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20th Apr 2016

The retro Commodore 64 is on its way back (unofficially)

Shut up and take my money!

Conor Heneghan

It might mean nothing to people under the age of 30, but to kids who grew up in the 1980s, the Commodore 64 was more important than any Playstation or Xbox on the market today.

Sure, it might have taken half a day for games to load on the device, but it was ridiculously popular in its day – so much so that it’s listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling single computer model of all time.

And, very soon, it could be on its way back, and not just in its original form, but as a handheld console as well.

Clip via THE 64

The company behind both products, Retro Games, are using a crowdfunding campaign in an attempt to get both projects off the ground.

They’re looking to raise $150,000 (£104,000) to do so and, at the time of writing, have managed to raise just under $40,000 (£28,000).

As neither of the machines are licensed by the current brand-owner, Commodore Holdings, neither will carry the Commodore name; the desktop model will be called THE 64, with the handheld version given the title THE 64SX.

The console will come complete with a joystick and a selection of classic and brand new titles, while some of the team involved in manufacturing the handheld version were involved with the Nintendo Wii in the past.

People who donate to the campaign can avail of a price of approximately £105 for the console, and £120 for the handheld version; nostalgia alone should ensure that the products are in high demand, and that the crowdfunding target is easily reached.

Much like the experience of playing the Commodore 64 back in the day, we can’t wait…