Commodore Amiga 500 - Promo Video 1987

Last Updated on June 3, 2023

The Amiga 500 stars in this smashing video from the early days of the 16-bit home computer era.

If you were more of a console gamer, here’s a quick recap. The Amiga 500 home computer was released by Commodore in 1987. It featured a 32-bit Motorola 68000 processor and custom chips for handling audio, graphics and input/output. Significantly, and years ahead of its time, this version of the Amiga was designed to be a home computer for not just gaming, but multimedia too.

With a beige case and integrated keyboard, it had 512KB of RAM (subsequent editions shipped with 1MB), which could be expanded up to 9MB. It also had a 3.5-inch floppy disk drive and a port for connecting external hard drives.

Amiga graphics and sound

The graphics capabilities of the Amiga 500 were impressive for its time, with a display resolution of up to 640×512 pixels and 32 simultaneous colors. It also had a dedicated audio processor that could produce 4-channel stereo sound with digital samples.

Commodore Amiga 500 microcomputer with power supply unit (microcomputer)

Games were a major focus for the system, and it quickly became popular among gamers. Many classic games were developed for the computer, including Lemmings, Sensible Soccer, and The Secret of Monkey Island. (A sequel to that game has recently been released.) Some Amiga games have been re-released on current gen platforms, and even on mobile.

However, the Amiga 500 was also used for more serious applications, such as desktop publishing and 3D modeling (as seen in the video). Its multimedia capabilities made it popular for creating music and videos as well.

Overall, the Amiga 500 was a well-designed and versatile computer that continues to be remembered fondly by its fans. While it may not have been as commercially successful as other computers of its time, it had a lasting impact on the gaming and multimedia industries.

Can you buy an Amiga 500 in 2023?

Yes! For an authentic experience, you can find an Amiga 500 for sale on eBay right now. If you just want to play Amiga games, however, try the plug-and-play TheA500 Mini.