So when is "THEA500 Mini is here!" topic coming or did I ask already?

@Hypex

ask the OP to change the topic then.

otoh, depending on where you live...it might not be here. heh.

#6

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@number6

Here is a good review.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--rX8VUwXtM

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@NutsAboutAmiga

April 8 is rather ancient. So much has changed.

#6

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@matthey

Quote:

Why use a more limited and expensive THEA500 Mini instead of a Raspberry Pi?

Yeah. It would require some cabled extenders, since the ports/connectors are on all sides of a Pi, but the system would be faster.

Last edited by bison on 24-Apr-2022 at 07:45 PM.

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@matthey

Quote:

The two businesses may have similar goals but they may be too small by themselves to do what they want.

I respectfully disagree. I think Paul is anything but small and can do anything he wants to do. heh.

#6

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@number6

Quote:

otoh, depending on where you live...it might not be here. heh.

Funny how marketing and distribution channels work.

Amazon US says the A500 mini will be available May 31. Amazon UK says it is available now for shipping to US.

matthey Quote:

The two businesses may have similar goals but they may be too small by themselves to do what they want.

#6 Quote:

I respectfully disagree. I think Paul is anything but small and can do anything he wants to do. heh.

Retro Games Ltd is tiny but partners can be important. Perhaps Koch Media Group helps with financing as well as distribution?

@Thread


Quote:

BigD wrote: @number6 Quote: number6 wrote: @amigang Workbench Distribution for the A500 mini #6 This is a great distribution and I can now run some WHDLoad games that I otherwise couldn't. However, I'm struggling to get the second joypad to work! I use Joymouse in WBStartup so I don't need the mouse to navigate Workbench when I'm wanting to play 2-player games! I've amended the config file to enable the Joy0 port for the CD32 pad rather than the mouse but it doesn't work in-game! Is there a way of enabling this in the Workbench distro?

Ami-Jimmy has fixed this! There is an update to the distribution with a standard mouse and 2-player config!

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£99.99 now

https://www.thegamecollection.net/the-a500-mini?tduid=366e3c5e92c7a896e0964460c2f3ed3b

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@amigang

At this rate, they'll be paying you to get one by September...

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@amigang

Not nearly as odd as the Atari price drop from 3-4 hundred to 100 bucks for a short time recently. There's quite a lot of price adjustments going on in the console market.

Another from April 4:
Quote:

Sony’s PlayStation Classic dropped to half-price at most retailers a mere few weeks after its release

hmm...same approximate time period. Nintendo not known for price drops dropped 20% on their
game & watch (Zelda) and also on the 13th:
Quote:

Nintendo Switch OLED deals plummet to record low prices

Could be a trend or... just trying to find the sweet spot. heh.

#6

Last edited by number6 on 26-Apr-2022 at 03:06 PM.
Last edited by number6 on 26-Apr-2022 at 03:05 PM.
Last edited by number6 on 26-Apr-2022 at 02:33 PM.

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#6 Quote:

Not nearly as odd as the Atari price drop from 3-4 hundred to 100 bucks for a short time recently. There's quite a lot of price adjustments going on in the console market. Another from April 4: Quote: Sony’s PlayStation Classic dropped to half-price at most retailers a mere few weeks after its release hmm...same approximate time period. Nintendo not known for price drops dropped 20% on their game & watch (Zelda) and also on the 13th: Quote: Nintendo Switch OLED deals plummet to record low prices Could be a trend or... just trying to find the sweet spot. heh.

The Sony Playstation is one of the most popular consoles ever and the original sold 102 million units. What could go wrong?

Playstation Classic review: the games are great but the emulation is really poor A profound disappointment
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-2018-playstation-classic-review

The PlayStation Classic’s emulation is even worse than we thought See the PlayStation Classic’s many problems for yourself
https://www.polygon.com/2018/12/3/18123851/playstation-classic-pal-games-emulation

PlayStation Classic Review: Retro Done Wrong Live in your world, just don't play in this one.
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/playstation-classic,review-5969.html

Review: Sony's PlayStation Classic Is Too Frustrating to Love
https://time.com/5467145/sony-playstation-classic-review/

Is the problem cheap emulation on generic ARM hardware? Are predatory businesses trying to make a quick buck from eye candy rather than create retro systems which pay homage to the original? Where is the value in low end consoles? Why does the Raspberry Pi have better value than these retro recreations?

