Commodore set to introduce high-end gaming PCs

Commodore's big beige glory days may be long past, but the familiar name is still out there kicking (such as it is), lending its considerable cachet to an array of otherwise unremarkable devices. Now the company appears to have decided to bring things back a little closer to its roots, prepping a new line of Commodore-branded PCs aimed at gamers, pitting them against the well-established likes of Alienware and VoodooPC. Unfortunately, there's been no other details whatsoever announced, with Commodore Gaming CEO Bala Keilman only going so far as to say that the PCs will deliver "what gamers need and want." It looks like we won't have to wait too long for the complete rundown, however, with the company promising to reveal everything (including playable systems) at CeBIT on March 15th.

[Via Slashdot]

[odell @ Mar 6th 2007 2:57PM]

I cannot wait for Commodore Hardcore. It might even sway me to buy a PC again.

[Richard @ Mar 6th 2007 4:18PM]

Awesome! I'm in the market for a new computer and was going to go with Alienware. Maybe this new Commodore will win my heart.. and money. Hopefully they have a distinctive case to compete with the other boutique pc builders.

[Geir E @ Mar 6th 2007 3:54PM]

Commodore name has nothing to do on a modern pc. It died with the Amiga. (or it died before, Amiga was just a gift from heaven that the wrong company picked up. But I miss my Amiga.

[booter @ Mar 6th 2007 10:13PM]

I just hope it has a commodore basic shell we can drop into and play the old stuff... just like the venerable c-128. YA Commodore!

[Scabies @ Mar 6th 2007 3:46PM]

"what gamers need and want."

...such as rediculous premiums for pre-assembled systems?

[NHAnimator @ Mar 6th 2007 3:56PM]

Commodore Gaming CEO. That just sounds funny.

[Mike on a Bike @ Mar 6th 2007 3:56PM]

My C64 rocked! I would buy a new Commodore just cause it has the Commodore name on it (yes I am that old and that lame)...

[Ray-- @ Mar 6th 2007 4:22PM]

it will succeed if they include a C64 emulator on the PC by default that could play all the old c64 games out of the box... that would rock... jumpman jr. then some bf2... nice...

[Ray-- @ Mar 6th 2007 4:24PM]

this will be sweet if they include a c64 emulator that can play all the classic c64 games out of the box... play a little jumpman jr. and then some bf2... nice!

[NovaLand @ Mar 6th 2007 4:25PM]

The name commodore has ben sold back&forth so many times not what ANY trace of the original commodore is very much wiped out. They could be a pirate-ink ditributor for your inkjet printer and be more interesting than they are now.

[Ray-- @ Mar 6th 2007 4:26PM]

engadget posting bugs FTW

[John B @ Mar 6th 2007 4:34PM]

What a complete crock. This has about as much to do with Commodore Business Machines as General Electric has to do with the small appliances that bear their logo.

Hint: Nothing.

This is nothing more than the Commodore name stuck on a general PC. Those of us who still have fondness for the C64 or Amiga are more likely to build our own game machines than buy one of these, thus making the mystique of the Commodore name less likely to get us to buy one.

It's no different than Atari. It's a big distributor of PC games, but the only things it has in common with the original Atari are the name and the logo.

[CoRe212 @ Mar 6th 2007 4:44PM]

Wow, I remember my very first computer. It was a Commodore Vic 20, then C64, then ultimately 128. From there I moved on to PC's and Dos. I still remember commands like Load "$",8 and Load "*",8,1... Moved media from cartridge, to cassette, to 5 1/4 inch floppy (true floppies!) I'm not that old either (32 yrs old.)

[John B @ Mar 6th 2007 4:44PM]

Allow me to follow up my previous post by saying that there ARE complete PCs that fit into a thicker-than-normal keyboard. I would probably buy one of these in a heartbeat IF the PC...

- was an all-in-one unit that looked exactly like the C64
- came with a boot-up screen that looked like the C64 startup screen :)
- included a C64 emulator with games that have been officially given to the community
- still could be upgraded to some extent
- still had a cost per performance lower than Alienware or Falcon Northwest

None of these are impossible. Just look for some of the all-in-one PCs where the keyboard *is* the PC and you'll see that this would be a very doable project. With MicroATX keyboards and slim-line DVD drives, making a really good gaming PC within a C64 case is not impossible, although the fans needed to cool such a small enclosure would probably be very, very loud.

Only then will this company be able to really grab the hearts of Commodore aficionados like myself.

