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The New Commodore 64

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

An anonymous reader writes "After nearly 30 years, the Commodore brand has taken on new management and is re-releasing its flagship computer, this time with all the amenities of a modern-day computer packed inside. From the article: 'The new Commodore 64, which will begin shipping at the end of the month, has been souped-up for the modern age. It comes with 1.8 gigahertz dual processors, an optional Blu-ray player and built-in ethernet and HDMI ports. The new Commodore is priced between $250 to $900.'"

46 of 339 comments (clear)

  1. 1st april? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    1st april?

    1. Re:1st april? by mwvdlee · · Score: 3, Insightful

      It's still mostly a 90's Geocities-style website with 3D renders of products and lacking any real information.
      For something as simple as a box to hold standard components, they are taking a long time to release it.

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  2. So the question is... by dskzero · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... Why would I buy one?

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    1. Re:So the question is... by LastGunslinger · · Score: 5, Funny

      FTA: “Thirty years ago computers were an all-in-one product, with the keyboard, memory and components built inside,” Mr. Altman explained. “Over the years that has changed, and we believe there is a huge potential to revive the early format.” Gee, I wish they made computers with all the components built together as one unit. Maybe they could call it a laptop or tablet.

    2. Re:So the question is... by Opportunist · · Score: 5, Interesting

      1. Nostalgia
      It sure is a novelty item besides being a computer. And if it's a fully functional PC, too, you actually get a pretty usable office machine that way.

      2. All-in-one
      Computer and keyboard rolled back into one. At a price tag that a laptop probably cannot meet (due to flatscreens still being not free) while taking most likely much less real estate around your desk than the traditional PC, no matter whether it's tower or desktop.

      Where I see its space is (home) office users who don't need high end specs but want a simple computer while already having a screen to plug it to. In other words, average computer users. And they're plentiful. Add a few nostalgic geeks and you have a market share.

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    3. Re:So the question is... by jandrese · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's more expensive than a lot of laptops, and almost all netbooks.

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    4. Re:So the question is... by Urkki · · Score: 2

      ... Why would I buy one?

      If you need to ask... You won't.

    5. Re:So the question is... by Lord+Ender · · Score: 2

      Are you talking about the Asus Eee Keyboard?

      It's all-in-one and you can certainly run any emulator you want on it to get your nostalgia fix. On top of that, it has wireless HDMI and wifi built in.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_Keyboard

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    6. Re:So the question is... by spun · · Score: 2

      The value of a cheap all in one home unit really depends on what side of that estimate they come closer too. I might buy a $250 Commodore-64 form-factor computer I can hook up to my big TV in the living room. I would not pay much more than that, though. Definitely not $900. I think a bargain coffee table computer could attract customers that might be intimidated by a laptop, tablet, or a big clunky desktop.

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    7. Re:So the question is... by jcoy42 · · Score: 2

      If not, give it a week.

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    8. Re:So the question is... by bigredradio · · Score: 5, Informative

      Apparently that is what it ships with. From their site:

      Note: Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available. In the meantime, units come with the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system on CD ready to install.

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    9. Re:So the question is... by tepples · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Of course you can use your C64 joysticks and Sega Genesis gamepads with this Commodore PC.

    10. Re:So the question is... by LWATCDR · · Score: 5, Insightful

      1. It is too expensive for Nostalgia.
      2. It is too thick to be comfortable to type on.

      I really think they are blowing this. I would love to see a modern C-64 but this isn't it. If I was building one I would start with one of the new AMD fusion chips. Put that into a a thin all in one keyboard that is no thicker than a Notebook. Include an HDMI port so you can hook it to a TV. Install a small Flash drive and no hard drives or CD/DVD. Include few USB 3 ports and maybe a Firewire port for people to add mass storage, and throw on a network port and possibly include wifi.
      Put A good Linux on it and a price of $100 to $200.

      If you want a DVD and or windows that will be extra.
      Schools would love it because it is cheap and should have no moving parts. Kids could use it with a TV in their room and it would actually work out. Of course many people could live with just a monitor anyway since cable boxes have HDMI out anyway. Don't make a copy of the C-64 make an new C-64. A cheap computer that will do what most people want it to do.

