Amiga 500 mini (first review)

[ransom1122]

Anyone know where or how you can add DATA=data to make ACSYSDemo work?

[Shaggy]

I just got my A500 mini a couple of days a ago. I've played around with it a bit so far. Pretty excited to do more with it. It's been pretty encouraging with what has been done with it so far. Hopefully between Retro Games themselves and the community, we will eventually see much easier access to adf, hdf and CD32 games, all accessible right from the carousel. Hopefully they will eventually release a Maxi version of one of the Amiga models.

[Paradroid]

I wish I'd done a bit more reading before drunk buying a mini. I googled "a500 mini adf support", saw that the first result title was "A500 Mini to Run Amiga ADF Files", and I hit that buy button. I was somewhat disappointed when I finally plugged it in today.

My purpose for buying was to test what my demo stuff looks like on it, but now I know it doesn't have cycle exact mode either, so that kinda tells me everything I needed to know

[str0m]

Had a play with one on Sunday at a retro event, nice bit of kit and seemed to play ok. The one thing which bugged me and I haven't see mentioned anywhere is that the dpad need rotating about 15 degrees clockwise if you get what I mean so more like the real cd32 controller. Maybe it's just my thumbs etc but it felt wrong

Mute point as I don't own one and I hate all "playstation" style dpads anyway, Saturn pad ftw!

(yes I know you can use some other controllers with it which is good)

[gimbal]

Define "real cd32 controller". From what I've seen in another thread there were two types; one where the buttons are in a square formation and the other the setup you get with the mini.

[TheDrisk]

I am loving mine, as someone whom always found Amiga Emulation a pain to do, the simplicity of the Amiga Mini, the fact its in the right screen ratio (not stretched) and has mpretty good CRT overlays I am over the moon. Yes I know one can buy an Amiga Pi 400 (and plan to do that next month), but there is something about the beautifully detailed A500 case and the fact the drive light flashes as it should, gives me the warm and nostalgic fuzzies :-). Also having a modern version of the Amiga tank mouse is worth it alone.

I agree its a shame it cannot do ADF and ISO for CD32 and CDTV... as the LHA files I found of CD32 are missing the CD music sadly. But I get the principle of keeping things simple. I love the UI and the side bar for the on screen keyboard... combined with the floppy disks for the save states (although I wish the saves and loads could be activated via the on screen keyboard.

Overall for me personally it was all I could hope for in easy Amiga emulation and I thank the creators for it.

one slight niggle is the control pad, whilst infinitely better than an old CD32 pad, its difficult to do diagonals for games like speed ball 2... Thankfully the USB Competition joystick I picked up works like a dream :-)

One question I do have is I noted there are a lot more files of games I love on https://www.whdload.de/ compared to whddownload... But I am not too sure how to use the whdload.de files, so any pointers I appreciate it.

Also is there any amiga mini working lha files for PD/shareware games and Magazine coverdisks (like Amiga Power) out there? As I would love to put those on it...as have so many fond memories of those. Finally is there a way to rip the files on the 17 Bit 5 disks? I have Win uae and a PC ... so if someone knows the way I am more than happy to do the grunt work if someone shows me how. As having the entire PD library of those 5 phase collections would be epic.

[gizmomelb]

Originally Posted by Paradroid

I wish I'd done a bit more reading before drunk buying a mini. I googled "a500 mini adf support", saw that the first result title was "A500 Mini to Run Amiga ADF Files", and I hit that buy button. I was somewhat disappointed when I finally plugged it in today.

My purpose for buying was to test what my demo stuff looks like on it, but now I know it doesn't have cycle exact mode either, so that kinda tells me everything I needed to know

it runs UAE / AmiBerry - currently it's relatively easy to load direct into workbench (files mounted on the USB, no need for HDF) and you can also easily access the config page to load ADF file and set CPU speed / CPU type.

[gizmomelb]

Originally Posted by TheDrisk

I agree its a shame it cannot do ADF and ISO for CD32 and CDTV... as the LHA files I found of CD32 are missing the CD music sadly.

ISO support is accessible through the amiberry config page.

copied from a recent post on the A500 / C64 facebook page:

Here are the key steps:
1. Download the WHDLoad and Bonus games using the links above
2. Prep the USB Disk using the instructions provided on the Retro Games website
3. On another PC, ideally Linux based (or another Amiga Emulator) Extract the Citadel LHA
4. delete Disk.1 from the Citadel directory/folder (extracted copy)
5. Re-pack the LHA (which should only contain the Citadel directory/folder and Citadel.info file)
Note: All this is doing is preventing the A500 Mini from booting into anything useful, just to the kickstart rom
6. Put the USB Disk into the A500 Mini
7. Start the LHA on the A500 Mini
Note: This will create a .uae file
8. Using another machine, ideally Linux based, edit the .uae file, which was created by the Amiberry emulator on the A500 Mini, to include the following lines at the top of the file:
amiberry.open_gui=F12
amiberry.save_state_on_exit=true
amiberry.ignore_gui=false
use_gui=yes
9. Put the USB Disk back into your other PC, ideally Linux based
10. Set the permissions for the .uae file to read only (RO)
Note: This is VERY IMPORTANT, or the A500 Mini will strip out / overwrite the .uae config)
11. Put the USB stick back in the A500 Mini and start the LHA
12. If you've followed all the steps, you should get the Amiberry config screen / GUI
13. Configure Amiberry as required to boot ADF, ISO or HDF images


for CD32 emulation:

Use .uae config file the exploit to get the amiberry config menu up. Once your in that you can choose CD32 from the quickstart menu. Prior to that create on your usb stick a folder called ROM and ISO. Put the cd32 kickstart 40.60 and extended rom in the ROM folder. Put game images in ISO folder. In ROM config choose the rom images. Usb stick directory is /mnt/ROM in hard drive CD menu select the CD image from /mnt/ISO.