[Mike on a Bike @ Mar 6th 2007 4:56PM]

TO ALL THE HATERS: But, it's a Commodore!!!

Who cares who made it as long as it still has that sweet as sweet rainbow logo and loads Vista when I type:

load"*",8,1

[Will @ Mar 6th 2007 4:57PM]

Can you imagine the awesomeness when they use 64 bit processors in a Commodore.

Commodore 64-bit

[anonymous @ Mar 6th 2007 5:10PM]

I'm all about Commodore if it runs F-16 Combat Pilot!

[Mikey @ Mar 6th 2007 5:32PM]

Are you keeping up with the Commodore? Cause' the Commodore is keeping up with you...

[C64 Memories @ Mar 6th 2007 5:49PM]

I don't think this is a good idea. I will forever have some of the best gaming memories when I think of the c64 and the Amiga. They should have become as big if not bigger than Microsoft. The C64 has never been outsold. Putting the Commodore Label on a new pc has nothing to do with the old, as far as it being emulated right out of the box it is already so very easily emulated both the 64 and the Amiga series what would be the point? I guess it would save you a 2 min download, but if you are already a fan and you own a pc made within that last 10 years then you most likely have the latest emulator and all of your favorite games. I loved Commodore but only in the sense of its beginnings not this feable attempt to capitalize on a long dead system.

[John Patterson @ Mar 6th 2007 6:22PM]

OK....I am a wee bit late to the party. I have actually seen the units that are on their way to CeBit. Actually only about 30 people have seen them so far but they should be in Europe as of this evening. I will say this....they are not dropping just another beige box. These machines are nice...

As for included software...no clue (I am not in that part of the business).

I have just seen the exterior of the unit. As for the specs. I hear we will be dropping addition good news on that front. I think it is safe to say they are bringing back more than just the name. To Paraphrase Timberlake. They are bringing sexy back.

[Charls @ Mar 6th 2007 7:16PM]

Want to see how a Commodore look? Check this site www.compumundo.com.ar

Commmodore never really died...

[Dave @ Mar 6th 2007 8:06PM]

I can't wait. Maybe it is just the name and logo--but I'll take it.

[Chris von Eitzen @ Mar 6th 2007 11:25PM]

I was at CeBit last year and saw their booth. I thought, hey, I had / still have a Commodore so why not check it out. Their booth BLEW. It was almost nothing there with 3 people standing around that didn't seem to excited to be there. I only wish I could go there this year...

[whiskey @ Mar 7th 2007 11:13AM]

I would really love if they either:
1- Come out with a PC that's inside a keyboard (which could be cool, at least for me),
2- They came up with one of those AIO.

They both have to be that exact shade of beige and include the C= key... They should also speak to either Apple or some linux (there are so many distros) so you could buy something like the Apple (preloaded with mac or an C=ubuntu -which is kind of a cool name if you apply the right fonts lol)

But this is the kind of pc that would win my fanboysm...

[Flack @ Mar 7th 2007 12:01PM]

As the author of the book Commodork, I can tell you there are still a lot of nostalgic feelings tied up in that name. At this point they could probably release a dog turd with the C64 logo on it and many of us (sadly, including myself) would probably buy it. It's one of those purchases that I'll probably kick myself over in the morning, but at the time the feelings associated with "those days" may overtake logic.

[Chuck @ Mar 9th 2007 9:40AM]

Wanna have some fun all you old timers? Here's a C=64 emulator that will bring up the good old days...

http://www.computerbrains.com/ccs64/

I actually bought a C64 that I saw at a garage sale recently, just to plug it in and play with it a bit. It didn't have the tape drive or disk drive though. Have fun. Of course we all know that this is only good news for C= nostalgics and Commodore is really just dead :(

[Gerard Boyers @ Mar 15th 2007 4:32PM]

Commodore now have their gaming site open at CommodoreGaming.com

http://www.commodoregaming.com/pcshop/Home.aspx

[David L. @ Oct 15th 2007 10:03PM]

I agree with earlier comments re: a C64 emulator. Let this thing run C64 ROMs and heck, go ahead an include a bunch! Why not? Most of the original copyright holders for those c64 games probably haven't seen any money in a while. Include a slew of 'em and include them with every device sold. I'd buy one!

Space Taxi - I loved this game. "Hey taxi!"
Raid Over Moscow - Takes more than a bit of effort just to get out of the hangar!
Paper Boy
Winter Olympics
Summer Olympics
..and so many more.

Good times!