The A500 Mini is cute, fun, well made and fits in your pocket - but who exactly is buying them?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ก.ย. 2024
- I love the A500 mini - but would I buy one? Who is the target demographic for these machines? Where's the A500 maxi - that's what we really want :)
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Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
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References & Links
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Raspberry Pi 4 - 4gb - £55
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Power Supply - £8
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Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable - £6
www.amazon.co....
Amiga Forever - £30
www.amigaforev...
Keyboard and Mouse - £14
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Gamepad 16.99
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Amiga Forever
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I think I may be the target market. IT Pro, but the Amiga 500 was my first 'proper' computer. I basically played games and watched demos, but it introduced me to possibilities. I work on an Enterprise Windows network all day, and have reached the point that I want something that 'just works' (TM) when I get home. I do completely agree that this is something I dip into very occasionally and is shelf-ware, but feel happy to have a nostalgic connection to a very different computing time.
@The Fat Actors Podcast They will be BACK.
I'm 54 and the 12 or so of us "Amiga guys" that are still alive, sadly, 2 of us passed away in very recent years have all bought the Amiga 500 mini. It was basically our only really choice. It's very difficult and very expensive to buy an Amiga in 2022. A few of us were ripped off over the years, one guy spent well over $800 to get up and going with the Nano FPGU, case, monitor, shipping, taxes and a handful of other bits he needed. I'll spare you the bad stories, but there are a few of them. I think most of us now have the Amiga 500 mini. Having fun with it and so are the other guys as far as I know. I think the REAL END-USER reviews on Amazon speak volumes. 83% for 5 stars and 11% for 4 stars, or a nearly 95% rating which is just amazingly incredible For $109 ..... this is exactly the pathway back to the Amiga we all very desperately wanted and needed. In fact, this is the only way back to the Amiga that makes sense. Otherwise, you are looking at $500 - $600 and a lot of fiddling with settings that NONE of us want to do and that only gets you a very very ugly metal or plastic box hat has zero resemblance to an Amiga. Something so very sad that i discovered on the way back to the Amiga via the The Amiga 500 mini is how ugly and divided the Amiga community is now. I cannot even tell you how much push back I got from the existing Amiga community via Facebook Groups and Forums when I expressed interest early on before this product launched. There are a lot of embedded Amiga elitist now with their old crusty minds and even older machines. It was sad for me to experience this. The spirit of the Amiga community I so fondly remember appears dead and gone, but, I am very thankful for this Amiga 500 mini. Otherwise, I would have never been able to realistically and affordably find my way back.
You've certainly hit the nail on the head for me: if this had been a full size machine which would've then included a fully working keyboard, I would've raided the piggy bank and bought one of these. A missed opportunity there.
I would have been happy with an A500 Mini if the keyboard worked and it has USB 3.0. Hell, an NVME or space for a 2.5" drive as well. For $150, it just seemed pricey for what you got there since you can get that Pi 400 for $85 which comes with ethernet, USB 3.0, and so on.
The A500 Mini is for anyone who wants to enjoy the Amiga experience seamlessly with no tech hassles. It looks a million times better than a bunch of random parts strung together.
I am buying it . 40 year Old male. Something to play the Amiga classics easily that I enjoyed in my childhood without too much expensive or faff . I’m not interested in workbench, as much as I loved Wordsworth , deluxe paint and octamed etc - it’s irrelevant now when we have computers in our pockets and would need proper support to be anything other than a gimmick or nuisance with compatibility issues and users that are never happy because they have unrealistic desires . Furthermore it would be expensive.
_Translator:_
The A500 should be sold as a case for the RPi.
I had an Amiga 500 when I was a kid. Now an aging IT pro, I have Pi projects aplenty and loved the look of the a500 Mini, so bought one. It's not limited to 25 games at all. I've got hundreds more on a USB stick, as the Mini supports the whdload format. And it emulates the a1200, so I have the AGA versions of many of the games. For me, it's been worth it.
Well, wasn't the point that if you're using a USB stick with WHDLoad and emulate and A1200 anyway, you might as well save money by going the Pi route? For me personally, I tried the A500Mini playing Battle Squadron, Great Gianna Sisters etc. But for me, the timings way too far off and I really struggled. But then, I'm a really pedantic gamer. So I use a MiSTer, which is, well, perfectly timed. I experienced the same with the TheC64 Maxi. I really like it, but play GGS, HERO, Bruce Lee 2, and I died all the time. Too slow. And it didn't even run GGS 2 properly for some reason. I think the emulation software ran with too many nice options on, so it lacked the horsepower to run Great Gianna Sisters 2... So if the timings doesn't bother you too much, I love the TheC64 Maxi, but I don't see the appeal of a Mini really..
