Tech Nostalgia: Commodore is Back, and so is the C64!

Two weeks ago, a YouTuber announced that he had acquired Commodore. Today, Commodore announced its first new computer in over 30 years, the Commodore 64 Ultimate. You can pre-order it now, with pricing starting at $299.

“As of two weeks ago, I am the acting CEO of Commodore Corporation,” Christian ‘Peri Fractic’ Simpson announced in a video on his YouTube channel. “We have completed the acquisition of Commodore. We signed a share purchase agreement with the previous owners of Commodore. It’s truly mind-blowing.”

There are three Commodore 64 Ultimate models, each with the same internals but a different case. The new Commodore is clear that this computer is not an emulator. It’s compatible with over 10,000 original C64 games, works with original C64 cartridges, datasettes, and disk drives, and its ships with a USB drive that includes over 50 titles that include full games, licensed classics, demos, and a newly made sequel to Jupiter Lander: Ascension. The company promises the computer is “at least 99 percent compatible with all 80s/90s games, cartridges, and peripherals.”

The Commodore 64 is built on an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, 128 MB of DDR2 RAM, and 16 MB of NOR Flash memory. It supports Full HD (1080p) video-out over HDMI (plus classic DIN-8: CVBS, S-Video, and RGB video-out), Wi-Fi, and USB with FAT, FAT32, and exFAT formatting. The keyboard is designed to look like the original–it should have gone with the more modern-looking C64C design, frankly–with the same layout but modern components. The original C64 ROMs are included, as are sockets for SID 6581/8580 chips, though an UltiSID octal core FPGA provides SID emulation.

As noted, there are three versions. The Commodore 64 Ultimate Basic Beige edition is $299.99 during the presale period, and it most closely resembles the original C64. The Starlight Edition is $349.99 during the presale and provides a color-changing LED translucent case. And the Founders Edition is $499.99 during presale: It provides the color-changing LED translucent case, 24-karat gold-plated badges, satin gold keys, a translucent amber case, a commemorative Commodore gold seal ‘share’ certificate, an “I Rebooted C=” t-shirt, a 24k gold Commodore badges ‘dog tag’ necklace, and a gold label holographic serial number sticker starting at 00000001. Only 6400 Founders Editions will be made, and the price of each model will go up by $50 after the presale period.

The Commodore 64 Ultimate is expected to ship in October, though that’s an estimate and could change. Customers who pre-order now can cancel at any time, and the computer is backed by a one-year warranty.

As the obvious–why would anyone trust this fly-by-night operation when so many retro computing comebacks have crashed and burned?–the new Commodore says that it’s learned from the past and isn’t just slapping a logo on a random gadget.

“We’ve signed a formal share purchase agreement for the purchase of 47 trademarks, the oldest of which dates back to 1983,” the Commodore FAQ explains. “Our mission is thoughtful restoration, not reckless licensing.”

Here’s what has me interested: The new Commodore has hired some of the most important luminaries from Commodore’s past as advisors, including former Commodore engineers Dave Haynie and Bil Herd, former Commodore UK managing director David Pleasance, and Leonard Tramiel, son of former Commodore CEO Jack Tramiel. Each is a legend.

So I guess we’ll see what happens. But this feels like a right-headed attempt to deliver on, as Commodore says, “the future we were promised.”

“Commodore has returned from a parallel timeline where tech stayed optimistic, inviting, and human,” the Commodore website explains. “Where it served us, not enslaved us. We’re here to bring that feeling back: Retro futurism, transparent tech, digital detox, and real innovation.”