Commodore 64 Mini Is On The Way With 64 Games Included

With the SNES Classic release this week, and the NES Classic hitting the shelves earlier this year, miniatures of our favourite platforms from back in the day are making a major comeback. Before there was 4K and VR, there were simpler times that had gamers looking at pixelated goodness saying, “Are those stairs? I think those are stairs”. To further pull at those nostalgic heart strings, one team decided that the world needed a Commodore 64 mini and thanks to their crowdfunding efforts, it’s what the world will get.

The C64 Mini is in progress and is the perfect tribute to PC-gaming in its earlier days. It is a “perfectly formed” replica of the original system, though just like the SNES and NES Classics; it is much smaller. It also includes USB for keyboard input, as well as a “classic style joystick” to really harness the power of the C64.

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The system itself, seen in the image above, will come prepacked with 64 of the leading games from its time. According to the creator over at Retro Games:

“”Most of these were rated over 90 percent by leading publications of the day, with many winning coveted awards. From sports to shooters, platformers to puzzlers, there’s a plethora of titles to keep the most discerning retro enthusiast happy.” 

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Here’s what the company had to say about the re-imagining and why it needed to be done:

“THE 64 ™  is an exciting and respectful re-imagining of the original home computer, the Commodore C64. Developed using the latest (old) technology, the highly passionate team behind THE 64 ™ is excited to bring you not only a classic desktop version of THE 64 ™ but also we hope a brand new console version meaning classic gaming, on your TV!

THE 64 ™ computer desktop version will come bundled with a joystick, a selection of classic games and also some brand new content which will be exclusive to this launch version of THE 64 ™ computer.

THE 64 ™ project is being designed, built and marketed by a team of people who are utterly passionate about the Commodore 64 ™ and retro gaming.  The team were previously involved in bringing to market consoles and products such as the C64DTV ™, and the Nintendo Wii ™ C64 games.”

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There are a whole slew of updates that can be found on the crowdfunding page here at Indiegogo, including more info on the investors and even a special edition game created just for the C64:

“We are pleased to announce the first of the special edition games for THE 64 – Sam’s Journey! This will be an especially made version just for THE 64!! Keep watching this space as both during the campaign and over future months (don’t forget this is just the beginning of THE 64’s own journey not the end!) we will announce more special edition and exclusive new games, as well as loads of classic games to be bundled with THE 64.

Sam’s Journey is a brand-new original scrolling platform game developed for the Commodore 64 home computer by the Knights of Bytes. It’s about a cute little hero called Sam who finds himself on an unexpected journey in a strange world.”

Retro Games has the goal in mind for a Christmas 2017 release. They say they are ready, simply in the phase of tweaking firmware, but at this late stage of the game, they don’t want to make false promises – though they are on track for that release window. The C64 is also looking at a $70 retail price point.