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    11. Re:So the question is... by butalearner · · Score: 3

      It's more expensive than a lot of laptops, and almost all netbooks.

      A lot of laptops and almost all netbooks cost less that $250???

      $250 is for the barebones system: it doesn't even include the motherboard. You have to pay $595 for a fully functional one, unless you can build it cheaper yourself from the barebones.

    12. Re:So the question is... by bane2571 · · Score: 2

      My big issue with this thing is that keyboards are seperate from PCs for a very good reason. If I spill cola on my keyboard (we've all done it), I really dont want to have to buy a new PC to replace the damaged A key or even strip down and repair the keyboard. What I want to do is buy a new $25 peripheral.

    13. Re:So the question is... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      I really think they are blowing this. I would love to see a modern C-64 but this isn't it. If I was building one I would start with one of the new AMD fusion chips. Put that into a a thin all in one keyboard that is no thicker than a Notebook. Include an HDMI port so you can hook it to a TV. Install a small Flash drive and no hard drives or CD/DVD. Include few USB 3 ports and maybe a Firewire port for people to add mass storage, and throw on a network port and possibly include wifi.
      Put A good Linux on it and a price of $100 to $200.

      Except for the "computer in a keyboard" part, I absolutely agree.

      I'd love to see a computer like the one you describe, at about 150 bucks, with the form factor of a Mac Mini. About the same footprint as a DVD.

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    14. Re:So the question is... by Migraineman · · Score: 2

      The $250 unit doesn't include a power supply either. Sheesh.

    15. Re:So the question is... by Jerslan · · Score: 2

      Maybe you should check out the website, and pay attention to the Commodore Vic-Slim model. That definitely solves your problem number 2. Given that it's a modern take on the original concept, it's housing isn't really all that nostalgic, so problem number 1 is pretty much eliminated.

      Basically, it's exactly what you were asking for. "A cheap computer that will do what most people want it to do"

    16. Re:So the question is... by piripiri · · Score: 2

      Woot!

    17. Re:So the question is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

      Or an iMac!

    18. Re:So the question is... by damnbunni · · Score: 2

      It's not trivial. the SID is a cast-iron bitch to emulate. You can write an emulator that theoretically ought to be perfect, and could match the SID 'reference' perfectly.. but it wouldn't sound right, because the SID was notoriously variable, had a lot of internal interference and crosstalk, and in general had a unique sound that's a pain to try to emulate.

      Heck, even different SID chips from the same _batch_ would sound different, and there were different models of SID in the 'breadbox' C64s and the slip C64C/C128.

  3. Alternate headline by elrous0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Yet Another Company Sells Retro Computer Case"

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    1. Re:Alternate headline by ackthpt · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yeah, but since you can install a full blown Amiga (let alone C64) emulator on any PC made in the past 10 years, a pre-installed version in hardware isn't really much of a selling point.

      The one thing it would require is a drive to emulate the 1541. I have games on disks - not on 3.5 or HD or Flash drive, but original media. I trust I will have a bonafide 5 1/4 drive I can read my old disks with. If not, there's really very little point, unless I want to download the various images from whatever repositories exist. But I do have things you won't find on them, like programs, tools or artwork of my own making. I'd love to see this stuff again.

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    2. Re:Alternate headline by jandrese · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The problem is that they're missing the entire point of the Commie-64. Every one should come with a full copy of LiveCode or something that lets kids mess around with building their own apps right out of the box, without the training overhead that comes from so many modern IDEs. ROM Basic is too primitive to be of much interest anymore (even with the sprite generator and SID chip), but there are lots of products that are similar and could engage a whole new generation. It needs to be simple enough that clever kids can figure it out by reading the (always available) source in existing programs, and powerful enough to be able to do something interesting.

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    3. Re:Alternate headline by bhtooefr · · Score: 2

      First off, it's an Atom Mini-ITX board.

      Second, they've also announced an Amiga 1000 and 2000 version.

      (Not that I'd buy any of them.)

    4. Re:Alternate headline by feepness · · Score: 2

      But I do have things you won't find on them

      Given they are going on thirty years old, I bet there's lots of things you won't find on them either.

  4. This again again? by name_already_taken · · Score: 2

    Covered a while back, here: http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/03/24/0625211/Commodore-64-Primed-For-a-Comeback-In-June.

