Tag Archives: Commodore

Y2K-inspired Commodore Callback 8020 is a smart dumbphone to reclaim your life

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Phone addiction has reached a point where doomscrolling is affecting our cognitive intelligence and already, dumbphones are trying to address this global problem. More often than not, these devices work for a while, eventually triggering the user to ditch them and get back to old ways.

Commodore, resurrected by YouTuber Peri Fractic (a.k.a. Christian Simpson), brought back the 1982 Commodore 64 keyboard, and the brand looks strong to capture a very niche segment of the nerdy market. Now, under his leadership, there’s yet another gadget that originates from the firsthand experience of the man himself. He made the shift to a dumbphone years ago but found a problem, as these devices took away more functionality than desired. This prompted him to create a “not dumb dumbphone.”

Designer: Commodore

The retro-futuristic vibe of the Commodore Callback 8020 flip phone is inspired by the Y2K era of the early 2000s, and the functionality culminating from his own experience. This phone is created to let the technology serve its original intended purpose, that is to serve the users and not compete for their attention 24×7. Designed in collaboration with Finnish company Jolla (venture by former Nokia employees), the smartphone runs a custom version of Sailfish OS (Linux-based platform), which has been in development for over a decade as a viable alternative to Android and iOS. The custom OS can sideload 99 percent of Android apps like WhatsApp, Spotify, Google Maps, QR Code Scanner, and more.

Callback 8020 is designed with easy modularity in mind, as the user can swap the 1,550 mAh battery or swap out covers. It’ll come with a 3.25-inch (480×640 resolution) main display and a 1.77-inch smaller display on the rear with a red glow, which is inspired by the classic Commodore calculators of the 70s. The device will be powered by the MediaTek Helio G81 SoC and paired with 4GB RAM. Since there’s not going to be a lot of multimedia being stored on the phone, the 64GB internal storage expandable via the included 32GB microSD card should suffice; however, the space can be beefed up to 256GB if desired.

For music lovers, the phone has FM radio, an audiophile-grade DAC, along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a pair of in-ear IEMs. You can listen to pre-loaded albums from artists like LukHash and Anders Enger Jensen to enjoy music out of the box. To get the nostalgic feel going, the device has chiptunes with a full 8-Bit SID music player and SID ringtones. Just that you don’t get bogged down in your free time, and accidentally make the shift back to a normal smartphone to doomscroll, the phone has a collection of Commodore 64 games, which are curated to avoid the addictive nature of modern games. To avoid any distracting notifications on the screen, the phone comes with a dome LED notification system. For times when you need to take pictures, the flip phone has a 48MP rear camera with flash and a selfie camera with autofocus when flipped open.

Commodore Callback 8020 flip phone is slated for June 30 release, when you can pre-order it in five color options: ProtoPET White, SX Silver, BASIC Beige, Starlight Edition, and Founders Edition. The first three colorways will come for $499.99, while the translucent Starlight Edition will set you back $549.99. The flagship (if I can call it that) PVD gold Founders Edition, having a 24K gold-plated “C=” button, will be priced at $640. Shipping, however, will take a little longer, scheduled for the fourth quarter of the year. People who join the waitlist will get a $50 discount on the smartphone.

 

 

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The C64 and ZX Spectrum Finally Got the Handhelds They Never Had

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The retro gaming revival has been gathering steam for years, spilling from niche emulation communities into mainstream retail. Mini consoles, plug-and-play sticks, and budget handhelds have all taken a crack at the classics with varying degrees of success. Home computers like the Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum have had their own official revivals, too, but they’ve always been tied to a desk and a television.

Blaze Entertainment and Retro Games Ltd have finally asked the obvious question: what would those machines have looked like if portable computing had caught on in the 1980s? The answer is THEC64 Handheld and The Spectrum Handheld, two new clamshell retro gaming consoles built to bring those beloved libraries off the shelf and into your bag, your commute, or anywhere else the nostalgia takes you.

Designer: Evercade (Blaze Entertainment)

Both devices wear their inspirations openly. THEC64 Handheld comes in a warm retro beige that echoes the Commodore 64C, while The Spectrum Handheld goes with a classic black that fits the original Sinclair machine perfectly. The clamshell form factor draws as much from the palmtops and organizers of that era as it does from successful gaming handhelds, making both feel oddly familiar on first contact.

The controls have been designed with the same care. THEC64 Handheld uses tactile plastic function keys that feel snappy under the fingers, while The Spectrum Handheld opts for rubber buttons, a direct nod to the membrane keyboard that made the original ZX Spectrum so recognizable. Both include four mappable function keys alongside the D-pad and face buttons, so keyboard-heavy games aren’t completely unplayable without one.

Flip either one open, and you’re greeted with a 4.3-inch IPS screen at 840×480 resolution, crisp enough to do justice to games originally built for home television sets. A quad-core 1.2GHz processor handles the emulation cleanly, and the 2,000mAh battery is rated for over three hours of play. A 3.5mm headphone jack and USB-C charging round out the basics, keeping the whole thing portable-friendly.

Each handheld arrives with 25 preloaded games, so you could pick one up and be knee-deep in Boulder Dash or Paradroid on the C64 side, or Starquake and Zynaps on the Spectrum, within minutes. A MicroSD slot lets you expand beyond those 25 if you’ve got your own collection, and a rear USB-A port even accepts a physical keyboard when the gamepad layout falls short.

The emulation goes deeper than just one flavor of each machine. THEC64 Handheld lets you switch between C64 PAL and NTSC variants, and The Spectrum Handheld covers formats from the 16K to the 128K and beyond. Collector’s Edition versions, limited to 2,000 units each, also include a hard-shell case and an exclusive print magazine, Crash for the Spectrum and Zzap for the C64.

Both standard editions are priced at $129.99 and launch in October 2026, with pre-orders already open. It’s a step up from a generic emulation handheld, and the gap is hard to miss. But for anyone who grew up loading games from a cassette tape and staring at a loading screen for far too long, it’s a price that’s surprisingly easy to justify.

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