C-One with expander

[Darrin]

I've already got one.  I'm looking forward to comparing it with the Minimig v1.1.

[Darrin]

There's a few others with one on Minimig.net.  Not much has been posted yet, but I'll try and put together some sort of review this weekend.

[Darrin]

@ quarkx:

I have WinUAE (or rather Amiga Forever) running on a fast PC and it doesn't "feel" the same as the Minimig.  The Minimig has that Amiga touch and there's no farting around with digital joystick settings or the like.  You plug it in and boot:  It's a real Amiga and when you compare it with an A500 with a scan doubler (and now a turbo card and extra RAM) then it is a cost-effective replacement with the added ability to use ADF files instead of corrupted floppy disks.

The C-One is a different kettle of fish.  Yes, it costs a lot more, but it has the potential to offer a lot more.  I didn'y buy it just for the Amiga side because I already own a Minimig.  What I want is a single machine that can replace my C64 and Amiga for most uses and have the ability to connect to my existing hardware (there are C64 serial ports, cartridge slots, Amiga clock ports, IDE headers, floppy headers and a PCI slot).  Don't bother mentioning emulation again, because I've done that on the PC and you don't get the feeling that you're using the actual hardware plus you have to jump through hoops to use the peripherals.

Your A4000/A1200 in a modern design is very possible, but it will probably be based on a Clone-A motherboard looking very similar to the C-One in size.  I'm sure The Daddy will build a case for it.  :-)

[Darrin]

quarkx wrote:
Actually, my point was, not to get into a hardware software debate, but simply less then 1% of people who use and collect Amiga's will ever see one in person. It's numbers will be too low to make a dent in the community. It's the same for the Amiga one, Sam 440 etc. Too expensive and too rare for many people to even look at.

You're right about the price.  The only way it will ever come down is if someone does a massive production run similar to the C64-in-a-joystick device with the Minimig.  It's still going to be expensive, but the possibility of a $99 computer in a cheap plastic box is possiblity and that would place it in a good position to sell around Christmas.  

The problem is the Kickstart which Amiga Inc holds by the balls.  Unless you can supply a complete package consisting of the Minimig, case, PSU, keyboard, mouse, joystick and an SD card pre-loaded with a few games and KS1.3 then your average consumer is not going to buy it.

[Darrin]

quarkx wrote:
This is what I don't understand. If Amiga Inc holds the Kickstart, why not make your product (motherboard etc) have a socket, and the BUYER supply's a real Kickstart rom. This sure would save everyone a buch of grief, and KS roms are very inexpensive and easy to come by. the only decision is to use a 500,2000 ROM or a "double Chip" ROM.

Damn good idea.