RetroGames A500 Mini & now TheA1200
Updated 25 October 2025
Stop the Press – The A1200 full sized Amiga
Retro Games Limited has unveiled THEA1200: a full-size Amiga 1200 recreation with a working keyboard, HDMI/USB connectivity, and a carousel of 25 classic games with four save slots each. Workbench Desktop is included for the authentic Amiga computing experience. This may be the “Maxi moment” Amiga fans have been waiting for.
Launch titles include iconic adventures and action classics such as Beneath a Steel Sky, Lure of the Temptress, Ruff ’n’ Tumble, Defender of the Crown I & II, and the Turrican trilogy — plus the long-awaited arrival of The Settlers II: Gold Edition.
It's 16-bit perfection.”
Watch: THEA1200 Announcement
Amiga items for sale on eBay
The A500 Mini photos
AMiNIMiga—Using the Amiga Workbench on the A500 mini
TheC64 set a precedent. You can use the supplied games bundle to jump in an play an excellent selection of games. You also have the ability to launch the system in a desktop mode. The desktop mode allows you to experience using the microcomputer like it is 1986. The is the best of both worlds. Details were thin before the launch of the A500 mini. I assumed that this would also be the case. The A500 mini comes supplied with a beautiful mouse. It seems obvious that Workbench would come installed in the system.
Boy I was wrong. The A500 mini does come with an excellent collection of games. Only a small handful of games use the supplied Amiga tank mouse. I need to express again how nice the supplied USB mouse is. Anyway, I hunted around for an Amiga Workbench style menu or launch option. I am disappointed that this is not available in the machine. There is no mention on the manufacturer's website about Workbench. There is no explanation of why it is not available. There could be a genuine technical (or licensing) reason for this omission. I joined several Facebook user groups that popped up to find a workaround. Nothing but silence.
It's with fortune that the team behind AMiNIMiga has come to the rescue. A-MiNI-Miga is a project to bring a USB bundle that comes with configured Workbench for your A500 Mini. It also comes packaged with a lot of software, games, demos and music. The instructions on the website and installation is very simple. Workbench is now installed like I had imagined it.
I have only started using the AMiNIMiga package. Using Workbench is different to the Windows and MacOS interfaces. It feels like that it is a different branch of GUI development long forgotten. This is experience I am looking for. I want to learn to use legacy software. I want to experience the classic Amiga way. This is the retro-computer experience.
Full software and download instructions are available at the AMiNIMiga Project official website.
