Commodore’s Amiga 500, a home computer that became a popular game system, is receiving a remake. The A500 Mini is being developed by Retro Games Ltd, which previously released a mini version of the Commodore 64.
The Amiga 500 was the most successful model in the Amiga family of PCs, which started to appear in the mid-’80s and drew a devoted following as gaming systems, particularly in Europe. While the A500 Mini is clearly based on the Amiga 500, Retro Games Ltd says it’ll also emulate the more powerful AGA graphics hardware from the Amiga 1200.
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The list of games confirmed so far includes:
- Alien Breed 3D
- Another World
- ATR: All Terrain Racing
- Battle Chess
- Cadaver
- Kick Off 2
- Pinball Dreams
- Simon the Sorcerer
- Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe
- The Chaos Engine
- Worms: The Director’s Cut
- Zool
There’ll be 25 included in total, and you’ll also be able to add more yourself with WHDLoad, an installation package for Amiga software. Other system functions include the ability to switch between 50Hz and 60Hz screen refresh rate, save states, a built-in CRT filter, and various scaling options.
The A500 Mini comes with a two-button USB mouse that is already making my hand cramp up with nostalgia, as well as a gamepad reminiscent of the one from the CD32, an ill-fated attempt to convert the Amiga into a traditional game console. The keyboard on the case is sadly not functional, but you can hook up your own over USB.
Retro Games Ltd will release the A500 Mini early next year. It’ll cost $139.99 in the US and £119.99 in the UK.
