As an original Commodore 64 user who arrived late to the world of friendly computing – almost too late – I find it oddly fitting that I’m once again tardy to the party. I received my then-new C64c just a few years before the company went bankrupt. The new Commodore 64 Ultimate computer went up for preorder this past summer, and by the end of November, deliveries had already begun. I placed my order in mid-December, which means I’ll likely be waiting another month or two before I can get my hands on this updated beauty. Late to the party again! Sidenote: can any piece of BEIGE colored plastic really be considered a beauty? Especially one that resembles a breadbin? It’s an acquired taste, that’s for sure. The C64 has a great personality, though.

A five month turn-around from inception to market is a remarkable feat for a small team made up of passionate Commodore fans, YouTubers, and even former employees of the original company.

What makes this moment especially exciting is that this isn’t just a one-off nostalgia product. Commodore as a company has effectively been reborn. This time, it appears to be in the hands of people who genuinely love it. Anyone familiar with the brand’s history knows that the Commodore name and assets have been sold countless times over the years, slapped onto everything from WebTV-style appliances to MP3 players and even paper shredders. Watching that slow erosion of the brand was honestly depressing.

Earlier this year, the company changed hands yet again—but this time felt different. The name and patents were acquired by a group led by Perifractic of the Retro Recipes YouTube channel, someone who very obviously has a deep emotional attachment to Commodore. Legendary former Commodore engineers like Dave Haynie, Bill Herd, and RJ Mical also came onboard, which immediately made this feel less like a cash grab and more like a genuine revival. For the first time in a long while, it seemed like people who truly respected the brand were calling the shots—and they wasted no time getting to work.

By pulling together and refining several existing hardware projects, the new team created the Commodore 64 Ultimate: a modernized version of the best-selling computer of all time. Powered by an FPGA – a chip that recreates the original C64’s hardware at a fundamental level, the system remains compatible with classic Commodore 64 software and peripherals. Games, applications, floppy drives, monitors- it all just works, like it’s 1984 again.

But that’s only the beginning. The Commodore 64 Ultimate includes built-in Wi-Fi and Ethernet, making it easy to get online, connect to BBSes, and swap files via FTP or Commodores new CommoServe service. Other upgrades include 128 MB of RAM, a 64 MHz CPU core (the original C64 ran at roughly 1 MHz), USB and SD card storage access, support for up to eight virtual SID sound chips, and more.

As I sit here impatiently waiting for my turn to set up my new C64, I’ve been binging YouTube videos from people who’ve already unboxed theirs and are discovering and sharing all sorts of cool details about the system. Here are a few of my favorites that I’ve come across:

---

The Nostalgia Nerds Full Review

A nice, well rounded review from someone who understands retro tech and nostalgia (It’s in his name!)

---

MonroeWorld

Desperate to consume more 64 Ultimate vids while I wait, I did a search and filtered by upload date. Thats when I ran across MonroeWorld. He’s been posting frequently since he received his unit and has been producing great, helpful content: like explaining how virtual fastload carts work, installing JiffyDOS, and walking everyone through some of the new settings in the Commodore 64 Ultimate.

---

Nightfall Demo

If you’re familiar with Commodre, you’re also probably at least aware that a demo scene exists. What these programmers and artists are able to squeeze out of an 8-bit machine is amazing, and I can’t wait to see what more can be done with Ultimate! Nightfall premiered back in 2024, but I just saw it for the first time earlier today. This video was posted of Nightfall running on the Commodore 64 Ultimate.

---

What Up TK Here

I am a sucker for unboxing and first impression videos. It so fun to watch people get excited and discover all the details included in the box. Branded plastic bags! Stickers! It’s geniunely cool that Commodore took the time to also focus on the little things like that. What Up TK does a great unboxing and review here. I subscribed after running across the video – again, trying to load up my algorithm with that sweet sweet 8-bit content.

---

Tour Of The New Commodore Factory

This was posted a few months ago on Retro Recipes, but it was too cool not to share. The new Commodore CEO takes a trip to China and walks us through the manufacting process of the new C64’s. Epic!

---

If you run across a fun or interesting C64 Ultimate video, leave a link in the comments for me. I’m always on the lookout for new tech/retro youtubers to follow. That might be one of the nerdiest things I’ve ever said but ’tis true.