If you owned the Amiga trademark, what would you do?

[Khephren]

Sponsor the Natami guys, and release it as an official 'Amiga classic' in a wedge and desktop config.

Create an Amiga joystick type deal (although more like the megadrive one, which had two pads and a tiny replica megadrive brick).

Pay to get a decent games creation kit made, and a web browser.

Get some CD32 compatible pads made in china.

Port AmigaOS to ARM.

....perhaps over 200k, but maybe the Amiga in a joystick would bring some funds in.

[Darrin]

I looked up their website and cant find much about the Amiga, just stupid rubbish like the crappy Vic20, Philips Videopac etc...

You have to remember that the FPGA Arcade is not just for Amiga use, but alos for "rubbishy crap" like the VIC-20, Atari ST, orginal game consoles, etc.

Here's the main board:
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/common/replay_overview.jpg

From the Amiga side you have:
2 x Joystick ports
2 x PS/2 connectors (mouse & keyboard)
SVHS Out
Composite Out
DVI Out (DVI to VGA via cable)
Sereo audio out (3.5mm jack)
SD Card (store FPGA updates, cores, ADF and HDF files)
Reset button
Daughterboard expansion (like the slot on an A500/A600/A1200)
DDR2 RAM (fancy 48MB of Chip RAM to go with your FAST RAM?)
Serial port
5 Power inputs (take your choice of which one you want to use)
On/Off switch
Spare I/O connectors

Current core:
Switch between 68000 and 68020 CPUs
Up to 4x Floppy drives (normal and fast modes available)
Up to 2x Hard Drives (HDF files)
Kickstart selection via menu (1.3, 3.0, 3.1, etc)
OCS, ECS or AGA chipsets
RAM user configurable (set how much Chip, Slow, Fast, etc you want)

P96 RTG to be included in update.

I'm sure I've missed something, and I haven't even mentioned the daughterboard yet.  ;-)

[psxphill]

Given a very limited amount of capital, say $100-200K, and ownership of the Amiga trademark, what would you do with it? (Please, no jokes, as tempting as they may be here.)

Fund an asic minimig and do a deal with QVC etc like the C64 DTV.
 
Then use the money and experience to produce something expandable using usb & sata & clocked faster with some modern ram (whether that is a netbook/tablet/nettop). If it's possible to build these in as a hidden bonus on the joystick models then all the better.

[Everblue]

While I have nothing against Amiga OS 4, I don't see the point of using an OS if there isn't software for it. If I had incredible amount of money to blow, instead of spending it to create a machine no one can afford (ahem) I would port OS4 to arm and make sure that the OS is supported by software people can actually use.

[dougal]

While I have nothing against Amiga OS 4, I don't see the point of using an OS if there isn't software for it. If I had incredible amount of money to blow, instead of spending it to create a machine no one can afford (ahem) I would port OS4 to arm and make sure that the OS is supported by software people can actually use.

+1

True. The Sam44whatever is a total rip off. In the end of the day its paying over 600 euros for nothing more then a low end G4 Mac with less features and no case.

[dougal]

Oooh I like.. Just wish it could do better than a 68020 like maybe at the very least an 030 @ 50+ Mhz.

You have to remember that the FPGA Arcade is not just for Amiga use, but alos for "rubbishy crap" like the VIC-20, Atari ST, orginal game consoles, etc.

Here's the main board:
http://www.fpgaarcade.com/common/replay_overview.jpg

From the Amiga side you have:
2 x Joystick ports
2 x PS/2 connectors (mouse & keyboard)
SVHS Out
Composite Out
DVI Out (DVI to VGA via cable)
Sereo audio out (3.5mm jack)
SD Card (store FPGA updates, cores, ADF and HDF files)
Reset button
Daughterboard expansion (like the slot on an A500/A600/A1200)
DDR2 RAM (fancy 48MB of Chip RAM to go with your FAST RAM?)
Serial port
5 Power inputs (take your choice of which one you want to use)
On/Off switch
Spare I/O connectors

Current core:
Switch between 68000 and 68020 CPUs
Up to 4x Floppy drives (normal and fast modes available)
Up to 2x Hard Drives (HDF files)
Kickstart selection via menu (1.3, 3.0, 3.1, etc)
OCS, ECS or AGA chipsets
RAM user configurable (set how much Chip, Slow, Fast, etc you want)

P96 RTG to be included in update.

