News The Commodore 64 Ultimate computer is the company's first hardware release in over 30 years — pre-orders start at $299

[Admin]

The Commodore 64 Ultimate will be the first new hardware released under the auspices of the new management, and pricing starts at $299.

The Commodore 64 Ultimate computer is the company's first hardware release in over 30 years — pre-orders start at $299 : Read more

 

[flytrap23]

I'm still trying to figure out why I would want this. I still have a Commodore 64 in my closet that's been gathering dust for about 30 years.

 

[TerryLaze]

I'm still trying to figure out why I would want this. I still have a Commodore 64 in my closet that's been gathering dust for about 30 years.

Pfff, pha, ha, have you seen how much rgb this has?! Does your dusty 64 have any rgb? No! it doesn't.

But jokes aside, there are plenty of well off people that grew up with this machine and will get one with an inbuild hdmi and networks and all the conveniences of today, to play the games they know from their childhood.
Ask them to do this with an actual c64 and tape or even disk drive and they won't because it's just too hard let alone how flakey it's gonna be on a 40+year old thing.

 

[Findecanor]

It looks like it has a version of the Ultimate 64 circuit board with Commodore branding.

The circuit board works with actual C64 cartridges and peripherals, which is something that an emulator would never do.

$299 is a pretty good price I think.
For comparison, the TheC64 Maxi from RetroGames Ltd which does emulation on an ARM chip,, a rubber-dome keyboard, and no support for original peripherals (without the use of external adaptor) used to cost $120 when it was released, but is often listed for over $250 now.

 

[NiteWaves77]

Just a repackaging of existing products, with the Commodore zombie brand slapped on it. How boring. Nerds with deep memories know to avoid this.

And Thomas Middleditch? Offender? CCO? Please.

 

[zombieland]

Just a repackaging of existing products, with the Commodore zombie brand slapped on it. How boring. Nerds with deep memories know to avoid this.

And Thomas Middleditch? Offender? CCO? Please.

What would the nerds think of you wandering around zombieland?

 

[Sixstringmonk]

It looks like it has a version of the Ultimate 64 circuit board with Commodore branding.

The circuit board works with actual C64 cartridges and peripherals, which is something that an emulator would never do
$299 is a pretty good price I think.

It is a great price. I'll be assembling my own using the Retro Fusion case, the Blingboard keyboard(which still hasn't shipped yet), the C64 Ultimate Elite-II (which still hasn't shipped yet), and a Raspberry Pi power supply. Grand total: $640 USD. The $299 version will be essentially the same hardware.

 

[shortaru]

I'm betting collectors will be jumping on this and throwing them in storage for their kids/grandkids since this is likely to fizzle and few will actually be sold.

This product failing to become a commercial success but being an official brand release will make it pretty valuable considering nobody actually keeps electronics in its original packaging like so many do with other collectibles.

Might be worth grabbing 1 of each model and tossing them in the attic unopened if you're expecting the company to fail with the reboot.

 

[TerryLaze]

I'm betting collectors will be jumping on this and throwing them in storage for their kids/grandkids since this is likely to fizzle and few will actually be sold.

This product failing to become a commercial success but being an official brand release will make it pretty valuable considering nobody actually keeps electronics in its original packaging like so many do with other collectibles.

Might be worth grabbing 1 of each model and tossing them in the attic unopened if you're expecting the company to fail with the reboot.

If they don't get enough preorders they will just refund everybody and not make them.
It's like 10.000 for each of the 3 models, so if they make them they will be somewhat rare but not that rare.
https://www.commodore.net/product-page/commodore-64-ultimate-collectible-founders-edition-batch1

Is this a Kickstarter?​

Not quite - this is an official Commodore® preorder with a money-back guarantee. Similar to crowdfunding, every penny goes into manufacturing plus the mission to reboot Commodore itself. By skipping Kickstarter, we avoid big platform fees and pass the savings on to you - just like our founder Jack Tramiel would’ve wanted.

Am I charged now or at shipping, and what currency?​

You’re charged now, in USD

 

[Fruitmaniac]

If it's not an actual 6510 CPU then doesn't it have to use software emulation? How does it execute 6510 machine language?

 

[Jim Drew]

Just a repackaging of existing products, with the Commodore zombie brand slapped on it. How boring. Nerds with deep memories know to avoid this.

I can assure you that nobody has the products that make up the new Ultimate 64. Months of collaborations has resulted in an all-new machine.

