The Commodore 64 Returns

?No — really. As a series of keyboard computers, even. Let me let Engadget give you the details.

As President and CEO of the newly minted Commodore USA, [Barry Altman]’s spent the better part of a year crawling through the arcane red tape necessary to get the rights to the Commodore name. And now? With any luck, later this year the company’s monumental advertising campaign will have had its effect (“something like you’ve never seen in your life,” as Altman described it to us on the phone this afternoon) and you’ll be able to have your very own keyboard computer with the Commodore logo slapped on for good measure. Presumably based on the Cybernet ZPC-GX31, the exact configurations and pricing will all be spelled out soon enough.

The most advanced computer in my home until the day I left for college was an Atari 7800, so I’m not one of the nerds losing their shit over this. However, I know many, many people who still speak of the Commodore 64 with reverence, plus, I had two friends in grade school specifically on the basis of them owning Commodore 64s. So, to you who are shrieking with delight, pop the champagne, crack open a beer, whatever — this is worth celebrating. And thanks to Kelly S. for the tip.