@@erwindewit4073 I've ran into emulation problems too.. can't play GGS2 or Vroom, but most things run ok. I dunno, I suppose the thing will end up on a shelf eventually, alongside my SNES mini. But, for now at least, I'm enjoying it. I have a few Pi's doing different things.. maybe I will recommission one of those at some point.
@@MattRichardsEsq Everything DID run properly on my Mac using Vice though. And the timing was a lot better too . So I play with the TheC64 casually, or program a bit. But really, if I want to do that I tend to use my C128D instead..
Always review something even it is 'late' as you have something to add, as that is why you have this channel in the first place. You have your loyal audience who want your judgment not the generic 'community' judgements.
The Mini is made for people like me. I have an A500 in the loft - it won’t connect to my TV. I have a raspberry pi which emulates most systems fantastically, apart from the Amiga where it’s hit and miss and usually involves an hour of ‘tinkering’, when all I want to do is play games. With the Mini, I have put in many, many hours on SWOS already and have loved it just as much as I did in the 1990s. It’s what I have been waiting for. It’s plug and play and allows me to have an hour or two of fun on some great old games. The people who don’t like it seem mostly to be those who basically argue that it’s not complicated enough - because they would rather spend hours configuring file types or exploring Workbench. I don’t get it. It’s meant to be fun and it is.
I'm waiting for the A500 Maxi, which, much like the C64 did, I hope will come out in a year. I really like that the C64 Maxi feels like a "real" computer from that era, and I would like the same experience for the Amiga.
We never got that A500 Maxi, alas. It doesn't look like we're going to either.
@@medes5597 This changes everyday: th-cam.com/video/OXWmbEU7lYg/w-d-xo.html
NO Maxi confirmed ?
@@medes5597It's due Q1 2025 now!
I've only ever used an A500 once at a friend's house back when I lived in the UK. I've been enamored with them for a bit, but never pulled the trigger.
I think an A500 Maxi will be the console that I'll finally actually buy, as long as networking works and it's easy to load normal software. I'd love to BBS on it, for one thing.
Apart from 1998-2003, I've had a real Amiga since 1994, and yet still, I too am the target audience for the Mini. I bought one, even though I have a real A600 supercharged beast right next to it, that I paid to have made. If it breaks, God forbid, I have no clue how to fix. I just wanna play games and create tunes. Nothing more. Now, if my A600 should break someday, I don't have to spend time and money getting it fixed, because the Mini does pretty much everything my A600 does, with just a few tweaks. To me, it makes sense to have it. That way, my son may also find my childhood interesting to play. That would never happen on the real Amiga for him.
Thanks for the honest review. It’s nice to hear a somewhat balanced opinion not “on day zero”. There’s always hype around this things and I respect anyone’s choice, though I basically agree with your point: it’s a gorgeous piece and a perfect gift, but I won’t spend that kind of money instead of buying a general purpose device like the Raspberry, or a custom add-on when I have some real Amigas waiting for some love and possible upgrades.
Keyboards, like in the C64 maxi, are really a valuable characteristic. Using the PC keys on an emulator has some major drawbacks (apart from “dettaching from nostalgia”). Some software gets even almost unusable because of the compromises between host system hotkeys and the emulated one, specially when using non-english layouts (a Spanish user here).
Great video, as always. Cheers from Madrid !!!
I think it's the nostalgia, I find the A500 mini to be very attractive, especially with the included mouse, but I would have preferred a joystick instead of the gamepad. I imagine it's targeted at the same people who bought a NES, SNES, PS etc mini. Something you can just plug into your TV and start playing. Sure you could get a real 500 for the same money, but that would take up a lot more space and isn't quite as plug and play or reliable. I'd like to see them make an A600 maxi with functional keyboard and full support of all Amiga models.
Cheers,
Jake
It works fine with THE JOYSTICK 🕹 especially after the 1.1.1 patch (but that disables the chance to use other emulators via Pandory). The CD32-like pad makes more sense for 21st century players and I honestly only use the joystick for Pacman and Battle Squadron now!
I'm a retro computer enthusiast with very limited space at home, so instead of getting the real deal, I got this, and no regrets. In fact I'm fine with having only emulation for most computers or consoles, and keep original hardware for my absolute favourites. Not everyone has a mancave, gaming room, basement or attic. Add to that that this thing, for me, will not be "a few hours of nostalgia". It will be my DE FACTO Amiga then. I will use it as such. I did the same with other retro computers. I buy the same games, subcribe to the same forums, print magazines and I participate in the same communities. And I do not think I am a second class citizen of any of them, despite what some ... let's call them "super hardcores" claim. All in all, I am enjoying myself immensely, and love the A500 as what it has become. My Amiga. You would say that puts me in Pi territory, but I chose not to. Just like the other minis, I use and if that means I can go beyond the initial 20-something games, and run Final Writer, make MODs, and later perhaps AmiTCP and Voyager, then I will, because it pleases me. PS: No idea why your Workbench on the A500 is so slow. The drawers load in instantly for me. I also have a C64 Maxi, and a BMC64 in a 40 year old case and with an original keyboard, painted in beautiful blue, the latter is my every day C64.