 

[NiteWaves77]

I can assure you that nobody has the products that make up the new Ultimate 64. Months of collaborations has resulted in an all-new machine.

I can assure you that you and the rest of the team will find a way to burn this into the ground. I don't care if Bil Herd includes a vial of his own blood with every purchase. Eat a bag of glass.

 

[TerryLaze]

If it's not an actual 6510 CPU then doesn't it have to use software emulation? How does it execute 6510 machine language?

It has an FPGA, a chip that can be configured with plans of the original chip to be exactly the same. And this FPGA can be updated so if there is a bug in it or something that isn't 100% like the original they can still patch it in the future with a simple update to the firmware.

 

[Joe_Cassara]

Us Commodore old timers, we've been burned before. Yet, I believe this effort "has legs" because of the people involved. They are motivated, in large part, out of enthusiasm for the Commodore brand and what it stood for, which is a marked difference from parties that handled the brand previously.

Simpson and the team are impassioned, that's self evident.

I'm not crazy about their heavy use of AI in promotional materials. (That's part of the modern noise they're allegedly trying to alleviate, no?) But it's early days.

To the haters: I think they hear you. Commodore has a long history of drama and brand PTSD. Give this team a chance. Look at those names: Charpentier, Haynie, Herd, Ellsworth, Gideon. These are true Commodorians and acolytes that have kept the flame alive for decades.

 

[Tony Storcke]

I'm still trying to figure out why I would want this. I still have a Commodore 64 in my closet that's been gathering dust for about 30 years.

The first thing I will say is that the motherboard on this new machine is gorgeous. Gorgeous as a deleted expletive. That machine in your closet has valuable parts inside such as the SID chip. The chip is removable and is compatible with these new machines. The machine in your closet likely has a power supply that is a fire hazard. It has been 30 years after all. This new system is made of thoroughly modern parts. I am pretty sure the clock speed can be increased in the FPGA settings. HDMI, USB-C, Ethernet, printer emulator, and other goodies are there. This system is made for distraction-free fun and learning. It hearkens back to a simpler time. For those who want ultra-modern , multiple gigahertz system running Commodore OS Linux and the very nice Commodore OS 64-bit basic, or even Windows, those machines are in another section of the company.

 

[GOGUK]

This is not new it's just a revision of Gideons Ultimate 64 board in a repro case . His U64 board is six years old and replacement cases especially C models have been available for over a decade

The U64 FPGA core is also behind the TC and MiSTer core which is also open source and ported to the likes of the Mega65

Nice to see Pleasence attached perhaps we will see a new movie tie pack which he claims he created (which is rubbish)

I hope they have been in discussions with AMD for supply of Artix FPGAs considering the numbers as Gideon usually only produces small batches

Love the way it's being promoted as something new when it's not and their numbers make no sense at all but what can you expect from someone who purchased the Knight rider KITT car and then tried to crowdfund his baby

If he needs to sell all the pre orders before starting production then it will never happen

 

[sitehostplus]

Pfff, pha, ha, have you seen how much rgb this has?! Does your dusty 64 have any rgb? No! it doesn't.

But jokes aside, there are plenty of well off people that grew up with this machine and will get one with an inbuild hdmi and networks and all the conveniences of today, to play the games they know from their childhood.
Ask them to do this with an actual c64 and tape or even disk drive and they won't because it's just too hard let alone how flakey it's gonna be on a 40+year old thing.

OSSC (open source signal converter) is your friend. 😉

 

[TerryLaze]

OSSC (open source signal converter) is your friend. 😉

I know, that alone is gonna cost ~ $150 and then a replacement PSU ~ $80 and a sd2iec ~ $50 and then you pray that your c64 is in perfect condition and that everything works with each other and keeps working for at least a few years.

 

[LabRat 891]

It has an FPGA, a chip that can be configured with plans of the original chip to be exactly the same. And this FPGA can be updated so if there is a bug in it or something that isn't 100% like the original they can still patch it in the future with a simple update to the firmware.

As I've seen, FPGA is an invitation for supply issues and potentially import/export restrictions (See: "ITAR").
Which, is really a shame; AFAIK, FPGA is currently the only even remotely cost-effective way to properly run legacy uArch software.

 

[JeffreyP55]

The Commodore 64 Ultimate will be the first new hardware released under the auspices of the new management, and pricing starts at $299.

