The full-size version of the "The A1200" console from Retro Games Ltd is finally available for pre-order in the US. I've been looking forward to this thing for a while, though it's definitely not for everyone - an actual vintage Amiga *or* emulation on something like a Pi or your daily driver PC is probably a better option for the vast majority of people. That said, I have the full-size version of the "The C64" and really quite like it.

So who are these things for? People who want super easy and convenient plug and play emulation, but are *just* nerdy enough to realize the shortcomings of using a micro PC without a keyboard (even if just for gaming!) and/or want the nostalgia of having the actual form factor in front of them. At the end of the day though, they're nothing more than little SBC running an emulator with a nice (if limited) interface wrapped around it. They come with a decent number of classic games, officially licensed, which is probably enough for a lot of people, but you can *very easily* load your own ROMs too.

On the C64 you can also get into the OS and play with BASIC or run other applications, and supposedly you can do the same on the A1200, too. They don't have actual disk drives and won't work with many other legitimate peripherals, but that's not really the point of these consoles.

Anyway, my use case for the C64 was simple - I have a love for the old 8-bit micros, especially the Commodore stuff as the VIC20 was my first PC, but when it comes to collecting retro computers, mostly for the sake of my wallet, I specifically limited myself to 16-bits and beyond. The C64 was a reasonably priced way to get my foot into that door without collecting and maintaining a bunch of real hardware or otherwise dealing with the associated cruft, but while having an experience slightly closer to the real thing than if I were just running VICE or something (although with sitting in front of a big widescreen HD TV, that's pretty debatable!) It's very easy to plug it into my TV and throw some ROMs on it if I want to play an old VIC or C64 game, and with a keyboard, I can play sims, RPGs, or other games with more complex control schemes.

With that in mind, I have waaaaay less justification for getting the A1200, since I already have a number of Amigas and other ways to emulate them, though I'm still tempted.

Is anyone planning on picking one up?

Oh, and before this disappears (it has been kind of a pain to reliably purchase Retro Games Ltd's other, older consoles) here's the US pre-order link:

https://a.co/d/eJT7Riw

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

The full-size version of the "The A1200" console from Retro Games Ltd is finally available for pre-order in the US. I've been looking forward to this thing for a while, though it's definitely not for everyone - an actual vintage Amiga *or* emulation on something like a Pi or your daily driver PC is probably a better option for the vast majority of people. That said, I have the full-size version of the "The C64" and really
quite like it.

I have full size C64 Max as well. I like it too, albeit it's clearly hollow inside. I have real A1200 at home so that one won't make me any difference, but I totally understand the sentiment!

I'm waiting for Apollo Computers to go broader with A6000 that's vampire standalone in Amiga 600 case.. That's some real thing with more horse power than early PPC amigas, not even speaking about 060s

-h1

... -=Lordz of BooM are back=-

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

The full-size version of the "The A1200" console from Retro Games Ltd is finally available for pre-order in the US. I've been looking forward to this thing for a while, though it's definitely not for everyone - an actual vintage Amiga *or* emulation on something like a Pi or your daily driver PC is probably a better option for the vast majority of people. That said, I have the full-size version of the "The C64" and really
quite like it.

So who are these things for? People who want super easy and convenient plug and play emulation, but are *just* nerdy enough to realize the shortcomings of using a micro PC without a keyboard (even if just for gaming!) and/or want the nostalgia of having the actual form factor in front of them. At the end of the day though, they're nothing more than little SBC running an emulator with a nice (if limited) interface
wrapped around it. They come with a decent number of classic games, officially licensed, which is probably enough for a lot of people, but
you can *very easily* load your own ROMs too.

On the C64 you can also get into the OS and play with BASIC or run other applications, and supposedly you can do the same on the A1200, too. They don't have actual disk drives and won't work with many other legitimate peripherals, but that's not really the point of these consoles.

Anyway, my use case for the C64 was simple - I have a love for the old 8-bit micros, especially the Commodore stuff as the VIC20 was my first
PC, but when it comes to collecting retro computers, mostly for the sake of my wallet, I specifically limited myself to 16-bits and beyond. The
C64 was a reasonably priced way to get my foot into that door without collecting and maintaining a bunch of real hardware or otherwise dealing with the associated cruft, but while having an experience slightly
closer to the real thing than if I were just running VICE or something (although with sitting in front of a big widescreen HD TV, that's pretty debatable!) It's very easy to plug it into my TV and throw some ROMs on
it if I want to play an old VIC or C64 game, and with a keyboard, I can play sims, RPGs, or other games with more complex control schemes.

With that in mind, I have waaaaay less justification for getting the A1200, since I already have a number of Amigas and other ways to emulate them, though I'm still tempted.

Is anyone planning on picking one up?

I pre-ordered and after a day of thinking about it. I cancelled it.

Based on my habbits and behaviour, it likely would just sit and gain dust. I'm more likely to continue to emulate on my linux desktop pc.

I may change my mind once I start seeing unboxing videos next year.

... Back up my hard drive? I can't find the reverse switch!

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (911:1519/1)

on 23 Nov 2025, hollowone said...

I have full size C64 Max as well. I like it too, albeit it's clearly hollow inside. I have real A1200 at home so that one won't make me any difference, but I totally understand the sentiment!

I still see the appeal of simply having to plug it into a monitor or TV via HDMI and not having to worry about *any* other barriers to entry, outside of tossing a disk image on a USB to load into it, but I'm not sure if that's quite enough for me. That said, I don't see the two things as mutually exclusive - there's a whole different appeal to owning, upgrading and maintaining, and of course, using vintage hardware besides just having the ability to re-visit great old games and software.

I'm waiting for Apollo Computers to go broader with A6000 that's vampire standalone in Amiga 600 case.. That's some real thing with more horse power than early PPC amigas, not even speaking about 060s

I've been pretty intrigued by a lot of Apollo's stuff over the years, and the A6000 is perhaps their coolest looking product yet. They clearly have a vision beyond just super fast accelerators for where they think Amiga could go in the future, but it seems like between past controversy and the price tags of most of their stuff, it's nowhere near as popular as it could be.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 23 Nov 2025, niter3 said...

I pre-ordered and after a day of thinking about it. I cancelled it.

Based on my habbits and behaviour, it likely would just sit and gain
dust. I'm more likely to continue to emulate on my linux desktop pc.

Totally fair. My C64 sits boxed in a corner almost all the time, but it's quite easy to pull out and plug in when/if I ever want to. Plus, they've done a decent enough job with making their products look good, even the packaging, that it would be a decent piece just to have on a shelf somewhere (although if that was the only consideration, a broken or pieced out real Amiga 500 can probably be had for a lot cheaper.)

I may change my mind once I start seeing unboxing videos next year.

Hopefully they'll still be semi-easy to acquire by then. The full-size C64 has been practically unobtainium most of the time, but oddly punctuated by periods of very easy available. You can still get them readily these days I believe, but often at a premium.

I missed the original pre-order and I was on the fence at the time anyway, but once I saw some early unboxings I was sold and couldn't find it anywhere. Thankfully a second, brief wave of availability on Amazon popped up and I managed to snag one then. I do kind of wish I got the VIC-20 version, but the C64 is a lot more iconic, really.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

The full-size version of the "The A1200" console from Retro Games Ltd is finally available for pre-order in the US. I've been looking forward to this thing for a while, though it's definitely not for everyone - an actual vintage Amiga *or* emulation on something like a Pi or your daily driver PC is probably a better option for the vast majority of people.

So who are these things for?

Me. I'm stoked about this one - I've wanted to jump into a1200 stuffs for a long time and this looks like it'll itch all my scratches. Sometimes its best to work with real hardware, but I think this release is for me.

