Amiga 500 mini (first review) - Page 5

jotd · 27 April 2022, 18:24

I don't think I'm going to buy one because I already have the real thing, but that's really good news for the amiga. A lot of non-retrocomputing websites sells some. Great!

fille1976 · 27 April 2022, 18:36

I put my 1200 with blizzard 1260 back to the shelve and play now on amiga 500 mini or MISTer.

Anubis · 27 April 2022, 19:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by gimbal

What I find mind blowing is just how much attention the A500 mini is getting, dozens upon dozens of youtube videos from dozens of channels. And I'm not only talking reviews but also support videos, game listings, hacks, the works. Has there ever been a mini or other retro gaming device which got this kind of attention in such a short time span? And the bigger channels like RMC and LGR haven't even gotten to it yet.

Makes me happy to see that the love for the Amiga is still very much alive

The same happened with all 'mini' consoles, or with RetroPie, Batocera etc... FOTW/M

Still think that FPGA is far better option.

gimbal · 28 April 2022, 13:38

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anubis

The same happened with all 'mini' consoles, or with RetroPie, Batocera etc... FOTW/M

No it is not fair to downplay it like that, the other minis did not nearly get attention on the same scale.

MikeB · 29 April 2022, 16:31

The biggest tech website here in the Netherlands also reviewed the A500 mini. Here's their conclusion translated from Dutch into English:

"THEA500 Mini is a very good mini version of the Amiga 500, but also much more. The device can handle not only Amiga 500 software, but with software for practically all Amiga 1200 versions: from the Amiga 1000 to the Commodore CDTV. The emulation options are very extensive and the configuration options are endless. For 129 euros you don't get as many games as with other mini computers and the included games are not all equally iconic, but Retro Games Ltd makes up for that with the possibility to add games yourself, without being difficult. In addition, the emulator is so well preconfigured that even many of the self-added games work right out of the box with no changes, but that is mainly due to the preconfigured WHD images.

On the hardware side, it is also a must. The supplied controller and mouse work well and it is possible to connect your own peripherals. The hard core Amiga enthusiasts can also have fun with the device. The expert mode gives them the opportunity to play around with different memory configurations, blitter settings and CPU optimizations. Still, we wonder if the hardcore Amiga fan runs to the store for this. The device costs 129 euros at the time of writing and for that money there are other, cheaper solutions that can do the same. The fact that those options in some cases take more work to get it working is something the hardcore tweaker does not turn his hand for. That's why we think THEA500 Mini is mainly for the nostalgic enthusiast who doesn't want to mess around too much. You get a nice package, with all legal kickstart images and other software. The package also knows exactly how to press all the nostalgic buttons and that is also worth something. If you don't like the included games, you can always easily add your favorites yourself, provided you have the originals in your possession of course."

https://tweakers.net/reviews/10014/t...nostalgie.html

Cobe · 29 April 2022, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

^ holy crap!

And it is possible to buy it here for 130 EUR. Not too bad for Serbia.

Gods are tempting us! Now it can be found for 116e.

eXeler0 · 29 April 2022, 22:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by jotd

I don't think I'm going to buy one because I already have the real thing, but that's really good news for the amiga. A lot of non-retrocomputing websites sells some. Great!

ye, overall positive reviews that can revive interest can only be a good thing for the Amiga community.
I have 20 -ish real Amigas, but still got the Mini. Although I haven’t unboxed it yet, Im planning to hook it up to my sons TV in his game room. He doesnt really know anything about Amiga so emulation is convenient here.

Lord Aga · 01 May 2022, 14:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cobe

Gods are tempting us! Now it can be found for 116e.

In a week or so they will be paying us to take them!

Cobe · 01 May 2022, 18:02

This time next year...

jono1975 · 02 May 2022, 00:02

Really impressed by the A500 mini community so far with various advances in a short period of time Aminimiga and mrvk2's Arcade Game Selector 2 are awesome... Yes for the purest maybe not but if you simply just like Amiga at a cost effective price it is awesome. yes not perfect but to be honest there are not too many that can afford to build the perfect setup. We can enjoy it for what it is. If it helps keep the Amiga alive that is a good thing. I still love my original Amiga's and the Pimiga..

Cobe · 02 May 2022, 22:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

In a week or so they will be paying us to take them!

Its already sold out in "BIG"

but there are som left in Pancevo

ransom1122 · 02 May 2022, 23:35

Is Jim Power a lost cause on mini or can it be run at full speed?

number6 · 03 May 2022, 02:52

@thread

Update on supply from RetroGames Ltd.

#6

twenty90seven · 03 May 2022, 03:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by ransom1122

Is Jim Power a lost cause on mini or can it be run at full speed?

It will be interesting to see how PUAE performs under Retroarch on the Mini (when Retroarch is released for it) and whether PUAE can run Jim Power faster

Cobe · 11 December 2022, 02:17

Amiga today, side by side with Nintendo

Johnyt · 13 December 2022, 14:15

I got one under the Christmas tree its going to be a magical Christmas like it was back in 1993

lordofchaos · 13 December 2022, 14:39

I have one, brought it via a sale on Amazon, it's actually the second time because I was really disappointed with it initially and returned it, the compatibility seemed very hit and miss outside of the games provided. I guess the main issue is the older version of Amiberry and the low spec of the cpu running it..

It's nice for a quick hit of nostalgia, and if you can except that some of your favourite games won't work correctly (I'm looking at your Jim Power) then fair enough. The small tank mouse is excellent, and I was more than happy with the controller that came with it.

