Relive Your Glory Days with This Amiga 3000-Inspired Mini ITX / Raspberry Pi Case

I may sound like an old, out-of-touch curmudgeon, but computers today, and electronic devices in general, just don’t have the kind of character that they used to. All modern smartphones are glass squircles, all modern tablets are bigger glass squircles, all modern laptops are aluminum slabs, and all modern desktops are large rectangles. In the early days of personal computers, manufacturers produced models that were at least distinct — even if they weren’t necessarily attractive. If you also have nostalgia for those glory days, then this new Amiga 3000-inspired Mini ITX / Raspberry Pi case should get you excited.

The Commodore Amiga 1000 launched in 1985 as a 16/32-bit successor to earlier 8-bit home computers like the legendary Commodore 64. It had an operating system, called AmigaOS, which was cutting-edge at the time thanks to its graphical user interface and multitasking capabilities. Several years later, in 1990, the Amiga 3000 was released. It is this model that the new Checkmate 1500 Mini case pays homage to. The Checkmate 1500 Mini just recently launched on Kickstarter and it is getting close to reaching its $66,890 funding goal, with another 30 days left for you to get in on the action.

The Checkmate 1500 Mini looks almost exactly like a real Commodore 3000 case, but gives you the ability to use modern components to build a brand new computer. Two FPGA board adapters have been developed if you want to a faithful Amiga experience, or you can mount a Raspberry Pi or Mini ITX computer if you’d prefer to run a modern operating system. There is plenty of room inside the case for all kinds of additional hardware, such as hard drives, so you can get exactly the build you want. Like the original Amiga 3000 case, the Checkmate 1500 Mini is constructed from sturdy steel with an injection-molded faceplate.

This case will be available in both black and white colors, and there is even an optional mechanical keyboard upgrade available that includes custom matching key caps. That keyboard is compatible with Cherry MX key switches so you customize its feel. This case’s creator, Stephen Jones, successfully Kickstarted the Checkmate 1500 Plus in 2019, so we are confident that he has the know-how to get the new Checkmate 1500 Mini into your hands without any major complications or delays.

If you want the Checkmate 1500 Mini, the Kickstarter campaign will be running until January 9th, 2021. A variety of backer options are available, starting at £159 ($213). Rewards are expected to be delivered in July of 2021.