Product Description
Now other classic consoles are just toys!
Introducing THEA500® Mini, a compact reimagining of this classic home computer. Featuring perfect emulation of not only the original A500 (OCS) and Enhanced Chip Set (ECS) of future revisions, but also the Advanced Graphics Architecture (AGA) of the A1200. Play one of the included 25 classic Amiga games, selected from a simple to use carousel, including all-time greats like Alien Breed 3D, Another World, Simon the Sorcerer and Worms. Or side-load your own games via USB stick with full WHDLoad support and an array of options to choose from. Plus save and resume your game at any time to help you finish those punishingly difficult classics.
The THEA500® Mini comes with the original style 2-button mouse and newly engineered 8-button precision gamepad, allowing you to choose your control method. To compliment the on-screen keyboard, you can plug in an external standard USB PC keyboard for additional functionality.
Box Contains
THEA500 Mini (Keyboard non-functional. Virtual keyboard feature included), 2-Button USB Mouse (1.8m -6ft), 8-Button USB Gamepad (1.8m – 6ft), USB-C Power Supply Cable (1.8m – 6ft) (AC Adapter NOT included), HDMI Cable (1.8m – 6ft)
From the manufacturer
Matthew –
This little machine is brilliant. The built in games work great. I especially love Qwak which I played a lot when I was a kid. I’ve tried to load games onto a USB drive and plug into the machine, and after a fiddly process (requiring a pc) I’ve managed to get some games to run. Not all games run on it though. And probably require some fiddling to get them too. I’ve seen a few tricks on YouTube to get this machine running other stuff and might have a go later. But so far Cannon fodder works well and Golden axe, Batman the movie ect. But I’ve found there is so far an issue getting mouse games running on it like the Settlers. I believe it’s a problem making the machine recognise the mouse in some games. But I’ve heard it’s something that can be solved. The actual device is well made and looks exactly like the old A500 only much smaller. The keyboard on this is none functional but I believe you can plug in a USB pc keyboard. It’s good quality. The controller, although not an original A500 accessory, works well and is comfortable to use and the “Tank” mouse is much like the original only a little smaller. I look forward to experimenting more with this bit of kit. Well worth it for all old school Amiga fans.
mike_cc –
I already have original Amigas and in the modern age, there are a lot of extra solutions to getting them working and loading software. Sometimes this involves nice simple solutions inside the case and sometimes a lot more faff. The A500 mini is brilliant. Connects via HDMI, not SCART or Amiga RGB and works lovely with a modern telly. Some of the games on it wouldn’t be ones I’d play, but there are enough classics like the incredible Chaos Engine and Worms: The Directors Cut to keep me busy for ages and show off the best of the 80s 16bit scene to today’s youngsters. Some people seem to have questioned the shape of the controller, being based on the CD32. I think the controllers are just fine and whilst they might not be as ergonomic as modern console controllers, they were clearly a compromise to keep the style retro looking. Older players might prefer a joystick but I can’t stand using those so I bought a second one at the same time and also use these pads on The C64 instead of the sticks. Not tried them on the PC yet. I’ve added all the WHDLoad games too (google how to do that if you don’t know) so this is my main Amiga for games now. The keyboard is non-working but the buttons would have been ridiculously small if they had made them functional and it would have pushed the price up. A USB keyboard can be used when needed and there are plenty of USB ports. Original looking tank mouse was a nice touch.I wanted one of these as soon as I heard about them and eventually gave in when they were on offer for under £100. I can see at the time of writing – April 2024 – that they are currently discounted to £85. You’ll read some nitpicking over the games included and the pad design but for me it’s a cracking bundle for a decent price. Writing this has made me want to go and play it now!
