The Commodore PET 2001 was already one of the better-looking dinosaurs from the early desktop days, but this one-of-a-kind retro rebuild, handmade from American walnut, takes it to another level.
The gorgeous little game machine was first spotted by The Verge and comes to us from Swedish designer Love Hultèn. The meticulous craftsman is known for making elaborate electronics with unconventional forms and high-end woods. Most of Hultèn‘s projects are limited-runs and sell for thousands of dollars, but this PET De Lux doesn’t appear to be for sale to the public. We’ve reached out to Hultèn for more information.
Hultèn’s riff on the old Commodore stays true to the original’s fundamental design, though the teeny little keyboard doesn’t include character markers and the branding has been minimized. It’s an aesthetic that has aged far better than the more advanced desktops that followed in the ’80s and ’90s.
Depending on your preference, you might be a little disappointed to learn that a modern computer is handling the processing inside of this remake, running a variety of emulators. If your going to go this far in your perfectionism, it’d be great to have some perfectly refurbished hardware in the mix, too.
The Datasette is just for looks but man, those wooden keys seem like they’d be so satisfying to press.
Hultèn has also thrown in another retro throwback in the form of two wireless joysticks with a design based off of Suncom’s TAC-2 controllers from the mid-80s.
You can see a video below, and more of Hultèn’s work on his website.