    It's just another article covering the same machine discussed previously.

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  5. Re:As long as I can still play my old favourites by PsychoticSpoon · · Score: 2

    According to their site, you can "Play all your favorite 8-bit era games within seconds ... by selecting the C64 icon from the boot menu to run a C64 emulator directly".

  6. Re:As long as I can still play my old favourites by powerlord · · Score: 5, Informative

    According to their site, you can "Play all your favorite 8-bit era games within seconds ... by selecting the C64 icon from the boot menu to run a C64 emulator directly".

    Yes, but they also say:

    ote: Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available. In the meantime, units come with the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system on CD ready to install.

    So it doesn't sound like they've worked out all the details yet, and don't expect to be able to just pop in your old Floppies and run the programs (hey, I still have my old Amiga Floppies somewhere ... probably time to get rid of them though).

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  7. Re:No numpad? FAIL by Tumbleweed · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I think that unless it comes with a seperate numpad, this is going to fall flat on its face. The tactile response of the keyboard may be nice (assuming they use individual switches for each key), but the lack of keys will make it close to useless.

    What part of 'Comodore 64' did you not get?

  8. Not laughing by dleemaas · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Did they just decide to completely ignore the fact that almost every major PC builder has been making media center and all-in-one PCs for a number of years? They act like having a computer built into the keyboard is something that's going to revolutionize the market. The Commodore 64 keyboard layout is a joke, and the "Pro" and "Slim" versions are a joke because there are already plenty of alternatives from the big names (HP, Dell, etc.) that have better specs and sell for around the same price, if not less for what you get in these pieces of junk. Maybe this is their April Fool's Month joke.

  9. Could have been great... by FrankSchwab · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Now, if they had followed through ...

    OS in ROM - no Virus worries or update hell. All the machines are the same.
    BASIC (replaced with something modern) in ROM - make it easy and attractive to program.
    Applications in ROM - Build in OpenOffice, FireFox, whatever else is commonly needed and make it front and center. Build an entire Linux Distro of applications in that are available with a bit of digging. But mostly, make it really friendly to start writing a letter, using the internet, whatever.
    Cartridge slot for commercial apps.
    An HDMI porrt

    Make the computer an appliance again. Don't require the owner to be a SysAdmin to use it. Sure, you lose some flexibility, but you gain hugely in usability. I know precisely the number of times my mother has opened her computer to install a new add-in card - zero.

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    1. Re:Could have been great... by mijelh · · Score: 3, Insightful

      OS in ROM - no Virus worries or update hell
      BASIC (replaced with something modern) in ROM - make it easy and attractive to program.
      Applications in ROM - Build in OpenOffice, FireFox

      AKA permanently vulnerable. Back in the days of the Commodore 64 virus were practically non existent, and they were made only to show off how 133t the coders were. Today Malware is a huge business, a large industry, and with the population increasingly using the computers for stuff like buying online, checking the bank account, etc. this can only go worse. I do think that we need to figure out how to make things easy again, but just locking ourselves to vulnerable software is almost suicidal.

  10. Re:No numpad? FAIL by MBGMorden · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think that unless it comes with a seperate numpad, this is going to fall flat on its face. The tactile response of the keyboard may be nice (assuming they use individual switches for each key), but the lack of keys will make it close to useless.

    The market for this thing is nostalgic people interested in a retro looking computer. Adding a numeric keypad (which the original C64 did not have) would probably negatively impact the machine in that market segment.

    It looks interesting for what it is.

    Funny story: once upon a time as a Commodore 64 equipped kid I had no concept that a keyboard wasn't a whole computer. I remember being in a store (I believe it was a Service Merchandise, if anyone remembers those) and seeing what I now know was a standalone keyboard for an IBM computer. Price tag was $35, and I thought that was unbelievable for a computer (remember - to my mind back then keyboard = computer). I begged my mom to buy that for me. Thankfully, she didn't. I'd have been mighty disappointed to get home and discover that that keyboard was useless to me :).

