Redazione RHC : 13 July 2025 16:25
The record for best-selling desktop computer of all time is still held by the Commodore 64, as certified by the Guinness Book of Records, despite its discontinuation in 1994. However, Commodore appears to be reviving the C64, albeit in a somewhat limited capacity.
The original company declared bankruptcy over thirty years ago and its assets were sold off. But YouTuber Christian Simpson recently agreed to purchase all 47 Commodore trademarks, effectively creating a new company with an old name: Commodore International. And after hiring a team that includes some veterans of the original Commodore and some newcomers, the new company is launching a new Commodore 64 Ultimate.
It’s a modern computer with a retro design and support for most classic Commodore games and applications. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is available for pre-order starting at $300 and is expected to begin shipping in October or November.
The starting price is for a BASIC model Beige that closely resembles the classic computer, but customers can also pay $50 more for a “Starlight Edition” model with a transparent case or $500 for a limited Founders Edition that adds a 24-karat gold Commodore badge and a few other extras.
Functionally, however, they are all the same. They may not have exactly the same hardware as the original C64, but they use an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 GPA to recreate the original processor, allowing classic games, cartridges, and peripherals to run without software emulation.
The computer still has some modern features, including a HDMI, USB Type-C and Type-A ports, a microSD card reader, 100 Mbps Ethernet, and WiFi. But it also has connectors for classic C64 controllers and media, as well as analog video outputs. This brand-new device can therefore be used with older hardware, including a CRT television or cartridges, disk drives, and other accessories compatible with the Commodore 64.
Although other Commodore-branded devices have been released in recent years, most were made by third-party companies: The C64 Mini, for example, was manufactured by Retro Games Ltd, which licensed the Commodore brand. What makes this new model different is that it’s the first “official” Commodore product in decades.
That said, it’s also effectively the first new device from a newly launched company, and it’s treating pre-orders like a crowdfunding campaign: it’s accepting orders now to raise funds for production, among other things. But the pre-order page promises a “money-back guarantee” and that customers can cancel orders before they ship for a refund.
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