The Commodore 64 returns with new specs & original SID sound

The Commodore 64 is officially making a return.

After more than 30 years, the best-selling home computer of the 1980s is being relaunched with updated hardware, original features, and full compatibility with vintage games and peripherals.

The revival is led by YouTuber Christian “Peri Fractic” Simpson, who unexpectedly bought the entire Commodore brand, logos, and rights earlier this year for a “low seven-figure sum”.

“We’ve been sleeping for 30 years. Please excuse us,” reads a statement on the revamped Commodore website. “Now we’re back, you know we had to start with the best-selling desktop computer of all time.”

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Powered by an AMD Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA, the new version, called the Commodore 64 Ultimate Edition, recreates the original C64 motherboard in hardware, not just software, resulting in “over 99%” compatibility with original cartridges, peripherals and games from the ’80s and ’90s.

It comes loaded with modern features such as HDMI video output, dual SID (Sound Interface Device) audio sockets, Wi-Fi, USB-A and USB-C ports while keeping the original cartridge slot and DIN-8 ports.

It even comes with a USB stick packed with 50 retro games and demos, but perhaps its most massive upgrade is the 128MB DDR2 RAM and 16MB of flash memory (the original had a mere 64KB).

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A standout feature is the sound. The original SID chip is back; the same chip that gave the C64 its iconic audio character and helped define the early days of chiptune and video game music.

Three models are available: the beige Basic (US$299), the transparent RGB-lit Starlight Edition (US$349), and the Founders Edition (US$499) which features an amber-tinted case and gold-plated keys, limited to 6,400 units.

Pre-orders are open now, with shipping expected in October 2025.

For more info, head to Commodore's official website here.

[Via Music Radar]

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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