Modern PET
Still Running
The PET was discontinued in 1982. Its community was not. Demo groups, homebrew developers, and hardware restorers continue producing new work for a platform built in 1977 — and it is still remarkable.
Modern Homebrew
New games written for original PET hardware and the VICE emulator, using the same PETSCII toolkit developers had in 1980.
PET Space Invaders 2 (2022)
In December 2022, a modernised sequel to Satoshi Matsuoka’s 1980 PET Space Invaders was released as a free homebrew download. PET Space Invaders 2 adds multiple difficulty levels, updated PETSCII graphics tuned for the PET’s character set, and improved speed management — all while remaining faithful to the original’s constraints.
The sequel is available on itch.io at jimbo.itch.io/pet-space-invaders-2 and runs in VICE under the PET 4032 configuration.
Indie Retro News covered the release: Indie Retro News — PET Space Invaders 2
PET Space Invaders 2 (2022) — gameplay footage. Free download on itch.io.
Demo Scene
The PET demo scene operates within severe constraints — no hardware sprites, no colour, no dedicated sound chip — and produces results that demonstrate both technical mastery and aesthetic clarity.
Back to the PET — CAFe 2022
Released at the CAFe 2022 demoparty, Back to the PET by shiru8bit demonstrated what a skilled programmer could extract from PET hardware: smooth character animation, timing routines that push the 1 MHz 6502 to its scheduling limit, and PETSCII artistry that works with the character grid rather than fighting it.
The demo runs on real hardware as well as emulation. A separate recording shows it running on an original Commodore CBM 3008 (a European 3000-series PET from 1979).
Listed on Demozoo: demozoo.org/platforms/90/ →
Back to the PET — Demo
CAFe 2022 demoparty release
Back to the PET — Real Hardware
Running on a real Commodore CBM 3008 (1979)
Petopia — PET Demo with Colour (2024)
Released in 2024, Petopia demonstrates a long-known hardware trick: connecting a colour output to the PET’s video circuitry to add colour to PETSCII graphics. The result is visually startling — PETSCII characters that look like 8-bit sprite art, in colour, on hardware designed to be monochrome.
A YouTube recording of Petopia exists but has embedding disabled. See the Vitno.org writeup: vitno.org — Petopia demo →
PETSCII as Art Form
The Ongoing Tradition
PETSCII art — images constructed from the PET’s 192-character set — continues as an active practice distinct from pixel art. PETSCII artists work within the character grid: each “pixel” is a full character cell, producing images with a distinctive mechanical regularity that pixel art lacks. Tools like PETSCII Editor (petscii.kr) allow modern creators to work in the medium.
The masswerk.at PETSCII reference remains the definitive guide to the character set: masswerk.at — PETSCII Revealed →
PETSCII Art 2.0 — demonstrating PETSCII as a contemporary art medium.
The Community
Demozoo PET Platform
Demozoo tracks every PET demo scene production with dates, party results, and download links. The PET platform page shows the complete production history from early demoparty entries through current releases.
demozoo.org/platforms/90/ →commodoregames.net
A community database of Commodore PET game entries, with screenshots, controls, and descriptions for hundreds of titles including many not documented elsewhere.
commodoregames.net →Port Commodore
Technical documentation, PET FAQs, model comparisons, and the Silicon PET Archive of software. The most comprehensive PET technical reference available online.
portcommodore.com →Zimmers.net PET Archive
Caspar Haupt’s long-running Commodore software archive. The PET section is a comprehensive library of game and utility files in VICE-compatible formats.
zimmers.net →