Oh yes, you have read well.... Not the Commodore 16 but the Commodore 116.The home computer market of Commodore was turning towards two new products that were to replace the already glorious Vic-20 and C64.
In the company plans the Vic-20 would be replaced by the Commodore 16 and the Commodore 64 by the Commodore Plus/4. The two new products (version 3.5) shared the most advanced basic products and the presence of productivity programs in ROM made the Plus/4 a new promise.
The total incompatibility with the software written for Vic-20 and C64 is quite evident in the project. Without derailing with further considerations, let's return to the title of this piece: the C116. The German and Eastern European markets had the opportunity to see the sale of a Commodore 16 with houses redesigned to accommodate a reduced size and low cost PCB like the rubber keyboard that accompanied it.
Result? A computer with a nice look but in fact not at all different in capabilities from the C16 and uncomfortable to program because of the unpleasant feedback given by the keyboard. One of the various meters of the Commodore universe.
Carlo Pastore