I also like that it [should] last into the future w/o issues - playing all the games and demos I want to experience... its almost cheaper; I pre-ordered.



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

on 23 Nov 2025, paulie420 said...

Me. I'm stoked about this one - I've wanted to jump into a1200 stuffs
for a long time and this looks like it'll itch all my scratches.
Sometimes its best to work with real hardware, but I think this release
is for me.

I also like that it [should] last into the future w/o issues - playing
all the games and demos I want to experience... its almost cheaper; I pre-ordered.

Nice!

I hope it lives up to its promise but at this point I think Retro Games Ltd. has a pretty decent track record. They purposely make it easy to load new roms/images, they'll put out an update here and there for a while, possibly adding even more official games, etc.

It's definitely waaay cheaper than buying a real Amiga (even an A500) and kitting it out with a modern accelerator and other convenience upgrades, although we'll likely need to wait for the first round of reviews to know exactly how fast it runs, though it'll likely be at least a bit faster than the mini version was. I mean, IIRC it comes with Settlers II which has fairly high requirements, so that's a good sign, at least.

The keyboard and other hardware won't really be that comparable though - not the type of stuff that would hold up to being a daily driver, I'm sure, but it should be fine for messing around on.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

The keyboard and other hardware won't really be that comparable though - not the type of stuff that would hold up to being a daily driver, I'm sure, but it should be fine for messing around on.

Damn... Well I did another pre-order in Canada Amazon now... :/

We'll see if I cancel again, but you're thinking the keyboard won't be that good?

... A book misplaced is a book lost

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (911:1519/1)

I still see the appeal of simply having to plug it into a monitor or TV via HDMI and not having to worry about *any* other barriers to entry,

You're right :) but I have MIST + DB9 Joysticks already under my 4:3 VGA monitor and A1200 still doesn't impress me :)

I've been pretty intrigued by a lot of Apollo's stuff over the years,
and the A6000 is perhaps their coolest looking product yet. They clearly have a vision beyond just super fast accelerators for where they think Amiga could go in the future, but it seems like between past controversy and the price tags of most of their stuff, it's nowhere near as popular
as it could be.

And this does... but still. you're right. I had a pre-order of V4 while they were not openly available and I had to wait 12 months in the line... when they asked me for payment I canceled because at that moment I had no free money.. I regretted later... but still entry point is costing some budget to consider.

-h1

... -=Lordz of BooM are back=-

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

Nice!

I hope it lives up to its promise but at this point I think Retro Games Ltd. has a pretty decent track record. They purposely make it easy to
load new roms/images, they'll put out an update here and there for a while, possibly adding even more official games, etc.

The keyboard and other hardware won't really be that comparable though - not the type of stuff that would hold up to being a daily driver, I'm sure, but it should be fine for messing around on.

Agreed - one thing that would have been super cool is if it had an actual 3.5" disk drive AND SDCard; but thats too much to ask of Retro Games Ltd. I was impressed with their C64 mini and max - and haven't sourced an Amiga over all these years, so...



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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

on 25 Nov 2025, niter3 said...

Damn... Well I did another pre-order in Canada Amazon now... :/

We'll see if I cancel again, but you're thinking the keyboard won't be that good?

Speculation on my behalf as I haven't heard anything about it, good or bad, though the keyboard of The C64 "maxi" wasn't exactly amazing. It feels cheap and squishy, but then again, the actual Commodore 64 keyboard wasn't incredible either IMO. I'd say its close enough, and it's definitely usable, but I seriously doubt its build and material quality are going to be anywhere close to the real deal, which is the main place I was coming from with that comment.

Let me put it another way. Retro Games Ltd.'s machines are equivalent to (and in the same market as) things like the NES and SNES classic, mini Genesis, PS classic, etc. - emulators running on SOCs stuffed into a cheap, easy to use and cool looking packages. How good would you expect such a keyboard to be, really? :P

It'll be good enough to play games and otherwise fuck around on, I'd hope, but you won't want to write your next novel on it. :)

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 25 Nov 2025, hollowone said...

You're right :) but I have MIST + DB9 Joysticks already under my 4:3 VGA monitor and A1200 still doesn't impress me :)

If you have a MIST or MISTer then you're already ahead of the game. The A1200 is arguably a cooler package, with its authentic looking case and keyboard that, hopefully, has a legit Amiga layout, but those FPGAs have much more accurate emulation and are way more flexible. I only have an old MIST 1.3 but I think it's super awesome.

That said, if you were to go through the trouble of building a MISTer with the proper cabling, breakout board (e.g. Mistress1200) mounting, etc. to stick in a real Amiga case with a real Amiga keyboard (or modern recreations) it would cost you *a lot* more than an A1200.

Funnily enough, with that in mind, people were talking about buying full-size The A1200s to strip and use for an MISTer or a PiMiga pretty much the price was announced. ;) I doubt Retro Games Ltd. will include anything to make mounting other hardware easy (why would they?) but I'm sure we'll see some interesting hacks after people get their hands on this thing regardless.

And this does... but still. you're right. I had a pre-order of V4 while they were not openly available and I had to wait 12 months in the
line... when they asked me for payment I canceled because at that moment
I had no free money.. I regretted later... but still entry point is costing some budget to consider.

I believe it! All of their products, even their older, more modest Vampire cards, are really luxury products. That said, I think they make a lot of sense for people who want to actively use an Amiga/Amiga-like system in 2025 as somewhat of a daily driver type machine for tracking or coding or whatever. As much as I love Amiga stuff, this isn't me, but I know there is still a niche of people who totally fit that description.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 25 Nov 2025, paulie420 said...

Agreed - one thing that would have been super cool is if it had an
actual 3.5" disk drive AND SDCard; but thats too much to ask of Retro Games Ltd. I was impressed with their C64 mini and max - and haven't sourced an Amiga over all these years, so...

Yeah, though like I said, that isn't really the point of these machines. They're not meant to be modern recreations of retro computers - they're much more akin to the cheap mini retro consoles that have been popular in the last 10 years or so. If you think of it along those lines rather than along the lines of getting A1200NG or an A6000 or something, you'll be much more likely to be happy with it. Since you already have a TheC64 then I think you'll like it. That is, assuming it lives up to the hype, of course!

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

Agreed - one thing that would have been super cool is if it had an actual 3.5" disk drive AND SDCard; but thats too much to ask of Retro Games Ltd. I was impressed with their C64 mini and max - and haven't sourced an Amiga over all these years, so...

Yeah, though like I said, that isn't really the point of these machines. They're not meant to be modern recreations of retro computers - they're much more akin to the cheap mini retro consoles that have been popular
in the last 10 years or so. If you think of it along those lines rather than along the lines of getting A1200NG or an A6000 or something, you'll be much more likely to be happy with it. Since you already have a TheC64 then I think you'll like it. That is, assuming it lives up to the hype,
of course!

I don't own TheC64 - but have played with it... I hear you; and maybe a good way to look @ Retro Games Ltd stuffs.

I think I'm gonna dig it, regardless. :P



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
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--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

It'll be good enough to play games and otherwise fuck around on, I'd
hope, but you won't want to write your next novel on it. :)

So in other words, if my expectations are to BBS, IRC, run a CNet board if I ever do, it's likely not going to be good enough?

My thought was ripping out the board and putting in a mini pc.

But that begs the question, we'll we be able to use the keyboard with a mini pc?

... Electricity is really just organized lightning.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (911:1519/1)

A1200 is arguably a cooler package, with its authentic looking case and keyboard that, hopefully, has a legit Amiga layout, but those FPGAs have much more accurate emulation and are way more flexible. I only have an
old MIST 1.3 but I think it's super awesome.

