console with a membrane keyboard released by Commodore in Japan in early 1982.

The machine was essentially a very cut-down C64 – the C64 and C128 were designed to have compatibility with MAX Machine cartridges.

Around 24 cartridges were released for the machine, many of these would be later repackaged as C64 games. A lot of the games were made for Commodore by HAL Laboratory.

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## Emul
Emulating the MAX Machine / UltiMax can be done using the VICE emulator, which is available on many platforms.

System | Emulator | Notes
:- | – | –
Windows / Mac OS / Linux | [MAME/MESS](https://www.mamedev.org) | Good Support. Setname: `vic10`
Windows / MacOS / Linux / more | [VICE](https://vice-emu.sourceforge.io) | The C64 version of VICE can emulate MAX Machine .crt cartridges.

*Emulator information last updated 6th August 2020*
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## Tech
**Name** | MAX Machine / UltiMax / VC-10 / VIC-10
:- | –
**Origin** | United States / Japan
**Processor** | MOS 6510
**Developed by** | Yashi Terakura
**Memory** | 2.5k RAM
**Display Output** | RF Output
**Colours** | 16 colours
**Audio** | SID Chip
**Storage** | ROM Cartridges, ports for cassette
**Input** | Built-in Membrane Keyboard
**Cost** | $180 at launch
**Additional Names** | MAX Machine (Japan) / UltiMax (US / Canada) / VC-10 (Germany)
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## Reso
* [http://www.multimax.co/](MultiMax) – MultiMax is a cartridge for the MAX Machine / UltiMax which contains all the games ever released for the system. The website also gives some background information on the machine.”