I wanted to try retrocomputing on my modern Mac — this app was perfect

Source Domain: www.makeuseof.com

Retrocomputing has seen a spectacular rise in recent years, with Subreddits like r/retrobattlestations racking up more than 100K subscribers and 27K weekly active users as of January 2026. The reasons range from plain old nostalgia to fatigue with bloatware-infested devices. However, my interest in retrocomputing lay in something more profound—a desire to play the original Robocop (1988) video game made for the Commodore 64.

As a purist on a budget, the version of it on retro gaming websites didn’t cut it for me. But I couldn’t just drop upwards of $200 on a vintage Commodore 64 — all for a single game. The next best thing was VICE, a free, open-source, easy-to-use Commodore emulator that provides an accurate retrocomputing experience on my M2 MacBook Air.

Installation and setup are a breeze

A vice that’s free and easy to adopt

I get it; the friction is the point when it comes to old computers. Restoring and repairing vintage hardware is fun, and so is playing retro video games in their original form rather than through video game emulators. While you can find a vintage Commodore 64 on eBay and other websites, you may have to deal with failed power supplies, yellowed keyboards, and other issues. To add to it, these systems now command a steep price. For someone looking to type a few BASIC programs or play retro games, the time and money investment is simply not worth it.

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