OK, I’ve found the greatest geeky gift idea you can get for Christmas – Amazon is selling the A500 Mini for 38% off – now just £74.99.
You may have noticed a recent trend of classic games consoles, such as the Sega Mega Drive and Nintendo SNES getting mini versions. These are lovingly recreated replicas of the iconic consoles, shrunk down with modern ports to hook up to TVs and packed with emulated games.
This reached a peak (in my view, anyway) with the A500 Mini from Koch Distribution, which is a tiny recreation of the Commodore Amiga A500, and which comes with 25 classic Amiga games, such as Alien Breed 3D, Speedball 2 and Worms.
Why is this such as good Christmas gift idea? Well, on December 25th 1991 I unwrapped the Amiga A500+, and it remains my favourite Christmas memory. This was a machine that put games consoles to shame, with graphics and audio that were well ahead of its time, and that allowed me to play genre-defining games such as Lemmings, The Secret of Monkey Island and Populous.
It ignited a life-long passion in me for computers and video games – and without it, I likely wouldn’t be a tech journalist today (let’s not debate whether or not that would be a good thing).
For older geeks, then, the A500 Mini could stir up some powerful nostalgia, and it makes playing those old games incredibly easy (the Amiga is a notoriously difficult system to emulate). For younger gamers, it will give them a taste of the early-ish years of personal computing, allowing them to experience what I still feel was the greatest computer ever made.
Not in the UK? Scroll down for the best A500 Mini deals in your location.
Today’s best A500 Mini deal
Forget the PS5 or Nintendo Switch, if you want to get someone a gaming classic, then the A500 Mini is a fantastic gift. The 25 pre-installed games include some real classics, and you can add more via USB.
The process of finding Amiga games online can be a bit tricky if you don’t know where to get them from and what format they need to be in to work with the A500 Mini – and you should, of course, make sure that you are legally entitled to download them.
However, I notice that Amazon is selling a USB stick with an incredible 1,600 extra games for £19.99.This takes a lot of the effort out of expanding the A500 Mini’s library, though note that this is not an officially licensed product and we can’t vouch for the legality or otherwise of it. User reviews seem to be popular, however.
Need more Christmas gift inspiration? Check out our Christmas gift ideas guides for some of our favourite products to buy this year. We’ve also got a hub dedicated to the best upcoming Boxing Day sales in the UK.
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More Christmas sales
- Amazon: up to 65% off tech and gifts
- Adidas: up to 60% off outlet clothing, shoes, apparel
- AO: up to 40% off vacuums, appliances, and tech
- Argos: up to 70% off toys, Christmas decor, and tech
- Boots: half-price gift sets, gift cards, and fragrances
- B&Q: cheap Christmas trees, lights, decor, wreaths
- Carphone Warehouse: 120GB data for £12 per month
- Currys: up to 40% off TVs, air fryers, laptops and more
- Cotswolds Outdoor: up to 50% off Patagonia, Rab, North Face
- Debenhams: up to 70% off home, fashion, gift sets
- Disney: up to 60% off Christmas jumpers, toys, decor
- Ebuyer: up to 40% off laptops, desktops, and components
- John Lewis: £300 off TVs, Apple, plus Christmas decor
- Jessops: up to £1,000 off Sony, Canon, Nikon, and Fujifilm
- O2: up to £600 off iPhone, Samsung and Google
- Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and appliances
- Shark: up to £100 off best-selling vacuums
- Very: discounts on tech, appliances, furniture and beauty
- Vodafone: six months half-price SIMs from £11.50
Wanda Parisien is a computing expert who navigates the vast landscape of hardware and software. With a focus on computer technology, software development, and industry trends, Wanda delivers informative content, tutorials, and analyses to keep readers updated on the latest in the world of computing.
