Posted By
MIK
on 2022-08-03
01:21:08
 |  Ever heard of a Commodore 444 ?
At the weekend I went to Retrovison, was great fun and it's not everyday Jeff Minter sits down to play his own Void Runner on my Plus/4 
I even played Csabo's Drummix 3 at the start, one guy said "what sound chip does the Plus4 have!!" 
Anyways getting back to the C=444. Laying about was a load of magazines. One issue of Computer Weekly (I think it was) going back to 1983 had on the front cover something like "Commodre to Preview the C= 444" at some show in the USA. There was a very small image (blank'n'white) of what looked like a Plus4, I could'nt see the badge 
It was only about 50 words and really said the spec's of the +4 and how TED was going to control everything which was going to be the new and cheaper way of making Commodore machines. It also said that Commodore UK were intrested in creating around TED a cheaper low end machine without sprites to compete with the Spectrum, as we know that would be the C16.
Ok's this was all said in the land before time. We know gossip can turn into the wrong thing, but mostly on the right lines with this one for up and coming comptuer hardware. I have never heared of the Commodore 444 till now nor have I seen word of it on the net! Did the name of the Plus/4 really come from this??? 444. Ummm.
I wanted to take the mag home but I did'nt know who's it was
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Posted By
JamesC
on 2002-09-23
| Nope
Never heard of it. But a promotional photo may not have had a badge on it anyway.
I saw a Commodore 32 on Ebay UK yesterday, looked at it because I thought it might have been a typo. Turned out it was a PET/CBM with its case opened.
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2002-09-23
| Strange
I haven't heard of it either (I doubt that any of us had anyway). Still it would have been cool to scan that article... It's definitely strange, and a bit of a mystery. Could it have been a typo? Or was that really the planned name at one point?
Too bad you couldn't ask for the mag to be taken for scanning! Maybe you could have left a note on top for the owner to contact you? Someone might have this issue, though. I hope it turns up and gets documented...
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Posted By
Mosh
on 2002-09-26
| C= 444?
Maybe Bo Zimmers knows of it, or there might be a reference at the Secret Weapons site?
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Posted By
MIK
on 2022-08-03
06:47:59
| Re: Ever heard of a Commodore 444 ?
Moments ago this was the very last topic on the forum...
Could be a mockup, notice the Arrow Up key is directly under the "middle" of the Return key like the Commodore 364.
Enjoy! 
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Posted By
Lavina
on 2022-08-03
04:44:28
 | Re: Ever heard of a Commodore 444 ?
After 20 years.
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Posted By
MIK
on 2022-08-03
06:44:23
| Re: Ever heard of a Commodore 444 ?
The image of Jack Tramiel (Jan 1984) holding the V364 shows the Up Arrow key in the same place as this pictured 444, directly under Return key. The above image is Nov 1983, 1 month pervious.
Also, maybe Bil Herd's V364 development board did have a case at one point and we see it here cut down to show a mockup of what would later become the Plus/4?
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Posted By
Csabo
on 2022-08-03
08:39:28
| Re: Ever heard of a Commodore 444 ?
Looks like a very early prototype. Wikipedia says this: "Rumors spread in late 1983 of a new computer in 1984 called the "Commodore 444"". I wonder if there is an actual machine that still exists... Fun stuff to look at though
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