A Japanese company has launched the lowest-spec PC ever: the Commodore Vic-20. This DIY kit is a single board computer that uses a 1-bit CPU. To be clear, this is not a typo, it really is 1 bit.

A single-board computer called Naoto64 just launched by Japan's SwitchScience Company is equipped with a 1-bit CPU running at about 1Hz, a 1-bit bus, a 2-bit address space and a 4-bit ROM. Such a crazy configuration determines that it can only do three things - turn the LED on, off or blink. We're still working to identify more specific uses for it.

"This is a 1-bit CPU assembly kit using 4 logic integrated circuits. It is one of the top low-performance computers in the world," reads the Naoto64 product page. "The power supply is a USB Type-C terminal. AC adapter and cable are not included. Please note that power transmission methods such as PD are not supported."

This simple computer has no peripheral connections, so users cannot program it in the traditional sense. Its instruction set has only two commands and one operation - "ADD", "JMP" and "XOR". To program an LED to turn on, off, or blink, the user must set the positions of its four ROMDIP switches.

Video of early prototype

SwitchScience's "world's lowest-class" computer sells for 2,500 yen, or about $18, in Japan. Surprisingly, the company could have asked for a higher price, as the Naoto64 almost sold out upon launch. Apparently, the novelty factor played a large role in the quick sales, and the product was clearly not worth the $18.

Still, considering this is a DIY kit, it's not an outrageous value for those who like to tinker with electronics. Once assembled, it will make a great conversation piece. It comes with an empty printed circuit board, a bag with about 50 components, and instructions. Users should know something about a soldering iron before considering purchasing one.

Unfortunately, the product is currently out of stock, and the company has not said when it will be restocked. Additionally, SwitchScience doesn't ship outside of Japan, so if you're not vacationing in Japan or have friends living there, users around the world are missing out.

wentilail, can it run Crysis? Of course not, it can't even run the most streamlined and efficient version of Doom, and it's hard to clear mines. If you can figure out a way to make the LED flash Morse code, it might be able to run "Hello World."