The Amiga is the computer
I owned before I got this PC, and it continues to remain in use as my second
computer. But let's go back in time. Here is a history of my computers and
consoles...
In the beginning:
1983 - 1991(ish)
The Acorn BBC Micro (Model B)
Coming with a whopping standard 32Kb of memory, this was my very first computer (well,
actually it was a family
owned one). It introduced me to the world of BBC Basic (even to this day, the
legacy of BBC Basic stays with me). Originally, we only a cassette player
to load and save my games that I loved to make and play. It was quite
some time before we upgraded from a cassette player to a real disk drive.
Back then, floppy disks really were floppy,
and they were large, as the disks used were called 5¼ inch disks.
The lasting legacies of this computer were: Elite (one of the greatest
computer games ever), Exile (one of the most beautiful BBC games to ever be
released), Frak (one of the most bizarre platforms games I've ever seen), and
the Repton series (one of the greatest puzzler games to play)
For my retro moments in life, I still use the BBC using emulation.
Beeb-Em is my
emulator of choice,
being able to emulate up to the Acorn BBC Master series. Whilst not
absolutely fool-proof (yet), it's by far the most reliable. The best website I've come across which celebrates
the achievements and successes of the BBC Micro (and the Acorn Electron) is the site
http://www.stairwaytohell.com.
Here you can even find out the latest news on BBC game remakes, download
virtually every BBC
and Electron game produced, as well as having an up to date source of news and emulator
updates.
1994 -
present
The Commodore Amiga 1200
This was bought around the time of Commodore's bankruptcy, and originally came
shipped with 2Mb of memory and a 'huge' 120Mb 2½ inch hard drive. Back
then, hard drives were only just becoming commonly used on the Amiga 1200, as
most people were using the computer as a games machine, and were loading the
games via the humble internal 3½ inch floppy disk drive.
My Amiga stayed unmodified until 1996, and by then I wanted to use the machine for a
more serious purposes (and I didn't want to go down the road of buying a PC at
that time). Hardware and major software changes in chronological order
are:
1996
Purchased a proper multi-sync monitor to use higher scan rates. (Still in
use)
1996
Bought my first CD-ROM, connected using an IDE splitter.
Upgraded the processor from a 14MHz 68020 to 50MHz 68030, and adding 8Mb of
Fast Memory.
1997
Removed the small, slow hard drive, and replaced it with a 2½Gb 3½ inch hard
drive. (Still in use)
Added a SCSI CD-ROM drive using a Squirrel SCSI adaptor.
1998
My second CPU upgrade, changing from a 50MHz 68030 to a 50MHz 68060, and
adding 32Mb of
Fast Memory in the process (Still in use)
Bought a 'Flicker Fixer', allowing me to view interlaced modes without
ruining my eyesight!
1999
Bought a 100Mb Iomega Zip Drive to connect to the Squirrel SCSI interface.
Added a High Density 3½ inch floppy disk drive. (Still in use)
Upgraded my Kickstart ROMs from 3.0 to 3.1. (Still in use)
Upgraded the OS from Workbench 3.1 to 3.5.
2000
Sent my Amiga motherboard away to have its hardware errors fixed.
Finally put my Amiga in a proper PC style tower. (Still in use)
Added Zorro expansion ports courtesy of a Zorro IV busboard. (Still in use)
2001
Bought a Repulse soundcard, my first Zorro expansion card. (Still in use)
Upgraded the OS from Workbench 3.5 to 3.9. (Still in use)
Added two fully independent IDE ports, by buying a 'Power Flyer Gold' IDE
card.
(Still in use)
Bought a 20Gb 3½ inch hard drive. (Still in use)
Bought an AOpen 16x10x32 CDRW IDE drive. (Still in use)
Replaced the native disk filing system from FFS to PFS3. (Still in use)
2002
Bought an LG 48x DVD-ROM IDE drive. (Still in use)
2003
Added a Cybervision 64/3D Zorro 2 graphics card. (Still in use)
Given a sufficiently powerful computer, Amiga emulators are available for many
computer platforms (including the Amiga itself!) Windows users are best using
WinUAE which can be downloaded from
http://www.winuae.net.
For other platforms, visit
http://www.freiburg.linux.de.
The various versions of UAE are the most complete emulator, and they are available for the
following platforms: Windows, MS-DOS, Amiga,
XFree86, OS/2, MacOS, BeOS, NextStep and Acorn/RiscOS
1997 - 2001
The Sony Playstation
This was my first console! Bought just after the new year, it was bought with
two games: Tomb Raider 2 (still a game with great memories - plus I did
actually complete it), and Formula 1 '97. I have always liked my driving
games, so when the first Gran Tourismo was released, it was like a dream game
come true. Coupled with the 'new' Dual-Shock controller, this was a new
un-rivalled experience.
The greatest games that I owned for it were: Gran Tourismo 2, Tomb Raider 2,
ISS Pro '98, Driver 2 and Tekken 3. My most bizarre (and much laughed at
game) was... Spiceworld!
Downloadable emulators are easy to obtain for the original Playstation. The
one I find most useful is called ePSXe, of which the best site to find the
most recent update (along with any other console emulation) is
http://www.emuunlim.com.
2001 - present
The Sony Playstation 2
Though I still own this console, it doesn't get used as often as it used to.
Bought for the luxury of playing DVDs (at the time), as well as my back catalogue of Playstation 1 games.
This unit ultimately wasn't the big leap foward I expected
(but it was the best of what was around at that time).
I own far far fewer games for my Playstation 2, and, don't really intend to
buy any more. My most enjoyed games are, however: Gran Tourismo 3, Tekken Tag
Tournament, Pro Evolution Soccer and Grand Theft Auto Vice City.
There are emulators available for the Playstation 2, but they vary, and many are not
able to run commercial games. The site
http://www.emuunlim.com
will keep you up to date on any changes.
2003 - present
This PC I am producing my website on!
Finally, I had to admit to myself that I had to change my main computer, and
move away from my Amiga. This PC does everything I currently want it to,
and gets used for emulating past computer glories, including my Amiga (running
WinUAE ),
and my old Acorn BBC Micro.