Which Amiga would you recommend to people to buy?

[ImmortalA1000]

Originally Posted by gimbal

Yep. Although I do boot it up for myself too if I want to try out a game I never played before. I give myself more time with it when playing on the couch, emulation is usually for quickies.

Well it's no more convenient or authentic as using a laptop on the coffee table with a couple of joysticks via a D9 USB adaptor. If you add you own ADFs they will have trainers so annoying without a keyboard plugged into it so your advantage is gone. Mini formfactor is fine for SNES etc but not things like C64/A500 etc IMO. YMMV

If they do a proper maxi thing then yes we can talk, although a 1:2 or 1:1.5 scale for the enormous A500 case is probably the way to go, the A500 IS coffee table sized lol

[gimbal]

I don't really see how trainers are annoying without a keyboard. Usually they need a mouse to activate them. That is my pet peeve, I always need to have a mouse plugged in with an extension cord so I can click through trainers or cracktros

A problem with a semi-dependable solution though; just make a save state on the title screen or menu. Tada, instantly into the game.

[Retro1234]

Surprised theres no love for the A600, pcmcia and IDE nice little machine. I'd much rather have an A600 than A500

I wouldn't mind a Vampire but the cost.......

Maybe this thread should have a poll.

[Megalomaniac]

The A600 is still impacted by the missing keypad, but it is cheaper and easier to get up to a useful modern spec than an A500. Are they easier to accelerate than they were back-in-the-day?

As for the A500Mini, I don't think we're the target audience. Maybe people who are interested in Amiga games but not serious stuff, who don't like messing around with temperamental old hardware or complicated emulation, but more generally it'll be for people who had those games and want to relive them socially with friends, or perhaps with their own children. For consoles these Mini versions with loads of inbuilt games are an easier way to get a complete collection, but for computers were ADFs (or d64 or TZX or whatever) are widely available, PC-based emulation is much cheaper, and WHDLoad or Gotek solutions are little more expensive (provided you know what's going on inside the cases to resolve any faults that develop over time).

All the same, seeing an article about the Mini in (UK free newspaper) Metro did retrigger my love for the Amiga in general, above my love for retro videogames in general.

[Predseda]

Originally Posted by Retro1234

Surprised theres no love for the A600, pcmcia and IDE nice little machine. I'd much rather have an A600 than A500

A lot of experience with many A600s over the years and for me it is the least reliable Amiga, although it was the first one I ever had.

[desiv]

I think my reticence around just saying "An Amiga 1200, duh!" is around price and availability.
If however, the question is, "Which Amiga would you recommend if money is no object?"
Then yeah, the 1200... ;-)
(I know the 4000 should be up there then, but I like the all in one form factors...)

[Bruce Abbott]

Originally Posted by Megalomaniac

The A600 is still impacted by the missing keypad,

Not much. Apparently some flight simulator(s) used it?

but it is cheaper and easier to get up to a useful modern spec than an A500. Are they easier to accelerate than they were back-in-the-day?

Acceleration is still a bit problematic because it has to connect to the CPU with an inverted PLCC socket, which can be hard to install properly without taking the motherboard out of the case. Once done it's usually OK though. I had to reseat my Vampire once after about 2 years use, but that's a common problem with Agnus in the A500 too.

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

Not much. Apparently some flight simulator(s) used it?

Here's a thread which games need or benefit from the numpad: https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=49317

[Retro1234]

Iirc correct there was software to redirect the numberpad for system friendly tools/games.

Both the A600 and CD32:were a bit disappointing at the time but both nice little machines now.

[Megalomaniac]

Originally Posted by Retro1234

Iirc correct there was software to redirect the numberpad for system friendly tools/games.

That only goes so far, games were designed around the 8 directional keys being arranged in a logical diagonal pattern. I assume it uses some system memory too. It's not just games either, Deluxe Paint III's perspective features needed the keypad. Let's just say I wasn't a fan then and I'm still not.

[ImmortalA1000]

Originally Posted by Retro1234

Surprised theres no love for the A600, pcmcia and IDE nice little machine. I'd much rather have an A600 than A500

I wouldn't mind a Vampire but the cost.......

