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PiStorm3D 29.1 brings MiniGL 3D acceleration to classic Amiga machines by using the Raspberry Pi GPU. The package is on Aminet in util/libs, dated 7 October 2026, and its readme spells out what it takes to make it work: precise hardware, system configuration and rebuilt programs.
What the library does
PiStorm3D is based on MiniGL V1.2 and implements a subset of the classic API, together with independently developed extensions that cover functions similar to those of MiniGLQ3. The readme lists texture mapping, depth buffer, blending, alpha test, fog, vertex arrays, indexed rendering and multitexturing. It also warns that the presence of an entry point does not mean full OpenGL support: behavior depends on the backend.
The hardware chain
Behind the library there is a three-link chain: the Amiga program calls minigl.library, the library passes the work to the PiStorm3D backend, and from there the VideoCore V3D GPU of the Raspberry Pi does the graphics work. That is why the requirements are stricter than for a normal AmigaOS program:
- a PiStorm compatible with Raspberry Pi 4, Pi 4B or CM4, with access to the VideoCore V3D GPU;
- AmigaOS 3.x;
- an RTG graphics system with cybergraphics.library or Picasso96;
- no fast_page_zero in the PiStorm config.txt;
- BGRA32 as the only 32-bit screenmode in the Picasso96 settings, otherwise fullscreen does not work.
The Raspberry Pi 3 is not supported by this implementation: its GPU needs a different backend.
Installation and rebuilding
On paper, installation is simple: copy the PiStorm3D minigl.library to LIBS: and use applications built with the current public SDK, included in the archive. The point that causes more trouble is another one: executables built with the beta are no longer supported, and installing the new library alone is not enough. They must be rebuilt.
What really changes
The readme does not report benchmarks, so there is no frame rate to compare here, and we have no measurements of our own to publish. The concrete change is different: 3D on Amiga becomes a matter of keeping versions and configuration aligned. Library, SDK, video mode, PiStorm config and Raspberry Pi model must match, otherwise the fault lies in the chain rather than in the game. On the AROS side, the Raspberry Pi is already among the native targets with Telegram Amiga 0.0.94, which adds the AROS ARM64 target for Raspberry Pi.
Amigatronics also covered the release. It reports new versions of Quake, Quake 3 and Dark Forces 2, and notes that Return to Castle Wolfenstein moves to V29.1, while the V27 versions no longer work with this generation. The same report mentions a Classic version of the library, aimed at WinUAE, where it can work with QuarkTex. These details come from a secondary source: we report them as such, because the readme does not contain them.
For developers
If you already have a MiniGL project, you can move to the shared library by replacing MGLInit() and MGLTerm() with MiniGLOpen() and MiniGLClose(), including proto/minigl.h instead of the static headers, and linking libminigl.a instead of libmgl.a. The readme also mentions SDL1, SDL2 and SDL3 versions with minigl.library support. Applications that use the shared interface can run on other implementations, as long as they support BGRA32; those implementations, however, are separate projects.
In brief
- PiStorm3D 29.1 is on Aminet, in util/libs, dated 7 October 2026.
- It requires a PiStorm with Raspberry Pi 4, 4B or CM4, AmigaOS 3.x and an RTG system.
- The Raspberry Pi 3 is not supported.
- Beta executables must be rebuilt with the current public SDK.
- The readme reports no benchmarks: performance must be measured on your own setup.