GoKawiilCommodore's VICmodem 1600, the first sub-$100 modem, launched in 1982
Commodore introduced the 1600 VICmodem at the January 1982 Winter Consumer Electronics Show, bringing it to market that March as a low-cost add-on for the VIC-20 computer. Designed by Anchor Automation and built around a Motorola MC14412 chip with just six other components, the modem required users to manually dial a phone and plug its cord into the device rather than using an acoustic coupler or autodial hardware.