New Commodore 64 Includes an 8-Bit Cyberpunk 2077 Demo
The new Commodore 64 variant features a Night City-inspired translucent case, enhanced FPGA hardware, and an exclusive 8-bit Cyberpunk 2077 demo.
Commodore and CD Projekt Red have unveiled the Commodore 77, a new Cyberpunk 2077-inspired version of the Commodore 64 Ultimate that includes an exclusive 8-bit journey through Night City.
At first glance, the accompanying software looks like an official Commodore 64 demake of Cyberpunk 2077. It is not quite a playable adaptation of the enormous open-world RPG, however. Commodore describes it as a non-interactive demo: a carefully choreographed audio-visual experience designed to expand the universe’s lore while showing how far modern creators can push technology based on a computer released in 1982.
The demo was created by Arise, a long-running Polish Commodore 64 group, with an original soundtrack from chiptune musician LukHash. His 2021 album CyberChip was composed and recorded entirely using original Commodore 64 hardware.
Rather than distributing the experience through an ordinary download, Commodore 77 owners will receive it on a specially designed Arasaka cartridge resembling the data shards found throughout Cyberpunk 2077. It will be exclusive to the system.
The demo makes use of capabilities that extend beyond those of a conventional Commodore 64, including 24 channels of stereo SID music and a 2MB cartridge chip containing its code. LEDs built into the computer’s base will illuminate and move in time with the presentation.
The hardware itself has also been designed to resemble something that might appear on a desk somewhere in Night City. It features a smoked-gray translucent case, turquoise lighting, graffiti graphics, a metallic plate, a neon power indicator, and a custom Cyberpunk 2077-themed BASIC 2.0 startup screen.
“The tech in Cyberpunk 2077 is chunky, tactile, and substantial—meaning that the Commodore 77 can really feel like a device lifted straight out of the game world and onto your desktop,” CD Projekt Red Franchise Content Strategy Lead Patrick Mills said.
Additional extras include collectible packaging, stickers, pins, custom menu colors, and a Cyberpunk-themed spiral-bound user guide. That manual will contain pieces of lore alongside BASIC programs owners can type into the computer themselves.
Beneath the cosmetic changes is an enhanced version of the FPGA hardware used by the Commodore 64 Ultimate. FPGA-based recreations reproduce the original computer’s underlying hardware behavior instead of simply running its software through a conventional emulator.
The Commodore 77 uses an AMD Artix XC7A100T processor, an upgrade over the 50T chip inside the standard Commodore 64 Ultimate. Commodore says it will reach speeds of 77MHz, compared to the approximately 1MHz processor used by the original C64.
Despite that additional power, the computer remains compatible with more than 99.9% of the library of over 10,000 Commodore 64 games and peripherals. Owners can therefore use both original and newly created software, as well as many surviving physical accessories from the classic platform.
The system is available to pre-order for $377 and is expected to begin shipping in early 2027. Yes, that's pretty much exactly 50-years before the game's setting. Nice.
The announcement arrives alongside another major celebration of Commodore gaming history. Commodore, Team17, and Antstream Arcade have also announced the Alien Breed 35th Anniversary Collection, bringing six games originally released for Commodore hardware to current PCs and consoles. The new collection launches on September 24 for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox, with a Switch version coming later this year.
The original Alien Breed launched for Amiga in 1991, combining top-down shooting, survival horror, limited resources, maze-like environments, and two-player co-op. Its oppressive corridors, sparse soundtrack, hostile alien creatures, and constant need to retrace a route to the elevator helped make it one of the defining games of the platform.
The new collection contains Alien Breed, Alien Breed: Special Edition 92, Alien Breed II: The Horror Continues, Alien Breed: Tower Assault, Alien Breed 3D, and Alien Breed 3D II: The Killing Grounds.
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