Commodore back on the scene at CES
posted December 14th 2005 3:00PM
We fondly remember playing old school classics like California Games on a Commodore 64 way back in elementary school computer class (we'd zip through the five line "programming exercise" pretty quickly, so we had a lot of free time to game), so it's nice to see that Commodore will be making a resurgence at next month's CES. Seemingly unfamiliar with Moore's Law, Commodore will be announcing a gaming console designed to "compete head-to-head with the Xbox 360," which "improves on all aspects of our previous offerings by including a blazingly fast 100 MHz processor, an entire MB of RAM, and a state-of-the-art 3.5-inch floppy disk drive for easy portability." Seriously though, we've been following Commodore's transformation since they were purchased by Yeahronimo Media Ventures last year, and the Navigator GPS/PMP that we spotted a few months ago will be one of the three devices on display at CES. The only other consumer item being introduced is the MediaBox, an Internet-enabled 80GB DVR that besides interactive television also offers streaming and downloadable content. Finally, Commodore will be showing off their Multimedia Tower, a kiosk designed for retail locations that allows users to download content directly onto memory cards for use on any number of devices.
I was a huge fan of the commodore 64. I had a voice synthesizer program hooked up to speakers. I had a pretty crazy game called stroker...need I say anymore? Great to see that name again.
I was a huge fan of the commodore 64. I had a voice synthesizer program hooked up to speakers. I had a pretty crazy game called stroker...need I say anymore? Great to see that name again.
That is awesome. I was the biggest commodore fan for so long... from the VIC 20 to the Amiga, I was all over it. Now if they could only somehow combine their direct-to-TV commodore 64 joystick, and that media center...
I'd support Commodore (even thought it's just a name) if they offered anything in the states.
If they offered -anything- with a hint of nostalga, I wouldn't be able to resist.
Here's a little trivia I heard... The old Commodore offices are now the QVC studios. Funny that they were pushing the D2TV from there.
I so want one of those Commodore 20gb hd ogg players. I'm such a label whore.
Wow! This brings back memories!
The C64 was my first computer. Looking back on what it could do, it seems like a lot of the "progress" we've made in the last 20 or so years is a lot of hype. I had a voice synth as well, and it was only sligntly less intelligible than today's grossly bloated synth software.
Of course, I know that today's computers could crush the C64 in terms of raw power, but there was an elegance to the software that seems to be missing today.
Why on earth did Yeahronimo Media Ventures buy Commodore? I can't imagine they have any IPR worth owning these days. And (I don't know about the US) is the Commodore brand worth anything these days? Nostalgia is only worth so much...
Either that nav unit is a mockup, or they are being made by Magellan, the screen is identical to many of the screens on www.magellangps.com for their Roadmate 300...
"Why on earth did Yeahronimo Media Ventures buy Commodore?"
The Commodore brand was (and still is) huge in europe.
And yes- Commodore is using re-branded hardware and could have updated soft/firmware. Still, I'd pay a little more to have a "C= something" vs something else. Not much though.
I wouldn't pay a penny more for anything just because it had Commodore or C= on it. I cut my teeth on the C64 and loved the engineering. When IBM was busy convincing office workers that they didn't need graphics and the monotone beeps were good enough for sound, Commodore was building a box that could be recognized as a desktop computer even today. Commodore schooled Apple in how to properly utilize the Motorola 68000.
But I don't see any connection between the company that was Commodore and the products they sold and the current load of commodity parts they are selling now.
Ah, brings back memories. I'm a veteran of 13 years service at Commodore. I started work with the VIC-20, then progressed to the C64, C128, and Amiga (the omission of the Plus 4 is not an oversight - it's best forgotten). I did everything from designing & programming video games (including C64 Gorf - one of the few to use the aforementioned voice module) to OS work. And yup, QVC now occupies the ol' corporate building). Memories! Best time of my life.
Commodore ruled. Go AmigaOS Workbench. Lean, mean, simply the best.
2 words: Preemptive multitasking.
I had a Vic 20, a 64, and an Amiga 3000.
When they went under it was like a piece of me died, and I realized what a callous world we live in. I was forced to choose between M$ and Crapple. I should have just gotten that 4000 with Video Toaster. The video capabilities caught up with PCs a couple of years ago, with the luxury of multitudes more RAM and Hz CPU cycles.
I would buy one of these here doodads just to see the C= every day and gush.
My father was the regional sales director for Commodore in Northeast America in the early 80's. We used to have some of the best crap laying around the house from commodore. And id play "Jump Man" all day on my C64. Some of things that he would get away with when pitching these machines were beautiful. He then left that job to be a regional Sales Director for WANG. My house is full of 80's computer crap.
Jeff - who was your father?
I have the same problem. My basement is a virtual 80's computer and game console museum. I have a couple C64's, VIC-20's, Amigas in all shapes and sizes, and even a Porche-designed concept PET - really slick casework! And then there's the Ataris, TIs, Sinclairs (great doorstops), etc.