@amigang

So the latest issue of Retro gamer 231 in the uk just dropped and had a 10 page special on the A500 mini.

https://www.magazinesdirect.com/az-magazines/6936729/retro-gamer-magazine-subscription.thtml

The cpu it features is Arm cortex A53, the same in the pi3

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ARM_Cortex-A53

So credit where credit due, I thought it be a much cheaper lower spec chip than that.

Also features details of how the A500 mini WHDLoad system will work, you can see what you need at this site
https://retrogames.biz/thea500-mini/support/whdload

I’ve updated my site page to cover most of this
https://amigang.com/amigamini-thea500/

Last edited by amigang on 18-Mar-2022 at 09:01 PM.

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@amigang

Thanx so much for the update.

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@thread

Some more early reviews getting posted. Tens of thousands of views even this early in the game.

The 8-Bit Guy

Interesting explanation of the logo. heh. Also note the Cloanto on the box.

another new report from Retro Recipes

#6

Last edited by number6 on 21-Mar-2022 at 01:52 PM.
Last edited by number6 on 21-Mar-2022 at 01:51 PM.

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@Thread



Quote:

It seems to suggest any USB pad or joystick should work!

This has been confirmed to be the case in the Metro.co.uk review.

Quote:

There’s also a wide range of customisation options for using third party controllers and mice, while the default controller buttons can be mapped to whatever you want.

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@thread

another major utuber

#6

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@Thread

Check out the Metro article (link above). It's really good other than they don't like ATR and don't think AB3D should have been included as it's an A1200 game that is a pixellated Doom clone (but IMHO the atmosphere is up there with Resident Evil 4 for scares and the level design is great)!

But the tagline:

THE AMIGA'S BACK GIRLFRIEND!

... really made me smile!

Last edited by BigD on 21-Mar-2022 at 04:37 PM.

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John Lasseter, Co-Founder of Pixar Animation Studios

@BigD

I don't follow prices or difficulty in tracking down amiga s/w, but if you pay...say 5 USD apiece for the games, is not the entire unit with the peripherals basically free?
And there's no tax or shipping cost for the games that you might have to pay if acquiring them individually, since they come with the unit.

Is it just me thinking the price on this thing is quite OK?

#6

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@number6

I think the price is OK. Hard to make it much lower without losing money on the whole enterprise.
Also, I doubt it's just you and I who think the price is OK.

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@agami

I guess the price is just about ok,

To do it you self it would be
a pi3B for £35,
a500 3D printed case £26,
usb game pad and mouse can be gotten for £7 each, £14,
a sd card £5
Cloanto roms £2
Hdmi / usb power cables £7
So where looking at around £89, and obviously your missing out on a higher quality case, Amiga themed mouse/gamepad and all the games being legally owned / licensed and the fact that a few more step to get the pi setup.

So it’s not too bad. But and this is a big But with a pi there a lot more you can do and play around with and it is basically a full computer.

I guess thats my biggest problem with the a500 mini is it really makes it seem that the Amiga was just a gaming platform, when it was so much more and that to me is the biggest crime. But I guess that was not it’s target market.

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@amigang

Quote:

I guess thats my biggest problem with the a500 mini is it really makes it seem that the Amiga was just a gaming platform, when it was so much more and that to me is the biggest crime. But I guess that was not it’s target market.

I doubt the target market needs Workbench, but a lot of users will fondly remember getting Deluxe Paint in their Amiga bundle.

Including Personal Paint would've been a nice nod to that and an extra reason for bundling the mouse. Accessing the USB drive should be doable as a shared folder in their custom UAE setup and of course PPaint saves in formats that modern machines can read. That would've been neat.

@amigang

I would have to add another 5 or 10 USD of value to the fact that the company delivering the product has a proven track record and will offer product support.

Also, the fact that they listened to their prospective customers regarding selling the peripherals individually is a plus. It suggests they will be open to building on the original concept. Actually they have already indicated that.

Bringing the name back into the public eye...that might even count to some people who bemoan how the brand name had faded into the background.

Granted, the last two fall into the intangible category, but imo still warrant attaching a value.

Regardless of how one feels about this, it will be fascinating to watch as it unfolds.

#6

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@clebin

Quote:

a lot of users will fondly remember getting Deluxe Paint in their Amiga bundle.

It was a no brainer to approach Electronic Arts about Deluxe Paint and Desert Strike. They were a key supporter of the Amiga.

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@thread

another review vid this time from Dan Woods

First review to show WB running and apps like DeluxePaint, I think.

#6

Last edited by number6 on 24-Mar-2022 at 01:10 AM.
Last edited by number6 on 23-Mar-2022 at 09:50 PM.

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@BigD

Unfortunately the people that made those decisions at EA to support the Amiga no longer work there I believe. If EA wanted to do something really nice they should release the source to DPaint V. I believe only the sources to DPaint version one are available currently.

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@amigang

Quote:

So where looking at around £89, and obviously your missing out on a higher quality case, Amiga themed mouse/gamepad and all the games being legally owned / licensed and the fact that a few more step to get the pi setup

You're forgetting to account for time. People always forget to account for time.
Time is money.

Sure, there are those that have an abundance of time, or will easily carve out discretionary time to work on a Pi based retro/Amiga emulation system. I, as I'm sure there are many others, am time poor.

Furthermore, when we build something from a bunch of disparate components, we are supporting a bunch of different initiatives which are not necessarily aligned to our passion for our favourite platform. I'll always spend a little bit more if I feel that I am voting with my wallet, e.g. I'll pay extra for plant-based meats. Not because I'm vegetarian/vegan, but because I see it as the future, and I want to support further developments in this area with my $. It's also why I happily pay to keep upgrading Amiga Forever.


Quote:

So it’s not too bad. But and this is a big But with a pi there a lot more you can do and play around with and it is basically a full computer.

True, but just because something can be applied to other tasks does not mean that most people end up doing that. The Pi ecosystem consists of mainly single-purpose projects.


Quote:

I guess thats my biggest problem with the a500 mini is it really makes it seem that the Amiga was just a gaming platform

In reality, the A500 was mainly a gaming platform for the vast majority.

I got my first A500 in 1988 when I went to university. I did a little bit of school work on it, but about 80% of the time it was used for gaming. Other students would come to my place, just to play games.

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@agami

Quote:

Time is money.

"Money is time." - George Gilder

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@number6

Quote:

The 8-Bit Guy

The tear-down (if you can call it that) was interesting: there's not much in there, other than a SoC and a couple RAM chips.

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@DiscreetFX & agami

If ever there were a time for an Amized revival show...heh.

#6

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@bison

Time is bullets - Roland Borderlands.

@number6

It might come back on January 2023, I’m still talking to Rich about it. It’s his show. If you want it to come back sooner that’s up to Rich.

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