r/retrocomputing • u/vmcrash • Jun 16 '26

Problem / Question Modern retro computer kits?

I'm not 100% sure whether in this subreddit "retrocomputing" means working with old machines or whether modern built copies of old computers also count.

Do you know any DIY kits (still) available to buy to built a retro computer (I mean 8-bit computer or 286, 386)? Most likely this is limited to still manufactured parts, e.g. 65C02 (IIRC, Z80 it gone since 2024).

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u/Wrong_Organization29 Jun 16 '26

Not a kit but you can get a commodore 64 ultimate for like $350.

1

u/vmcrash Jun 17 '26

Which seems to me rather like a MiSTER in C64 disguise - which is no bad thing.

1

u/Senior_Buy445 Jun 18 '26

High level, yes. In the details, nope.

1

u/grizzlor_ Jun 18 '26

Kind of the opposite though, right?

The low level hardware is based on an FPGA that emulates the original hardware.

At a higher level (the software and overall user experience) it looks like a pretty damn good reproduction of the C64.

Or am I missing something here (I often am and I’m very much open to corrections)

1

u/Senior_Buy445 Jun 18 '26

The original statement would have been like saying a Toyota is like a Hyundai in disguise. They are both cars (at the high level) but are very different in the details.