Commodore back - again - as gaming PC brand

Commodore Gaming, the latest incarnation of the famous 1970s/80s computing brand, wants another stab at the big time. Later this month it will show off a "new breed" of gaming PC.

The company will unveil the machines as the CeBIT show in Hannover. Right now, it's keeping mum about the details, though it's hard to see what it can do that Dell, Alienware, VoodooPC and a long line of gaming-centric PC makers can't. Commodore commands a small band of ardent followers, but it's arguably a name that's lost most of its former allure.

Most of the folks who know Commodore from its last mass-market incarnation, when the Amiga was at the height of its popularity, probably now have kids of their own, each with their own gaming system favourites.

Commodore Gaming isn't a new operation. Readers may recall in February 2006 it pitched itself as a mobile gaming company with a plan to roll-out phone-friendly games-download kiosks throughout Europe that year.

Commodore Gaming is a joint-venture between Commodore International Corp. (CIC) and fellow Dutch firm The Content Factory. CIC is using the Commodore brand to promote Gravel In Pocket, a Flash-based personal media player, and Gravel In Home, a media centre-style set-top box. It announced both products last month. CIC didn't say when any these devices will find their way into the hands of consumers.