Retro Games, Ltd. has won fans for its miniature recreations of classic computers like the Commodore 64, Atari 400, and Amiga 500. But the usable keyboards on its larger recreations of the Commodore 64/VIC-20 and ZX Spectrum have provided a more authentic retro experience. Now, the company has revealed plans for a full-sized Amiga recreation, the A1200, complete with a numeric keypad, gamepad, and mouse. Preorders should begin in November, but the products aren’t expected to ship until next June.
Gadgective Staff
Intellivision Sprint updates Atari’s rival with wireless controllers, HDMI and USB expansion
When many of the game consoles (and a few of the computers) of yesteryear were being reintroduced as plug-and-play “mini” versions loaded up with a selection of games, AtGames took a break from repeated reintroductions of its Atari 2600 “Flashback” series to create homages to two of that console’s competitors, the Intellivision Flashback and ColecoVision,Flashback, both preloaded with 60 games (plus one bonus in a store-exclusive version).
Now that Atari has the rights to the Intellivision brand, hardware design and original game library, it’s creating a modern incarnation of the original Intellivision dubbed the Intellivision Sprint with a few improvements, which include wireless, rechargeable controllers and HDMI video. The product has been designed by Retro Games, which has earned high marks for both mini and full-size recreations of the Commodore 64 and other retro gaming platforms, and for its use of USB ports for adding additional games. Alas, as with Retro Games’ TheC64 and upcoming The1200, there’s no cartridge slot for playing the original physical games and homebrews. However, a USB connector will allow taking the digital selections far beyond the 45 games (for Intelivision’s 45th anniversary) that come included with the retro console.
Alas, there haven’t been any modern recreations of the ColecoVision on the horizon since the FGPA-based CollectorVision Phoenix, available only through eBay. The company has said it’s not planning another production run or sequel.
WowCube takes another turn with Rubik’s branding
From its preorder campaign in 2022, the WOWCube was one of the most inventive electronic games we’d seen in a while. The straightforward: What if we took the dynamics of Rubik’s Cube and made each square a miniature touchscreen. (It’s a 2×2 vs. 3×3 grid because the latter proved prohibitively expensive.) The company lined up a couple of strong retro and casual game licenses in Space Invaders and Cut the Rope and threw in a few widgets to provide utility even when it was charging on its dock. Then came an extended gestation before the products shipped last year. Cubios used some of that time, though, to design a successor. The cube is back with a smoother motion, more durable build and displays, and a Rubik’s license, which the company says raised the bar in terms of the expected experience. The new version is expected to ship this holiday season.
The Commodore 64 Ultimate gets the ultimate GUI of 1982
There have been no shortage of Commodore 64 revivals big and small. This fall, though, fans of the pioneering computer will get an official reboot from its new owner. While games have been the primary application behind modern recreations of classic computers, followed by a renewed exploration of BASIC, those computers also had their share of productivity applications. And some of those early applications ran in an early graphical interface called GEOS. Now, Commodore, Inc. has noted that GEOS will be included with all flavors of the Commodore 64 Ultimate, making it easier for those familiar with modern GUIs to find their ways around and making more of a distinction between consoles and true home computers with great game libraries.
Qi 2’s speed boost could mean an adoption boost
When it comes to iOS versus Android, adoption of the Qi wireless charging standards has been a seesaw. Apple held out on Qi and then incorporated support for it in its MagSafe charging standard that added magnetic stability to the charging connection. Then MagSafe formed much of the basis for Qi2, but Android vendors have all but avoided supporting the new standard.
Meanwhile, while they have skipped on the magnetic attachment, Chinese phone vendors like OnePlus have pushed the envelope on high-wattage wireless (and wired) phone charging.
The next chapter in the saga brings many of these elements together with a 25-watt version of Qi2 (previous versions were limited to 15 watts). The speed bump was contributed to the standard by Google so there’s a good chance we will see it supported in the next round of Pixel phones.
4URPC provides a dash of display
USB-C and Thunderbolt docks are taking on all kinds of functionality beyond port replication, from support for Intel’s Thunderbolt Share peer-to-peer file and screen-sharing tech to becoming app platforms.
A 160-watt dock branded 4URPC (can’t argue with that) making its way through Kickstarter strikes a middle ground, showing basic info on the power levels being used and the resolutions being supported. While it stays true to the kind of info that’s relevant to its tasks, it’s not info that should change very often.
Comm-adored 64: A retro reincarnation
If you’ve ever seen Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, you’ll remember Charlie Bucket’s joyous disbelief when (Spoiler Alert!), Willy Wonka tells him that he’s giving him the chocolate factory. Those emotions have no doubt been felt by Christian Simpson, the Commodore superfan YouTuber who has orchestrated the purchase of the Commodore trademarks and who has become the co-founder and CEO of the “new” Commodore.
Simpson has wasted little time in getting the band back together to launch a low-risk proposition, a reincarnation of the Commodore 64 with a few crucial nods to modern connectivity such as USB and HDMI. The Commodore 64. However, Commodore 64 fans recently had a crack at a reliving the product’s glory days via The C64, which, while designed primarily as a video game machine and based on emulation, can run virtually all Commodore 64 software. It even includes a VIC-20 mode!. (The company behind TheC64 also produced The Spectrum recreation of the ZX Spectrum, but hasn’t sold it in the U.S.)
In contrast, few of the Commodore 64’s contemporaries have gotten much in the way of a 21st Century reboot. In contrast to the beloved breadbox, enshrined as the best-selling computer model of all time, Sean Harrington has taken on one of the least popular computers of all time, the Mattel Aquarius. And since at least 2023, a Polish team called Revive Machines has been looking to do for the Atari 800XL what the new Commodore has done for the Commodore 64. Last month, they showed that they are getting close.