I signed up to place a vote here, but I figured it may be helpful to add some context.
Honestly, I don't have a lot of money to spend on these kinds of things. I am still using my AMD FX-8320 based desktop that I built in 2013 and I intended to replace in 2018, because you know, kids, house, etc. Even this tool I use
literally every day is way down there on the priority list, so I just can't justify spending more than $100 CAD on a nostalgic toy.
Cost aside, realistically and ideally, I would actually prefer an all FPGA board that uses SD card storage, because...
It won't suffer from the issues associated with software emulators.
It will run software as it's intended to be run.
It's perfectly fine for programming new software.
It's small enough to mount inside a custom chassis I could build around a nostalgic-looking usb keyboard that I already own.
I just can't see myself ever actually using any of the expansion features of the full sized X16, but if I did sometime in the distant future, I could always upgrade at that point.
At this point in life, I am content to fart around with QBasic 1.1 in DOSBox, as far as my computer programming hobbies go. I do this because it's convenient, it's very nostalgic for me, and the limitations, flexibility, and static nature of the environment make it easy to break projects down into small pieces that don't over-utilize my time. Programming is to me as Sudoku is to others. That said, it would be nifty (and perhaps more motivating) if the stuff that I made might actually be used by another human being, so that's where my interest in the Commander X16 lies - moving to a platform that isn't hugely complex, isn't dead, and is its own neat thing.
Being that I prefer programming in BASIC, I looked into getting a Colour Maximite II, but after import fees and what not it would have cost about $190 CAD for just the board. For some cost perspective, my Gen1 Lenovo 100e Winbook only cost us $260 CAD new and that included a Win10 Pro licence which retails for $180 CAD (not to mention the 4 core Intel CPU, 4GB DDR4 2133RAM, and 120GB EMMC storage). As crappy as said Winbook is, it can emulate everything up to a Pentium 75 just fine.
Really, the selling points of the X16 for me are the top three points I listed above, because otherwise I already have plenty of old computers I can emulate and program with. I really like physically using the 100MB Zip drive and 3.5" floppy drive in my Compaq Deskpro 4000 (cost me a whole $25 back in 2002), for the sound and feeling, but
in a practical sense I need that desk space for other stuff. So the Deskpro lives in the "underhouse", only to be used for occasionally testing software, and I just emulate everything else with my desktop (or my crummy, yet delightfully portable, laptop).
In summary,
Do I need an X16? No.
Do I want to assemble one? No.
Why don't I want to assemble one? First, I would have to buy a lot tools that I don't already have. Second, I have shaky hands that aren't well suited for soldering. I
can solder, I have a Weller and a life time supply of rosin core solder, and I don't mind doing it, but
I can't do well and I can't do it a lot and that means it's not something I enjoy doing.
So why would I buy the cheaper FPGA version of the X16? Ultimately,
to be part of something in a way that suits my capacity and my desires.
I hope this helps. Maybe I am just one crazy old man, but perhaps there are others who feel similarly. Who knows!
? Take care and thanks, to all involved, for all of your hard work.