Ready – A Home Computer Emulator for iPad

05/10/2024

Ready is an open-source emulator designed to bring classic 8-bit home computers back to life on modern devices. It currently supports a variety of legendary machines, including:

Commodore 64
Commodore VIC-20
Commodore 16 and Plus/4
Sinclair ZX Spectrum (16k, 48k, Spectrum+, 128k, +2)

Additionally, preliminary support is available for:

Atari 600XL and 800XL
Commodore 128
Commander X16

Built on the foundations of well-regarded emulation projects—atari800, fuse, Vice, and x16-emulator—Ready ensures accurate hardware emulation, capturing the nuances of these classic systems. It runs on iPadOS 13.5 or later, bringing a seamless retro computing experience to Apple tablets.

Aiming for Authenticity

Ready doesn’t just simulate old hardware; it strives to recreate the feeling of using the real thing. Instead of tweaking abstract settings, users select actual hardware components. The software keyboard mirrors the original layouts, faithfully reflecting different design variations. Even the whirring and clicking of a disk drive is emulated, adding to the nostalgia.

Features

Library

A well-organized Library makes it easy to browse a vast collection of games, demos, and programs. Each entry can be customized with specific emulated hardware settings for an optimized experience.

Inbox

The Inbox allows users to quickly test new programs. If they find something worth keeping, they can move it seamlessly to the Library.

Tools Mode

For those who love tinkering, Tools Mode enables the attachment of classic cartridges like Action Replay or Final Cartridge, along with disk collections featuring essential utilities. This feature is perfect for debugging, modifying, or simply exploring software like enthusiasts did back in the day.

Documentation & Community

A User Manual is in progress, hosted on the project’s Wiki. Contributions from the community are highly encouraged, as every bit of documentation helps bring more users into the fold.