I've never owned/used an Amiga before - but as soon as the mini came out - I bought one. My reason for buying it was to help fund development of a full size one - similar to "The C64" with working keyboard. A full size one would be perfect for someone like me who doesn't have a compatible monitor or converter for hooking up the real thing to a modern day monitor.
In the meantime - I will use my A500 mini to dip my toes in.
yes I'm in agreeance to this. I have Amibian set up on my Raspberry pi 3 and it does all the Amiga stuff I need. A more fully working A500 maxi though with keyboard would be an instant buy
The A500 Mini is aimed at the person who had an Amiga as a kid, but who is not that interested in general computing.
It's an ideal device for someone who just want to play Amiga games, who doesn't own or want to use a Raspberry Pi.
I'm an an Amiga 500 owner, and a C64 user, since from when I was a kid.
I recently had the opportunity to work on a retro Sound Track for a game.
Did I use my old stuff?
I tried, it didn't work properly, in the end I was very happy with some samples taken from C64 Sid's.
That made me want to get back at composing music with Trackers.
Will I do it on the Amiga?
No, I'll use some emulator, because you just live once.
I bought one as a present for my brother who is very ill. He had an A500 with trapdoor RAM upgrade and I knew he would like it.
As I mentioned already, he's very ill and he's stopped playing games over the last few weeks because of discomfort. I'll borrow the A500 mini from him soon.
Incidentally for the Amiga kickstart ROMs I would recommend Amiga Forever Essentials - mine is on Android phone. You get the legal ROMs for a great price, last March I paid £1.79. Just need to get to the phone storage to find them.
I grew up with a Acer Aspire - running Windows 95. I Never even knew of commodore's existence until recent years. I got the A500 mini because I am always curious of new experiences, old tech and the ability to add and play new games.
I didn't own an Amiga but I worked at a computer store that sold them. When I moved on from the C64, I went DOS. I considered getting an Amiga 500 (or so) but it didn't quite work with what I thought I needed for college. I pre-ordered an A500 Mini but cancelled it before it came out. I still look at it occasionally, but I'm missing much of the nostalgia. It's "almost" for me, but not quite. I spent some time playing with the Amiga Emulator under windows and that mostly quenched my thirst for playing with Amiga.
I’m part of the target audience. Someone who loves collecting but doesn’t always have the time or space to faff around with original hardware and don’t find the ‘all games I want in one place’ solutions to be that rewarding preferring each console to retain its own identity whether original or not. My retro arch with fantastic joystick is mostly just for arcade games that aren’t on my Jamma 60 in 1 table at this point. 3/4 of my consoles/computers are original with minis filling in the gaps.
When I do have time I prefer to buy and and refers Game Boys. I also waited until I could get it for £80 new.
I am a student with no money, no nostalgia about the Amiga, as I come from PC, but when I discovered it, I loved it deeply. I got a mini just in hopes they release a maxi. And I hate preorders (yet I am saving money just in case). as years went in, I managed to get a Mister, a PiAmiga, etc... I know I could have purchased a real Amiga times and times, but the real hardware is decades old and dying, so I don't want something with an expiry date... I want it to last indefinitely!.
I owned a C64 and A500 back in the day. As much as I'd love an A500 maxi should they decide to make one it's too big for what it offers and I don't have the space. The A600 on the other hand would be perfect for a full sized replica model. Maybe they could make both as they're so similar 😁
Oooo. I would really need to have that numeric keypad though.
It's a e-waste cash grab in the name of nostalgia
I love my Amiga 600 which I purchased in April 1994, 30 years ago. I use it regularly, the 500 mini is great when I go on holiday or work away and stay in hotels…
I got the A500 mini as a birthday present and quickly put Workbench on it. 5000 plus games, a real blast from my past. I own a copy of Amiga Forever and was using emulation on my cell phone before I got this.
I also have a C64 Mini I picked up for $40 bucks a few years back. I would still buy the Maxi in both verrions given the chance.
I would like to do the keyboard mod on the A500 Mini and take it a step further with a mini monitor and drives. A small, fully functional desktop arcade to break the workday up occationally!
BTW Raspberry Pi's are hard to get now, the Pi Zero W I have doesn't emulate an A500 verry well at all.