I think I also have 1.3 or 1.4, I dunno.

Point is that I have 68020 at 100Mhz speed from it so works as 040/40Mhz in practical terms.. all demos targeting 040 work exactly as I remember on Apollo 040 cards from the era. it has 24MB FAST, Akiko, RTG (my Workbench runs 800x600x16bpp just fine!)

I don't need more unless I want to beat 060's performance :)

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a mere copy.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

on 26 Nov 2025, niter3 said...

Argh. My board did that thing where it toggled one of my bases (this one) off of my newscan again, so I've been unknowingly ignoring this echo for the last few weeks. Doh. I really need to figure out the cause of that one of these days...

So in other words, if my expectations are to BBS, IRC, run a CNet board
if I ever do, it's likely not going to be good enough?

I mean, I think you could probably do that, but I'd be curious to see how it holds up to being used in such a way. I mean, I don't think having a relatively cheap keyboard is going to dramatically effect running a board, but will you love it when it comes to chatting on IRC or writing messages on BBSes? It depends on how verbose you are. We shall see. :)

My thought was ripping out the board and putting in a mini pc.

But that begs the question, we'll we be able to use the keyboard with a mini pc?

I believe TheC64 maxi uses USB signaling so if it doesn't have any sort of easy to use connector (I don't recall, but probably not?) I'd imagine you could make one in one way or another. I'd guess TheA1200 will be similar - they're probably going to make it as cheap as possible for themselves with no concern with how hard it is for people to modify, yet they're not going to actually put any expense into purposely making it hard to hack, I'd think.

*pause*

I just looked around for a few seconds and found some videos of people throwing a Pi into their TheC64 case, and the one I'm watching now is a total hack job and seems to be working fine, so yeah, I think there's hope. We'll just need to see what the early reviews say about the quality of the case and keyboard.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Saturday, November 22nd jack phlash was heard saying...

With that in mind, I have waaaaay less justification for getting the A1200, since I already have a number of Amigas and other ways to emulate them, though I'm still tempted.

Is anyone planning on picking one up?

I have an A500 and I'm very happy with it, so obviously I should desire an A1200.. but, the more I dig into it, the less I care. I 3d printed an "amig400" case for the raspi 400 and ran something, pimiga maybe I don't recall, with the very nice "Amiga Game Selector", and played the (*very few*) AGA game titles that I had been missing, and, I'm very happy now that I did not dump up to $1k for an amiga 1200. I saw an A1200 for sale with a broken case for about $600 at VCFMW, thought too long about it, and it was gone 20 minutes later, that's probably the best deal I've seen yet.

This very good article shows some graphs, I would suggest the "Commercial Amiga game releases per year -- 1985-2003", grouped by "OCS", "AGA", and "CD32". You're looking at over 500 games releases for OCS in 1989, and the peak release of AGA is at 1994 with 60 -- 240 OCS titles were released that same year.

https://blog.johnnovak.net/2023/01/02/gaming-on-the-amiga-part-1-amiga-500-is-all-you-need/

So, anyway, I'm not sure I would use the "THEA1200" if i had it, at least, I don't know what for. But, if I had no amiga at all, and wanted to spend less than $200 and be an Amazon customer again, I would, at least just for the gamepad and mouse and keyboard layout, its pretty great... but also, they're not serial, there are no serial ports, its just usb stuff, so these accessories aren't useful for anything but emulation on modern pc's.

I guess my chief complaint with these "minis" was the "mini" part, and I'm glad they're finally making a full-sized one. If it used and came with serial port gamepads and mouse I might buy it, a CD32 gamepad costs nearly as much on ebay as THEA1200, lol. I'll keep using my modified sega genesis controllers, then :)

My nephew has "mini consoles" for NES and SNES, and he doesn't use them, but requested the super famicom for christmas, he may be young but he knows the difference between the real thing and toy mini clones, I think adults are the same.

I participated in the Detroit Retro Gaming show, we did an "8-bit computer" display with all the most popular ~20 8-bit computers with the local computer club.

I brought the VIC-20 and a business PET, and the PET got a lot of attention, a real CRT and fullsize hardware, along with all the silly quirks and crashes is part of the appeal. I don't think anyone would pay nearly as much attention to see a "minipet" reproduction board connected to a flatscreen display.

Nintendo and Sega would do well to reproduce their original hardware, they could put everything into a single chip and still make them compatible with original cartrides and they would cost a fraction of their original MSRP, I think they would make a fortune to produce new officially licensed cartridges, boxes, manuals, etc, hobbyists are doing it at a reasonable price, they could probably do it at scale for significantly less. Hyperkin makes devices like this that vaguely resemble what they clone for under $100, I bet they could charge twice as much just if they used the original design. Very few people care what the insides are made of or whether it is the "true original" or a replica, so long as the replica has the same exterior.





--- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.14-beta (linux; x64; 22.18.0)
* Origin: Xibalba -+- xibalba.vip:44510 (911:1801/0)

jack phlash around Saturday, November 22nd...

PC, but when it comes to collecting retro computers, mostly for the sake of my wallet, I specifically limited myself to 16-bits and beyond. The

I'm the complete opposite, 16-bit is my cut-off, because I can fix just about any problem on any 8-bit computer, I buy them all "untested" or "for parts or repair", fully expecting to fix them, and most of the time they work just fine, the seller was just unable to test it.

16-bit however is pretty stressful, I'm doing a 4MB Ram upgrade to an Atari ST and i've put it on hold for a few months now because the pins are so close.. but the two 16-bits I have, A500 and Atari 520 ST are pretty great and totally worth any trouble. I also have a Mac SE as spare parts/tinker machine that matches my nephew's, it's his favorite. I have no idea why, but both computers crash pretty frequently, I recapped everything on one computer to no avail, the 2nd computer was meant to swap parts, but has the same problem... I think I need a very good logic analyzer to figure it out. 8-bit computers aren't so mysterious to me. I have no idea what I'd do with a pentium-class computer, I can recap and swap cards but the things were mass-produced cheap crap when they were new, they're cheap crap when they're old, they're just not worth the time.

I encoded some music videos for the Mac SE using "macflim2" I highly recommend it if you have an old mac, full motion video and audio is pretty impressive, of course a music video is several hundred megabytes but that's no problem for a bluescsi.

https://www.macflim.com/macflim2/


--- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.14-beta (linux; x64; 22.18.0)
* Origin: Xibalba -+- xibalba.vip:44510 (911:1801/0)

on 23 Dec 2025, dingo said...

I have an A500 and I'm very happy with it, so obviously I should desire
an A1200.. but, the more I dig into it, the less I care. I 3d printed an "amig400" case for the raspi 400 and ran something, pimiga maybe I don't recall, with the very nice "Amiga Game Selector", and played the (*very few*) AGA game titles that I had been missing, and, I'm very happy now that I did not dump up to $1k for an amiga 1200. I saw an A1200 for sale with a broken case for about $600 at VCFMW, thought too long about it,
and it was gone 20 minutes later, that's probably the best deal I've
seen yet.

I think an Amiga 500 is still pretty much the sweet spot. Unless you were big into productivity and/or an Amiga user in the mid 90s - I mean, it's the baseline for almost all of the vintage OCS games, it can be upgraded to pretty crazy specs, often relatively cheaply, it can be purchased (again, relatively) cheaply, and they're way easier to work on than the Amiga 1200 is. I could go on, but yeah, it's a legendary machine so if you only want one, I think you have the right one. I mean, if someone gives you an A3000 or A4000 for free, don't refuse their offer though. :P

Nintendo and Sega would do well to reproduce their original hardware,
they could put everything into a single chip and still make them compatible with original cartrides and they would cost a fraction of
their original MSRP, I think they would make a fortune to produce new officially licensed cartridges, boxes, manuals, etc, hobbyists are doing it at a reasonable price, they could probably do it at scale for significantly less. Hyperkin makes devices like this that vaguely
resemble what they clone for under $100, I bet they could charge twice
as much just if they used the original design. Very few people care what the insides are made of or whether it is the "true original" or a
replica, so long as the replica has the same exterior.

