Nice thread
My first computer was an Amstrad CPC464 which I received when I was about 10. It was only used for games but around the same time another computer really started taking off... the Amiga 500.
It wasn't until 1992 that I got my own A500, once Formula One Grand Prix came out I had to get one. Again I mainly used it for games/demos. Used to love getting Amiga Format every month and trying out new games/demos, used to read that mag cover to cover.
After the Amiga scene died I sold my Amiga and bought a PC... it was a necessary evil to play the latest games. Mind you Windows would drive me up the wall, after the Amiga and Workbench it was so... um... crap!
Sadly being on a budget does not work in Windows world as instead of games getting better you have to constantly upgrade your hardware. Lazy bums.
So from there I went to Sony's Playstation, actually more specifically Gran Turismo. :-D
I was never a huge fan of Mac but needed something to surf the net, so got a G3 iBook a couple of year ago. Gotta say it's so much better than Windows and also pretty damn stable.
Of course the Amiga was always bubbling away in the background so when I found out about ebay and how cheap Amigas were compared to new I just couldn't resist.
Games wise I bought all my favorites again and surprisingly most stand up pretty well even today, sure the graphics aren't as good but the gameplay certainly is.
All the years I was away from the Amiga scene it never once left my heart, so I too have been wondering what it is about this machine that makes it so special. Was it the amazing versatility? It's ease of casual use yet at the same time being highly configurable? It never made me feel stupid, infact I always felt in control and I also felt like I was only ever scratching away at the surface of its amazing abilities. Short of Sony throwing AmigaOS into the PS3 I doubt anything will ever repeat the glory days when the Amiga was in its prime. About the only thing that I can think off for a mew Amiga would a reborn CDTV type set-top box that did everything... movie/music player, digital TV receiver/recorder,internet browser and games machine. Luckily while I wait and dream away I've got my trusty classic Amigas to keep me busy.
