The Amiga was the best home computer of its time
The Commodore Amiga is a home computer that was first released in 1985 by Commodore International. The Amiga was designed to be a more advanced computer than the Commodore 64, with a more powerful Motorola 68000 processor, more memory, and advanced graphics and sound capabilities. The Amiga was known for its advanced graphics and sound capabilities, and it was widely used in the fields of video production, animation, and gaming. The Amiga was also popular among hobbyists and developers, who wrote their own software for the platform.
The first Amiga model, the Amiga 1000, was released in 1985 and was followed by the Amiga 500 and Amiga 2000 in 1987 and Amiga 3000 in 1990. These models were well received and were successful in the market, but the company struggled financially, and in 1994 Commodore went bankrupt, and the Amiga was sold to Escom AG. Escom continued to produce Amiga computers, but the company also faced financial difficulties and was eventually sold to Gateway 2000 in 1997. Gateway 2000 decided to discontinue the Amiga line of computers, but the platform has since gained a cult following and continues to be used and enjoyed by enthusiasts today.
The Amiga platform was also known for its great software library and had a lot of productivity, gaming and multimedia software available. It was also popular among the demoscene and was used to create impressive demos and intros.
It’s worth mentioning that the Amiga technology was used in other products such as the CDTV and CD32, which were multimedia devices that could play CDs and had gaming capabilities.
The different Amiga models
The Commodore Amiga was released in several models during its production run, each with its own unique hardware specifications.
- Amiga 1000: The first Amiga model, released in 1985. It featured a Motorola 68000 processor running at 7.16 MHz, 512 KB of RAM, and the Original Chip Set (OCS) custom chipset. It also had a built-in floppy disk drive and a built-in keyboard.
- Amiga 500: Released in 1987, the Amiga 500 was a more affordable and compact version of the Amiga 1000. It featured a Motorola 68000 processor running at 7.16 MHz, 512 KB of RAM, and the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) custom chipset. It also had a built-in floppy disk drive and a built-in keyboard.
- Amiga 2000: Released in 1987, the Amiga 2000 was a more expandable version of the Amiga 1000. It featured a Motorola 68000 processor running at 7.16 MHz, up to 9 MB of RAM, and the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) custom chipset. It also had several expansion slots, allowing for the addition of peripherals such as hard disk drives and graphics cards.
- Amiga 3000: Released in 1990, the Amiga 3000 was a more powerful version of the Amiga 2000. It featured a Motorola 68030 processor running at 25 MHz, up to 9 MB of RAM, and the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) custom chipset. It also had several expansion slots, allowing for the addition of peripherals such as hard disk drives and graphics cards.
- Amiga 600: Released in 1992, the Amiga 600 was a more compact and affordable version of the Amiga 500. It featured a Motorola 68000 processor running at 7.16 MHz, 2 MB of RAM, and the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) custom chipset. It also had a built-in floppy disk drive and a built-in keyboard.
- Amiga 1200: Released in 1992, the Amiga 1200 was a more powerful version of the Amiga 600. It featured a Motorola 68020 processor running at 14 MHz, 2 MB of RAM, and the Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) custom chipset. It also had several expansion slots, allowing for the addition of peripherals such as hard disk drives and graphics cards.
Please note that this is not an exhaustive list of Amiga models and there are other models that were released. These are just the most popular and widely known models and their characteristics.
Peripherals and accessories
There were many peripherals and accessories available for the Commodore Amiga. Some of the most popular included:
- Floppy disk drives: The Amiga had a built-in floppy disk drive, but external drives were also available for faster loading and storage.
- Hard disk drives: The Amiga had an option for a hard disk drive for faster loading and more storage.
- Printers: The Amiga had a built-in parallel port, which allowed it to be connected to a wide range of printers.
- Joysticks: The Amiga had two joystick ports, which allowed for the use of various game controllers.
- Memory expansions: The Amiga had up to 2 MB of RAM, but memory expansions were available to increase this.
- Modems: The Amiga had a built-in serial port, which allowed it to be connected to a modem for online communication.
- Sound and Music peripherals: The Amiga was known for its advanced audio capabilities, and there were many add-ons available, such as sound samplers and MIDI interfaces.
- Graphics and video peripherals: There were many add-ons available for the Amiga, such as graphics cards, video digitizers and genlocks to enhance the machine’s multimedia capabilities.
- CD-ROM drives: The Amiga had an option for a CD-ROM drive for faster loading and more storage.
- Networking peripherals: The Amiga had an option for networking peripherals such as Ethernet cards to connect to other computers or internet.
10 of the most famous games on the Amiga
Here are ten of the most highly-regarded and popular games for the Commodore Amiga:
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck’s Revenge — A classic adventure game from LucasArts known for its witty puzzles and characters.
Elite Plus — A space trading simulator known for its open world and depth.
The Secret of Monkey Island — Another adventure game from LucasArts considered one of the best in the genre.
Shadow of the Beast — A platform action game with impressive graphics and sound.
Sensible World of Soccer — A football game known for its realistic gameplay and depth.
Speedball 2: Brutal Deluxe — A futuristic sports title known for its fast-paced and action-packed gameplay.
Turrican II: The Final Fight — A platform shooter with impressive graphics and sound.
The Settlers — A city-building strategy game known for its realistic gameplay and depth.
Lemmings — A puzzle game known for its witty puzzles and charmingly designed characters.
Wings — A flight simulator known for its realistic gameplay and depth.
Commodore International, the manufacturer of the Commodore Amiga, was closed in 1994. The decline of Commodore was primarily caused by competition from companies like IBM and the emergence of cheaper PC clones.
*The article was written with the kind assistance of a KI.