Oh yeah, totally agreed! I definitely think they would clean up with some nice, first party reproductions of the consoles. Honestly, it's hard to imagine Nintendo doing it for that reason alone - they're such a weird company when it comes to their strategic decisions. I love to buck trends and kind of do their own thing, but I kind of like that about them even if it is sometimes maddening (see: their online features since the Wii days.) Sega on the other hand would probably do it, but get some third party to put out a trashy version that everyone hates. ;)

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Tue 23-Dec-2025 6:03p, |11Jack Phlash|03 barked to |11Dingo|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 I think an Amiga 500 is still pretty much the sweet spot. Unless you were|03
|10JP|08>|02 big into productivity and/or an Amiga user in the mid 90s - I mean, it's|03
|10JP|08>|02 the baseline for almost all of the vintage OCS games, it can be upgraded|03
|10JP|08>|02 to pretty crazy specs, often relatively cheaply, it can be purchased|03
|10JP|08>|02 (again, relatively) cheaply, and they're way easier to work on than the|03
|10JP|08>|02 Amiga 1200 is. I could go on, but yeah, it's a legendary machine so if you|03
|10JP|08>|02 only want one, I think you have the right one. I mean, if someone gives|03
|10JP|08>|02 you an A3000 or A4000 for free, don't refuse their offer though. :P|03

I have an A500 that I restored and then upgraded a bunch with all the
stuff from Indivdual Computers over in Germany. And it is absolutely
fantatic, runs at 1024x768 workbench that's super snappy. The only issue
is that no AGA support, there's a good bunch of AGA games that I can't
run no matter how much I hot rod my A500. So I also preordered the 1200,
and hopefully you can hot rod it a bit as well. If if can do some high
rez workbench and give us a network jack for BBSing that would be
excellent. Also need some sort of emulated Hard Drive on flash of some
sort, for all those WHDLoad games, but im sure that's already got to be
in there... Haven't seen them release much in the way of specs yet,
but if it's not that great im sure it will be easy to sell, I just don't
want to want one later and them find out they are all being scalped for
twice the price.

|10Xpilot

|16|15- |16|10|16|13"Mess with the best, die like the rest." -Dade Murphy|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

On Tue 23-Dec-2025 6:03p, |11Jack Phlash|03 growled to |11Dingo|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 I think an Amiga 500 is still pretty much the sweet spot. Unless you were|03
|10JP|08>|02 big into productivity and/or an Amiga user in the mid 90s - I mean, it's|03
|10JP|08>|02 the baseline for almost all of the vintage OCS games, it can be upgraded|03
|10JP|08>|02 to pretty crazy specs, often relatively cheaply, it can be purchased|03
|10JP|08>|02 (again, relatively) cheaply, and they're way easier to work on than the|03
|10JP|08>|02 Amiga 1200 is. I could go on, but yeah, it's a legendary machine so if you|03
|10JP|08>|02 only want one, I think you have the right one. I mean, if someone gives|03
|10JP|08>|02 you an A3000 or A4000 for free, don't refuse their offer though. :P|03

I grew up with an A500 and absolutely loved it. That being said, I
always lusted after the A1200. Now that I have one, I believe that the
A1200 is the overall best model for most users. There were a good number
of AGA only titles, and others that were enhanced. That is just
considering mainstreadm commercial titles. There are a good number of
indie AGA projects and releases.

Accelerators are easily obtained nowadays, but it is nice starting with
an '020 right from the start. The A1200 has a built-in IDE interface for
a harddrive, unlike the A500. It's a trivial thing to pop in a CF card
adapter.

Don't get me wrong, I also have an A500 and love it. I have Vampire accelerators for both. But, if I had to choose just one model, for me it
is the A1200 all the way.

|10aNACHRONiST |08+o |02aBSiNTHE BBS|03

|16|10.|16|15|16|10-----------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 Amiga: The Future Was Here. |16|10||16
|16|10`-----------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

on 03 Jan 2026, Xpilot said...

I have an A500 that I restored and then upgraded a bunch with all the stuff from Indivdual Computers over in Germany. And it is absolutely fantatic, runs at 1024x768 workbench that's super snappy. The only issue is that no AGA support, there's a good bunch of AGA games that I can't
run no matter how much I hot rod my A500. So I also preordered the 1200,

Yep. I'm using the icomp ACA500Plus - big fan, with my only real complaint being the usual one about the lack of a case. I just saw last week that icomp won't be shipping to the US anymore, which I guess means my relationship with them is over for the time being. That's okay, I already have most of their current products that I wanted. :|

Eh, I wouldn't be too concerned about the lack of AGA games myself, as there aren't *that* many, and many of those have PC versions. Still, it is a bummer to miss out on the AGA exclusives or superior versions, or AGA enhanced versions.

and hopefully you can hot rod it a bit as well. If if can do some high
rez workbench and give us a network jack for BBSing that would be excellent. Also need some sort of emulated Hard Drive on flash of some sort, for all those WHDLoad games, but im sure that's already got to be
in there... Haven't seen them release much in the way of specs yet,
but if it's not that great im sure it will be easy to sell, I just don't want to want one later and them find out they are all being scalped for twice the price.

I have my doubts you'll be about to upgrade it too much. As mentioned later in this thread, this thing is just a little SBC of some sort emulating an Amiga - who knows how hackable it will be, but it's far from being an actual Amiga. I suspect it'll emulate a reasonably speedy processor - its supposed to ship with The Settles II which requires a 40mhz 68040 so it should be capable of AT LEAST that much, which is a lot faster than a real Amiga 1200. And yeah, I'm sure it'll be capable for emulating WHDLoad games as the TheA500 Mini uses WHDLoad as its main way of sideloading games so unless they've completely re-done everything, it'll probably be the same.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 03 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

I grew up with an A500 and absolutely loved it. That being said, I
always lusted after the A1200. Now that I have one, I believe that the A1200 is the overall best model for most users. There were a good number of AGA only titles, and others that were enhanced. That is just considering mainstreadm commercial titles. There are a good number of indie AGA projects and releases.

I don't know the exact numbers, but IIRC there were something like 200 AGA-only games out of like 3000+ Amiga games, and a lot of those are crap. I think the bigger advantage are some of the newer games/ports, productivity, and demo scene stuff, really.

More importantly, I mentioned the price (and I think ease of obtaining an Amiga 500?) in my post and I think that's a pretty critical factor for most people. Anything besides 1000s, 500s, and 2000s are pretty rare in the US and most of the ones they *do* turn up are UK/PAL versions, which isn't a problem of course, but just reinforces that claim, and further more, A1200s are *quite* a bit more expensive. I've seen some good deals on them here and there over the years, particularly from local retro computing nerds around here who aren't out to make a massive profit, but it's not uncommon to see them go for well over $1000 on eBay (although, that does often include some upgrades and/or other goodies and in some cases might actually be decent values with that in mind.)

Accelerators are easily obtained nowadays, but it is nice starting with
an '020 right from the start. The A1200 has a built-in IDE interface for
a harddrive, unlike the A500. It's a trivial thing to pop in a CF card adapter.

