Released by Commodore Business Machines in 1980, the VIC-20 became the first computer to sell over 1 million units.

By 1980, the home computer market was shifting toward low-cost, user-friendly systems. As such, the VIC-20 was marketed as "The Friendly Computer." It was designed to be more approachable to novice computer users, rather than professionals or skilled hobbyists. It shared an architecture with Commodore's PET but with a reduced cost, and it included consumer focused features, such as ROM cartridges for software, and a joystick interface compatible with Atari 2600 controllers.