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Tulip to Relaunch C64

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the blast-from-the-past dept.

Ola "4pLaY" Jensen writes "The Dutch PC manufacturer Tulip who bought the Commodore brand name has decided to finally do something with it and re-launch the C64 in some form. Exactly what it will be is still a puzzle in my mind but from reading their news it seems to be a PC with some OS flavour with a C64 Emulator." I spent many hours on a C64 when I was in elementary school, and this brings back a lot of memories.

10 of 282 comments (clear)

  1. Neato... by The+Master+Control+P · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The only problem is, you can get a C64 and pretty much any game ever written for it on Ebay. A basic computer with cables starts around $10. I mean, Commodore sold, what, 22 million of 'em? Games are $5 each, other accessories are in the $10-30 range.

    Something we DO need to get a modern version of is Tandy's portable disk drive - Those things cost a fortune. I paid $40 for a drive in questionable condition, because it was the first to be seen on Ebay in weeks and those gauranteed to work cost $80+.

    Besides, there's something to be said for using the original. Despite the free availability of emulators, people consistently pay thousands of dollars for an Altair 8800 or Imsai 8080. I would if I could afford it.

    1. Re:Neato... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Stop trolling. Everything in that post is false! A quick look at ebay reveals few C64 items are available for purchase, as most have broken down or been bought by collectors. Maintaining a single C64 in good working order requires spare parts from several others.
      Furthermore, Tandy did not produce a portable disk drive. The Altair 8800 and Imsai 8080 are available for only a few hundred dollars each. Please mod down the parent post, as it is highly misleading.

  2. Cognitive Dissonance by heironymouscoward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It works like this. Bunch of people sit around saying, "wouldn't it be cool if...", and soon come up with a bunch of ideas. Unnoticed, the hard facts of reality gather round and start to ask for attention. "But will it sell?" "Does anyone actually want it?" "Did you check the current market for this product". >SPLOIT!SPLOIT!wicked thoughts.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
  3. C64 vs Speccy by PhotoBoy · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Hurrah, now we need someone to re-release the Spectrum and we can all relive the golden years of our childhood- arguing in the playground over which machine is better!

    And if someone can re-release the old BBC Micro both Spectrum and C64 owners will have someone to ridicule. Chucky Egg in all green? Nah.

    1. Re:C64 vs Speccy by bigredswitch · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Only the posh kids had Beebs! I bet you even had disk drives with yours?! The Speccy was the only machine for me in the early 80s.

      --
      After about three months of relentless Willy action I reckon I'm now as good as when I was 10.
  4. Re:80's technology rebirth by chadjg · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Said SystematicPsycho, "Is there an 80's home entertainment rebirth going on? First it was the atari 2600, now the commodore 64." Yes, I think there is a rebirth going in progress because the people that remember are to the point of having more disposable income than sense. Technology that makes it relatively easy to do helps too. Who else played Jumpman till their thumbs were red & swollen? Anybody else think they were so cool for finding and changing the strings in Oregon Trail to start out with $100,000? Fun stuff...

    --
    Why do I have this? I don't smoke.
  5. Is this good news?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful
    As heise online news reported yesterday (in German),
    Tulip to intensify marketing of the Commodore brand

    According to estimates by the Dutch computer maker Tulip, owner of the Commodore trademark, there are still approximately six million loyal Commodore users world-wide. This community is said to use countless web sites for information or software downloads. 300 commercial web sites are reported to use the "Commmodore" (sic) and "Commodore 64" denominations without license. The unauthorized use of these trademarks shall no longer be tolerated in the future.

    Tulip and Ironstone Partners Ltd, the anglo-canadian games rightsholder, have agreed that the latter will build an official C64 portal, the proceeds from which are to be shared with Tulip. Ironstone is to market the official C64 emulator through the new portal. In the months to come, Tulip intends to release new hardware using the emulator. The agreement intends to give the go-ahead to an entire network of strategic alliances, promising "almost unlimited opportunities for e-commerce." (mw/c't)
    Hopefully this will not turn out like something along the lines of "Thanks to all the supporters for keeping the scene spirit -and hence the value of the ancient trademark- alive for a decade or so beyond the demise of the original manufacturer. Now to express our gratitude and renewed interest in the platform, we reserve the right to greet them with our most grateful cease&desist letters."
  6. Re:C64 and CDs by Hank+the+Lion · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Another question, the CDs were probably 74 minute CDs, so wouldn't a simple 90 minute tape hold more data than a CD?
    No, it wouldn't. CDs have almost perfect channel separation, so you could put one side of the tape on the left channel, and the other one on the right.

  7. Re:Emulating a C64 on a PC? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    I think it is more like buying a VW "new beetle" or a Chrysler PT Cruiser. You get old looks (and behaviour) on new stuff.

  8. Re:Hobbyist shakedown by Alan+Cox · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well they say *commercial* web sites. In addition there are huge numbers of non infringing uses of a trademark that even if they were so inclined they could do nothing about.