I think Agon Light or Neo6502 are more affordable and as close to the machine as Commander X16.
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Yeah the Commander X16 isn't the most affordable, but I think it's the most accurate 'retro' machine. Specifically the custom VERA graphics hardware works in ways analogous to the machines of the time with various tile or bitmap modes and sprites. It's also in the 'batteries included' camp with lots of software support to get right into writing programs rather than lower-level tinkering.
There's even a full emulator[0] available so you can hack with friends who don't have one, or share your creations to run in the emulator.