MiST - Amiga ST FPGA + intro

[Swift Griggs]

On Thu, 31 Mar 2016, Geoffrey Oltmans wrote:
> facsimilie of the the real hardware, but it's just as expensive and as 
> uncommon as the real hardware (granted you can emulate more than one),

I think mine was just shy of 200 bucks or so. I don't think I could get a 
fully maxxed out A1200 for that, but who knows; maybe, so.

> and that the software emulation of the various systems that you 
> mentioned are in many cases very, very good that I have a hard time 
> justifying the purchase of one.

This is what I struggled with, too. Why buy yet another piece of kit when 
I can run UAE and other emulators with ease (and all on my main 
workstation) ? For me, the reason is a bit specific to my situation. For 
one, the MiST is _tiny_ it's about the size of a box of strike-anywhere 
kitchen matches (I used to shoot these out of my BB gun, dunno why that 
came to mind, sorry). Another reason is that I like to use a KVM on my 
workstation at home. I find that if a machine isn't on my KVM, it doesn't 
get much use. So, being that the MiST is HD15 VGA + USB kb & mouse, that 
suited my KVM rig perfectly. I had a little 5-port USB power supply down 
there, too. So, I was able to plug the MiST into that without burning 
another power-socket or needing a thick cable.

The emulation is also a bit better in some cases. I can run demos on my 
MiST that have significant problems with UAE (glitchy graphics display). I 
also enjoy console games (heck any games for that matter, including 
pinball). So, the MiST emulates some big platform names there. 
Unfortunately, there is no Neo Geo or SNES support, yet. However, I have a 
feeling that'll come. Folks are already discussing those. So, i see it as 
kind of a "super-emulator" that has the additional benefits of working 
with my KVM console rig (and my monitor), without having to burn a bunch 
of space.

Still you are completely correct, you could setup all the same OS's using 
pure software emulators, and use one of those USB-to-ancient-joystick 
converters to get that little feature. Using the MiST is a weird 
experience. To me, it's more exciting than firing up an emulator, but less 
than putting hands on the real metal. YMMV, but I see your points, for 
sure. I thought a lot of the same things. However, given it's size, it 
won't junk up my place anymore which is my main concern. Given the cost, 
if I get tired of it... well it was just $180 or so, and someone will buy 
it.

-Swift