Starting January 1, 2026, prices are going up for various reasons out of their control. So, if you want to lock in the best price, due it before then. Remember to use this link to save $10 on any order.

Have fun out there and happy holidays to you and yours!

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Although you can obviously use your own software, digital, or in their original media formats (cartridge, disk, cassette, etc., with the right peripheral), this is a fun addition to an already value-packed package. I’m personally getting a Founders Edition, but both the Starlight and BASIC Beige are also pretty slick. There are lots of great original and hombrew games on the USB drive, including personal favorites Bruce Lee: Return of Fury (unofficial sequel to one of the greatest 8-bit puzzle action platformers) and C64anabalt, a C-64 version of modern classic endless runner Canabalt. There are also music and demo selections to check out, as well as a complete GEOS suite, which is the “impossible” GUI OS for stock C-64 (just 64K!) systems. I used GEOS quite a bit back in the day for my first true exposure to WYSIWIG word processing.

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As a reminder, Amazon also has the Atari Intellivision Sprint plug-and-play Mattel Intellivision console (full game list here), THE64 Mini – Black Edition plug-and-play Commodore 64 console / computer, and a whole host of other exciting vintage-inspired modern products.

The post THEA1200 (Commodore Amiga 1200 plug and play) now available to buy in the US! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

If you don’t want the new built-in games or the sleek black case and improved joystick, you can still get the original model of THEC64 Mini for just $51.00 as of this writing on Amazon US. That’s a great deal, of course. You can see the full game list for that version here. For that original version, there are more classic commercial games than modern homebrews. The new Black Edition focuses exclusively on modern homebrews.

The list of 25 games built into THEC64 Mini Black Edition is as follows:

1. A Pig Quest
2. Caren and the Tangled Tentacles
3. Galencia
4. Good Kniight
5. Grid Pix
6. Guns ‘N’ Ghosts
7. Hessian
8. Hunter’s Moon Remastered
9. It’s Magic 2
10. Joe Gunn: Gold Edition
11. Knight ‘N’ Grail
12. Metal Warrior Ultra
13. Millie & Molly
14. Nixy and the Seeds of Doom
15. Ooze: The Escape
16. P0 Snake
17. Pains ‘N’ Aches
18. Planet Golf
19. Rocky Memphis: The Legend of Atlantis
20. Runn ‘N’ Gunn
21. Sam’s Journey
22. Shadow Switcher
23. Spinning Image
24. Steel Ranger
25. Yeti Mountain

That is truly a murderer’s row of modern homebrews, showcasing the best of what the venerable Commodore 64 computer can pull off in the hands of talented developers using modern tools. Naturally, you can add your own games via USB stick.

Now, those of us in the US just have to wait for Retro Games Ltd to open up pre-orders for the full-size THEA1200, for even more Commodore Amiga fun over THEA500 Mini. THEC64 Maxi is also available from third party sellers, but unfortunately not for its usual low retail price anymore. Instead, I highly recommend you get a Commodore 64 Ultimate (don’t forget to use the link in the post for $10 off!), which is a modern version of the real deal original computer!

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For your money, you’ll get the Amiga 1200-shaped computer with full-size keyboard, authentic-style mouse, and gamepad. There are also 25 built-in games, including Beneath A Steel Sky, Settlers II, Lure of the Temptress, Ruff n Tumble, Defender of the Crown I & II, and the Turrican trilogy. Naturally, you can side-load your own games via one of the USB ports.

Modern conveniences include HDMI output and save states. It remains to be seen what other improvements there will be over THEA500 Mini, but Retro Games Ltd is promising that this will be their most powerful such device yet. It should be able to play all Amiga platform (OCS/ECS/AGA) games and software, including CDTV and CD32 content.

This is a welcome addition to the large Commodore Amiga ecosystem. As a fan from back in the day who still has plenty of original hardware and software, I can say it’s one of the harder platforms to maintain. A robust plug-and-play solution like this one should make it much easier for everyone interested to get into and enjoy.

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Besides various accessories and merchandise, three different Commodore 64 Ultimates are available. These are authentic FPGA reproductions of the original Commodore 64 hardware, but with modern features, including mechanical keyboards. There’s also a modern PC in a Commodore 64 case that runs custom emulation. Although this hardware has been developed earlier and is available elsewhere, this is a convenient way to both get the latest iterations and support the unified company vision.

I have both the Commodore 64 Ultimate and 64X. They’re great products, although I personally lean towards recommending the Ultimate for the most authentic recreation of one of the best-selling personal computers of all time.

The post Commodore 64 Ultimate computer available for preorder – Save $10! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Here’s the press release:

July 3, 2025 – Cloanto today released version 11 (build 11.0.22.0) of Amiga Forever and C64 Forever, the official Commodore/Amiga preservation, emulation and support suites for Windows.

