As the Commodore 64 ages, it seems to be taking on a second life. Case in point: Vision BASIC is a customized, special version of the BASIC programming language with a ton of features to enable Commodore 64 programs to be written more easily and with all sorts of optimizations. We’ve tested out both the original 1.0 version of Vision BASIC, and now with version 1.1 being released there are a whole host of tweaks and updates to make the experience even better!
One of the only limitation of Vision BASIC is the requirement for expanded RAM. It will not run on an unexpanded C64 — but the compiled programs will, so you can easily distribute software made using Vision on any C64. A feature introduced in version 1.1 is support for GeoRAM, a different RAM expansion cartridge, and modern versions of GeoRAM like the NeoRAM which has battery-backed RAM. This allows almost instantaneous booting into the Vision BASIC development environment.
Some of the standout features include a doubling of compilation speed, which is huge for large programs that take up many REU segments in source form. There are new commands, including ALLMOBS for setting up all sprites with a single command; POLL to set up which joystick port is in use; CATCH to wait for a particular scanline; and plenty more! Many existing commands have been improved as well. As in the original version of Vision BASIC, you can freely mix 6510 assembly and BASIC wherever you want. You can use the built-in commands for bitmaps, including panning, collision detection, etc., or you can handle it in assembly if you want! And of course, it comes with a full manual — yes, a real, printed book!
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