In 1994, Commodore crashed and burned. Formerly a computer giant through the United States and Europe, the company was canceled by poor management and failures. The carcass was chosen clean and the pieces sold so many times that it was difficult to follow, but with each new owner came the inevitable – an attempt to make a small male by slapping the famous C = logo on any old ordeal.
The fans watched with horror the brand appearing on the all-in-one mediocre web.it PC, the gravel in Pocket Media Reader oddly named and the Commodore smartphone. There was even a commodore brand shredder. So when the retro youtuber game Christian “perifractic” Simpsons announced that he wanted to buy what remained of Commodore and give him a new life, questions have been asked. Chef among them: does the world still need Commodore?
When I am 64 years old
The commodore as a brand initially focused on writing machines and calculators, but its glory days arrived with the rise of domestic microphones, causing a rapid rebirth as an international computing commodore.
Its greatest success was the Commodore 64, which struck the ideal point between affordability and potential. While the processor was slow, powerful graphics and a surprisingly capable sound chip (which remains venerated today) stimulated creativity on both sides of the Atlantic. More than 5,000 trade games have been published at the peak of the machine, and more than 15 million units have been sold, which makes the C64 still one of the most sold computer models of all time.
It is this heritage that Simpson aims to revive. Initially, he asked for a license agreement with the owners of Commodore brand, imagining “official” advice and replacement components as part of an inclusive conglomerate adapted to the community. These plans made snowball during the discussions, and Simpson found himself to conclude an agreement to buy the commodore squarely for a “seven -digit” sum. It now serves as a commodore CEO and promises to relaunch the business in a sustainable way – which will not repeat the failures of the past.
With the kind authorization of Commodore
With the kind authorization of Commodore
But here is what things become difficult. Simpson does not really have the original company because this company no longer exists. The dismemberment of the 1990s of the Commodore means that the current iteration has a number of brands, but essential parts of the ecosystem remain dispersed. C64 Roms and Amiga (Commodore’s 16 -bit Rights belong to Cloanto and Amiga Corporation. Amigaos is controlled by Hyperion Entertainment. And apart from the strange flirt in the mass of clon machines, as the C64DTV All-in-one joystick and plug-and-play TheC64 MiniThe major developments that have counted in the past 30 years come from the community, not from the brand.
Computers for masses
It is for these reasons why Simpson finds himself walking on several cornons. He must avoid alienating amateurs who have maintained the Flame of the Commodore alive, and not imply that only his new Commodore gives legitimacy. He must collaborate in close collaboration with the owners of other key parts of puzzle and dismiss the commodore brand fairly with interested third parties. And to recover this seven-digit sum, the new Commodore must sell enough new equipment, which means going beyond a database in decline.
For the moment, the initial game of Simpson Banque strongly on nostalgia – not only for the C64, but for an entire era. The new Commodore website Presents the company as a “brand of digital detoxification (that is to say) based on digital minimalism”. It turns out to be against social media, glorifies the good old days of “techno optimism” – apparently, the 1980s until the mid -1990s – and suggests that Commodore can help users recover their childhood. But the company also wants to be considered an innovator with an eye on the future, which results in a kind of brand whip. The new commodore wants to be both restarted And original; pass And future.
Rightly so, the first product of this iteration, the Commodore 64 Ultimate, embodies such tensions. Gold at $ 500 Founders’ edition and case of disco loaded from $ 350 to LED Starlight Edition Do not shout exactly digital minimalism. But $ 300 Basic beige East The spitting image of the original material. All the models Pont Authenticity and modernity by supporting the original C64 devices and current connectivity, including HDMI 1080p production, so you don’t need to track a CRT TV. Inside, all the FPGA – programmable door tables in field – which ultimately mean simulation rather than less precise emulation found in chinese retro pocket computers and Plug -And -Play TV apparatus.
