The Return of the Commodore 64

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
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May 9, 2000
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For all of you nostalgia buffs who remember the first love of your computer life, the Commodore 64 is back. The unit is returning somewhat as a seamless integration of old and new technology. The really good thing is the price is exactly the same as the original.
 
I laughed my ass off when I read their site... $140 worth of hardware is going to cost you a thousand bucks.. C64 emulators have been around for 20 years, I know, I've had one about that long.. works fine on my PC..

This is one of those things for people with too much money and too little common sense
 
I had a Commodore 64 as a kid and it was cool back in the mid-80s. The nostalgia is way overestimated nowadays.

An Atom / ION2 system with linux for a $600* base price is ridiculous. The "barebones" will only set someone back by $250 for a case, keyboard and card reader. lulz

* How I spent for $600 on a mini ITX HTPC/TV gaming system last year: i5 661, 4GB DDR3, shoebox-sized mini ITX case/PSU, 2TB HDD, combo BD/DVD burner, GT 240 1GB GDDR5, Windows 7 HP x64, BT KB & mouse, Nero TiVO with USB tuner + remote w/1 year service.
 
It's a money grab from a company who bought the brand name to exploit it. Simple as that. They have zero interest in the name, just what will be in their pockets at the end of the day.
 
I still have mine from back in the day. Works perfectly and have to dig it out every so often to play. Jeep Command all the way! Of course you can't forget about Airborne Ranger. The load times from disk is an all day affair!
 
I'd be interested in the case at somewhere around $80-$100 for a zacate build I'm planning on building, but at $250 no way. $600 for an atom build is even worse.
 
My first comp was a c64. Thats what got me hooked into computing. Ahh the memories.

Yea I probably wouldnt waste my $$ on this though. If I really wanted to remember my c64 id buy an original off of ebay for $50. I wish I never sold my c64 stuff though, would have been fun to play with it again now.

my c64, 1541 disk drive, 1581 and ram expansion and a whole lotta disks!
 
if I had $900 to throw away, this would be an awesome retro home theater system under my television.
 
This shit is old Made In China shit. The only new thing is the Vic/C64 chassis and the logotypes.
 
Betaboy1983 said:
The load times from disk is an all day affair!
Click to expand...
Needs more Epix FastLoad cartridge.

The C64 was my second Commodore. I first had a gimped Commodore Plus/4 model called the Commodore 16 plus a TAPE DRIVE. It was actually kind of cool because the version of BASIC it included had sound and graphics commands, plus a built in machine language monitor (like Apple models had via 'call -151').
 
I doubt they will sell many and I hope, HOPE they lose a lot of money.

Nothing good ever comes from buying a brand name and trying to piggy-back your way into quick profits.

I absolutely hate companies like this. What a disgrace.
 
my very first PC was also a C-64 along with a 1541 disc drive. It's where I discovered Bards Tale, Death Lord, Wasteland and many other great games. I never beat Wasteland only making it to the monastery with the monks if memory serves me right.

If anyone here beat Wasteland, do you mind telling me how far into the game I was? How close to the end I might have been?

An odd story is that back in 1990 or so when I was 20 or 21 I put my C64 and 1541 disc drive in the paper for $450 and sold it. But the couple that bought the computer had the newer C-128 and instead invited me over to there home to continue to use the C-64 I sold them and he ended up teaching me basic on it. I become good enough to write text adventures. I could ask what name you wanted to use, save the name and later recall it which I thought was very cool. I also remember being taught to use 10 - 20 - 30 - 40 for program lines etc so that you could go back and program in-between if you needed to patch / fix something, say, 11 - 12 - 13 etc. I've all but forgotten how to program in basic but at the time it was extremely rewarding.

I can also promise anyone that I was the last kid in North America to give up his Amiga 1200. I just would not sell it. I used it as long as possible, even after my friends moved the the AMD DX4 100 with 4 megs of ram which at the time beat the hell out of those Intel 486DX-25's.

After I built my first PC, and saved enough money, my very first memory upgrade cost me $180 dollars for 2 megs of fast page memory. Man, the memories are flooding back to me.
 
The C-64 barebone doesn't look quite as bad (price-wise), as the pre-configured versions they are offering. It has an actual Cherry keyboard in there, and those things retail for at least $100...throw in the card reader, the case itself, and those should add some value...maybe not $250, but close enough that it's a small premium, as opposed to a large one.
 