I am an Amstrad man who never had an Amiga or Atari ST. Have a large collection of machines including an Amiga 500 and been emulating since the mid 90s. The Amiga itself takes up too much room so never really used it. Emulating the Amiga is a bit annoying, it never works quite how I want it to and thus never spend much time on it. I setup a Raspberry Pi 400 with the bare metal amiga emulator , but again it doesn't quite work as expected on various TVs. So this is why I wanted one and got one for my birthday this year ! Love it as it works exactly as I want, no mouse issues, no screen issues and runs the games perfectly. Its permanently setup next to my Next and other machines. I really like it and do use it. Going to knuckle down with Mercenary 2 - Damocles next !
I’m a hardcore Amiga enthusiast - Amiga 600, raspberry pi, fpga & use WinUAE …. and yet also acquired an A500-Mini
It’s such a delightful little gizmo & can load up other whdload lha games, even possible to install a Workbench via latest firmware that allows loading ADF files
Make a full size a600 and I'm in. The a500 is just too big.
If the boot of my car is a pocket, then yes it fits. I have a SNES mini and a PlayStation mini, both of which hold by far the most console memories for me. Both are also display pieces. The same will be with the A500 mini when I get one on sale, as that’s the computer that holds the most memories for me. I have a MiSTer FPGA for actually playing games and demos so really don’t need inferior software emulation.
Your sums are wrong because you forgot to include Zipsticks/Comp Pros. No real Amiga owner would rock a SNES-a-like pad. Those things aren't gonna cut an excitable game of Kick Off 2.
LOL yes, a gamepad isn't the way to go with an Amiga - is it Retrogames?? :). I costed it with gamepads because that's what the Mini comes with :)
I have to admit I bought the A500 mini because I thought it was cool. I got the 500 Mini I took it out of the box and I played a bunch of games on it. I thought well this is pretty cool never owned an Amiga in my life always wanted one never had one. I thought gee this is my opportunity to own an Amiga. That's where it ends it plays games really well and I'm very impressed with the technology. I've seen a lot of TH-cam channels where they've hacked it up. All of these creators have done a great job of that. For me I'm a little bit disappointed and wish it could do more but this is what I bought. Now it sits in the shelf next to the Atari mini computer I bought back in March. Maybe this is the appeal if the a500 mini and devices like them. They are collectible they play games they work reliably and look good in the shelf.
I didn't get review unit, because in Poland no retro chanel get one, but my viewers bought one for me.... and I really like it. The Pi experience is fine - but you have to have some (or more) technological knowledge and in these projects - always something is not working as it should. TheA500 is for people who don't want to fight through this problems. As for A500 MAX - I am voting for A600 MAX :D
I love my A500 mini. The size is perfect, a maxi would be a massive step backwards. I use it fairly regularly, trying games i never had as a kid and playing through old classics i used to love, money island etc. I’ve always found Amiga emulation hard work and frustrating, with this system it works well 99% of the time, much like the original Amiga, not every game worked anyway. Its great having a dedicated system to play Amiga games, i wont tweat it to run SNES or whatever, i have other mini systems for that sort of thing
Same thoughts. I want the Maxi.
I’m in the mums and dads category, and reliving nostalgia, and the fact I can’t be bothered with fiddling about. Having it as a mini console is ideal, I’d like to set up two pads to play with the kids. The price is putting me off so still deciding….
I have a NES, SNES & A500 Mini, all were used for about 2-6hrs then put in a box to gather dust. I got them as i liked the recreation of the original style packaging and design and they featured modern conveniences like HDMI, USB without the problems / size associated with a vintage item, they all look fantastic on display in my man cave room. The A500 mini appealed as i had a Atari 520 STFM as a kid so this was always the machine i wanted but never got and it runs 90% of the same games so win win. I also own a Rasp Pi, but its not the same its more complex to use, doesnt look as pretty and .... i just could afford to buy the A500 mini so why not. Its not a technical thing either as i am a software developer (programmer) so can easily configure a Pi, i just didnt want too, i do have a Pi however using 'Pi-Hole' and have used it for retro pi in the past as well.
I got my A500 mini for £75. Amazon had a discount on them. I am the target demographic. I want to have games and WHD load without any hassle or faff. Perfect for me.
Totally agree with your take on the Amiga 500. As soon as I heard it did not officially run Workbench I lost interest. Hopefully, they will release a full size version which operates as a full blown Amiga (with licensed Workbench). It would be great to have the Atari ST as well but once again, full size and with TOS/GEM functionality.
Hmm. Atari ST version?
NEVAAA!
To me, it's a party piece. I can put it in my handbag and take it to my friends' places, a generation who had Amigas, siblings with Amigas, remember Amigas but lack any enthusiasm to get even into emulation. Often they have their kinds around.