Eh, I can't debate that - I mean, it's pretty easy and not usually too pricey to boost the speed of an A500 using an accelerator with a boosted clock or 020 or 030 or something, and a lot of those add-ons will get you a CF card slot as well, but the A1200 and newer KS/AmigaOS versions are able to take more advantage of those features, so I'd agree that if you want a really pimped out Amiga, a 1200 is better.

Personally, I also really like the size and overall form factor of the A1200 - I think people who didn't grow up with them don't realize how damn chunky an A500 is just from pictures. :P

Don't get me wrong, I also have an A500 and love it. I have Vampire accelerators for both. But, if I had to choose just one model, for me it is the A1200 all the way.

I mean, if you're the type of person who has a Vampire for their A500, I don't think you're the type of person I had in mind when I made that post. :P I was thinking more along the lines of person who had an Amiga as a kid and wants to revisit it, or a retro computing fan who maybe never had one and wants to purchase their first one, but not at all someone who is a massive Amiga enthusiast. Besides, we all know us real Amiga fans usually have multiples anyway. ;)

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Sun 4-Jan-2026 3:46p, |11Jack Phlash|03 riffed to |11aNACHRONiST|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 I don't know the exact numbers, but IIRC there were something like 200|03
|10JP|08>|02 AGA-only games out of like 3000+ Amiga games, and a lot of those are crap.|03
|10JP|08>|02 I think the bigger advantage are some of the newer games/ports,|03 |10JP|08>|02 productivity, and demo scene stuff, really.|03

Two hundred is a lot. But, as I said the indie scene is huge! Not having
AGA gets to be really irksome. A new owner will start wishing that he
had dropped the extra cash.

|10JP|08>|02 More importantly, I mentioned the price (and I think ease of obtaining an|03
|10JP|08>|02 Amiga 500?) in my post and I think that's a pretty critical factor for|03
|10JP|08>|02 most people. Anything besides 1000s, 500s, and 2000s are pretty rare in|03
|10JP|08>|02 the US and most of the ones they *do* turn up are UK/PAL versions, which|03

I imported my Miggies from the UK to ensure that I have PAL models.
Having an NTSC Miggy is a really frustrating experience. My A500 as a
kid was NTSC, and it was a nightmare getting games and software to
display correctly. Much of the time, it just isn't possible. The timing
is also off. It's a mess!

There was a good number of NTSC releases, but the library is
overwhelmingly PAL. Besides, PAL has greater resolution! I highly
recommend that anyone looking to pick up a Miggy avoids NTSC models like
the plague.

|10JP|08>|02 more, A1200s are *quite* a bit more expensive. I've seen some good deals|03

Very true. My comparison wasn't taking price into consideration. Of
course, don't go broke!

|10JP|08>|02 Eh, I can't debate that - I mean, it's pretty easy and not usually too|03
|10JP|08>|02 pricey to boost the speed of an A500 using an accelerator with a boosted|03
|10JP|08>|02 clock or 020 or 030 or something, and a lot of those add-ons will get you|03
|10JP|08>|02 a CF card slot as well, but the A1200 and newer KS/AmigaOS versions are|03
|10JP|08>|02 able to take more advantage of those features, so I'd agree that if you|03
|10JP|08>|02 want a really pimped out Amiga, a 1200 is better.|03

It's not just that. An unexpanded A1200 just offers a lot more right
out of the box. You can get a IDE<->CF card adapter for less than
ten bucks and be up and running with a huge HD and easily move files
back and forth from a PC. Not so with an A500! The lack of an '020 is crippling. Even BBS terminals (capable ones, anyway) crawl on an A500.

|10JP|08>|02 Personally, I also really like the size and overall form factor of the|03
|10JP|08>|02 A1200 - I think people who didn't grow up with them don't realize how damn|03
|10JP|08>|02 chunky an A500 is just from pictures. :P|03

It is a sleek, sexy thang!

|10JP|08>|02 I mean, if you're the type of person who has a Vampire for their A500, I|03
|10JP|08>|02 don't think you're the type of person I had in mind when I made that post.|03
|10JP|08>|02 :P I was thinking more along the lines of person who had an Amiga as a kid|03
|10JP|08>|02 and wants to revisit it, or a retro computing fan who maybe never had one|03
|10JP|08>|02 and wants to purchase their first one, but not at all someone who is a|03

My responses are for exactly the type of person that you had in mind.
These are important things to know for a first-time buyer!

|10JP|08>|02 massive Amiga enthusiast. Besides, we all know us real Amiga fans usually|03
|10JP|08>|02 have multiples anyway. ;)|03

So true. >:) We'll never let them go! Everyone is waiting for us to
die off so that there are more on the market haha

|10aNACHRONiST |08+o |02aBSiNTHE BBS|03

|16|10.|16|15|16|10--------------------------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 Amiga: The Computer for the Creative Mind. |16|10||16
|16|10`--------------------------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

I imported my Miggies from the UK to ensure that I have PAL models.
Having an NTSC Miggy is a really frustrating experience. My A500 as a
kid was NTSC, and it was a nightmare getting games and software to
display correctly. Much of the time, it just isn't possible. The timing
is also off. It's a mess!

There was a good number of NTSC releases, but the library is overwhelmingly PAL. Besides, PAL has greater resolution! I highly recommend that anyone looking to pick up a Miggy avoids NTSC models like the plague.

Dumb ?... can PAL systems work in the U.S. just fine?? Connect to my same C=/Amiga monitors?



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

On Sun 4-Jan-2026 3:28p, |11Jack Phlash|03 stuttered to |11Xpilot|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 being the usual one about the lack of a case. I just saw last week that|03
|10JP|08>|02 icomp won't be shipping to the US anymore, which I guess means my|03
|10JP|08>|02 relationship with them is over for the time being. That's okay, I already|03
|10JP|08>|02 have most of their current products that I wanted. :||03

Oh wow, that's no good. I suspect something to do with tarrifs or
something.. There stuff is so good, while I do have a lot of their gear
its going to be terrible to not be able to get new stuff... :(

|10Xpilot

|16|15- |16|10|16|13"You're the moron that's been invading my turf?!" -Acid Burn|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

On Sun 4-Jan-2026 3:28p, |11Jack Phlash|03 prophesied to |11Xpilot|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 Yep. I'm using the icomp ACA500Plus - big fan, with my only real complaint|03
|10JP|08>|02 being the usual one about the lack of a case. I just saw last week that|03

For a case here ya go..... https://www.retropassion.co.uk/product/aca500plus-enclosure-case-amiga/

|10Xpilot

|16|15- |16|10|16|13"Hacking is more than just a crime. It's a survival trait." -Razor|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

On Sun 4-Jan-2026 6:11p, |11Paulie420|03 intimated to |11aNACHRONiST|08:|03

|10P0|08>|02 Dumb ?... can PAL systems work in the U.S. just fine?? Connect to my same|03
|10P0|08>|02 C=/Amiga monitors?|03

No, you will have to connect to a PAL monitor. You will also need a
voltage converter for the Amiga and the monitor to run on US current. I
have a UK power strip connected to it for all of my 230V/50Hz gear. I
use the Goldsource STU-500 and have had no issues.

|10aNACHRONiST |08+o |02aBSiNTHE BBS|03

|16|10.|16|15|16|10----------------------------------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 Enter a New World of Possibilities with the Amiga! |16|10||16
|16|10`----------------------------------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

No, you will have to connect to a PAL monitor. You will also need a voltage converter for the Amiga and the monitor to run on US current. I have a UK power strip connected to it for all of my 230V/50Hz gear. I
use the Goldsource STU-500 and have had no issues.

Out of cursoity, how does one view a demo built for PAL under winuae? It just works right, because your display is setup for PAL. No need for a real PAL monitor?

