The last original Commodore 64 keyboard computer was sold in 1994, and since then, the Commodore brand and assets have been owned by various companies over the years, until YouTuber Christian Simpson (Perifractic) bought all assets earlier this year to revive the brand and launch the Commodore 64 Ultimate.
The Commodore 64 Ultimate is based on an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA coupled with 128MB RAM and 16MB NOR flash, and can emulate the original computer, giving access to over 10,000 games and programs made for the original C64 computer. The new computer is a mix of old interfaces with analog outputs for CRT TVs, cartridges, SID sockets, and disk drives, and more recent ones, such as HDMI, WiFi, USB, and more.
Commodore 64 Ultimate specifications:
- FPGA – AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA
- System Memory – 128MB DDR2 RAM
- Storage
- 16MB NOR flash
- Internal microSD card slot
- Support for USB flash drives formatted with FAT, FAT32, or exFAT
- Video Output
- DVI-compatible via HDMI
- CVBS, S-Video, or RGB via 8-pin DIN
- 1080p @ 50Hz (PAL) or 60Hz (NTSC)
- Audio
- 3.5mm headphone jack
- Optical S/PDIF
- 2x SID sockets (6581/8580) with auto voltage and filter detection
- UltiSID octal core FPGA SID emulation
- SID-TAP header
- Networking
- 10/100Mbps Ethernet port
- Built-in WiFi
- “No social media” 😉
- USB – 3x USB 2.0 ports, 1x USB Type-C port
- Controls
- 66-key mechanical keyboard
- Gateron Pro 3.0 55g switches
- Original C64 layout and shapes
- Full NKRO
- 70 RGB LEDs
- Industry standard stabilizers and wires
- Rocker switch (power, reset, menu, freeze)
- 2x DB-9 joystick/paddle ports
- 66-key mechanical keyboard
- Expansion
- Cartridge port (>99% compatible)
- Cassette port (6-pin edge connector)
- Disk drive port (6-pin IEC DIN)
- User port (26-pin internal, adapter sold separately)
- Compatibility
- File formats: .D64, .D71, .D81, .G64, .T64, .TAP, .PRG, .ROM, and more
- Commodore 64 ROMs will be included under license or via guided ROM setup on first boot
- ISO-9660 image support
- Integrated Ultimate-II+ functionality with tape emulation and DMA loader
- Misc – Power LED
- Power Supply – 12V DC
- Dimensions – About the same dimensions as the original
The Commodore 64 Ultimate computer ships with a user guide, a 64GB USB cassette drive “The Very Second” with over 50 full games, a Quick Start Guide, some stickers, an HDMI cable, a 12V power supply (100–240V with worldwide adapters), and an original-style box.
Three variants of the Commodore 64 Ultimate are available: The BASIC Beige ($299.99), the Starlight Edition ($349.99) adding an LED case and keyboard lighting, and the Founders Edition ($499.99) with a different amber LED case and keyboard lighting, plus 24k gold-plated badges, satin gold keys, a translucent amber case, commemorative Commodore gold seal ‘share’ certificate, “I Rebooted C=” T-shirt, 24k gold Commodore badges ‘dog tag’ necklace, and a gold label holographic serial number sticker.
We had seen replicas licensed from the company before, like the THEC64, but it’s the first official Commodore computer in over 30 years…
You’ll find the pre-order links on the Commodore.net website, where you may also notice a version of the keyboard PC called Commodore 64X designed for mini-ITX motherboards based on Intel N100 up to AMD Ryzen 9 7940HS and capable of running Windows 11, Linux, or Commodore OS Vision 3.0.
Via Liliputing
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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This is more of a general question…In a product like this, with an FPGA, can you re-program the FPGA? Given the nature of FPGA, I would think so which makes this an interesting option for someone to get their feet wet with FPGA development, but I could also see where the manufacturer locks that down/out.
Isn’t UltiSID/KungFuSID based on (STM/GD)32F405? The “octal” one as far as I remember is SIDcog for P8X32A, but it aside from one cog per SID emulation instance, at least one is needed for I/O, and then in both cases one would be using a separate chip for that SID emulation.