And there it is, plugs into any TV everywhere, LOOKS like an actual Amiga for the nostalgia, albeit being small enough to be carried around in a handbag, has some popular games, even if many are missing and is good for a few hours of casual fun.
If 120 quid are a lot of money for you, I do not blame you if you find it too expensive. but it's a nice compromise between a bulky, heavy (pimped) actual old machine and a capable emulator that hasn't got the nostalgic flair.
If Retro Computing brought out an A500 Maxi like they did with the C64, then I would definitely buy that.
No one (hopefully) has reviewed this based on the way it feels on various parts of the body, how it tastes, how easy is it to break, does it hurt to get hit by it and/or the properties and usefulness of the card board box,. Of course, your way of a unique approach to reviewing is good, too.
I've never owned any Amiga and I don't think I've ever used a real one. I think I've seen one once, as a kid, but I'm not even sure.
I bought the A500 Mini to get my first taste. I've never even emulated an Amiga until after I had already ordered the mini, and was waiting for it to arrive.
The A500 is also my first "mini console," so it's a first taste in that sense, too.
I know emulation would have been cheaper (as in free) but I wanted to try this out, regardless.
Yes, still using THEA500 Mini weekly and really love the active community around it especially on Discord. It actually beats recent activity on 'proper' Amiga Forums currently as there is a lot of negativity following the Cloanto vs Hyperion court battle and the nastiness of RetroPassion vs AmigaKit etc. Heck, the community coming together to hack and mod a new product actually feels like the old A500 days and I owned an Atari ST at the time! In the early 90s I saw it from the outside or by sneaking a read of Amiga Format in Tesco or WHSmiths! Now I get to join in! Ami-Jimmy is a legend getting Workbench (AMiNIMiga) working and now recently getting Deluxe Paint to work flawlessly (donate to get access to the V200 beta). Amiberry 3.3 that RGL chose for this has some limitations (serial disabled) and WinUAE has better compatibility with serial devices anyway e.g. graphics tablets but as a TV device in the lounge it's perfect for Deluxe Paint, Brilliance, Lightwave, Blitz Basic or even some gaming like it was designed for! 😉
I would have liked to see games that come from USB, have their own 'carousal type integration artwork" as well as the included ones., rather than a boring menu to choose from
Beggars can't be chooses :( I guess that would limit the point..
@@Tech-geeky That sounds like the AGS system! It's available as a soft mod option.
My memories are of the Amiga of my mates 600 and I'd always wanted a real one, but the real 500 is a big ol' lump and space is at a premium. 1200's are expensive and still require money and time to get them usable.
If I had a bunch of real Amiga's I suppose I would look down my nose at it, but the Mini was a nice way of seeing whether or not I want to invest time and money on going for real Amiga hardware. The jury is still out on that, but I still fire the mini up once or twice a week for a quick bit of Lotus 2 or Project X and afterwards it slips away nicely out of the way in my retro corner.
I also own a 'The Vic 20', because that was my Commodore system back in the day. That doesn't get a lot of use anymore (though still far more than my real C64!) except for a bit of Gridrunner.
I don't see this as a controversial view, but I prefer it to the "but you can do it with a Raspberry Pi" attitude. I pre-ordered the A500 Mini, I still have multiple Amigas - but I don't yet have the Pistorm/Gotek/CF add-ons. So being able to drag and drop files to a USB stick and play games on a modern TV/monitor is a good thing. And while there are some obvious omissions the library of titles on there is nicely balanced in terms of genre and gives a broad view of what the Amiga was capable of.
Yes, a working keyboard would be great. But based on what happened with the C64 Mini/Maxi, that will happen in time.
I have one. Most of the time it is a display piece, but from time to time I connect it to TV. Nothing far from 386 real machine or some Wyse terminal emulator. They all are used when I have some time. And here is a plus you mentioned - just plug it in, play, disconnect and forget for some time.
Speaking of full A500 Maxi - that would be great piece of hardware but if you compare the size - C64 you can put anywhere on the shelf. A500 is a big piece of hardware. I have real 1040ST and storing it is a pain... But I agree with you that full one would do much more for wider audience willing to keep their originals safe in boxes and would explore more of Work territory.
I was also disappointed by the lack of Workbench by default - which for me is like must have on any Amiga experience.
Im like you, already have many Amigas including my original A2000. OS I am not the demographic for this or really any of their products as I still own all my Commodore computers. That said, I did buy one when it came up on Amazon. It is still in the box and I haven't even powered it on. I like to take these mini devices with me to work and they sit on my desk plugged into an HDMI switch so I can switch them on at anytime and get a quick session in. They are amazing devices for that.