The Commodore 64 Ultimate computer is the company's first hardware release in over 30 years — pre-orders start at $299 : Read more

Amiga Forever and C64 forevevr Commodore emulators are all I need to run ancient games that now borderline hilarious.. The old digital on or off joystick compared to an analog progressive PC type is also funny. No real reason to purchase 40+ year old hardware from a company that self-detonated.

Amiga Forever and C64 Forever 11 Released

www.amigaforever.com

 

[TerryLaze]

As I've seen, FPGA is an invitation for supply issues and potentially import/export restrictions (See: "ITAR").

What exactly in that link gave you that idea?!
Are all FPGA no matter how weak "materials that is subject to export control" ? If it would say that I would agree but they are not saying that.

 

[MS67]

small correction. this is *not* the first new "Commodore" hardware in 30 years. there have been several units released under the 'official' brand since Commodore caved. this is just the latest group trying to make a few bucks with what's left of the IP. and they haven't actually sealed the deal yet.

 

[Tony Storcke]

If it's not an actual 6510 CPU then doesn't it have to use software emulation? How does it execute 6510 machine language?

No, it is not using software emulation. It is actually using hardware emulation. It will execute 6510 inal opcodes an other instructions perfectly. Also, because it is identical, illegal opcodes and other bugs should all still be there.

It has an FPGA, a chip that can be configured with plans of the original chip to be exactly the same. And this FPGA can be updated so if there is a bug in it or something that isn't 100% like the original they can still patch it in the future with a simple update to the firmware.

This is not new it's just a revision of Gideons Ultimate 64 board in a repro case . His U64 board is six years old and replacement cases especially C models have been available for over a decade

The U64 FPGA core is also behind the TC and MiSTer core which is also open source and ported to the likes of the Mega65

Nice to see Pleasence attached perhaps we will see a new movie tie pack which he claims he created (which is rubbish)

I hope they have been in discussions with AMD for supply of Artix FPGAs considering the numbers as Gideon usually only produces small batches

Love the way it's being promoted as something new when it's not and their numbers make no sense at all but what can you expect from someone who purchased the Knight rider KITT car and then tried to crowdfund his baby

If he needs to sell all the pre orders before starting production then it will never happen

Your skepticism only makes you look bad. Did someone hurt you in the past ? Did you expect them to produce and buy the units upfront without orders ? He literally mortgaged his house to make all of this happen That kind of passion should be applauded. Even Gideon had to secure pre-orders so the factory could produce them. As it relates to any resemblance to Gideon's logic, I don't see the problem with it. . Fortunately, Gideon is alive and can speak for himself. This is undoubtedly something that Commodore would have created if they had been able to stay in business up to the present day under original leadership. The new factory was able to polish and expand on Gideon's work with his blessing. It is likely he may discontinue the board he was selling on his site. The Commodore 64 as we know it has now come full circle. I do believe we will see these in people's hands in October. Based upon orders so far, I would estimate that he will have about 20,000 orders by the end of August. The factory will build most of them by the end of September. After that, they will probably order small batches periodically as orders come in. No one wants to be stuck trying to produce when the orders aren't there.

 

[TerryLaze]

This is undoubtedly something that Commodore would have created if they had been able to stay in business up to the present day under original leadership.

I doubt that very much, if commodore kept existing there would be no need for this product, they would bring out a c64 mini just like nintendo did (and just like whoever made the thec64)

Commodore would sell their old games on a digital store front of their current console/computer, again just like nintendo.

And also just like nintendo they would just take a generic or maybe slightly custom arm cpu and make cheap consoles that people can afford.

(All this assuming that they would not have become a PC only brand, since the home computer of the 80-90 became the PC later on, but in that case they would not have lasted)

 

[MS67]

I doubt that very much, if commodore kept existing there would be no need for this product, they would bring out a c64 mini just like nintendo did (and just like whoever made the thec64)

Commodore would sell their old games on a digital store front of their current console/computer, again just like nintendo.

And also just like nintendo they would just take a generic or maybe slightly custom arm cpu and make cheap consoles that people can afford.

(All this assuming that they would not have become a PC only brand, since the home computer of the 80-90 became the PC later on, but in that case they would not have lasted)

I dont remember commodore being much of a sentimental outfit. whether it was typewriters, phones, file cabinets or computers, they were in the business of flogging stuff for reasonable prices. they could absolutely be selling steak knives or such today. they would have abandoned computers and sold literally anything they had to, to stay afloat.