... (A)bort, (R)etry, (I)nfluence with large hammer.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Clutch BBS * telnet://clutchbbs.com (911:1519/1)

on 04 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

Two hundred is a lot. But, as I said the indie scene is huge! Not having AGA gets to be really irksome. A new owner will start wishing that he
had dropped the extra cash.

Look at the list of them and tell me how many of those you love. ;) In reality, it's a bigger number since there are a lot of OCS/ECS games that have AGA enhanced versions too, though.

But yeah, you're often cut out of anything newer/indie without AGA, so I agree there. If you just want to play classics perhaps OCS is enough for you though - that was the angle I was coming from, really. Again, two different use-cases. I'm thinking more of the person who wants to drop a few hundred bucks on an Amiga to play classics with and never look back, although the more we talked about it, I admit that's probably a rarer use case than psychopaths like us. :)

I imported my Miggies from the UK to ensure that I have PAL models.
Having an NTSC Miggy is a really frustrating experience. My A500 as a
kid was NTSC, and it was a nightmare getting games and software to
display correctly. Much of the time, it just isn't possible. The timing
is also off. It's a mess!

My phrasing there was VERY intentional. I know most people prefer PAL Amigas, so I didn't say "oh no, you'd have to get a UK Amiga... boo!" rather I was saying that it just goes to show how rare 1200s are in NA. :)

It seems *a lot* easier to soft mod (if you can even call it that) the newer models (and Kickstart 2.0+) than it was the old OCS ones, at least. You can get MOST of the way there with an Amiga 500 pretty easily by just upgraded the Agnus, but IIRC theirs a crystal you need to swap out to get the PAL frequency just right and most people skip that part. Between that and WHDLoad taking care of it all in many cases, the ease of moving between NTSC and PAL is another reason to go with an A1200 IMO.

There was a good number of NTSC releases, but the library is overwhelmingly PAL. Besides, PAL has greater resolution! I highly recommend that anyone looking to pick up a Miggy avoids NTSC models like the plague.

Sure, and I assume most newer/indie releases target PAL only. That said, it's an interesting consideration is that *a lot* of the bigger, classic OCS games from the 80s were actually NTSC first or NTSC only. Amiga fanboys often overlook that. :P There's some really interesting articles and forum threads on places like amigalove.com where they're trying to find NTSC dumps of certain games for that reason.

Higher resolution but lower refresh! But that resolution difference is one of the reasons for the above comment - a lot of NTSC games don't look quite right on a PAL machine and vice versa. I'm sure the clock rate issue causes problems sometimes, but I think that's rarer.

Very true. My comparison wasn't taking price into consideration. Of course, don't go broke!

To be fair, that's often a problem when getting into this stuff. Even if you find a cheap Amiga you're probably going to obsessively start pimping it out and next thing you know your old Amiga 500 might cost as much as a slightly less upgraded A1200 would have. *shrug*

It's not just that. An unexpanded A1200 just offers a lot more right
out of the box. You can get a IDE<->CF card adapter for less than
ten bucks and be up and running with a huge HD and easily move files
back and forth from a PC. Not so with an A500! The lack of an '020 is crippling. Even BBS terminals (capable ones, anyway) crawl on an A500.

That'd be a good argument in 1992. Ain't nobody using an Amiga "right out of the box" in 202... 6. :)

So true. >:) We'll never let them go! Everyone is waiting for us to
die off so that there are more on the market haha

Ha! Man, I feel like I need to put specific instructions in my will for my retro PC stuff. "I know it might look old and crusty, but puuuuulease don't just throw this all in the trash!" :P

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 04 Jan 2026, Xpilot said...

Oh wow, that's no good. I suspect something to do with tarrifs or something.. There stuff is so good, while I do have a lot of their gear its going to be terrible to not be able to get new stuff... :(

Indeed it is. They have a pretty ranty post about it on their site:

https://icomp.de/shop-icomp/index.php/en/33/items/no-more-shipments-to-usa.html

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 04 Jan 2026, Xpilot said...

For a case here ya go..... https://www.retropassion.co.uk/product/aca500plus-enclosure-case-amiga/

Yeah, those ones are everywhere. I kind of hate it. ;) I actually sourced some nice beige filament and had one 3D printed that matches the original Amiga 500 case, but the color is still slightly off enough that I hate it also. Sticking with naked for now. :P

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4681680

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 04 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

No, you will have to connect to a PAL monitor. You will also need a voltage converter for the Amiga and the monitor to run on US current. I have a UK power strip connected to it for all of my 230V/50Hz gear. I
use the Goldsource STU-500 and have had no issues.

While this is true, just some clarification here...

If you're fine *suffering* NTSC mode (:P) you can do a soft boot into NTSC mode on Kickstart 2.0+ and use an NTSC monitor. Additionally, the Amiga power bricks will convert 110v *and* 220v just fine, so no need for a transformer there.

Also, if you're using a legit Commodore monitor, some of them will handle PAL just fine when using RGB (as opposed to composite.) Speaking of which, another small benefit of an Amiga 500 (or other OCS or ECS Amigas) is being able to use the *AMAZING* RGB2HDMI mod which is a dirt cheap to give your Amiga crystal clear digital output and *should* let you output a PAL signal to a modem monitor over HDMI although I don't have any personal experience doing that myself since all of my Amigas except for my 1200 are NTSC.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Sun 4-Jan-2026 7:50p, |11aNACHRONiST|03 communicated to |11Jack Phlash|08:|03

|10AT|08>|02 There was a good number of NTSC releases, but the library is|03 |10AT|08>|02 overwhelmingly PAL. Besides, PAL has greater resolution! I highly|03
|10AT|08>|02 recommend that anyone looking to pick up a Miggy avoids NTSC models like|03
|10AT|08>|02 the plague.|03

I wish i knew that information before I got my A500. I intentionally
looked for an NTSC version as I guess I assumed the PAL version wouldn't
work here or something like that. I really had no idea about game
compatibility and such. But at least with the ACA500Plus add on I appear
to be able to easily boot in NTSC or PAL mode, so I believe that solves
the issue for games anyways...

|10Xpilot

|16|15- |16|10|16|13"What is it with this guy?" -Phantom Phreak|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

On Sun 4-Jan-2026 9:06p, |11Xpilot|03 boasted to |11Jack Phlash|08:|03

|10XT|08>|02 For a case here ya go.....|03
|10XT|08>|02 https://www.retropassion.co.uk/product/aca500plus-enclosure-case-amiga/ |03

I also just looked up which case I ended up getting and it was the one
from Plexilaser. their site was all in German but I was about to order
with google translate successfully. If I remember they had different
versions depending on where your aca500plus reset button is located, so
make sure of that.

https://www.plexilaser.de/Acryl-Gehaeuse-fuer-die-ACA500plus-Teilesatz

|10Xpilot

|16|15- |16|10|16|13"I'm taking over a TV network." -Dade Murphy|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

On Mon 5-Jan-2026 9:48a, |11Niter3|03 proclaimed to |11aNACHRONiST|08:|03

|10N3|08>|02 Out of cursoity, how does one view a demo built for PAL under winuae? It|03
|10N3|08>|02 just works right, because your display is setup for PAL. No need for a|03
|10N3|08>|02 real PAL monitor?|03

You don't really have to do anything as long as you have it emulating a
PAL chipset internally with output to a modern display. You'll be good
to go.

|11aNACHRONiST |08+o |10aBSiNTHE BBS

|16|10.|16|15|16|10------------------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 Are You Keeping Up with Commodore? |16|10||16
|16|10`------------------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