Surprised the c64 mini sold. Mini consoles are for people who don't know about emulators, and get excited by the concept of all the games being built into the system (not exactly your average Amiga user). I think what people are after now is a system on a chip solution that will work with real peripherals, and a button to bring up a menu for newbies (inside of a realistic case with working keyboard)
If they get a maxi version, I'll get one. The "mini" line looks like an impractical dust-catcher.
I have a CD32 and load Amiga games from compilation CDs but they’re slow to load so I’d like an Amiga Mini for simplicity, however I’ll wait until the price comes down.
Wish I could get a mini A4000 with a video toaster and lightwave.
I got one and I am not unfamiliar with the Amiga. I have a few 500's, a 3000, 4000 and a 1200 machine. Why did I get it? Ease of use, the tiny footprint, and it looks so good you know instantly what it is. The only thing I use the Amiga for anymore is to play the games and with the AMINIMIGA USB download it makes this a wonderful little machine. Why use applications when modern machines do it so much easier and faster? Amiga applications have very little use other than to compliment an old Amiga to make things smoother on vintage hardware.
Owned a C128 and later a number of Amigas. Still got the C128 and a later A600. Been working as a software programer for years. The A500 mini fits as my gaming machine, same as my The C64 mini. They both stay near my TV, while my real C128 stays next to my work computer in the office.
Exactly my feelings on the "mini" machines. Pounced on TheC64 but instead of a mini, I would rather just have a Pi with a working keyboard.
As a longtime C64 user The C64 was great. I just changed the setup so it boots directly into basic and use it as a C64 with a virtual 1541. I love it!
My feeling is the same as with TheC64 Mini - firstly I would wait for the Maxi and then once the Maxi came out, coming close to buying it and then ending up buying the real thing.
Have to agree. It is the price that is the deal breaker. But with two real Amigas and many emulation set ups, I still would not get one. My mate at work really wanted to get it, but the price was just out of reach for him. His family came first, which totally makes sense.
I have 3 real Amigas and several real 8bit commodores and bought TheC64 and ordered TheA500mini last week. They are just hassle free carefree things to take with you and have fun with. Not perfect but I'm too old to bother tinkering with raspberries.
I sure bought one.. i still use it 9 months later as my other 8 mini consoles gather dust.
I bought the a500 mini. I love the look/style & the potential of the machine, but it could've used a real amiga style keyboard. I recently installed Pandory onto it and its potential just went up lots. I do agree it could've used a built-in ethernet port.
I wouldn't pay the retail asking price-I'd buy a used model.
The carousel games could be better. There's just a few classics. There's no way to mod the carousel like can be done on the C64 maxi, with the Maxi Tool 64. However, it supports third party controllers out the box, unlike the C64 maxi, it's fun to explore the Amiga's library, including PD games, 8 bit conversions and new home brews. It can also run Pandory, and although far from perfect, is good with old console gaming, and supports the C64, which is great, albeit there is no REU support just now.
As shown in your video there are pre-made workbenches with games and applications. If you can pick up an Amiga mini for about £60 I'd recommend it as it's a classic gaming machine, but can play all kinds of computer and consoles via USB without breaking the system.
If there's to be an Amiga maxi, it would probably be a 600 HD version, I'd guess. I'd like to see a triple boot option of a carousel/basic workbench/modded workbench or maybe a workbench with applications to be productive. I always saw Amiga as a work-tool rather than a 'games station'.
Totally agree with your sentiments on this.
I'd buy a A500/600/1200 Maxi if it was as good as the real thing.
its awesome use my loads with all the new updates laterly with retroarch
And that's why I have a ZX Spectrum Next.
Small, functioning keyboard, can hook up all old peripherals (looking at you, USB ports on the A500/C64!), has the looks and can do all tricks a modern micro should be able to do (WiFi, RTC, SD, HDMI).
Yeah, I can assemble a raspberry pi and set it up (ohh, I have.. Pi400 with the software needed). But.. It's missing the case!! The case is the "I want one" factor for me. But I'll wait for the maxi case with a working keyboard and a new tank mouse.
Yes,I have an A600 with a Vampire ready to go in and an A1200 in a tower with an Apollo 1240 card but I still bought an A500 Mini. I like that it is essentially an Amiga 500/1200 in a small package and as of now can do just as much as a full size Amiga.
This is a well-made product. The cute little unit looks even better than expected. The interface is great and with a well-stocked USB drive I'm in Amiga gaming heaven.
I agree with you.. I also bought the TheC64 Maxi and didn’t like the Mini.. But, perhaps even more controversial, I did buy a MiSTer FPGA, and really haven’t touched my Amiga 4000/030 since. It’s hard to get stuff on the real one, no real networking, only RGB output.. And I really don’t notice ANY difference between the MiSTer and the real machine! I did with the emulated stuff, but not here. And to be perfectly honest, playing Battle Squadron on full HD using a fightstick is fantastic! And if I get bored, why not switch to the C64 (also just about perfect), or the Mega Drive, or an Arcade machine? I really only really use my C128D if I also want the vintage look. But most of the time….
