Commodore 64 Resurrected with 2011 Parts

Greg Tito

PR for Dungeons & Dragons
Sep 29, 2005
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Commodore 64 Resurrected with 2011 Parts

The Commodore 64 was the greatest computer ever, and now the company is reviving the all-in-one PC with 2011 specs.

I loved my brother's Commodore 64 way more than my 6 year old self should have. I have fond memories of inserting the 5 1/4" floppy disk into the drive and typing in the load "*",8,1 command to boot up my favorite games like Impossible Mission and Jumpman. But after the Commodore 128 was released in 1985, and the higher end Amiga line failed to garner the customers that Apple or IBM machines did, the Commodore trademark fell into obscurity. Now, after a legal battle to wrangle full ownership of the name, the Commodore 64 is coming back with a full range of all-in-one PCs that boast the same iconic design but are filled with a 1.8-GHz CPU, nVidia graphics card and an optical drive. Thankfully, CEO Barry Altman is keeping the clicky keyboard from the original.

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"Thirty years ago computers were an all-in-one product, with the keyboard, memory and components built inside," Altman told the New York Times. "Over the years that has changed, and we believe there is a huge potential to revive the early format."

Interestingly, the new Commodore 64 or C64x will ship later this month running a Linux-derived Ubuntu operating system (version 10.04 LTS) and a proprietary Commodore operating system will be sent to buyers at a later date, along with a classic game package.

There will be several different models available with a "barebones" model for modders and enthusiasts and ranging up to a comparably heavy-duty machine with a terabyte of HD space, 4 gigs of ram and a Blu-Ray drive. Even the lesser models will be on par with a netbook or basic laptop, except that you will have to plug in a USB mouse and monitor. The basic model will sell for $250, while the super-hyped version will be $850. The full pricing breakdown is on the Commodore website [http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64Select.aspx].

Here are the full specs for the barebones C64x from the Commodore website [http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx] if you're interested:

MODEL: Commodore 64x
PROCESSOR: Intel® Atom D525 1.80GHz (Formerly Pineview-D)
CHIPSET: Intel NM10 (Formerly Tiger Point), Next-Generation NVIDIA ION Graphics (ION2)
MEMORY: 2 x DDR2 667/800 Single Channel DIMM slots (up to 4 GB)
GRAPHICS: Next-Generation NVIDIA ION Graphics Processor
AUDIO: Realtek ALC662 6-CH HD Audio, Nvidia L-PCM digital audio (HDMI 1.3) can support 7.1 output with external decoder
LAN: Realtek RTL8111DL PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet
STORAGE: Intel NM10, 2 SATA2 3Gb/s ports, JMicron® JMB362 SATA controller, 2 Internal SATA2 3.0Gb/s port with RAID 0, 1, JBOD.

FEATURES:

- ACPI S3 Compliant
- ECO-design for EuP Standard
- 12 VDC jack on back panel for external power supply
- Dedicated DDR3 512MB Graphics Memory Onboard
- Premium DirectX 10 graphics with advanced digital display connectivity
- PureVideo™ Full 1080p HD video and Blu-ray playback
- NVIDIA® CUDA™ technology to accelerate the most demanding applications
- Premium Windows experience with Windows Vista and Windows 7

ONBOARD I/O CONNECTORS:

1 mini PCI Express x1 Slot
1 Serial header (RS232)
4 SATA2 3Gb/s Connectors with RAID 0, 1, JBOD functions (SATA#3,#4)
2 USB Pin Headers for up to 3 additional USB 2.0 Ports
1 8 bit GPIO header
1 CIR header
1 9-pin Audio Connector
1 Front Panel Connector
3 Fan Headers
1 4-pin Power Connector

Source: Commodore [http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/the-new-commodore-64-updated-with-its-old-exterior/?ref=technology]

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vrbtny

Elite Member
Sep 16, 2009
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It sounds like cheap gaming Imac.... which sounds goods. Running Ubuntu 10.04? That's got security loopholes.... sorry had to mention it.

I may invest in one of these.... just hope the games are good.
 

LavaLampBamboo

King of Okay
Jun 27, 2008
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This totally feels like an April Fools joke, but I love that it's not. If I hadn't just got a new PC, I might have actually thought about getting one.
 

thenumberthirteen

Unlucky for some
Dec 19, 2007
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i really want one of these. So damn cool. I'd love to get one of those Barebones models.

vrbtny said:
Running Ubuntu 10.04? That's got security loopholes.... sorry had to mention it.
Though you could always install a different OS.
 