More than two years in the making, this new generation expands into the physical world with high-fidelity virtual printers, touchscreen input, and handheld device support, bridging classic computing with modern interaction.

Each of the new virtual printers (EpsonQ, MPS 803, and CBM 8026) was engineered to be best in class, delivering vector-sharp text, high-resolution color graphics, and live previews. These are not only unmatched in the emulation space, but also raise the bar for what virtual printing can achieve overall.

For advanced Amiga users who prefer PostScript printing, a new integration with the optional Ghostscript software makes it possible to render Amiga PostScript to non-PostScript printers, or to convert the output to vector-based PDF.

On the CBM 8-bit side, two virtual printers are featured. The MPS 803 recreates an accurate dot matrix experience, using scalable vector dots. The CBM 8026 provides a new benchmark for printing and preserving listings and documents, as it combines laser-quality text with “quote mode”, reverse and PETSCII characters. These capabilities were missing from the original (slow and expensive) daisy wheel hardware.

All printers have a wide-carriage option and extended character sets, including European and Japanese characters used across C128, C64, VIC 1001, and VIC 20 models. Version 11 also includes PETSCII TrueType fonts for accurate export and editing of printed output.

For maximum nostalgia, a virtual fanfold paper option renders perforations and cut marks to recreate the ultimate “retro printer” effect. As one enthusiastic user put it: “I’ve always wanted to print in the old dot matrix style on modern printers.” Thanks to Cloanto’s RetroPlatform framework, which provides shared access to virtual devices like modems and printers across systems, it’s even possible to connect 8-bit printers to the Amiga, or to have older systems like a PET or a C64 use EpsonQ or PostScript emulation (geoPublish and geoWrite, anyone?)

Version 11 also adds native touchscreen input, with support for swipe, pan and pinch gestures, plus multi-touch functionality for the virtual keyboard. The keyboard itself can now be operated in a new Overlay mode (in addition to Docked and Floating), designed for fullscreen use and interaction via touchscreen or game controller.

With 2025 shaping up to be a pivotal year for handheld devices, Amiga Forever 11 and C64 Forever 11 bring together touchscreen features, the new overlay virtual keyboard, and expanded game controller shortcuts (including multi-button combinations) into a unified experience optimized for portable use.

Hundreds of smaller new features and refinements also made it into these new versions. Windows too went through several new releases since the previous major release of Amiga Forever and C64 Forever, and the new code base provides better support for features introduced in Windows 11 and Windows 10 versions up to 25H2.

As always, we remain grateful to the many friends who support this project and share our passion, vision and hope for the Amiga and CBM 8-bit heritage.

Amiga Forever 11 is available now in three editions:

• Value Edition (downloadable installer)
• Plus Edition (downloadable installer with optional DVD ISO image)
• Premium Edition (downloadable Plus Edition, plus boxed software and additional videos on 3 DVDs)

C64 Forever 11 is available now in three editions:

• Free Express Edition (feature-limited version)
• Downloadable Plus Edition (downloadable installer with optional CD ISO image)
• Boxed Plus Edition (downloadable Plus Edition, plus boxed CD)

Both packages recognize and work with each other, with options to merge the different platforms into the same interface.

Prices start from $9.95. Version 11 is free for Lifetime Upgrades customers and to anyone who purchased version 10 on or after March 1, 2025.

Visual Tours

Here are some suggested highlights for YouTubers and others who prefer a more visual exploration. Some celebrate the classic 8-bit CBM systems, while others showcase features shared with the more advanced Amiga environments.