I bought one upon release but only used it once. Now it's back in its box.
I just wished it had a fully working keyboard.
I love my C64 Maxi ❤️
Face it, the A500 maxi will in be an A600 case. The A500 is huuuugge!
I bought a TheC64 Maxi for what sounds like the same reasons you did. As my olden days machines were a C64, then an Atari 520STFM (bought second hand in the late 80s - if I could have afforded one back then, I'd have bought an A500), then PCs, I probably wouldn't want an TheAtariSTE Maxi, and definitely not a TheAtariSTFM Maxi, but I might be interested in an A500 Maxi similar to what you describe. I also doubt the market for any TheAtariST, Mini or Maxi - most STE games were STFM games, not using the blitter etc, and most ST games had superior versions for the Amiga. Anyway, the 16-bit era is a kind of transitional in my view - lacking a lot of the complexity that came later, yet also eliminating complexity and longwindedness due to the older 8-bit chips limits, but it's more at a level where I might be more interested in a simple, long-term stable platform for hobbyist development rather than a retro nostalgia platform. Constantly evolving languages with constantly evolving tools and libraries constantly adapting to constantly evolving operating systems and hardware is very very nice - but also a huge PITA that sometimes I want to opt out of completely, at least for certain projects that I might not revisit for months or years at a time. I'm also curious about the Commander x16, but that's 8-bit, with both 8-bit benefits and some 8-bit annoyances (and also, like the hypothetical TheA500 Maxi, I can't buy one yet). But the more I think of it, the more I'm convinced that a Raspberry Pi is the obvious thing - yes constantly evolving, but as a cheap device separate from my PC I'm not going to feel pressured to keep up with updates, and I wonder why I've never bought one yet.
I’d probably end up getting one myself (I like collecting mini consoles, although I’d prefer a ‘Maxi’ model) and probably gift one to my brother who had an A1200 back in the day and enjoyed the C64 Mini I got him……but not at full price.
I’m hoping these things eventually become heavily discounted because at full price it’s simply not worth it.
Also I’ll note an RPi may not be a good option for everyone, particularly those less computer literate who may struggle in comparison to something like this.
There is probably a niche that collects mini consoles and computers to play for a few hours and then display of a shelf.
I concur - I'll be interested in a full size, working keyboard, bread bin design. And I would really prefer targeting the Amiga 1200 instead Amiga 500 as to me that was the peak design for an affordable MC68K based Amiga
Well, doesn't it target the Amiga 1200 as well?
The A500mini is awesome 🤘🏻
My ideal Mini Amiga would be a maxi with a working keyboard and powered by a Minimig v4 FPGA chipset but with a real 68K CPU
I agree. Honestly, I've played with several pi amiga images but was generally unimpressed with the issues with PAL and NTSC so I was looking forward to this - but then I found a pi 3 image called 'Tomato Amiga 32gb' that worked fantastic and pretty much filled any need I had for playing my old favourites. So that killed any interest I had in buying this (even though you can mod it to add games). So yeah, i'll stick with pi (until i finally get a Mister)
Shame it wasnt a full size computer and keyboard, i would have jumped on it to add to my retro collection
I will get one when I can afford one! Mind you it's $200AUS for me.
Could NOT get a real one here in Australia for that price, VERY expensive here.
I bought it and i love it.
I have 3 real amiga500s and i am going to buy this purely for the convenience of it and no dreaded disk swapping.
Well try to buy a Rasberry :) in the price of a A500 mini , actually as @James Cameron I am a IT professional and i Love the Out of the Box expiernce . All is ready and included inside the box . just unpack it and run . The lack of keybord is not as an issue as i was thinking . For me buying and using one is a way of cleaning my personal bucket list , i was to young to buy a real one and now i can have them :D in a mini form. And i will buy a maxi maby A600 since this Amiga had the smalless footpring ot all . Fellows at Retro Games Ltd are making the best work .
Please consider that building a 100 % scale A500 woudl be a costly project since orginal amiga was humungus in size compared to other 16 bit micros .
I've got all of the mini versions of NES SNES SEGA PSX and C64Maxi also Evercade handheld and the A500 mini is the best of them
Personally I'm just waiting for a bigger version like they did with the C64 mini we're they later release the C64 and The Vic20 wish we're full size versions with working keyboards.
Never had an Amiga, casually interested, have plenty of technical prowess but I don't want to spend time learning and tweaking emulator/machine/core configs, I want to use it. The price is fine to skip all that now and explore my interest. And yeah, it looks good on a shelf. There's the workbench and hard drive hacks to add more stuff and I've got a Mister if I wanna go all the way later. I know it's compromised but it's "good enough" and the mouse and controller are fun to have if I want to go farther down the road with Amiga.
