Amiga Forever 5.1

December 23, 2002 -  Cloanto released today version 5.1 of Amiga Forever, the official Amiga emulation and connectivity package for PCs. New features include improved emulation components, new Amiga and Windows software (e.g. new Software Director, Amiga Explorer, ReqTools, support libraries, etc.) and updated documentation and help files. For the first time since 1991, when the Amiga Narrator and Translator speech synthesis components were discontinued by Commodore (who reportedly was not willing to continue to pay a $1 per unit royalty), this software, which was part of the multimedia features which inspired several enthusiasts to buy an Amiga computer, is again available with the Amiga operating system. Amiga Forever 5.1 includes both the original and fully licensed speech software in the preinstalled 1.3 configuration and a newer custom setup in the Workbench 3.1 environment. As for all Amiga sound output, the emulation makes it possible to save the digital data, so as to preserve forever (maybe for use on an answering machine?) the original accent made famous by various "This is Amiga Speaking" demos.

Amiga Forever 5.1 runs on all Windows systems with DirectX 8 or higher (DirectX 9 has just been released by Microsoft). A cross-platform Online Edition is available for GNU/Linux users. The downloadable Online Edition costs $29.95 (€ 34.95 including VAT), while the CD Edition, which includes additional ROM and operating system files of historical interest (e.g. Workbench 1.0) and more than three hours of video footage in MPEG format, is available for $59.95 (€ 69.95 including VAT). Upgrades are also available now. A free update from version 5.0 to version 5.1 is also being made available. In the meantime, the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section at amigaforever.com has been reorganized and updated, and includes up-to-date information and tips concerning Amiga emulation, data preservation and cross-platform connectivity.