Only it'll have a DVD drive, built-in wi-fi, run Ubuntu, and, generally, have the same batch of specs that any lower-end PC would have in the year 2011. But it'll run those old Commodore games like Donkey Kong and Lemmings and act in every way possible like the original at the click of a button at boot-up. Otherwise, yes, it'll be like a normal computer running Ubuntu with a super-clacky keyboard.Thank a company called Commodore USA for purchasing rights to reproduce the 64 (claimed to be the best-selling computer model of all time). The early-'80s throwback should be shipping in May or early-June with a price tag in the neighborhood of $600. No word on a tape drive yet but, man, that'd be about the ultimate retro indulgence wouldn't it?Here's the pitch:The new Commodore 64 features genuine Cherry brand key switches, which provide a feel much better than the original, with a lovely IBM classic mechanism and click sound. The keys are the exact same shape as the original and are color matched. No expense has been spared. This is the ultimate hackers keyboard on which to wield your key-fu.I remember the library at my elementary school having one of these, but my family didn't join the computer-having class until around 1995 with a Mac 7500 PowerPC. That was a pretty dark time for computer design, so I'm not really holding my breath for its own retro-cool revival.Related:
Reach this writer at michaelb@motherboard.tv.
Advertisement