On Mon 5-Jan-2026 9:17a, |11Jack Phlash|03 crooned to |11aNACHRONiST|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 If you're fine *suffering* NTSC mode (:P) you can do a soft boot into NTSC|03
|10JP|08>|02 mode on Kickstart 2.0+ and use an NTSC monitor. Additionally, the Amiga|03

The softboot option only perfectly works for some titles. Much of the
time you will have a percentage of the bottom of the screen
chopped off. You will also sometimes get timing issues which are
often noticeable in the music and gameplay. Some, I'm sad to say, just
won't work at all. jP has it right when he says "suffering"!

|10JP|08>|02 power bricks will convert 110v *and* 220v just fine, so no need for a|03
|10JP|08>|02 transformer there.|03

I would not recommend using one of the original C= power blocks. Those
caps are 30-40 years old! Good modern third-party ones are better with
heat, better over-current protection, etc. They also give you room for
when you do the Amiga thing and add CF adapters, accelerator, Gotek
drive replacements, etc. Protect that Miggy!

|10JP|08>|02 Also, if you're using a legit Commodore monitor, some of them will handle|03
|10JP|08>|02 PAL just fine when using RGB (as opposed to composite.) Speaking of which,|03

Come to think of it, that is true. All of the RGB models IIRC could
switch with no issues. It was the composite-only models that choked.

|11aNACHRONiST |08+o |10aBSiNTHE BBS

|16|10.|16|15|16|10-------------------------------------------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 Commodore 64: The Computer for the Masses, Not the Classes. |16|10||16
|16|10`-------------------------------------------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

Dumb ?... can PAL systems work in the U.S. just fine?? Connect to my s C=/Amiga monitors?

No, you will have to connect to a PAL monitor. You will also need a voltage converter for the Amiga and the monitor to run on US current. I have a UK power strip connected to it for all of my 230V/50Hz gear. I
use the Goldsource STU-500 and have had no issues.

Right - thats what I thought. I've always sought out NTSC computers for this reason; but maybe I've been missing out... :P



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2024/05/29 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (911:1503/0)

on 05 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

The softboot option only perfectly works for some titles. Much of the
time you will have a percentage of the bottom of the screen
chopped off. You will also sometimes get timing issues which are
often noticeable in the music and gameplay. Some, I'm sad to say, just won't work at all. jP has it right when he says "suffering"!

That might be true, I've never had an issue doing it that I recall... but maybe I've just been lucky? I haven't done PAL > NTSC too much. I'm using RGB (or HDMI) and my "daily driver" A500 has an 8372A "Fatter Agnus" which can switch between PAL and NTSC too, so timing issues are really my only concern, but I've not run into them as long as I'm in the right mode.

I would not recommend using one of the original C= power blocks. Those caps are 30-40 years old! Good modern third-party ones are better with heat, better over-current protection, etc. They also give you room for when you do the Amiga thing and add CF adapters, accelerator, Gotek
drive replacements, etc. Protect that Miggy!

Yup! That said, the original ones I have still work absolutely fine. I still don't really use them because you never know when one might decide to give up. At least they're not as dangerous as the infamous C64 power supply. ;)

Come to think of it, that is true. All of the RGB models IIRC could
switch with no issues. It was the composite-only models that choked.

There might be some variations that don't, but the most common ones (1080, 1084, 2002, etc.) all do I believe. I know my 2002s do, although they're not sophisticated enough to remember different picture settings like a newer multisync monitor would so you've got to manually adjust the picture. Some classic monitors also HATE switching between modes too quickly, not that such a thing should normally be an issue.

In summary, Anst and I discussing all of this pedantic nuance should be a pretty good advertisement for saying "fuck it" to getting a real Amiga and just buying an TheA1200 or emulating on your PC or a Pi or something. :P

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 05 Jan 2026, Xpilot said...

I wish i knew that information before I got my A500. I intentionally looked for an NTSC version as I guess I assumed the PAL version wouldn't work here or something like that. I really had no idea about game compatibility and such. But at least with the ACA500Plus add on I appear to be able to easily boot in NTSC or PAL mode, so I believe that solves the issue for games anyways...

I personally don't think it's as big of a deal as Anst thinks it is. He's probably more knowledgeable and experienced on this topic than I am, but of the 5 Amigas I currently own, 4 are NTSC, and I've done most of my playing in that space.

Maybe this Reddit post by AmigaLove will make you feel a little better:
---
"> My problem is, most of the Amiga games were PAL

This is actually a very common misconception. Most BIG games - popular games - made before 1991/2 were NTSC capable and/or written for the NTSC market. Electronic Arts, SSI, Lucasfilm/arts, Cinemaware - literally hundreds (if not thousands) of classics. On top of that, they were written specifically for the "bottom of the barrel" (my preferred OS) least common denominator: OS 1.3. For most, this would mean an Amiga 500 - the most popular Amiga ever made. It also includes the 1000 and 2000 to some degree.

<snip>

And - now this is just my opinion (and I have two 1200s, both heavily modded, two 2000s, one 500 and one 1000) - most AGA games aren't worth the upgrade. Just my opinion, but AGA just wasn't taken advantage of in the grand scheme of things. If you go to Lemon and look for AGA games, you 1) won't find many and 2) many are not reviewed very highly. Once you go all-in for AGA games you often leave many of the 1.3/OCS/ECS classics behind un

On Mon 5-Jan-2026 8:55a, |11Jack Phlash|03 boasted to |11Xpilot|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 Indeed it is. They have a pretty ranty post about it on their site:|03

|10JP|08>|02 https://icomp.de/shop-icomp/index.php/en/33/items/no-more-shipments-to-usa.|03
|10JP|08>|02 html|03

If there's one thing I learned it's that time fixes everything....

|10Xpilot

|16|15- |16|10|16|13"The pool on the roof must have a leak." -Dade Murphy|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

on 05 Jan 2026, Xpilot said...

If there's one thing I learned it's that time fixes everything....

That's for sure! Maybe by the time they start shipping here they'll have some cool new products I'll be interested in.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Monday, January 5th jack phlash said...

on 04 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

No, you will have to connect to a PAL monitor. You will also
need a voltage converter for the Amiga and the monitor to run on US

On Monday, January 5th jack phlash said...

While this is true, just some clarification here...

If you're fine *suffering* NTSC mode (:P) you can do a soft boot into NTSC mode on Kickstart 2.0+ and use an NTSC monitor. Additionally, the Amiga power bricks will convert 110v *and* 220v just fine, so no need for a transformer there.

Y'all are reminding me that I'm a very lucky stiff! my amiga 500 is rev 6. Holding down both mouse buttons, I can chose either PAL or NTSC on boot, and, using a sony trinitron television I modified for RGB, it's just a matter of entering the "service menu" and changing VSYNC value.

The computer and tv are both 110v, no problem nothing crazy.

I now use the Open Source Scan Converter (OSSC) and an hdmi monitor, which is even better because it handles both NTSC and PAL transparently, I don't have to muck around with any service menu.

The PAL vs. NTSC issue is very complex with Amiga, there are many titles that were distributed to both regions, with varying approaches, in any case its usually best to use the same mode that it was developed for -- because most titles are converted without concern of change of resolution and aspect ratio, so circles appear as ovals etc. A lot of people are playing north american titles with screwed up aspect ratios, the "Amiga Games Collections" usually prefer the PAL version sometimes even when the graphics are stretched.

