i@m.fm

As this Dutch press release from Tulip Computers says, they are launching a Commodore 64 Mini Game console.
 


This seems to be pretty similar to the Atari Classics, Namco and Activision ones (actually the manufacturer, Jakks TV games, has made quite a few more). They even make a reference to these min consoles in their press release.

The joystick looks a bit like a competition pro, but I bet it doesn’t have the same feel. So is this what the big c64 revival (they called it a “global re-launch”) was all about that they announced? Still, nothing is happening at commodore.net and no other updates at Ironstone Partners, apart from their announcement (July 16th, 2003) and the new logos (July 31st, 2003). Also it is very interesting that the press release seems only to have gone out in a Dutch version. Here’s some highlights from the press release (please keep in mind that I have never learnt Dutch):

• the mini console is launched together with Ironstone Partners
• it contains 30 c64 games (Classic Games series from Epyx including Summer Games, Winter Games, World Games and California Games)
• retail price should be at 30 Euro
• product launch is in the second half of 2004
• the product is going to be sold in Europe and the USA

They also mention:

• The Guinness Book of Records mention of the c64 (most popular computer ever)
• 6 million c64 fans world wide (no idea where this number comes from)
• lots of c64 related websites
• this being the first re-implementation of the c64 hardware in a decade

(I changed a part of the article after getting some help with the translation of one sentence of the press-release).

Actually this is not quite what I had imagined with the re-launch of the commodore, but who knows, maybe there’s more coming our way. I’d always been thinking about some type of online-emulator version where you subscribe to play the games or so, but then again most of the games are still available for download all over the place anyways.

Hmmm, I wonder where their full game list is, it doesn’t quite add up to 30. I wonder if they have licenses all the ones they want to include, yet?

I doubt that this can competet with my real (PAL) c64, which is sitting on my desk right next to the PC.