In context: The Commodore 64 that most people picture is the chunky beige "breadbin" from 1982, but that wasn't the only shape it came in. In 1986, Commodore moved the same internals into a flatter, wedge-shaped case that matched its newer Commodore 128. That version, the 64C, stayed on sale until the company folded in 1994. So, for a lot of people who got their first computer in the late '80s, the 64C is the C64 they actually remember.
Now, the 64C is back as a brand-new computer. The revived Commodore started shipping its 64C Ultimate to pre-order customers this week. Anyone who skipped the campaign can order one as well, starting at $299.99.
Inside, very little has changed from the breadbin-style 64 Ultimate that Commodore launched last year. An AMD Artix-7 FPGA still recreates the original hardware cycle for cycle. The company claims up to 99% compatibility with original software and peripherals, so old cartridges, joysticks, and disk drives should still plug in and work.
The new model does ship with the latest firmware, though. It also works with a regular USB mouse now. That's handy for the bundled GEOS suite, a point-and-click desktop with a word processor, spreadsheet, and paint program. GEOS shipped with the original 64C back in 1986, too, so the pairing doubles as a neat nod to the machine's past.
The case, on the other hand, comes straight out of the same injection molds Commodore used for 64C housings in the '80s. Those molds were used in Japan and later at Commodore's US operations. They turned up at an auction in 2014, survived a factory fire, and ended up with German retro hardware maker Individual Computers before the revived company bought them back.
Because of that, the new shells carry the same quirk as the old ones. The 1986 molds used a two-point flow pattern that cooled the plastic unevenly. That left faint, semicircular marks on the cases that most owners never even noticed.
As before, there are three editions to pick from at the same prices as the breadbin lineup. The $299.99 BASIC Beige is a straight copy of the original. Spend $50 more, and the Starlight Edition swaps in a translucent case with LEDs that react to whatever game is running. The $499.99 Founder's Edition gets gold keycaps, 24K gold-plated badges, and a faintly translucent white shell.
The original breadbin 64 Ultimate is still on sale alongside it, so for most people, the choice now comes down to which case they grew up with.