I keep games in separate folders, by NTSC and PAL, there are many games that are NTSC exclusive or preferred. Ultima VI NTSC was discovered in 2020, and should probably be preferred as the graphics/aspect ratio were directed towards this mode, and, like most games, the sprites are directly transferred to the PAL release without concern for the change of vertical resolution, "squishing" the characters making them appear a bit too fat or too slim depending on which mode it was directed towards vs. ported to.

https://www.amigalove.com/viewtopic.php?t=1106 "
Perfect Ultima VI NTSC Disks Found, ADFs Made, Available Now"


--- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.14-beta (linux; x64; 22.18.0)
* Origin: Xibalba -+- xibalba.vip:44510 (911:1801/0)

Twas Monday, January 5th when jack phlash said...

This is actually a very common misconception. Most BIG games - popular games - made before 1991/2 were NTSC capable and/or written for the NTSC market. Electronic Arts, SSI, Lucasfilm/arts, Cinemaware - literally hundreds (if not thousands) of classics. On top of that, they were

Definitely, many popular US-based games are better played in the NTSC version, the graphics artists designed for NTSC resolution, and the ports to PAL are squished strangely. Playing a game like Although my amiga runs either ntsc or pal, I seek out NTSC versions of any USA-produced games, they're always better.

I wasn't going to mention it, but I really enjoyed this very opinionated youtuber who discusses this in detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSujirmsrzQ "Computer Aspect Ratios - Part 1 - PAL VS NTSC - The You're Not Stupid Guide"

In any case, look at the location of the game studio that developed it, and prefer to find and use the mode that matches it, because very few games took the time to re-create all of their graphics into the different aspect ratios.


--- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.14-beta (linux; x64; 22.18.0)
* Origin: Xibalba -+- xibalba.vip:44510 (911:1801/0)

On Thu 8-Jan-2026 12:45p, |11Dingo|03 chirped to |11Jack Phlash|08:|03

|10DO|08>|02 Definitely, many popular US-based games are better played in the NTSC|03
|10DO|08>|02 version, the graphics artists designed for NTSC resolution, and the ports|03
|10DO|08>|02 to PAL are squished strangely. Playing a game like Although my amiga runs|03
|10DO|08>|02 either ntsc or pal, I seek out NTSC versions of any USA-produced games,|03
|10DO|08>|02 they're always better.|03

That makes sense! While I ensured that my main Miggies are all PAL, my
expanded CD32 is NTSC. I'll have to seek some of those titles out! With
WHDLoad and X-bench, it's really convenient. Do you have any suggestions
for US-based games best in NTSC?

I spend the vast majority of my Amiga time programming, but it will be
good to get some gaming in. I've been meaning to finish off Space
Crusade for ages. >:)

|11aNACHRONiST |08+o |10aBSiNTHE BBS

|16|10.|16|15|16|10------------------------------------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 "To be this good will take Sega ages!" - CD32 advert |16|10||16
|16|10`------------------------------------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

on 08 Jan 2026, dingo said...

I wasn't going to mention it, but I really enjoyed this very opinionated youtuber who discusses this in detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSujirmsrzQ "Computer Aspect Ratios -
Part 1 - PAL VS NTSC - The You're Not Stupid Guide"

Added to my queue. Thanks! I can already tell from previewing the first few minutes that I'm going to enjoy this. :P

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

on 09 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

I spend the vast majority of my Amiga time programming, but it will be good to get some gaming in. I've been meaning to finish off Space
Crusade for ages. >:)

Oh, nice! I loved the board game as a kid and I've always wanted to try this version, just haven't got around to it yet (like a million other games.)

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Fri 9-Jan-2026 6:11p, |11Jack Phlash|03 stuttered to |11aNACHRONiST|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 Oh, nice! I loved the board game as a kid and I've always wanted to try|03
|10JP|08>|02 this version, just haven't got around to it yet (like a million other|03
|10JP|08>|02 games.)|03

It's so good! If you're a fan of X-Com or its predecessors such as Laser
Squad, then you'll love it. It holds up incredible well today.

|10aNACHRONiST |08+o |02aBSiNTHE BBS|03

|16|10.|16|15|16|10---------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 2B or not 2B = FF |16|10||16
|16|10`---------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

on 10 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

It's so good! If you're a fan of X-Com or its predecessors such as Laser Squad, then you'll love it. It holds up incredible well today.

Ohhhhh you bed your ass I'm a fan of X-Com! :P Nice. I'll definitely check this one out.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)

On Sun 11-Jan-2026 5:58p, |11Jack Phlash|03 wailed to |11aNACHRONiST|08:|03

|10JP|08>|02 Ohhhhh you bed your ass I'm a fan of X-Com! :P Nice. I'll definitely check|03
|10JP|08>|02 this one out.|03

I've always wanted to play the original board game version of Space
Crusade. I love the early Games Workshop stuff. There is a certain feel
about them that is hard to describe. I bet some guys have put together
*absurd* custom versions of that game with their miniatures and
terrain.

I played a lot of one of their other notable games of that era, Space
Hulk, on everything from Amiga to 3DO. I have to admit that I've always
rather sucked at it. Those graphics, though! Back then, they blew
my mind. Even now, those close-up sequences with the genestealers look
rad.

They came out with a gorgeous re-release of the board game a while
back. Do you ever get into Space Hulk, board or video game?

|10aNACHRONiST |08+o |02aBSiNTHE BBS|03

|16|10.|16|15|16|10------------------------------------------------.|16
|16|10||16|13 "Better hide your Megadeath albums." -- Mulder |16|10||16
|16|10`------------------------------------------------'|16
--- CNet/5
* Origin: aBSiNTHE BBS absinthebbs.net:1940 (911:1919/0)

on 11 Jan 2026, Anachronist said...

I've always wanted to play the original board game version of Space Crusade. I love the early Games Workshop stuff. There is a certain feel about them that is hard to describe. I bet some guys have put together *absurd* custom versions of that game with their miniatures and
terrain.

I *loved* Space Crusade - I liked it a lot more than Milton Bradley's other MUCH MORE FAMOUS GW collaboration from that time, Hero Quest. It was basically Space Hulk but with a lot of fun elements thrown in - more variety in gear, random event cards, etc. It's been decades since I played it though.

Yep. They didn't need to wait long - GW put out "Advanced Space Crusade" a bit later although I never played that one (though I did have a lot of the miniatures from it for WH40k purposes.)

I played a lot of one of their other notable games of that era, Space Hulk, on everything from Amiga to 3DO. I have to admit that I've always rather sucked at it. Those graphics, though! Back then, they blew
my mind. Even now, those close-up sequences with the genestealers look rad.

Yeah, I had a pirated copy of the DOS version back in the 90s. I *also* sucked at it - loved the graphics but the gameplay never clicked with me, even a little. I have a boxed copy on the shelf behind me right now and I'd love to revisit it one of these days to see if I can *actually* learn to play it properly. Enough people claim to love it that I'm chalking it up to user error, but who knows. :P There was a sort of sequel called "Vengeance of the Blood Angels" that people seem to like even more, but no clue if it was actually a legitimate improvement.

On that note, there's also quite a few more modern versions - I believe at least one of them is supposed to be pretty good. I've had it on my Steam wishlist for years and it often goes on sale for single digit dollars, but I haven't got around to grabbing it yet. ;)

They came out with a gorgeous re-release of the board game a while
back. Do you ever get into Space Hulk, board or video game?

Yep. There have been a few editions of Space Hulk - since it's an actual GW property they revive it from time to time.

GW has actually been putting out a lot of these little mini/smaller scope board games in recent years. Not only are some of them supposed to be pretty fun in their own rights, but most of them are really cheap ways to get otherwise expensive (and sometimes exclusive) miniatures for the mainline Warhammer games.

|07j |15A C K |07p |15H L A S H |07!
|08[https://jackphla.sh]

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/25 (Windows/32)
* Origin: d i s t o r t i o n // d1st.org (911:1423/0)