Commodore 64 Ultimate review – It’s like 1982 all over again! | games

TThe emotional hit was something I didn’t expect, although I probably should have. The Commodore 64 Ultimate, a new version of the legendary 8-bit computer, comes in a box designed to resemble the original packaging – an image of the device itself on a dark blue background that fades to a series of white lines. Then when you open it, you find an uncannily accurate replica of what fans have lovingly referred to as a breadbox — a chunky, sloping Commodore 64, in brown and beige tones, a red LED in one corner above the row of faux-colored function keys. It’s like 1982 again.

My father bought us a C64 in late 1983. It was our second computer after the ZX81 and seemed like a huge leap into the future with its detailed color graphics, advanced sound chip, and adult-friendly keyboard. We unloaded it on the dinner table, plugged it into a small portable TV and loaded the only game we had, a very basic version of Donkey Kong called Crazy Kong. My life will never be the same again. This contraption was my obsession for the next four years – my friendships and free time centered around games like Bruce Lee, Paradroid, and Hyper Sports. To this day, I cherish the memories of playing golf with my dad. The sound effects, speech samples, and graphics that this computer conjured up have lived in my head for free for nearly 40 years.

The Commodore was a huge success for a decade. It followed the 64 (which sold between 12 and 30 million units) with the Amiga, another great gaming machine. But with the rise of the PC came a long, painful decline — the company eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1994, and the brand was kept semi-alive for years afterward through a series of intellectual property buyouts. However, in August 2025, YouTuber Christian “Perry Fractic” Simpson, backed by a board of Commodore veterans, bought the brand and promised to revitalize it.

The result is the Ultimate, which is an exact copy, not only in appearance (although you can opt for the Starlight version with lots of LEDs and a transparent case), but in technical specifications. Instead of running a software emulation of the C64, it is built around an FPGA (field-programmable gate array) – an integrated circuit programmed to emulate actual hardware. You can plug in a C64 Datasette drive or a native drive and it will run the original software (a nice touch is that if you’re playing a disc file, the computer simulates the drive’s noise, complete with buzzes, tics, and beeps). It even has a cartridge port that can play vintage game carts like International Soccer. To complete the scene, you can connect the old Quick Shot II to one of the two joystick ports. Then simply download a copy of Daley Thompson’s Decathlon and crack it instantly.

But it’s not just an old-school gaming machine. Turn it on using the original power switch on the side and it will boot into the original Commodore 64 start screen, complete with the words, “Commodore 64 Basic V2, 64K Ram system, 38911 Basic Bytes free. Ready.” And the flashing cursor. You can program it just as you did back then, using Basic or assembly language if you’re feeling advanced. Obviously I tried everyone’s first program in the 80’s:

10 print “Keith is Awesome”;
20 Go to 10

You succeeded. Next, I dug up an old software list from Computer & Video Games magazine and typed it up — although it’s a challenge because the print is small, faded, and smudged after 30 years in the attic. Moreover, you can tap the power button up and it will switch to an alternative menu packed with new options. You can plug in a USB thumb drive and load C64 games and applications you acquired online. The computer also comes with a sample USB drive (in the form of a cassette tape) filled with demos and games for you to try. Better yet, it’s easy to connect to the Internet via a wired or wireless connection, giving you access to the gaming community’s archives, as well as old school bulletin board systems, which were basically the 1980s equivalent of Reddit forums.

What I love about the device is this seamless integration of modern technology into an ancient environment. You can connect it to a modern monitor via HDMI, but the menus and inputs are all redolent of the 1980s – text menus, Ascii drawing, cursor keys or W, A, S, D for navigation. The memories of interacting with these old devices have come back. Everything I did on the C64 required some effort and experience, whether it was loading a game or writing small programs – there was no drag and drop, no plug and play; I was a computer user, not a platform consumer. In its press release announcing the product, Commodore referred to itself as “the digital detox brand – a bold stand against today’s toxic technology.” Although this is controversial and self-aggrandizing, there is some truth to it. Exploring the C64 over the past few weeks has given me more pleasure than downloading an app on my phone ever could.

Set to be priced at £260.50 ($349.99 / AU$524), it’s not cheap and begs the question – is there value to this device beyond its appeal to original owners? I think there is. In a way that’s more accessible than the stunning PDP-10 replica I wrote about last year, it’s a living historical relic, a way to reconnect with the original concept of the home office computer — as something we learned and coded for. The excellent user guide that comes with it is full of useful information on how to get it to make music and display graphics; I sincerely hope that an alternative indie gaming scene will flourish here as a result. There is intrinsic value in understanding computers on a basic level beyond slick user interfaces; There is value in developing knowledge of how software works, no matter how simple.

Even the nostalgic effect of the instrument has its value. It was fun to show my kids this fossilized contraption — no curated walls of toys to purchase, no ads, no pop-ups, and no social media notifications. At the same time, playing those old games once again proved the value of great design and clever programming over hype and visual impact. It’s a lesson we can all learn.