Maybe this thread should have a poll.

A 2mb A600 + compact flash adaptor loaded up with WHDload is a great option, I was just recommending the most compatible and cheapest option. It's more about best bang for your buck rather than just the best.

[Calabazam]

I would recommend to buy the one they like. Personnal preference in matter of Amiga computers can't be helped.
For instance, i never liked the A3000 despite most people loving it, due to small number of slots making a bridgeboard PC card inconvenient to use and expand, lack of room for the accelerator, awful zip ram, sometimes weird tower roms, specific chips hard to get like the DMAC and not easy to open and service. On the other hand, i always liked to massive and sturdy A2000 for the opposite reasons, even if i never got mine to work 100% over a long time.
Buy the one you care for.

[Anubis]

Mister FPGA, you can create multiple setup for any kind of Amiga (A1000, A500, A500+, A1200,... with or without HD, with new kickstarts...)

With mister you can setup HD RGB workbench and use it as real Amiga with so many cool little things.

Not to mention tons of other cool cores including Apple I, II, Atari 8bit, ST, and consoles - SNES, NES, SMS, Genesis/ Megadrive....

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Anubis

Mister, you can create multiple setup for any kind of Amiga (A1000, A500, A500+, A1200,... with or without HD, with new kickstarts...)

With mister you can setup HD RGB workbench and use it as real Amiga with so many cool little things.

Hey, the same works for UAE!

[Anubis]

I love WinUAE and FS-UAE, but there is some strange nostalgia when running MiSTer instead of computer emulation. On my computer I've setup Launchbox for all emulators including Amiga, ability to play any game from computer with single mouse click... still there is something oddly enjoyable to be able to play the same game on MiSTer.

[TCD]

As Calabazam said each has their own 'perfect' setup when it comes to using an Amiga. When I see Hoffman or Akira using two A600 to mix mod music I can see that the small form factor is really a huge advantage. A A500(+) with a GOTEK drive, original joysticks and hooked up to a CRT monitor would give you a pretty solid nostalgia gaming expierence. I also watch somebody using Lightwave and for them a beefed up A1200 or A3000/A4000 is a must. If you like to hop between multiple retro machines Launchbox and/or a MiSTer is optimal

If anybody really wonders what kind of setup they should get in 2023 I would start by either just getting into emulation or get something like the A500mini or MiSTer to check out what you want to do with it. Afterwards you can always go for real hardware if the prices aren't too crazy

[Bruce Abbott]

Originally Posted by TCD

Here's a thread which games need or benefit from the numpad: https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=49317

Not much in that thread, but it linked to another one with more info. Seems a few games (mostly sims ported from the PC) needed the numeric keypad, while several others that were thought to actually have other options.

As for Deluxe Paint, I never use the perspective functions so I wouldn't have noticed. Being a system friendly app it should work with a keypad emulator like KPatch.

These days patching the code would probably be practicable too, in many cases.

[Megalomaniac]

People mostly go retrogaming in order to play action games, so maybe losing things like Railroad Tycoon, Birds of Prey, Silent Service II and Pacific Islands isn't a huge deal, however good they were (though there are some action games which needed it, such as the first Turtles game, not that it was any good) - assuming they weren't the games you want to relive. It was a huge deal for developers who'd released those titles in good faith in the previous year though. Honestly I still can't stand the thing.

[Anubis]

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

Not much in that thread, but it linked to another one with more info. Seems a few games (mostly sims ported from the PC) needed the numeric keypad, while several others that were thought to actually have other options.

As for Deluxe Paint, I never use the perspective functions so I wouldn't have noticed. Being a system friendly app it should work with a keypad emulator like KPatch.

These days patching the code would probably be practicable too, in many cases.

I remember loving to be able to use NUM pad while playing Colonization, where friend with A600 had to use mouse to control units movement. For Col and Civ games, num bad has always been 'must' for me. Reason I never used those cheap small keyboards for retro gaming - no num pads

[TCD]

Originally Posted by Bruce Abbott

These days patching the code would probably be practicable too, in many cases.

Maybe, but I personally wouldn't hold my breath for it to happen.