Superballs

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Feb 6, 2009
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OMIGOD....omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod-omigod.

Nuff Said from me
 

Keava

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Mar 1, 2010
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So.. they built a laptop without a screen and put it in case of good ol' c64? What is the actual difference other than they are making their own OS for it?
 

psivamp

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Jan 7, 2010
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Keava said:
So.. they built a laptop without a screen and put it in case of good ol' c64? What is the actual difference other than they are making their own OS for it?
The mock up looks more like it's a straight microATX desktop in a custom case. Which should cost you alot less than they're charging, but then it wouldn't be in a big clicky keyboard. I personally didn't have a C64, so I'm not interested. Also, I like building my own systems, and I could build a small desktop and a small keyboard if I wanted -- more likely to build a full-size tower at this point and just go nuts.
 

300lb. Samoan

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Mar 25, 2009
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No SID chip... no appeal!

OK no, it does look cool, but seriously, the SID chip is what makes the C64s awesome.
 

thenumberthirteen

Unlucky for some
Dec 19, 2007
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psivamp said:
Keava said:
So.. they built a laptop without a screen and put it in case of good ol' c64? What is the actual difference other than they are making their own OS for it?
The mock up looks more like it's a straight microATX desktop in a custom case. Which should cost you alot less than they're charging, but then it wouldn't be in a big clicky keyboard. I personally didn't have a C64, so I'm not interested. Also, I like building my own systems, and I could build a small desktop and a small keyboard if I wanted -- more likely to build a full-size tower at this point and just go nuts.
mini-ITX actually. I'd actually LOVE someone to build an awesome gaming rig out of this thing. It would be expensive, but great. It's basically for nostalgic tech nerds. I had a C64 as a kid and spend many an hour playing games on it before I got a Sega Mega Drive.
 

Nerf Ninja

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Dec 20, 2008
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Actually rather tempting, but I was an atari ST monkey so I wouldn't get the nostalgia my mate would (He still plays on his C64!)
 

putowtin

I'd like to purchase an alcohol!
Jul 7, 2010
3,452
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I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want,I want!

It's like I'm eight again!
 

viranimus

Thread killer
Nov 20, 2009
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Really? An ode to nostalgia using parts that rival a netbook (not laptop, NETBOOK) All I see here is a netbook with an insanely ugly case mod and no screen. Its not even got its own proprietary operating system. Seriously, I like Linux and all, but to go the route of linux is quite a cop out if your trying to resurrect a brand.

Perhaps this will be a decent vehicle to generate some funds so that a new form of commodore can emerge that is actually modern.

I really cant see anyone being into this except for the commodore fanboys. Now if they would build a machine with a modern esthetic and built their own OS, I would have been interested.
 

008Zulu_v1legacy

New member
Sep 6, 2009
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All it needs is a C64 OS emulator and a cd with every game ever released for the system and it will be like the 80's all over again.
 

T-Dawg

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Oct 13, 2009
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Better include a C64 emulator and disk images of classic games is all I'm saying.

Will it be able to plug directly into a TV? :)
 

CrystalShadow

don't upset the insane catgirl
Apr 11, 2009
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viranimus said:
Really? An ode to nostalgia using parts that rival a netbook (not laptop, NETBOOK) All I see here is a netbook with an insanely ugly case mod and no screen. Its not even got its own proprietary operating system. Seriously, I like Linux and all, but to go the route of linux is quite a cop out if your trying to resurrect a brand.

Perhaps this will be a decent vehicle to generate some funds so that a new form of commodore can emerge that is actually modern.

I really cant see anyone being into this except for the commodore fanboys. Now if they would build a machine with a modern esthetic and built their own OS, I would have been interested.
The article claims they're working on something, but I suspect it's probably more along the lines of a C64 emulator.

008Zulu said:
All it needs is a C64 OS emulator and a cd with every game ever released for the system and it will be like the 80's all over again.
T-Dawg said:
Better include a C64 emulator and disk images of classic games is all I'm saying.

Will it be able to plug directly into a TV? :)
Sounds like that's the plan, more or less. (although not just yet, by the sounds of it. The article says they're intending to send out a collection of games later on, and a custom OS.)
 

Mouse One

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Jan 22, 2011
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Hey, let's all get together to play Jumpman! And Space Taxi. God, the wasted afternoons.