As someone who never had any sort of Amiga computer, I can only speak for those mini *consoles* but those are mostly display pieces for me.
Not necessary because I want it so but because it makes no sense in my current setup.
Plan to hook up at least the SNES or MegaDrive mini once I move and have more space.
Well, I agree with you 100%. When the Mini came out, I thought to myself, I would wait untill they had released a Maxi, however, I did get a Mini, totally not planned and I only got it because I saw a guy on Facebook who wanted to sell his unopened A500mini at a price that was 35% cheaper than a 'new' one so there you have it. I already own about 7 other real Amigas plus a full size Amiga 500 Pi that I built myself. So which one am I using you might ask, and to tell you the truth, the Mini have been out of the box twice and I've had it for about 4 months now, my favourite Amiga is a real A500 with a PiStorm.
I bought one just to support it. And for the mouse :) However it is not powerfull enough to emulate a bigbox amiga so I ended up putting it on the shelf. But anything keeping the momenting going is awesome :)
What a great and honest review, instant thumbs up.
I ended up having to sell my Amiga 500 for debts, but I kept the 1084 monitor. I should probably look for an analog out option. I bought the A500 mini because it is cheaper than buying actual hardware, at least here in the US. I mean I'd still trade my mini for a real one hands down. Another reason is I figured if I buy a mini is that the possibility of a maxi would be greater (based on showing support).
I just came home with one bought from a Game store, along with the mini commodore 64 so i guess 48 year old northerners are the target market 😁. I had a couple of Amigas after spectrums, always liked them. But what im wondering is can they be played through a laptop monitor? Id prefer that instead of messing about plugging them into my tv (i should have probably checked that before buying them i suppose......
I would love a maxi version of the A500.
A good and fair assessment really and no I’ve not bought one even though they are on sale in a local shop. I have 5 real Amigas that I don’t use anymore as well as lots of other retro machines.
i have my original a 600 still. but im not a 100% tinkerer. i did buy a new memory card for use as a hard drive,. tried installing the workbench on it,. but error on disk.. so it kinda stopped there. i would give alot to get my amiga setup with the games i have on my disks on a harddrive. or WDL format. working and running in the right speed as is my worst enemy on emulators. i could change all of the hardware if i felt that would work. one of my problems is the new joysticks aint working as the old once. i been trying for a while on and off to get my amiga to run properly again. i breafly dident own it and the other owner installed a HDD in it. i got it back a few years later, regretting i sold it.i remember and still have the kickstarter 1.3 disck to make it compatable for some of the amiga games, id like to get a hold of 2 joysticks for the amiga and get it to run. either on original or new hardware. so nostalgic., im turning 44 soon and that would make the amiga 32 or 31 years old. as i got it when i was in 6th grade. started the year i turned 7. good times. ive never been more happy in my life as when i got the amiga 600.
For me, I really really love the Amiga, but I don't have time or space to get an actual A500. The A500 Mini is perfect for use as a console in the living room. Yeah I have a raspberry pi with Pimiga and also RetroPie with Amiga games on. But to be honest with you, I hate how un-user-friendly Retroarch is - I constantly have to adjust settings, and it's stupidly complicated to save your setup, with 2 or 3 different places to save configs, or i.put settings, or core options etc. And the mouse emulation has never felt right. And with the Pimiga, no save states and I feel that's for more of a desktop setup as an actual computer.
I also disagree with your point a out adding games. You don't have to install workbench to add your own games and it's super simple to add them via USB.
So to sum up, it's good for people who love the Amiga enough to shell out £120 for it but can't be doing with all the tinkering and set up of a real Amiga or raspberry pi, and want a console version of the Amiga in their living room.
Lemmings, Robocod and Dune 2. Glad none of these are on there.
I'm still hanging out for a BareMetal Amiga on the Raspberri Pi 3 (if i ever happens). When the time comes that I can purchase a proper Amiga-like mechanical keyboard in an A1200 case.. I may be tempted.. but.. to me the Amiga keyboard and the likes were so close to typical PC keyboards.. I don't really feel then need. The C64/Vic20 really need the original keyboards because they're special - all the fancy PETSCII characters and the likes. I have a dead Plus/4 sitting in my cupboard that I'd happily put a BMC64 into but.. ughh.. it's another machine to get out and put away.. and I'd rather be hammering a modern replaceable keyboard.
I don't like RetroGames as a company because they don't care about Canada. It's near impossible to find TheC64 Maxi orTheVIC-20 over here and I'm not willing to pay extra to import it from Europe considering the weak Loonie and duty.