Would be super nice if a version came out with full size working keyboard and better CPU for higher accuracy. The A600 would make a good candidate, being far smaller than the A500..

gimbal · 13 December 2022, 14:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by lordofchaos

It's nice for a quick hit of nostalgia, and if you can except that some of your favourite games won't work correctly (I'm looking at your Jim Power) then fair enough. The small tank mouse is excellent, and I was more than happy with the controller that came with it.

Indeed, bit of a bummer. There are quite a few games which chug. Putty Squad was my biggest disappointment, I really wanted to play that one on the couch.

Lord Aga · 02 March 2023, 14:49

Supposedly, the Retro Games guys had a teaser announcement on their Facebook page.
Something about a new project coming in 2023. But it's still just speculations galore. No word on if it's Amiga related or something completely different.

FOL · 03 March 2023, 14:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lord Aga

Supposedly, the Retro Games guys had a teaser announcement on their Facebook page.
Something about a new project coming in 2023. But it's still just speculations galore. No word on if it's Amiga related or something completely different.

As they trademarked Atari's consoles and computers. Its proberly the ST mini or Jaguar mini.

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27 April 2022, 18:24	#81
jotd This cat is no more Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: FRANCE Age: 52 Posts: 8,381	I don't think I'm going to buy one because I already have the real thing, but that's really good news for the amiga. A lot of non-retrocomputing websites sells some. Great!

27 April 2022, 18:36	#82
fille1976 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: Edegem (Antwerpen) Posts: 4	I put my 1200 with blizzard 1260 back to the shelve and play now on amiga 500 mini or MISTer.

29 April 2022, 16:31	#85
MikeB Registered User Join Date: Apr 2020 Location: Groningen Posts: 43	The biggest tech website here in the Netherlands also reviewed the A500 mini. Here's their conclusion translated from Dutch into English: "THEA500 Mini is a very good mini version of the Amiga 500, but also much more. The device can handle not only Amiga 500 software, but with software for practically all Amiga 1200 versions: from the Amiga 1000 to the Commodore CDTV. The emulation options are very extensive and the configuration options are endless. For 129 euros you don't get as many games as with other mini computers and the included games are not all equally iconic, but Retro Games Ltd makes up for that with the possibility to add games yourself, without being difficult. In addition, the emulator is so well preconfigured that even many of the self-added games work right out of the box with no changes, but that is mainly due to the preconfigured WHD images. On the hardware side, it is also a must. The supplied controller and mouse work well and it is possible to connect your own peripherals. The hard core Amiga enthusiasts can also have fun with the device. The expert mode gives them the opportunity to play around with different memory configurations, blitter settings and CPU optimizations. Still, we wonder if the hardcore Amiga fan runs to the store for this. The device costs 129 euros at the time of writing and for that money there are other, cheaper solutions that can do the same. The fact that those options in some cases take more work to get it working is something the hardcore tweaker does not turn his hand for. That's why we think THEA500 Mini is mainly for the nostalgic enthusiast who doesn't want to mess around too much. You get a nice package, with all legal kickstart images and other software. The package also knows exactly how to press all the nostalgic buttons and that is also worth something. If you don't like the included games, you can always easily add your favorites yourself, provided you have the originals in your possession of course." https://tweakers.net/reviews/10014/t...nostalgie.html

01 May 2022, 18:02	#89
Cobe Registered User Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Belgrade / Serbia Age: 41 Posts: 1,008	This time next year...

02 May 2022, 00:02	#90
jono1975 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2020 Location: Adelaide / Australia Posts: 72	Really impressed by the A500 mini community so far with various advances in a short period of time Aminimiga and mrvk2's Arcade Game Selector 2 are awesome... Yes for the purest maybe not but if you simply just like Amiga at a cost effective price it is awesome. yes not perfect but to be honest there are not too many that can afford to build the perfect setup. We can enjoy it for what it is. If it helps keep the Amiga alive that is a good thing. I still love my original Amiga's and the Pimiga..

02 May 2022, 23:35	#92
ransom1122 Registered User Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Omnicorp Age: 45 Posts: 5,913	Is Jim Power a lost cause on mini or can it be run at full speed?

03 May 2022, 02:52	#93
number6 Registered User Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: USA Posts: 154	@thread Update on supply from RetroGames Ltd. #6

11 December 2022, 02:17	#95
Cobe Registered User Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Belgrade / Serbia Age: 41 Posts: 1,008	Amiga today, side by side with Nintendo

13 December 2022, 14:15	#96
Johnyt Zone Friend Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Weymouth, Dorset, England Age: 42 Posts: 69	I got one under the Christmas tree its going to be a magical Christmas like it was back in 1993

13 December 2022, 14:39	#97
lordofchaos TinkerTailorContentMaker Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Bedfordshire Age: 45 Posts: 1,210	I have one, brought it via a sale on Amazon, it's actually the second time because I was really disappointed with it initially and returned it, the compatibility seemed very hit and miss outside of the games provided. I guess the main issue is the older version of Amiberry and the low spec of the cpu running it.. It's nice for a quick hit of nostalgia, and if you can except that some of your favourite games won't work correctly (I'm looking at your Jim Power) then fair enough. The small tank mouse is excellent, and I was more than happy with the controller that came with it. Would be super nice if a version came out with full size working keyboard and better CPU for higher accuracy. The A600 would make a good candidate, being far smaller than the A500..

02 March 2023, 14:49	#99
Lord Aga MI clan prevails Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Belgrade, Serbia Posts: 1,443	Supposedly, the Retro Games guys had a teaser announcement on their Facebook page. Something about a new project coming in 2023. But it's still just speculations galore. No word on if it's Amiga related or something completely different.

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