[TheDrisk]

Originally Posted by gizmomelb

ISO support is accessible through the amiberry config page.

copied from a recent post on the A500 / C64 facebook page:

Here are the key steps:
1. Download the WHDLoad and Bonus games using the links above
2. Prep the USB Disk using the instructions provided on the Retro Games website
3. On another PC, ideally Linux based (or another Amiga Emulator) Extract the Citadel LHA
4. delete Disk.1 from the Citadel directory/folder (extracted copy)
5. Re-pack the LHA (which should only contain the Citadel directory/folder and Citadel.info file)
Note: All this is doing is preventing the A500 Mini from booting into anything useful, just to the kickstart rom
6. Put the USB Disk into the A500 Mini
7. Start the LHA on the A500 Mini
Note: This will create a .uae file
8. Using another machine, ideally Linux based, edit the .uae file, which was created by the Amiberry emulator on the A500 Mini, to include the following lines at the top of the file:
amiberry.open_gui=F12
amiberry.save_state_on_exit=true
amiberry.ignore_gui=false
use_gui=yes
9. Put the USB Disk back into your other PC, ideally Linux based
10. Set the permissions for the .uae file to read only (RO)
Note: This is VERY IMPORTANT, or the A500 Mini will strip out / overwrite the .uae config)
11. Put the USB stick back in the A500 Mini and start the LHA
12. If you've followed all the steps, you should get the Amiberry config screen / GUI
13. Configure Amiberry as required to boot ADF, ISO or HDF images


for CD32 emulation:

Use .uae config file the exploit to get the amiberry config menu up. Once your in that you can choose CD32 from the quickstart menu. Prior to that create on your usb stick a folder called ROM and ISO. Put the cd32 kickstart 40.60 and extended rom in the ROM folder. Put game images in ISO folder. In ROM config choose the rom images. Usb stick directory is /mnt/ROM in hard drive CD menu select the CD image from /mnt/ISO.

Thankyou... wow so many steps lol... will try and follow and wrap my head around it all :P

[Cobe]

Originally Posted by Cobe

I almost crashed the car yesterday when I saw Amiga on the billboard
I'll have to take a photo...

Welcome to Belgrade!

[Lord Aga]

^ holy crap!

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

[Havie]

Originally Posted by Cobe

Welcome to Belgrade!

Wow and with Amiga Addict in the shops, the Amiga has a bit of a presence again!

[Aardvark]

Originally Posted by TheDrisk

One question I do have is I noted there are a lot more files of games I love on https://www.whdload.de/ compared to whddownload... But I am not too sure how to use the whdload.de files, so any pointers I appreciate it.

That's because whdownload has not been updated in years. Use Retroplay's stash for up to date installs https://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=61028

[sokolovic]

Originally Posted by Cobe

Welcome to Belgrade!

Ok this is the most moving thing I saw in many years.

[TuKo]

Any recommandation for a good wireless controller for the A500 Mini?

[ransom1122]

CD32 Now booting from the mini gui

[ Show youtube player ]

Ive added more games myself and they all seem to work except, Bump n Burn CD32 (it's slow, then black screens before the game starts)

Sorry forgot to mention this isn't my project. I'm just sharing what I found on YT

[SkulleateR]

Originally Posted by ransom1122

CD32 Now booting from the mini gui

Ive added more games myself and they all seem to work except, Bump n Burn CD32 (it's slow, then black screens before the game starts)

Really nice work

[fille1976]

Buyed mine from a guy that buyed 2 of them,payed 80 euro for it,must say its nice to have it,now hope they come with some updates,but i like the mini.

[MikeB]

A500 Mini review: a great intro to the world of Commodore Amiga

Eurogamer has published an in depth Digital Foundry review of the new A500 mini retro console, their conclusion:

"So in the end, we are left with the usual two-fold answer when taking a look at these mini devices. For rekindling childhood memories or exploring the Amiga library for the first time, the A500 Mini is a very welcoming device indeed — especially given its open nature when it comes to sideloading games. It gives a more modern console experience, allowing access to some incredible games that were previously hard to find as original copies and tough to dial in under emulation. But for those who have already dabbled with the original hardware or extensively configured their emulation boxes via Recalbox or MiSTer devices, there’s nothing new here and you are probably better served within your own infrastructure of custom setups.

Like the C64 Mini before it, it will be fascinating to see if the A500 Mini leads to a boom period for new commercial releases based on Amiga hardware. With that mini console, developers saw an opportunity to target a 'new' platform for their modern retro releases, and sales steadily increased as fans both new and old saw new software specifically optimised for the aftermarket device, something which could be taken even further on the A500 Mini with WHDLoad. The A500 Mini could usher in a new wave of Amiga fans and software, but it remains to be seen if Retro Games Ltd. make it possible."

"Despite some flaws, unique options and solid emulation earns this tiny retro console a DF recommendation."

https://www.eurogamer.net/a500-mini-...ommodore-amiga

[MikeB]

Originally Posted by TuKo

Any recommandation for a good wireless controller for the A500 Mini?

How To Play Games Using The DualShock 4 Controller On The A500 Mini Console (100%Works):
[ Show youtube player ]


Personally I've just ordered a Speedlink Competition Pro Extra USB, I like micro switches.