After 30 years, this iconic retro video game machine is back with new ownership and some crucial quality-of-life updates.
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Long before the Sony PlayStation versus Microsoft Xbox debate existed, there was the 8-bit video game battle between Atari and Commodore.
While Nintendo eventually came along and settled it, virtually pushing both of its predecessors into obsolescence, the gaming world as we know it owes much to these forgotten relics.
Sadly, the Commodore name has spent the 30 years since its collapse largely unceremoniously — seeing its name slapped on a variety of unimpressive, oddball products (like this cheap excuse for a smartphone).
But that legacy appears poised to change with the unveiling of the Commodore 64 Ultimate, a largely faithful revival of the iconic gaming computer with some key updates and upgrades.
A labor of 8-bit love
This Commodore 64 rebirth is primarily owed to retro video game enthusiast and YouTuber Christian “Perifractic” Simpson. He and some others from the retro games industry bought the company in a bit of a surprise bid from its former owners.
Initially, the group had merely sought a licensing deal. However, after discussing the trademark and other potential options, the whole kit and kaboodle were offered in exchange for a whopping seven figures.
Obviously, that deal has cleared enough hurdles that the official Commodore site is now selling preorders of the Commodore 64 Ultimate game console in three editions.
For those keeping score, that makes this the first official Commodore 64 console in over 30 years. For reference, other plug-and-play tributes have existed, but none of them have faithfully recreated the original quite like this one does.
Altered beast
Much of the Ultimate remains true to the original Commodore 64. That starts with its classic keyboard-like appearance and dull gray shell — a hallmark of ’80s tech.
It’s compatible with virtually the entire catalog of 10,000-plus games. It’s also compatible with CRT TVs, disc drives, old cartridges, joysticks (and other peripherals) and more.
However, some significant changes help propel it into modernity. For instance, it’s built on an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA board specifically programmed to mimic the original’s behavior exactly. It also gets an upgrade to 128MB of DDR2 RAM (double the original), significantly boosting it.
It’s also seen an upgrade to its audio with dual SID sound chips, updated output/input compatibility (USB, LAN, HDMI, WiFi) and more. Plus, it has additional convenience and quality-of-life capabilities the original didn’t have, like the ability to program keyboard macros.
Pricing and availability
All three versions of the Commodore 64 Ultimate are now available for preorder (with money-back guarantees).
The standard edition starts at $300 (down from its $350 MSRP while on preorder), while the transparent version is $350 (down from $400) and the gold is $500 (down from $550).
CommodoreCommodore 64 Ultimate
About the Author: Sean Tirman is an associate editor at Gear Patrol who specializes in EDC, cannabis and outdoor gear.
