Modern 8-bit Microcomputer
X65 is an 8-bit microcomputer for the modern era.
It blends the core principles of 8-bit computing with modern hardware components to remain practical and capable of handling everyday tasks.
The hardware is based on Picocomputer 6502 and Neo6502 designs, providing implementations of non-existing chips and glue to modern digital interfaces.
X65 runs its own native operating system: OS/816.
OS/816 is built specifically for the 65C816 and uses its 16-bit capabilities. It provides a simple environment for multitasking, applications, shell access, and low-level programming, without legacy overhead or unnecessary complexity.
The system is designed to be practical and transparent. You can write code close to the hardware, or build higher-level tools if you want. It’s easy to follow, easy to extend, and doesn’t get in the way.
We need “Understandable Computers” to make computers understandable.
Simple machines, where each part has a clear purpose, make the best teaching tools, not just for learning but for growing. They invite curiosity, exploration, and insight in a way modern systems no longer do.
The X65 is also just fun. It is a machine you can truly get to know, shape, and expand. With much of its hardware defined in software, it is uniquely easy to modify and make your own. In an age of sealed boxes and hidden layers, X65 brings back the sense of agency we once had - the joy of a computer that answers to you.
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