6502 Turns 35

The 6502 microprocessor is 35 years old as of September 16th. Introduced in 1975 at WesCon in San Francisco, the chip cost $25. Many early, hugely-popular home computers and gaming consoles sported it, including: Apple 1 & ][; Commodore PET & Vic 20; Atari 2600, 400 & 800.

The 6502 came into being when a Motorola team led by Chuck Peddle and Bill Mensch started designing a low-cost competitor Motorola’s own 6800. It was a rogue project as far as the executives were concerned. So, out came a memo: Shut.It.Down. In retaliation, Peddle and Mensch’s entire team left the company to join MOS Technologies where they designed and manufactured the semi-conducting super-star.

Peek and Poke anyone?