8-bit 80’s computer king Commodore 64 has been resurrected for a new generation – albeit with significantly more memory than the 64kB it originally boasted and – best of all – with Ubuntu as its OS!
One of most successful personal computers of all time, rivalled only by the Apple II in terms of popularity, the Commodore 64 played a definitive role in bringing home computing to the masses and whilst its hardware requirements seem meagre today they helped power not only the BASIC kernel OS that it shipped with but the imaginations of many computer engineers and developers to come.
64bit All-in-one Ubuntu super-wonder
The new-style C64 is, in essence, an all in one computer – though where other integrated solutions from the likes of Acer and ASUS take a meek, power efficient approach to innards the C64 can pack in a 3Ghz quad-core processor, upto 8GB RAM, full 3D graphics, DVD-RW drive and up-to 2TB of hard-drive space.
For proper old-skool style the keyboard is also integrated.
OS
The system can ship with Ubuntu although other OS options such as Windows, AMIGA OS (via emulation) and the AROS OS are also available.
Pricing
The official rather badly designed website has a ton of configuration options available. A so-called ‘barebones’ system will set you back $499 US dollars and the ‘BASIC’ model is priced at $699 US dollars. For their respective components these seem a little higher than something similar from Dell but it’s worth noting that this is an integrated solution in a retro chassis.
The reborn Commodore 64 will be available to order online from June 1st.
Official site:
http://www.cybernetman.com/cart/viewProduct.cfm?productId=2
Thanks to THAC0