The Return of the Commodore 64 March 30, 2010
The Commodore is Back
Remember the Commodore 64? You knew about it, a friend had one, or maybe you were one of the 17 million owners of the Commodore 64 yourself.
One of the most popular computers of all time, the Commodore 64 was sold by Commodore International from 1982 to 1994. It boasted an 8-bit processor and a $599 price tag, which was eventually reduced to $199.
Commodore International filed for bankruptcy in 1994 and the rest is history. Or is it? A new company, Commodore USA, has licensed the Commodore name from Commodore Gaming and is trying to invoke the glory of the original Commodore 64 with a new model that is somewhat recognizable from the outside, but has very different insides. With the tag line, “You loved us then, you’ll love us again” it’s obvious they’re drawing on nostalgia to rebuild a following in today’s difficult PC marketplace.
Some specs on the new Commodore include:
- All-in-one keyboard design
- Intel Core 2 Duo or Intel Quad Core CPUs
- Will run Windows 7 Aero, XP, Vista, Linux, Ubuntu, or Mac OS X operating systems
- 3D graphics capabilities
- 4GB RAM
- Up to 500GB hard drive
- DVD/RW drive
- Synaptic touchpad
- 4 USB ports
- 1 Gigabyte Ethernet port
- DVI (digital visual interface) for monitor connection
- 17.5″ wide x 2″ high
The Commodore USA site will operate as an online store at www.CommodoreUSA.net that is targeted to be operationally by June 1st. No pricing information is available yet.
Time will tell if this is a legitimate home or business desktop computer or if it’s just a collectible piece that will be popular with those trying to relive their childhood like the buyers of the re-released Mattel hand held games a few years back (that would be me).
