The Commodore 64 Is Again—and Extra Gamer-Fueled Than Ever With a Clear RGB Case

The Commodore 64 deserves to have a contented ending it by no means obtained in life. You’ve probably seen at the least a type of rounded beige rectangles sitting susceptible and forlorn in some workplace or forgotten attic. For individuals who cherished their age-old dwelling pc, the big blocky keyboard is back, and for $300 you may get what will be the most correct recreation of the basic pc, no software program emulation required. A minimum of, it is going to be when the corporate manages to finalize the working system and produce all of the elements.

For these questioning simply what the hell the Commodore 64 is, it’s a home computer that first noticed the sunshine of day in 1982, and on the time it was one of many best-selling computer systems on this planet. The 8-bit gadget had distinctive qualities for the time, with superior sound and graphics capabilities that made it one of many early leaders for at-home pc gaming because of its compatibility with cartridges. Greater than that, it managed to make computing accessible because of it promoting in shops past specialty pc retailers. There wasn’t any true sequel to the Commodore 64, save for some early Commodore 65 prototypes. Although makers of the Commodore 64 had success with gadgets just like the Amiga 1000, the corporate discontinued the C64 in 1995 and shortly after declared chapter.

So what’s the new Commodore 64 Final and what do you get within the field?
All the things you could know is beneath…

OVERVIEW
• The Commodore 64 Final is available in 3 varieties: Primary Beige, Starlight Version, and Founders Version.
• That is the primary official Commodore 64… pic.twitter.com/Gtm25zPwWw

— Commodore Pc Museum 🕹 (@MuseumCommodore) July 12, 2025

This isn’t the first attempt at a C64 emulation gadget, however it might be essentially the most thorough. The fashionable recreation is utilizing field-programmable gate array expertise, or FPGA, to emulate the unique pc’s design and chip logic. It means the gadget is totally suitable with all of the previous software program and video games that made the gadget such a success within the first place. The $300 Primary Beige comes bundled with a cassette-style USB that features some music, demos, and video games, together with a “new sequel” to the C64 authentic title Jupiter Lander: Ascension. The gadget nonetheless has fashionable facilities like HDMI and Wi-Fi, so that you’re not going to want to discover a working modem. The Commodore Pc Museum X account said this model resembles the Final 64 Elite II model. The creator of that C64 model, engineer Gideo Zweijtzer, is called as a “launch companion” on the corporate’s team page.

The gadget is up for preorder, although the corporate claims that the cash goes towards manufacturing, virtually like a Kickstarter. Commodore claims “most elements are already in manufacturing,” and they’re principally seeking to fund manufacturing elements just like the keyboard base. A preorder “additionally helps energy the complete reboot of the Commodore model.” The gadget is $300 at base, however that doesn’t account for tariffs that may come by as a “tariff tax” at checkout. If you wish to see among the inside parts in all their glory, you’ll have to go for the $350 Starlight Version that additionally has RGB LEDs underneath the hood to wash your desktop in retro goodness. There’s a separate, restricted “Founders Version” for $500 with clear amber plastic. Whereas there’ll solely be 6,400 of these made, Commodore says each gadget could have Easter eggs within the type of the names and/or autographs of the unique C64 creators etched on the motherboard.

Commodore Corp., which was purchased up by YouTuber and actor Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson in a deal he announced on his channel June 30. He stated he purchased the corporate for “a low seven-figure sum,” although he didn’t reveal the entire quantity or supply another particulars about what went into the acquisition. The exact nature of the deal remains to be in limbo, and the corporate’s new homeowners admit on the site that the deal is “near fruition.” The corporate added, “It is a fastidiously structured course of targeted on safety and long-term sustainability,” and promised it would nonetheless make the {hardware} it doesn’t matter what occurs with the Commodore buyout.

Simpson beforehand introduced his intent to purchase Commodore a month in the past, and issues have moved rapidly since then. Even with the brand new Commodore staff’s guarantees for full refunds, the uncertainty is sufficient that I’d advise some hesitation earlier than smashing the purchase button on a brand-new FPGA Commodore 64, even when the translucent version with built-in LED lights seems to be spiffy. The gadget received’t ship till October on the earliest, which supplies us sufficient time to see what sort of pronouncements the dev staff makes within the coming weeks and months.