Lode Runner, Jumpman, Qbert, Impossible Mission, Gyruss, Aztec Warrior, Pit Stop
...and so many others. The many hours of entertainment!

What was the joystick brand with a red and black square base, red bat handle and the white fire button?

My objection of the new C64 is the shift 2 is not the double quotes. :D
 
HalifaxPete said:
What was the joystick brand with a red and black square base, red bat handle and the white fire button?
Click to expand...
Dunno. When you mentioned that I had to check the last C64 joystick I have left. It's a SunCom Tac30 like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Atari-2600-Suncom-TAC30-Joystick-Controller-/270719561376#ht_3225wt_905

I'm pretty sure I bought it at Target in the mid to late 1980s.

Those cheap 2600-style directional joysticks weren't very durable. The brushes inside tended to lose contact after a while.

I remember the ones Tandy computers used with dual potentiometers and that could be auto-centered or unlocked. The analog stick worked great in many games, and drifted horribly in most others.
 
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pxc said:
Needs more Epix FastLoad cartridge.

The C64 was my second Commodore. I first had a gimped Commodore Plus/4 model called the Commodore 16 plus a TAPE DRIVE. It was actually kind of cool because the version of BASIC it included had sound and graphics commands, plus a built in machine language monitor (like Apple models had via 'call -151').
Click to expand...

No, it's why piracy became popular.

Once you ripped out the copy protection, those games loaded quick. :D
 
pxc, your post encouraged me to search for the answer.
I found the answer on this page Wico Command Control Bat Handle

I would have liked the new c64 if it was based on a 2600K Sandy Bridge and not price gouged.

Imagine a C64 themed 24" triple panel display, 1541 themed raid box, and the new keyboard design. :D
 
fatrat said:
No, it's why piracy became popular.
Click to expand...
Sector-based copy protections could slow down parts of loading, but the 1541 was just a really slow floppy drive. The default transfer rate was just a few hundred bytes per second, even without copy protection. The FastLoad cartridge claimed to increase loading speed by up to several times. I had one for a while, but also had a software version that I copied into the first position on floppy so lO"*",8,1 would load it first, then I could load any of the games on the same disc much quicker. If you remember the pirate discs that used load "*",8,1 to put a menu up on the screen so only cursor + return loaded and ran the game you deserve a cookie.

I have a 1541 and an Enhancer 2000 floppy. The Enhancer 2000 claimed to be 50% faster. I liked it because it's much smaller (uses an external power brick) and much quieter. http://www.hardware64.com/drives/Enhancer2000-3.jpg
 
Awol said:
"Another visitor. Stay awhile... staaaaay FOREVER!"
Click to expand...
No! NO! NOOOOOOOOO!!!

impossiblemission1.png


HalifaxPete said:
What was the joystick brand with a red and black square base, red bat handle and the white fire button?
Click to expand...
Wico, if it's the one I had:

joy002.jpg


Syntax Error lists two different models for the bat and ball handle versions, but I'm pretty sure mine came with those and a third handle that could be swapped.
 
so this is a nostalgia piece? or now they'll claim copyright infringement on every emulator, and any site with old games now?
 
Konig-Wolf said:
The C-64 barebone doesn't look quite as bad (price-wise), as the pre-configured versions they are offering. It has an actual Cherry keyboard in there, and those things retail for at least $100...throw in the card reader, the case itself, and those should add some value...maybe not $250, but close enough that it's a small premium, as opposed to a large one.
Click to expand...

+1.

5 years ago I paid $175 for my lian li case. Its a little pricey but $250 does not seem out of this world for a niche case.
 
I still have my C64 with the tape player and the disk drive. I used to play Telengard and Beach Head all the time!! Loved those games! Gonna have to go dig it all out and see if it still works!
 
I'd likely drop the $250 on the barebones but I, as most everybody else, saw the prices of the built out systems and nearly died laughing.

Shane
 
Wish it was a C128/128d design copy instead...

Seriously though, this is a unique but, imho, an unfortunate attempt to sell a very basic HTPC with nothing more than a retro look and feel. I can understand the pricing, though. I'm sure it's not very cheap to design nor manufacture a niche product such as this.

Two more things needing to have added: wireless KB+MSE. There's no way in hell I'd be moving it around my living room with a half dozen wires coming out the back so I can play Mail Order Monsters or Paradroid, let alone surf the web or fire up Netflix.
 
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