Against the backdrop of Nintendo's ongoing success with Lilliputian remakes of its classic consoles, the Commodore 64 is making a return in early 2018 with some 64 vintage games pre-installed.

Packaged with a red and black joystick that mimics the legendary Competition Pro, theC64 Mini plug and play console is targeting a US$69 price tag for its early 2018 launch.

Its games list runs from "Alleykat" to "Zynaps," with its clutch of promised classics including sports title "California Games" and its siblings, "puzzler "Chip's Challenge," jump 'n' run action games "Monty On The Run," "Impossible Mission," motor racer "Pitstop II" and sci-fi ice hockey derivative "Speedball II: Brutal Deluxe."

TheC64 Mini resulted from a 2016 crowdfunding campaign that had proposed a full-size, modernized replica of the original 1982 Commodore 64 home computer, and a handheld, portable console with a built-in screen.

Instead, it's a smaller C64 Mini that's making it to market first, after manufacturer Retro Games talked it over with retailers who predicted greater interest in the little brother edition.

Though it looks like a shrunken clone of the 1982 original, the C64 Mini's main controller is that 80s-style joystick; on this smaller version, those that want keyboard input will be plugging their own in via a USB port instead, while complete on-board keyboard input is planned for a later full-size edition.

The handheld version is still in Retro Games' plans, though has been pushed back in order to accommodate TheC64.

Nintendo's recent entry into the retrogaming market started with its NES Mini Classic in 2016, a microconsole version of its 1983 home console that contained 30 games ready to play, and continues with September 2017's SNES Mini Classic, based on the 1990 Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

The gaming giant's move has helped generate new levels of interest in a licensed all-in-one mini console sector that has been growing substantially over the last two decades.

Atari's Flashback console is on its eighth edition, as the console and home computer marque prepares to launch a more capable Ataribox console in early 2018; its manufacturer, AtGames, also provides inexpensive Sega Genesis consoles in home and portable editions, while dedicated enthusiasts continue to seek out original machines or alternative hardware emulators that accept vintage game cartridges.