The Commodore 64 personal computer, not seen on the market since the 1980s, appears poised for a comeback.
You may recall that the original Commodore 64 (a follow-on to the earlier VIC-20) was an early home computer running on an 8-bit processor. It was one of the most popular home computers of all time, selling nearly 17 million units.
The new version will be available through the Commodore USA online store, set to open June 1, according to the company's Web site. Like the original, the new Commodore will be an all-in-one keyboard unit, but this time will feature Intel's 64-bit quad-core microprocessors and 3D graphics capabilities. The new units will also have up to 500GB of hard drive storage and 4GB of RAM. Also standard: a DVD-RW drive, a touchpad, four USB ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port and a DVI (Digital Visual Interface) port to connect monitors. No price has been announced. The original Commodore 64 listed at $595.
Reportedly, the new Commodore will run either Ubuntu Linux or (an undisclosed flavor of) Windows.
