This week at CES 2025, numerous major hardware announcements are being unveiled — but in the long history of CES, these events also echo the bygone era of Commodore announcements at CES, particularly the Commodore 128 announcement at CES 1985. The Commodore 128 was a direct follow-up to C64 that only ever sold a few million units versus the C64's mighty estimated peak of 17 million units. By the time Commodore 128 launched, it was the last 8-bit PC in an era of 16-bit PCs, thanks to the existence of Intel 8086.
Fortunately, the existence of 16-bit PCs didn't completely nullify the meaning of the Commodore 128 when it was unveiled in January 1985 at CES. Intel 8086 had been released back in June of 1978, so 16-bit had plenty of time to make its presence known on the market — but seeing as the original 8-bit C64 had launched in 1981, surely that could mean a still-feasible 8-bit Commodore 128, right?
Unfortunately, the answer to that one ended up being a resounding "No". The reason for this was actually pretty simple — while other PCs and PC clones of the time were opening the doors to new 16-bit and 32-bit software, the Commodore 128 was mostly just an enhanced Commodore 64, with twice the RAM (128K from 64K) and a CPU that could boost up to 2MHz instead of just 1MHz. Actual support for C128 in the form of new software or patches to utilize its faster speed and increased RAM was fairly rare compared to the thriving software support the original C64D enjoyed, and the Commodore 128 was eventually doomed to be forgotten — though it, the 128D, and the 128DCR all still exist as just-better versions of Commodore 64 for enthusiasts and collectors. Perhaps that one bakery would appreciate one of these... retro gaming enthusiasts certainly might, since games enhanced for Commodore 128 get improved graphics and feature support, including the addition of music into the classic Origin System RPG Ultima V.
Another often overlooked highlight of the Commodore 128 can be found in its dual graphics chips, which could allow it to be used for dual monitors at a time when such a feature was extremely rare, as pointed out by Heise.de's coverage of this 40th anniversary. While the two graphics chips used were obviously fairly limited in supported resolution and color output by today's standard, such a feature being available in any affordable form back in the 80s was quite impressive.
Ultimately, the Commodore 128 and its models end up being something of a footnote in the legacy of the Commodore 64, like most of its variations. But while the machine wasn't considered particularly ambitious in a time where everyone else was chasing 16-bit and 32-bit, the supposed peak of 8-bit impresses with a version of the Commodore 64 (still one of the most popular computers ever made) that is just better in every way, some manual compatibility mode-toggling requirements aside.
