Items tagged with Commodore
Although it may not be readily apparent to current computing enthusiasts given all the attention to modern Intel and AMD hardware running Windows, macOS and Linux operating systems, there is still a large community dedicated to supporting Commodore Amiga systems. Even though over 30 years has passed since the world was graced with the very first Amiga, there are still tinkerers out there creating custom hardware to repair and enhance existing systems and extend the capabilities of the platform. A little over a year ago, we brought you up to speed on the travails of the Apollo Team, which created...
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A few weeks back, we showed you a handful of Commodore Amiga-related hardware projects that were designed to breathe new life into the popular, vintage machines. Even decades after Commodore’s demise, the Amiga user community remains vibrant and new hardware is being introduced at a steady clip, relatively speaking. In that previous post, we showed you some freshly-minted Amiga motherboard PCBs that were reverse engineered by a couple of members of the Amiga community. We also shined the spotlight on the Vampire 4, a Altera FPGA-based device that could eventually be the foundation –...
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Although it has been over three decades since the first Commodore Amigas were originally released, a fan base for the beloved systems is still going strong. Of course, the Amiga install base is a small fraction of what it was during the machine’s heyday, but the community supporting the Amiga is still vibrant and very much alive. In fact, the Amiga community – and many other retro-computing communities for that matter -- seems to be more active now that it has been in years, and a number of exciting new hardware projects have cropped up or hit major milestones in recent weeks. Two relatively...
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It's not very often that we see working examples of the Commodore 65 up for sale, but one just showed up this week on eBay -- albeit the German version of the website. The system is selling for 25,000 euros, which is roughly $28,000. For those not in the know, the Commodore 65 -- also known as the C65 or C64DX -- is a prototype system that was produced by Commodore in the 1990 to 1991 time frame. It's said that no more than 200 units of the machine were built, making it a very rare gem indeed. In fact, a system that went up for sale back in 2015 fetched a whopping $23,000, which means...
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An upcoming documentary – The Commodore Story – is poised to hit long-time computer geeks that witnessed the birth of the 8-bit personal computing revolution right in the feels. At one point in time, Commodore was a billion dollar company and trailblazer in the fledgling personal computer market. Commodore’s accomplishments included the creation of the single, best-selling PC of all the time, the Commodore 64, and the introduction of the Amiga, which was the most advanced personal computer money could buy at the time. The Amiga offered multimedia features that were unmatched...
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For long-time enthusiasts that were around during the ascent of personal computers, the Commodore Amiga remains one of the most beloved systems of all time. When it was originally released back in the mid-80’s, the Amiga could do things that no other consumer-class computer could – its graphics, sound, and multi-tasking capabilities were simply unmatched at the time. That initial sense of amazement at the Amiga’s unique capabilities is one of the reasons why the platform continues to have rabid fans some 30+ years later and why a small group of skilled enthusiasts have designed and manufactured...
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Dave Haynie, one of the chief engineers that worked on the Amiga back in its heyday, put it best when he said, “Amiga users make Macintosh users look like PC users”, in the Viva Amiga documentary that was released early this year. Those of us that were around when the Amiga initially debuted knew Commodore had something special on its hands. At the time of its launch, the Amiga was the most advanced personal computer money could buy – bar none. It offered multimedia features that were unmatched for many years, it was affordably priced (relatively speaking), and was the first personal computer with...
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Even after more than two decades since the company’s demise, the Commodore Amiga still has loyal fans that refuse to let the innovative platform die. Proof of the Amiga’s cult-like following is evident all over the web, but a review of the A-EON AmigaOne X5000 that just hit over at ArsTechnica has reignited the conversation in modern tech circles that don’t typically discuss the beloved Amiga. The A-EON AmigaOne X5000 is technically not a new product. Although Ars’ review was just published, the motherboard powering the system has been available for quite some time – full systems built around the...
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Some three decades later, what's old is new again with the Commodore Amiga 2000 HD making an unlikely comeback. Well, sort of. Just over a week before Halloween, some lucky expo attendee stumbled upon a never touched and fully functioning Amiga system powered by a Motorola 68000 processor running at all of 7.16MHz. Oddly enough, his rare find wasn't even the first decades old virgin Amiga system unearthed this month! Around three weeks ago, a Facebook user posted pictures of a non-HD Amiga 2000 that was still in its retail packaging to the Commodore Amiga Facebook group. The system was sold as...
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Longing for those days of yesteryear, questing and conquering in Defender of The Crown? Or perhaps you miss that fast-paced platform action, snuffing out Aliens in Another World? You're not alone; Glenn had the itch too. Commodore Amiga Facebook group member Glenn, (and we'll leave it at that so you're not tempted to ring him up for a retro therapy session), was fortunate enough to stumble upon a machine that could quite literally take him back in time, circa 1985, maybe 87ish, otherwise known as the glory days of Commodore's Amiga personal computer. Rocking a Motorola 68000 processor, 256kB of...
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One common complaint in the twenty-first century is that nothing is built to last. Even complex, expensive computers seem to have a relatively short shelf-life nowadays. One computer in a small auto repair shop in Gdansk, Poland, however, has survived for the last twenty-five years against all odds. In January a photo was taken by Facebook user Bartek for the page Retrokomp/Loaderror. The picture recently resurfaced on Commodore USA’s Facebook page. The computer claiming victory here is a Commodore C64C that has been balancing driveshafts non-stop for a quarter of a century. The C64C looks like...
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The name "Commodore" is one that incites the nostalgic cells in many people, and its copyright owners know it. A couple of years ago, an all-in-one PC that was modeled after the iconic C64's keyboard was released, and for the most part, it was awesome. After all, how could something modeled after the C64 not be? Well, if you missed out on that AIO PC and want some legit Commodore hardware, you're going to get a second chance. As long as you're fine with that hardware being a smartphone, that is. And a plain-Jane off-white one at that. Named after another Commodore PC, the "PET" smartphone makes...
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Ever since the original Amiga A1000 launched in 1985, Commodore’s flagship desktop computer lineup has been called ahead of its time. When it first hit the scene, the Amiga’s advanced audio, graphics, and multi-tasking abilities were light years ahead of competing platforms. But, that was then. Although it still has somewhat of a cult following and is highly regarded amongst long-time geeks (like myself), the sad truth is that the Amiga can’t hold a candle to today’s modern systems in any meaningful technical category. That hasn’t stopped the Grand Rapids Public School district in Michigan from...
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It's with heavy hearts that we report the death of Jack Tramiel, founder of Commodore International, who passed away at the age of 83. Tramiel, born in Poland in 1928, died while surrounded by family on Sunday, April 8, according to Forbes. He is survived by his wife Helen and their three sons, Gary, Sam, and Leonard, along with their extended families and millions of fans and the computing industry at large, including those who might not have been familiar with his name until now. By all means an unlikely pioneer in PCs, Tramiel was a taxi driver when he founded a typewriter repair business named...
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