• Amiga – Print like it’s 2025? Start “Amiga 4000 Enhanced 3.X” from the Systems folder, click Clown.pic at the bottom, then select Print from the Project menu. Explore the new print and preview features. Press Ctrl + Scroll wheel to zoom in and out. To preview in color, make sure the selected Destination printer supports it (e.g. Microsoft Print to PDF). Prefer a slower experience where you can literally watch yellow, magenta and cyan stripes appear one by one? Start “Amiga 2000 Enhanced 1.3”, then launch GraphicDump (inside Utilities). Be patient, as this configuration emulates a CPU running at the speed it had 40 years ago.
• 8-Bit – Curious about how the iconic MPS 803 6×7 dot matrix printer worked, or want to introduce a new generation to vintage computing? Check out the “MPS 803 Printer Playground” title in C64 Forever (under Applications). It includes the MPS 803 User Guide and all sample listings ready to load from disk, where they are named after the corresponding manual page. For example, to load the zodiac listing from pages 31-32 type LOAD”PAGE31B”,8. When you RUN the program, the Print dialog opens automatically to preview the output.
• Shared – BBS like it’s 1985: in C64 Forever, launch CCGMS! (Applications folder), then connect to one of the BBS entries in the phone book. To do so, press <F7> to go to the dialer and parameters screen, press <A> to go to the phone book screen, use the cursor keys to select a BBS, then press <C> to connect to it. You are online!
• 8-Bit – Amber PET? In C64 Forever, set the PET/CBM system colors to amber (Tools/Options/Emulation/Hardcoded Palettes), then start a PET/CBM system from the Systems folder.
• Shared – Light vs. Dark Mode, via Tools/Options/Skin.
• Shared – Arcade and Tile modes, via View menu. Be sure to try out fullscreen Arcade mode (via the maximize button on the title bar), and to use it with a game controller or by swiping on a touchscreen.
• Shared – Virtual Keyboard: launch a configuration like “Amiga 4000 Enhanced 3.X” (in the Systems folder) and then double-click the keyboard menu at the bottom left of the playback window to open the Virtual Keyboard. Inside the emulation, open the Input Prefs and change the keyboard to a different language (e.g. German). Did you notice how the virtual keyboard on the Windows side also updated its layout? And still, it all keeps working with your unchanged physical PC keyboard, no matter what layout that one has. Then on closing the session you can choose whether to commit the keyboard layout change to the title configuration, or not. If you prefer fullscreen modes, try out the new Overlay type of virtual keyboard. If the keyboard covers an input field, drag to reposition it.
• 8-Bit – Virtual Mouse: start an 8-bit title (e.g. a PET 2001, or 8032, or C64) from the Systems folder of C64 Forever, and use the mouse to move the text cursor around. If you ever spent a lot of time programming or writing on those systems, isn’t this something you’ve been wanting to do for more than 40 years?
• Shared – Fullscreen Controls: start or switch any Amiga or 8-bit emulation session to fullscreen (use the button in the top row of the playback window), then hold down the Escape key for one second to open the fullscreen controls. These can be selected with the mouse, with the keyboard, or with the same controllers you are using to play. At last, you can swap disks, pause, resume, save, etc., without needing to leave your favorite screen mode and controls.
• Shared – Type Clipboard Text: use the keyboard menu at the bottom left of the playback window to paste the content of the Windows text clipboard. Works with any Amiga or 8-bit system (in Japanese too…)

Screenshots and Box Shots

• Amiga Forever Screenshots
• Amiga Forever Box Shots
• C64 Forever Screenshots
• C64 Forever Box Shot
• Cloanto Logo

Additional Information

• Focus on New Features
• Quick Instructions for Upgraders
• New Printing Features
• C64 Forever Homepage
• Amiga Homepage

New Features
https://www.amigaforever.com/whatsnew/

Quick Instructions for Upgraders
https://www.amigaforever.com/kb/15-121

This Page
https://www.amigaforever.com/news-events/af-11/

Amiga Forever Homepage
https://www.amigaforever.com

C64 Forever Homepage
https://www.c64forever.com

The post Amiga Forever and C64 Forever 11 Released – Big Updates! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Here’s the list of 10 built-in TAITO Bartop games: Bubble Bobble, Cadash, Elevator Action, Growl, Legend of Kage, Puzzle Bobble, Rastan, Space Invaders, The Fairyland Story, and The New Zealand Story.

Here’s a list of the 6 NeoGeo Arcade 2 games on cartridge: Art of Fighting 2, Crossed Swords, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Metal Slug 2, Ninja Commando, Sengoku 2

Here’s a list of the 6 NeoGeo Arcade 3 games on cartridge: Ghost Pilots, Metal Slug 3, Samurai Shodown II, Super Sidekicks, The King of Fighters ’97, Twinkle Star Sprites

Here’s a list of the 9 TAITO Arcade 1 games on cartridge: Bubble Bobble, Chack’n Pop, Colony 7, Don Doko Don, Growl, Legend of Kage, Pirate Pete, Raimais, Space Invaders

Here’s a list of the 9 TAITO Arcade 2 games on cartridge: Alpine Ski, Elevator Action, Kiki KaiKai, Liquid Kids, Operation Wolf, Rastan, The Electric Yo-Yo, The New Zealand Story, Volfied

Pre-orders for the TAITO Bartop start May 30, 2025, for a likely November 2025 release. You can also pre-order some of the cartridges at that time, or later, with August through October 2025 release dates, respectively.

You can check out the current list of games in the entire Evercade library with my master list, found here. There are 613 titles on cartridge, not counting unlockables, with dozens more built into the various hardware. You can check out my IGN review of the Alpha Mega Man and Alpha Street Fighter bartops here.

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Here’s a link to C64 Forever: https://www.c64forever.com/

Here’s a link to Amiga Forever: https://www.amigaforever.com/

If you buy both packages, they work together!

Here’s the full press release:

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