COMMODORE 64 IS BACK[views:4697][posts:26]___________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 2:30am - arilliusbm ""] http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112510/new-commodore-64-nyt The Commodore 64 is being re-released for the modern computer user. I was just 6 years old when the Commodore 64 computer went on sale in the summer of 1982. Although I already owned a computer at the time -- a ZX Spectrum -- I remember my excitement about possibly getting my little hyperactive hands on the newly released Commodore. At the time, the Commodore computer cost $595 and came with a whopping 64 kilobytes of memory. It also contained a graphics and sound card that stood apart from other computers of the day. Now, nearly 30 years later, 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. In its heyday, the Commodore 64 was one of the most successful home computers made, shipping more than two million units a year for almost a decade after its release. Although exact numbers don't exist, experts estimate that the company sold between 15 and 30 million Commodore 64 computers. But the Commodore 64's success was short-lived. Commodore International, the maker of the computer, declared bankruptcy in 1994 after several bad business decisions and aggressive competition from I.B.M. and Apple. Commodore USA The new Commodore 64 comes with all the modern amenities needed to surf the Web and play video games. Barry Altman, president and chief executive of Commodore USA, said he purchased the Commodore trademark in September of last year with the goal of reviving the company and offering a product that no longer exists. "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." 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 a 1.8 gigahertz dual-core processor, an optional Blu-ray player and built-in ethernet and HDMI ports. It runs the Linux operating system but the company says you can install Windows if you like. The new Commodore is priced between $250 to $900. The company's Web site says that the new Commodore 64 is "a modern functional PC," and that although the guts of the device have greatly improved, the exterior is "as close to the original in design as humanly possible." Most people would not be able to visibly tell the old or new versions apart, it says. "The response has been completely dramatic," Mr. Altman said. "We've been averaging about five registrations per second on our Web site. This is from people giving us their name and e-mail address to be kept abreast of updates on the new Commodore." Some may wonder why someone would want to purchase this type of computer when a world of iPads and laptops exists. Mr. Altman says he sees two types of customers for the new computer. "There are a lot of really young computer users who want to own a retro-looking computer," he said. "And of course there are those 30- to 40-year-olds who owned the original Commodore 64 and want the nostalgia of their first machine." [img] [img] |
| ____________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 2:35am - ouchdrummer ""] THIS is jims friday night....first? |
| _____________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 2:39am - the_reverend ""] I was just looking at this too... weird... w Commodore 64 Computer..... $595 or $250 Bare Bones http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64.aspx It's back... and better than ever! The new Commodore 64 is a modern functional PC as close to the original in design as humanly possible. It houses a modern mini-ITX PC motherboard featuring a Dual Core 525 Atom processor and the latest Nvidia Ion2 graphics chipset. It comes in the original taupe brown/beige color, with other colors to follow. Units come with the Ubuntu 10.04 LTS operating system on disk ready to install. Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available. |
| _____________________________ [Apr 9,2011 8:49am - Slag ""] The SID chip in the C64 is one of the coolest little sound making devices ever. I used to fool around with emulation and at one point in the early 2000 I was going to buy one of these : http://www.vintagesynth.com/misc/sidstation.php |
| ______________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 9:50am - IllinoisEnemaBradness ""] It looks like a laptop with no monitor It has keyboard, mouse, DVI/HDMI and what looks like a VGA video output Kind of weird, but really it's quite cool. Like a mini flat tower with all the bells and whistles, it should be 64 bit since it's the Commodore 64. Did they miss that? |
| ____________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 2:59pm - Woah!_NLI! ""] [img] |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 5:42pm - ancient master ""] I had a C64 when I was a kid, I especially remember liking the international soccer game, and the olympics game where they played each countries national anthem http://youtu.be/iTNZsEw_DzI |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 5:46pm - ancient master ""] [YOUTUBE=type=addvideo&url=%20%20http://youtube/bjTnHvVcMWk] |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 5:47pm - ancient master ""] bennyhillifier |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 5:54pm - ancient master ""] oh and Impossible Mission bennyhillifier |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 6:51pm - conservationist ""] If it's not a 6500-series chip, fuck it hard. In the ass. With butter and walnuts. |
| ___________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 10:24pm - not Ross ""] ITT: Jim proves himself to be unaware that Commodore 64 has been with us all along. |
| ____________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 11:04pm - arilliusbm ""] Ross is harsh. :'( |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 11:33pm - Blessed Offal ""] I TRICKED U GAIZ IT REELY WUZ ME |
| ___________________________________ [Apr 9,2011 11:50pm - narkybark ""] I'm pretty sure I still have my old C64, and a box full of games. What do I win? |
| ______________________________________ [Apr 10,2011 2:20am - the_reverend ""] ditto. |
| ________________________________________ [Apr 10,2011 1:37pm - DestroyYouAlot ""] conservationist said:If it's not the far more kvlt Commodore VIC-20, fuck it hard. In the ass. With butter and walnuts. This. Actually, no, I'm kinda psyched. Need to offer it with 30 gig capacity audio cassette drive. |
| ____________________________________ [Jun 15,2011 8:14am - arilliusbm ""] Anyone get one? |
| _______________________________________ [Jun 15,2011 8:24am - AndrewBastard ""] never used a C64 in my life...I used this instead: ti-99 [img] |
| _________________________________________ [Jun 15,2011 11:24am - DestroyYouAlot ""] Haha, my brother used to have an Atari 800XL. I think this development totally validates my choice of the VIC-20. |
| _________________________________________ [Jun 15,2011 11:26am - DestroyYouAlot ""] [img] |
| _________________________________________ [Jun 15,2011 2:27pm - conservationist ""] DestroyYouAlot said:Need to offer it with 30 gig capacity audio cassette drive. Yes!! And 300 baud cable modem! |
| ________________________________________ [Jun 15,2011 2:38pm - DestroyYouAlot ""] XD |
| ____________________________________ [Oct 18,2011 1:47pm - arilliusbm ""] http://www.commodoreusa.net/CUSA_C64Select.aspx The extreme one looks SICK. Pretty fast too. |
| ________________________________ [Oct 18,2011 1:54pm - xmikex ""] fuck yeah. Can I make the prompt read "Fuck You North Junior High" on this one too? |
| ________________________________________ [Oct 18,2011 2:38pm - DestroyYouAlot ""] ONLY VIC20 IS REAL DO NOT SUPPORT NO MOSH - NO TREND - NO MOUSE - NO FLOPPY |
| ________________________________________ [Oct 18,2011 3:29pm - Ancient_Master ""] bennyhillifier |