@matthey

Let's not drag PS5 into this. heh. At 800 to over 1 thousand 4 hundred depending on what's included, that's surely in the uber disposable income market.

I read an article indicating the vast majority are bought by bots, not by customers.
today's cnet article on this topic

Dunno about the cheapest consoles and handsets. They seem at 50 USD and under to surely be more in the impulse buy category.

typical rasp 4 system

It's easy to find ^ these for 50% more than that.

here's one

Back to your question about the low end:
try this google search "$25 to $50 Video Game Consoles" or "under $50"
It's quite a list.

#6

Last edited by number6 on 26-Apr-2022 at 05:06 PM.
Last edited by number6 on 26-Apr-2022 at 04:35 PM.
Last edited by number6 on 26-Apr-2022 at 04:12 PM.

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#6 Quote:

Let's not drag PS5 into this. heh. At 800 to over 1 thousand 4 hundred depending on what's included, that's surely in the uber disposable income market.

I didn't.

PS1 102 million units sold
PS2 155 million units sold
PS3 87 million units sold (another PPC disappointment)
PS4 106 million units sold
PS5 10 million units sold

And the PS5 was introduced at $399 or $499 with blu-ray DVD. Yes, they often go for more than this if they can be found at all.

#6 Quote:

I read an article indicating the vast majority are bought by bots, not by customers. Dunno about the cheapest consoles and handsets. They seem at 50 USD and under to surely be more in the impulse buy category.

Customers see the Playstation Classic and think they are getting cost reduced original hardware with extra games. They would be better off getting used original hardware but that takes more effort than dropping a box in their shopping cart.

#6 Quote:

typical rasp 4 system It's easy to find ^ these for 50% more than that. here's one Back to your question about the low end: try this google search "$25 to $50 / Video Game Consoles" or "under $50" It's quite a list.

Credit to the Raspberry Pi Foundation for making quality hardware for an affordable price which results in the hardware being embedded everywhere. If the THEA500 Mini had used a Pi, it would have provided better value, especially with internet connectivity. Too bad there aren't more competitors for Pi to provide more choices but it is difficult to make computers with a small footprint like the 68k Amiga.

@matthey

Quote:

Customers see the Playstation Classic and think they are getting cost reduced original hardware with extra games. They would be better off getting used original hardware but that takes more effort than dropping a box in their shopping cart.

Customers outside of cranks on forums don't give flying F if it has original hardware or is it running on My Little Pony Rainbow Fart as long it runs the games they want.

Rose Quote:

Customers outside of cranks on forums don't give flying F if it has original hardware or is it running on My Little Pony Rainbow Fart as long it runs the games they want.

I guess it's just the reviewers who care about poor game game performance as my post #353 above about the Playstation Classic shows. Potential customers don't read reviews or talk about bad experiences do they? If the product is cheap enough, customers may not even bother returning it, right?

@Rose

I'm OK with that, so long as it's My Little Pony Rainbow Fart Final Edition.

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It is amazing how quick the community have made hacks / mods with it, I am a little surprise and find it very odd that I’ve seen more than a few builds now of putting the a500 mini motherboard inside a real Amiga, to me that is absolutely stupid. Sorry retro recipes and others, of course they can do what they like, but the build would of been much better with Pi4.

I’m myself plan to do this with a Pi5 when ever it arrives, as I feel even the pi4 is just a bit underpowered and there are some little areas that amiberry / jit emulation could get better in, so I hope by the time pi5 come out amiberry will improved for everyday Amiga use and there will be an easier Amiga keyboard solution. Actually I really want to see if I could build the Amiga fantasy case, using an a1200.net case as a bases, it would be nice https://amigang.com/prototype-concept-amiga/

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@amigang

Why use a pi when an Amiga case easily can fit several much faster amd64 systems that you can get cheap?

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