I'm sure I've missed something, and I haven't even mentioned the daughterboard yet.  ;-)

[Mrs Beanbag]

ooh what I'd do...

I'd get someone to design an ARM-based motherboard, flex-ATX compatible, and a stylish Amiga HTPC case.  The motherboard would have Amiga AGA graphics instead of VGA textmode, so it can be used by the BIOS.  It would also have a Nvidia GPU as well.  I'd tailor a version of AROS that can run Linux software too (there was another thread about that somewhere I remember).  I'd put a mini Kickstart OS in Flash ROM that can play DVDs and audio CDs etc.. and you'd be able to boot games straight from disk without having to install them.

It would essentially be a moderately upgradeable console/HTPC with an OS so you can also do office things and browse the internet.  Legacy software would have to be run through an emulator, however, but modern software doesn't tend to be written in ASM anymore except in special applications so I don't think 680x0 is such the defining feature that it once was.  The emulator would be in the Kickstart ROM so you could run old Amiga games without worrying.  ARM is up and coming, however, and is set to take over the laptop, desktop and server markets sometime soon.

Actually one thing I was thinking about lately, we're thinking about getting an Xbox developer kit, it set me wondering if you could port AROS to run on Xbox 360 as a user-mode application.

[Everblue]

@Dougal

If I remember well, Darrin said (he has an arcade FPGA) that currently SysInfo says that he has a 68020 @ 100mhz speed. This will increase significantly wiht the next build of the core (the software that is).

I am on the list to get an Arcade FPGA, and hopefully I will get it soon. If you want we can meet up and compare games running on an Amiga and FPGA side by side...  thats the ultimate test =)

[Darrin]

Oooh I like.. Just wish it could do better than a 68020 like maybe at the very least an 030 @ 50+ Mhz.

I'll let you know what the next core update manages.  Currently it is a 60MHz 68020, but it should do much better than that shortly.

The daughterboard has the option for a real 68060 on it which has already reached 100MHz.

[nyteschayde]

That may be so but with no other systems using DDR1 these days the availability of the RAM is getting more and more scarce which is of course driving prices up.

I hate new systems that upgrade to hardware that is becoming more and more unavailable.

Really? Even DDR1 would be a massive waste of bandwidth on an 040/060 system, and none of them would be much cheaper for practical Amiga capacities than used PCxxx SDRAM.

(Though DDR1 would at least be useful for a G4 upgrade.)

[Tripitaka]

Sponsor the Natami guys, and release it as an official 'Amiga classic' in a wedge and desktop config.

Create an Amiga joystick type deal (although more like the megadrive one, which had two pads and a tiny replica megadrive brick).

Pay to get a decent games creation kit made, and a web browser.

Get some CD32 compatible pads made in china.

Port AmigaOS to ARM.

....perhaps over 200k, but maybe the Amiga in a joystick would bring some funds in.

+1, I like the way your thinking but the "Port AmigaOS to ARM"  bit should read "Port AmigaOS 4 to ARM and bribe Hyperion with license so they say yes".

[Everblue]

I just tried AmiKit with OS3.9 + Magellan on WinUAE. It is REALLY REALLY fast, probably runs round in circles any currently available OS4 machine. While I wouldn't use it in real life, it is very good in giving you an idea how an Amiga could look and feel like today.

[persia]

Realistically I agree with the previous poster, give it to the AROS folks.

[Thorham]

Only the trademark? Not the chipset rights? Then it's simple: I'd stick the 100K-200K in my pocket, and take a nice, long vacation. This kind of money is chicken feed, and the trademark isn't Amiga, the classic hardware is, and that's not coming back for this kind of spare change. Anything else isn't Amiga, and is not worth my time.

[orb85750]

Only the trademark? Not the chipset rights? Then it's simple: I'd stick the 100K-200K in my pocket, and take a nice, long vacation. This kind of money is chicken feed, and the trademark isn't Amiga, the classic hardware is, and that's not coming back for this kind of spare change. Anything else isn't Amiga, and is not worth my time.

Even Natami is not worthy of the Amiga name in your view??

[Iggy]

Personally, I think worrying about the chipset rights is a bit silly as the all the patents have lapsed.
 
Also, the Amiga name has been polluted and the reputation dragged through the mud.
 
I'd take the money and talk to Treavor about a new MorphOS machine with JIT support for UAE.
 
PPC or ARM? I'm not sure. 68K? Why? At 100MHz that is still DAMNED slow.