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As promised during GamesCom, the Amiga A1200 remake just got its "full global reveal." The October announcement confirms that the beloved microcomputer will return in June 2026, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't flinch at the price.
Dubbed the "THEA1200", this next "full-size" Amiga steps into the best retro console ring next year with a $189.99 / £149.99 price tag. That's uh, more than I was expecting since its sibling, the A500 Mini, arrived in 2022 for $139.99 / £119.99, but I'll cut the microcomputer a bit of slack since it's a much larger replica with a working keyboard.
The Amiga A1200 remake is also set to pack 25 built-in games, HDMI output, a "tank" mouse, a matching USB controller, and the ability to sideload your own collection. That's everything you'll need to start diving into some microcomputing classics instantly, and it'll all feel nice and contemporary thanks to save state functionality and the option to switch between a couch-friendly carousel interface or Commodore's "Workbench" desktop operating system.
You're basically getting a machine pretty close to the original without forking out for an original A1200. The catch? Well, despite having a slot and button on the side, this remake seemingly skips the floppy drive. I'm big into the physical side of running games, so if I'm being real with you, I'd probably end up sticking with the A500 Mini if I could get one without a second mortgage (no, really, sellers want over $260 for it at Amazon).
Pre-orders for the A1200 are set to kick off on November 10, and the console's creator, Retro Games Ltd, is hoping to match the success of the A500 Mini. The official press release calls the latest plug-and-play "the machine that powered a decade of imagination, now rebuilt for the 21st century," with the company's Managing Director, Paul Andrews, stating, "we’re celebrating that incredible moment in time - the games, the design, and the creativity that shaped a generation.”
At this rate, we should still have a modern way to play every microcomputer and retro console game from the past 40 years. That pleases the preservationist in me, as it means younger generations won't have to wrestle with aging original hardware and load times that'll feel like torture to anyone who grew up with Netflix.
I guess my real worry, though, is the price of admission. I've been watching the price of modern retro consoles increase pretty rapidly over the past couple of years, with the likes of the Atari 2600+ jumping from $129 to $175 with the new Pac-Man edition and the upcoming C64 Mini commading a $119.99 price point via the Black Edition when the remaining beige version stock is going for $50 on a bad day.
I'll save my full judgment for an eventual review, but the new Amiga A1200 won't be the easiest pitch to casual players at $189 / £149. If you grew up on Commodore's 90s machine, and specifically owned this variant, then you might already be itching to get a pre-order in. I don't blame you, and I do have high hopes for the new system's desktop capabilities via that integrated keyboard and Workbench environment.
We are still talking about an emulation-based remake, though, rather than a fancy FPGA hardware recreation like the currently delayed Analogue 3D N64. Therefore, I'm slightly nervous about the price and whether nostalgic systems across the board are drifting into premium territory.
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