Commodore Is Back, And The C64 Ultimate Is A Proper New Breadbin

• Lee Murray
• Jul 19, 2026
• 3 min read
• News

I did not expect to be writing about a brand-new Commodore in 2026, and yet here we are. The Commodore 64 Ultimate is a full-size, fully working C64 you can put on your desk today, and the story behind it is nearly as good as the machine itself.

The short version is that a fan bought the company. Christian Simpson, better known as the retro-tech YouTuber Peri Fractic, led an investor group that acquired the Commodore name and its surviving trademarks in 2025, and he is now acting CEO. He has said the group self-funded the deal, including remortgaging his own house to get it over the line, which is exactly the sort of daft, lovely thing you do when you grew up on these machines. Commodore reckons it has sold around 30,000 of these already, though that is the company's own figure, so take it as you find it.

An FPGA rebuild, not old stock

Let me be clear about what this is, because it matters. The C64 Ultimate is not a refurbished 1980s unit. It is a from-scratch recreation built around a modern FPGA chip that behaves like the original silicon, based on engineer Gideon Zweijtzer's well-regarded Ultimate 64 board. So the guts are new, but they do the old job faithfully.

The bit that made me grin, though, is the sound. There are two sockets inside for genuine vintage SID chips, the 6581 or 8580, and if you drop a real one in it takes over from the built-in emulation. Fit nothing and it falls back to an FPGA version so it always sings, but if you have a proper SID sat in a drawer, this thing will play it. That fat analogue warble, out through HDMI to the telly or out of the analogue DIN socket into a real CRT. Best of both worlds.

The rest is just as thoughtful. It keeps the original cartridge slot and is quoted at around 99 per cent compatible with 1980s carts, games and peripherals. There is Wi-Fi and Ethernet, USB ports that read thumb drives, cassette emulation, and a proper mechanical keyboard in the classic C64 layout.

Three flavours, and the price question

There are three editions at launch: BASIC Beige at $299, the translucent Starlight at $349.99, and the Founders Edition at $499.99, which comes in translucent amber with a 24k-gold badge, a holographic serial number starting 00000001 and a cheeky "I Rebooted C=" T-shirt. Every machine ships with a USB stick of licensed games, music and demos, including an exclusive Jupiter Lander follow-up called Ascension.

One thing to watch: Commodore sells direct in US dollars and converts at the checkout, so there is no fixed sterling price. As a rough guide those figures land somewhere around £230, £270 and £390 before any import costs, but that will move about. There is a newer wedge-shaped C64C "Slimline" model on the way too, using reacquired original moulds.

Is it "really" Commodore? That is a debate for people with more time than me. What I can tell you is that it is a real C64, made with obvious love, that takes a real SID chip. You can read the full spec on the official Commodore page, and GamesRadar's review is a good, honest read.

Thirty years on, and there is a new Commodore on the shelf. I never thought I would type that.

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