The Commodore 64 is Back! C64 Mini launching end of March

I was excited about the Nintendo Classic Mini, it got a lot of hype – but I didn’t really “get it”. That’s because I wasn’t a Nintendo child, I was a Commodore 64 and Amiga 500 kid.  Today, having seen the Commodore 64 retro console about to hit the market, I get it – I really do.

The idea of playing Summer Games, Winter Games, California Games, Pitstop II etc is bloody exciting.  These are the games of my childhood!

C64 mini as it will be known will be available from March 29 and while no distribution or pricing details are yet known, you’d have to expect it to be a $99 or $149 product and we’ve already seen it at $149 at JB HIFI so expect it to retail in all the same places that went crazy for the Nintendo classic consoles.

It’s a big unit, half the size of the original Commodore 64, and will output in 720p via a single HDMI port. There’s 2 USB ports so you can plug in the controller, and there’s a save game function so you can have fun at any time and pick up where you left off.

Games will load in an instant and no command is required to get them going, however, if you wanted to do some BASIC programming, bad news – the keyboard is just for show – no functional keys.  Good news, plug in a USB keyboard and you’re running.

That’s right, C64 BASIC programming is back!

READY.

There are 64 games built in – sadly no Arnies Armchair Cricket or Americas Cup, nor is Le Mans on the list – but there’s plenty to entertain you:

1. Alleykat
2. Anarchy
3. Anarchy Armalyte – Competition Edition
4. Avenger
5. Battle Valley
6. Boulder Dash
7. Bounder
8. California Games
9. Chip’s Challenge
10. Confuzion
11. Cosmic Causewa
12. Creatures
13. Cyberdyne Warrior
14. Cybernoid II: The Revenge
15. Cybernoid: The Fighting Machine
16. Deflektor
17. Everyone’s a Wally
18. Firelord
19. Gribbly’s day Out
20. Hawkeye
21. Heartland
22. Herobotix
23. Highway Encounter
24. Hunter’s Moon
25. Hysteria
26. IO
27. Impossible Mission
28. Impossible Mission II
29. Jumpman
30. Mega Apocalypse
31. Mission A.D.
32. Monty Mole
33. Monty on the Run
34. Nebulus
35. Netherworld
36. Nobby the Aardvark
37. Nodes of Yesod
38. Paradroid
39. Pitstop II
40. Ranarama
41. Robin of the Wood
42. Rubicon
43. Skate Crazy
44. Skool Daze
45. Snare
46. Speedball
47. Speedball 2 – Brutal Deluxe
48. Spindizzy
49. Star Paws
50. Steel
51. Street Sports Baseball
52. Summer Games II
53. Super Cycle
54. Temple of Apshai Trilogy
55. The Arc of Yesod
56. Thing on a Spring
57. Things Bounces back
58. Trailblazer
59. Uchi Mata
60. Uridium
61. Who Dares Wins II
62. Winter Games
63. World Games
64. Zynaps