502: “From Modems to Headlines” – Jason Compton on the Amiga Report Revolution - The Retro Hour EP502

The Retro Hour (Retro Gaming Podcast)

The Retro Hour

Technology, Leisure, Video Games

4.9 • 558 Ratings

🗓️ 16 October 2025

⏱️ 114 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This week, we’re joined by former Amiga Report editor, writer, and This Week in Retro host Jason Compton, who takes us into the golden age of 90s computing news. From chasing stories during Commodore’s dramatic collapse (“we may not make more chips, but we can sell the floor scrubber!”) to the birth of one of the first online tech magazines, Jason recalls the chaos, creativity and sheer enthusiasm that kept the Amiga community alive long after the headlines faded.

Contents:

00:00 - The Week's Retro News Stories
50:34 - Jason Compton Interview

Amiga Report Archive: https://bigbookofamigahardware.com/amigareport/
This Week In Retro: https://www.rmcretro.com/this-week-in-retro

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Show notes

New Atari Jaguar 3D shooter announced: https://tinyurl.com/yc2adedu
Street Racer retro collection coming to Steam: https://tinyurl.com/ta65wv33
deadmau5 teams with Atari for new 7800 game: https://tinyurl.com/9tjfdftb
NightVein gothic run-and-gun for Mega Drive: https://tinyurl.com/3jd9j4tk
Flashback unofficially ported to Sega Saturn: https://tinyurl.com/4psmpxtf
The Old Blue Workbench: https://triumph.no/oldblue/

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Coming up on this week's show, the Atari Jaguar gets a new lease of life.
0:04.0	A huge dance music star hooks up with Atari.
0:07.0	And rejuvenate your Amiga's workbench.
0:10.0	And the Retro Hour podcast is brought to you every Friday with our friends, our sponsor of Bitmap Books.
0:23.9	Now, of course, today lots of Amiga chat on the podcast.
0:26.8	Have you seen one of their best books?
0:29.3	Commodore Amiga, a visual compendium.
0:32.2	Now, this is a real love letter to Amiga gaming, covering some of the early titles as well that will remember,
0:37.1	stuff like Defender of the Crown, Barbarian, through all the huge games that really
0:41.0	define that system. Populous, Cannon fodder, Speedball, Worms, weighing in more than 420 pages.
0:47.7	If you love Amiga Gaming, check it out on the rest of their retro gaming collection at bitmapbooks.com.
0:55.0	Hello, and welcome to the Retro Hour podcast episode number 502.
0:59.6	Your weekly dose of retro gaming and technology news with me, Dan Wood.
1:03.5	Me Robbie Abbott and me Joe Fox.
1:06.2	And a very warm welcome to this week's show.
1:07.9	The podcast every single Friday celebrates all the goodness about the amazing world of retro gaming and technology.
1:13.9	Brings you up to speed with all the big stories, been making the headlines from over the last seven days,
1:18.3	and welcomes on Veterans of the Industry for a chat on the second half of the show.
1:24.0	And by the time this episode lands, you and I, Ravi, will be in sunny Germany, ready for the big Amiga 40 celebrations.
1:32.7	I'm not sure where you got sunny from.
1:34.5	It might be...
1:35.3	Sunny but cold, I think.
	...

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