Mr. A. Bristow –
This is in reference to the A500 Mini. I thought that was worth mentioning as there are loads of old reviews bundled into this as it also lists the older C64 bits.My Mini turned up on release day and I was very impressed with the packaging. I’ve actually got the box on display. All the components are very well packaged and look the business. I owned the original A500 back in the day and own an A1200 which I’ve modded like everyone else does with those so you could say I’m a bit of a fan of the brand.All the hardware is spot on. The main unit really does look like a scaled down Amiga. The disc access light even comes on when it’s loading. The Tank mouse is just as I remember but tracks so much more smoothly. The gamepad is very much like the CD32 one, just not as clunky in your hands which is a bonus. You will have no problems with controlling the games. The input all works very well. Better infact that it used to on the original Amigas.Something to bare in mind is you don’t get a plug so you will need a 5v 1amp regular USB plug. I’m not sure if it’s OK with 2 or 3 amp plugs so I played safe and used an old Firestick plug.The main software is very slick and the games load instantly. Like instantly. There is no loading, they just launch. They have mapped keyboard controls to the joypad buttons as needed or you can plug in a real USB keyboard. It’s got three USB ports though so you can’t have keyboard, mouse, gamepad and a USB Stick plugged in directly at once. Although the manual does mention plugging in hubs so I guess you could use a USB hub. Probably worth trying a hub if planning on keeping the unit next to your TV but want the controller and mouse a distance away. To be fair it probably would work with a wireless keyboard and mouse with a USB dongle but I haven’t tried that yet. I kinda wish the supplied mouse and controller were wireless so I could leave the main unit in one place rather than move it out onto the floor when using it so the cables reach but its not too much bother.The games all work as expected and I’m guessing if you are buying this you won’t need a games review as you will know what you are getting. One thing worth mentioning is that you get at least 5 save game slots for each game so you can effectively quicksave anywhere. This comes in handy for Paradroid 90 and any game that isn’t too forgiving. This also works on games you add yourself. It’s kinda easy to accidentally overwrite a save but you do get the option to lock the saves to avoid this.Adding extra games is a bit of a faff but not too bad. You need to download and unzip onto a USB stick the WHDLoad software from the A500 Mini manufacturers site. It only supports software in .lha format which is a little annoying. It literally won’t see anything other than lha. I was planning on using my vast library of WHDLoad software but this was all uncompressed into folders and compressing them to .lha didn’t work. I had to find ready made lha versions elsewhere and am yet to get any music demos (State of the Art etc) I want working as I haven’t found a compatible source for them. Its a shame this wasn’t preloaded with some of the classic music demos as they were Public Domain and would add an extra level of entertainment to the package.As its a bit restrictive with what you can add. There doesn’t seem to be any way to use a hard disk file so you can’t use it to run Workbench like you would with Amiga Forever or if you have a modded A1200 like me. I remember reading an interview about the Mini when it was first announced and one of the things they said was that it would be a better, more stable solution to running the old software without relying on the original old hardware. This won’t replace a real Amiga unless all you want is a games machine. But it is a very nice package. Its more useful than something like a Snes Mini and probably isn’t aimed at Amiga power users who may already be running full emulated systems on a PC or Raspberry Pi. Speaking of Raspberry Pi the emulation seems to run on Amiberry, at least for the custom part. If you already have a Pi with Amibian or Retro Pie you may already have what you get here just without the cool A500 case, tank mouse and CD32ish controller.I’m not sure it’s worth the money just to access the pre installed games but the fact its designed to let you add to the library means it becomes a much more valuable proposition. Also, the graphics might be overshadowed by more modern hardware but the sound and gameplay is still awesome. Listening the Lemmings music, Turrican 2, Xenon 2 etc brings back memories and the sound effects in Wing of Fury makes me smile as they always did.To sum up this overly long review.. If you had an A500 back in the day and want to revisit your old games, this is an easy way to do it. If you want a mini modded A1200 to run Workbench on, use Photogenics and Directory Opus all connected to your HD TV so you can pack your real Amiga away this isn’t it… but it’s still cool to have on the side. It’s a tiny Amiga 500 with a working disc access light and tank mouse after all!What I’d really like is a full size remade A1200 with full emulation of all Amiga systems like you get with Amiga Forever next please because that would be amazing.
XV250 –
Disappointing… stiff and difficult to use.
I saw some recommendations that this joystick works well with TheC64, and should work fine with an Atari 400 Mini. I tried it out last night with several games, and… it was terrible.The stick is ridiculously stiff and yet needs a fair bit of throw to register a direction. The base is fairly large and heavy. Rather than hold the base with one hand while using the stick with the other, the only way this is usable is to put the base down on a hard flat surface such as a tabletop – and even then it’s awful.One star out of five. Avoid.
Ryan K –
Nice Retro Mouse
This mouse resembles the old original two-button Amiga “tank” mouse and other mice from its time, except this one has USB and an optical sensor.While there are reproductions of the Amiga mouse and other retro mice that have more features then this one such as a touch scrolling abilities, this one is straight forward in its features and much cheaper than its fancier counterparts.The build quality and look to me seems pretty good. It doesn’t feel cheap compared to the mice it is trying to replicate.The two-buttons only may be a limitation for some people, but if you don’t care about this and more want a replication of the design of older mice like this, its a good mouse for the money.
Kindle Customer –
THIS IS EPIC!
The look and style is perfectly scaled down. I cant wait for the release of the a500 maxi. I’m definitely pre ordering that one!
William –
Great Joystick!
This is the perfect joystick for THE C64! It looks and feels like the joysticks of the 1980s!
Matt Daley –
Perfect for The C64
This is a must have controller for The C64 (maxi or mini). Far superior to the Joystick that was included with those systems. Remap the buttons using .cjm files as described in the users guide and chances are you can access most game functions using just this gamepad. Excellent feel and precise control. Very happy with this.