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  11. It's a fake! by Hatta · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is nothing but a PC in a custom case with a famous trademark. I read a lot of vintage computing sites and no one has expressed an interest in these. It's a dumb idea, not worthy of mention,

    What is worthy of mention, yet no one reports on, is all the custom retro modern hardware available these days. Want a C64 or Amiga without the hassle of maintaining old hardware? Try a C-One, an FPGA platform that implements both C64 and Amiga computers. Or, do you have a C64 but tire of floppy swapping? Get a 1541-Ultimate, a cycle accurate 1541 emulator that even emits the sounds of a real disk drive. Or, do you love the sound of the SID audio chip inside the C64? Control it via MIDI with the MSSIAH cartridge. Any of these projects are more worthy of attention in the tech media than the crass money grab we see in TFA.

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  12. Weird Al said it best by dkleinsc · · Score: 2

    "You think your Commodore 64 is really neato, What kind of chip you got in there, a Dorito?"

    vid

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  13. Why would I buy one? by dnahelicase · · Score: 4, Informative

    Why would I buy a new one when my old one still works?

  14. Re:It's not all about you. by hjf · · Score: 3, Informative

    Too bad this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_Keyboard never took off. It's a nice idea - all-in-one with wireless HDMI.

  15. Not necessarily proprietary by PCM2 · · Score: 2

    It's a little bit more, they do apparently have some sort of proprietary Commodore OS that you can use.

    I don't see anything on the manufacturer's site that necessarily indicates it's a proprietary OS. For one thing, they say "Commodore OS 1.0" isn't available yet, but they'll mail it to people who buy the computer when it's ready. In the meantime, it says the machines will ship with Ubuntu LTS. That suggests to me that Commodore OS 1.0 is likely to be yet another Linux distro, maybe with some sort of nostalgic Commodore-like skin.

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  16. Re:It's not all about you. by wagnerrp · · Score: 2

    It's a 1.8GHz dual core Atom, paired with low end nVidia graphics. You can pick up a mini-itx board and case with the same specs for $250, and hide it and all the connecting wires behind the TV. Another $50 gets you a wireless bluetooth keyboard you can stuff on the side of the couch, and you have all the same functionality, only without the big clumsy keyboard on your coffee table and wires strung across the floor to your TV. There is literally no worth to this device besides a gimmick.

  17. Re:No numpad? FAIL by Tumbleweed · · Score: 2

    Commodore 64 had no numpad, therefore this one wouldn't, either. Most laptops don't have numpads, either, and they're outselling desktops.

  18. Re:Slashdotted already by ArcherB · · Score: 2

    www.commodoreusa.net is down already...

    Maybe it's running on a C64.

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  19. Re:Everyone under 35 should STFU by SharpFang · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I think you set the age bar far too high.
    I'm below 33, I fondly recall my Atari 65XE and later Amiga 600, I think I could afford such a toy, I have some spare time and no, you are the one who is stupid.

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  20. Re:One look and... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    You mean...

    10 PRINT "I want one "
    20 GOTO 10

  21. Re:It's not all about you. by realityimpaired · · Score: 2

    Most laptops have external display options as well... the netbook I'm typing this on has a tiny screen, yes, but it also has a D-Sub display out. My main laptop has a 16" screen (which is good balance between portability and useability, IMO), and also has D-Sub, HDMI, and DisplayPort output....

    Others have suggested buying a small form factor system like a Mac Mini, or an all-in-one system. Good suggestions. But why not also consider getting a laptop for the portability and using an external display? My main laptop is driving 3 displays... the built-in 16" display (1920x1080), and two 24" displays (both also 1920x1080) using the DisplayPort. For added bonus, I'm also pushing audio through the DP, so it's essentially a docking station... I set the lappy on the desk, plug in the DP and the USB hub, and it's good to go. I can also unplug and take the laptop on the road with no trouble. It's quiet, and more than capable of doing the work that I need it to do. (and depending on the type of research your wife is diong, she may appreciate having a dual display setup too)

  22. Not authentic! by scotts13 · · Score: 2

    If it doesn't have a 6502/6510 processor, it's not a C64. They may stick something else in there for modern software; but if it has to emulate "itself" it's disingenuous to use the name. Of course, they may emulate other things, too - when I was selling the originals to schools, they'd put 15 on the truck for each 10 that were ordered. Because about 1/3 were dead out of the box.