The Commodore 64 is Back! A Retro Icon Returns This Fall

Remember the Commodore 64? For many, it was their first computer, a gateway to the digital world filled with pixelated graphics and distinctive loading sounds. Now, more than 40 years after its debut, this legendary home computer is making an official comeback! It's got new technology inside, but it looks just like the original.

A couple of weeks ago, the idea of a comeback was mentioned. Now, it's actually happening. What makes this new version special? It's not just a toy for nostalgia lovers or an emulator like some devices you might have seen before. This new C64 is built using FPGA technology. This means the hardware directly recreates the parts of the original computer. This makes the new version almost exactly like the one millions of people used in the 1980s.

The company behind this is called Commodore Corporation, based in the Netherlands. One of the people involved is Christian Simpson, a British retro enthusiast and YouTuber who acquired the brand rights in June. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is the first official hardware from the brand in over 30 years.

You can buy the new computer in three different versions. The cheapest one, called "Basic Beige," costs around $299 and looks almost identical to the original. Another version, the "Starlight Edition," has a transparent case with colorful keyboard lights that react to music. The most expensive version, the "Founder’s Edition" at $499, comes with a gold-plated logo and a certificate for collectors.

What do all three versions have in common? They're fully functional computers with real mechanical keyboards, lots of connections, and support for thousands of old programs and games.

Besides HDMI and USB ports, it also has connections for classic joysticks and even for Datasette drives. These were used in the 1980s to load games from cassette tapes! The inside of the computer is modern, with new memory chips, Wi-Fi, and an SD card slot. But it's all packaged in a case that looks like it's from 1983. When you turn it on, the operating system shows the classic blue and white C64 screen.

The computers are expected to ship in the fall, and you can pre-order them now. The company isn't using Kickstarter or other crowdfunding platforms. They're handling the production themselves and offer a return option until the computer ships. They'll ship them worldwide.

Will the new C64 be a big success? That remains to be seen. But there's a lot of excitement in the retro community. If you were one of the millions who waited for games to load, watching loading bars and text appear on the screen, then seeing this new version might bring back some memories. You might even want to type "RUN" again, just like old times.