Amstrad CPCnext: Would you buy one?

[norecess464]

To the original question: "Amstrad CPCnext: Would you buy one?"

I think I would go for an Amstrad CPC "mini" -- a machine that replicates the original hardware as closely as possible, with an integrated ROM Board + 512KB RAM, and with a few modern additional conveniences (at least HDMI and Gotek). A small switch on the back to select the CRTC type, eventually.

As for a "next" version that expands the machine with new specs, I would be hesitant. I'm not sure how much support from the community such a project would really get. Look at the Amstrad hardware market: some devices became popular, others didn't.

Without a doubt, the aesthetics would be a key factor for me: it would need to look like an Amstrad and have a high-quality build.

[Egg Master]

The problem is that this type of machine won't be 100% compatible with the original CPC, but rather just a product to sell to the nostalgic masses, with no real support for incompatibilities, and nothing new will be achieved due to its new capabilities, simply because it didn't exist at the time; it wouldn't be a CPC anymore.

Furthermore, it seems obvious that people are nostalgic for the look of the 464, while it's the 6128/plus that would be the most interesting to see revived, if only for its cartridge support, its sprites , and the color palette... But with a 16-color MODE 1 and, above all, that it be able to run older games faster.

[andycadley]

I don't see why it shouldn't be at least as compatible as a Plus - in the sense that you aim to run everything, but inevitably there may be one or two edge cases that don't quite work. The advantage of FPGA hardware is also that you can bug fix it even after release or have different cores for things like CRTC variance etc.

I certainly think there are ways the Plus design could have been theoretically extended to support a faster CPU without necessarily having to break compatibility - even with tricky things like loading from tape/disk - as long as you're careful about the design. 

[Egg Master]

There is no perfect FPGA support for the CPC, and almost none for the Plus ASIC. It would have been entirely conceivable for the original GX/Plus line to run the Z80 at 8MHz when booting from a cartridge and allow to use MODE 1 with 16 coulours in this case, like for the sprites.