A C64 Sprite Multiplexer – in BASIC!?

In a new video from 8-Bit Show And Tell, the Commodore 64’s VIC-II video chip is showcased enabling sprite multiplexing, a technique that reuses sprites (also known as Movable Object Blocks, or MOBs) to exceed the hardware’s natural limit of eight sprites. Typically, this requires fast machine language code, but in 2008, S.E.S. of Genesis Project achieved it using a BASIC program—no assembly code involved. However, this isn’t standard BASIC; the implementation might be even more intricate than the machine code equivalent. The video takes a deep dive into the mechanics of this fascinating BASIC sprite demo.