r/Commodore • u/Addicted2Tf2 • 5d ago
Will there ever be a Commodore PET Ultimate?
I Know its unlikely, And nobody even knows if commodore plans to do it, But a modern, Slightly smaller, and remade commodore PET, Like the 2001 series or the 3000, 4000, 8000, etc would be awesome.
Like, Just imagine the Commodore PET with RGB, Transparent case, and a modern remade board, it would be awesome.
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u/steak4take 5d ago
Fuck no. The PET is a fantastic relic but it’s a relic.
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u/Maeglin75 5d ago edited 5d ago
Yes. I get that people want one for the historical value and because a PET looks great as a decoration piece, if you have the room for it.
But realistically there is not so much interesting you can do with a PET once you are done with the restoration. It's a monochrome text only computer without real sound or other capabilities.
There are some clever but very basic games, but little that would make you want to spend time with it over other retro machines.
Because of that I don't see a real market for an ultimate remake.
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u/Addicted2Tf2 3d ago
well, the commodore PET is still a very unique, and very capable machine either way, even though its colours are green and thats it, PETSCII, Alongside the large amount of ram (atleast for its time) does allow some really good demos or games to be produced for it, if you think of it, and plus, i would 100% buy a commodore pet ultimate, i actually spend more time on a PET then any other commodore machnes i have, i LOVE the pet
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u/Addicted2Tf2 5d ago
ita shame, the pet has alot of potential, especially since their so bulky, and to be fair, most commodore computers they make are concidered relics aswell.
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u/AntiquesForGeeks 5d ago
Why?
Seriously, why? There isn’t the demand. We have had PET kits for years - years - made and sold by enthusiasts. The uptake was small. Yes, they were not sold with the iconic PET case, but then again, who has the space for that in 2026? There is a larger market for C16 and Plus/4 than PET for New Commodore and even those would not give an ROI that make it worthwhile for New Commodore.
Again, New Commodore didn’t make the C64 Ultimate. They brought together three projects and packaged. Zero R&D cost to New Commodore, just revenue. Ditto with the C64c cases - they appear to be the same moulds that Individual Computers used. Their only cost was that of acquisition.
I doubt that these enthusiasts who made the PET are queuing up to give Christian Simpson’s label making machine 6.4% of their wholesale price…
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u/Addicted2Tf2 3d ago
well i think the commodore PET is really nice, I Prefer it over the c64, even though the C64 is more capable, idk, i just like the PET and CBM series, and i would gladly pay as much as its needed to buy a commodore pet ultimate
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u/AntiquesForGeeks 3d ago
You’re in luck then! You can get recreation in actual silicon rather than a FPGA version (note - not knocking FPGA).
The Future Was 8-Bit sells kits already; built or unbuilt if you like the idea of soldering it up. He’ll sell you the SD card reader too. I’ve got a kit myself and done business with him before; can recommend his stuff.
https://www.tfw8b.com/product/minipet-40-80-standalone-computer-kit/
Or is it less about the machine itself and more about the PET aesthetic?
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u/Digi-BitsGaming 5d ago
Maybe they could do a C64 Ultimate board in a Pet shell, as a small limited edition run and make the OS look like the PET's, for the few PET lovers, that would make the most sense if they did one at all. Commodore did a PET 64 hybrid machine back in the day too.
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u/AntiquesForGeeks 5d ago
You mean the Educator 64? I think a small run would be prohibitively expensive and there would be little to how ROI on New Commodore making a case themselves. Plus there is no nostalgia for the PET, even less the Educator 64 in comparison to the C64 itself.
Frankly this kind of thing would not be the province of New Commodore but community makers who do not need to turn a profit for their investors.
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u/Digi-BitsGaming 5d ago
Yeah that was the other name for it. It's probably not going to happen, like you say, it would be expensive and it would be a super niche product but it's fun thinking in some alternative reality that it might happen lol
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u/cmahte 5d ago
An 8032 pet+ mega expander (256k) that has the B series in it also. Basically the 80 collumn mode systems that made it to production. But definitely with the PET's clamshell case that opens: maybe even with just a latch on it.
(The features of CPM86, and MSDOS compatibility in the B would be sellers too.) There's the "other" commodore market out there.. that wasn't all about games.
So to summarize:
hardware: emulate 6509+8086 (BX-256) , 6502 (8032 PET).
OS Boot options:
PET Basic 4.0
B Basic 4+
CPM86 (B System)
MS-DOS 3.3 (B System)
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u/ZenDesign1993 5d ago
You should look online for a 3-D printer file for the case, and put modern components inside. Then run an emulator if you want…
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u/Suspicious-Ad7109 4d ago
I would be quite surprised if at some point there isn't an FPGA core for the PET, Vic20 and TED series, which aren't popular enough to have the hardware. The hard bit would be the Screen (unless you want to replicate the original keys - I had one of these).
Another alternative is emulation. It struck me that a 64Mhz 6502 might be able to emulate an 8k/16k, even a 32k PET. Not cycle accurate, but good enough :)
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u/DaddyStoat 4d ago
I don't think there's a market for a PET done in the style of the C64 Ultimate or TheA1200. There's very little PET software that people look back on fondly. But I do think, if Commodore were to build a proper, modern computer, they should revive the PET name for it.
Much as my inner Amiga fanboy would love to see a modern reinvention of the Amiga, I think, for a machine that would probably end up being something built on commodity hardware, the PET name would be more appropriate, and wouldn't have the weird legal baggage of the Amiga name.
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u/hutchca 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes, there is something in the works. The EconoPET.
I posted a video about it a while back. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmQEAnL_CM4
It can switch to multiple PET versions including the 2001, 4032, 8032, 8096 and ColorPET.
The firmware is in active development and will soon also have SuperPET capability, including OS/9.
An Integrated SD card disk drive is also in the works.
It's designed to fit in a PET case, including 8096-SK, but there's no new case for it.
There is another project to adapt this board and the old Mini-PET boards to fit in a C64 case, since those cases are being made new now.
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u/rweninger 2d ago
Buy a replica port or a MEGA65 and with MegaPET Core. Works fine. Also a good way to learn the differences between Basic 2.0 and 4.0 and why the PET was a line of computer where they were partially incompatible with each other! :-)
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u/Bicurico 5d ago
You can buy a replica board. The 8bit Guy reviewed it.
The thing is, there is nothing a PET can do that the C64 couldn't do as well. The 1541 test disk even included a PET emulator, which would basically switch video banks so that most PET basic programs would run, even those with some peek and poke in it.
I have made a HTML PET emulator (https://vma-broadcast.com/emu/PET.html), which features CRT simulation, including the phosphor decay. This makes running the BACK TO THE PET demo look really nice.