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The Atari 400 Mini is a tiny system with big emulation potential
26.03.2024 - 14:31 / digitaltrends.com / Giovanni Colantonio
I’ve accumulated a lot of retro console reproductions in my day. The Super NES Classic Edition and Genesis Mini 2 are both prized possessions, giving me easy access to a mess of great (and weird) games. Last year’s excellent Atari 2600+ would especially win me over thanks to it nearly 1:1 replication of the original machine — it could even run my old cartridges with ease. While these tend to go on a shelf after I’ve had my fill of them, I appreciate having a tangible way to experience video game history.
The new Atari 400 Mini takes that to another level, even if it comes with some trade-offs. The new retro system takes the NES Classic Edition route, shrinking the original 8-bit Atari computer down to an adorable size. And though it’s a shame that it doesn’t include a fully functional membrane keyboard like the real Atari 400, it includes one key emulation feature that every retro system like this should have.
Changing the past
While the 2600 is Atari’s most iconic system, gaming history buffs tend to have a soft spot for the 400. Originally released in 1979, the home computer was home to a host of out-there games. It featured a built-in membrane keyboard with virtually no tactile feedback, as well as onboard reset, start, and select buttons. Those extras allowed for developers to make games with slightly more complex controls than the one-button Atari CX40 joystick allows for.
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The Mini version captures every detail of that device and shrinks it down to the size of an SNES Classic. Though there’s a lot to praise about the machine, I’m left with some minor disappointment after the revelatory Atari 2600+. That latter device doesn’t just preserve old games, but the feeling of actually playing them in the 1970s. You could feel what it was like to plop a cartridge in, press down a metal reset rod, or plug in a paddle. Those things aren’t possible on a miniature design like that of the 400 Mini, but it’s a shame that I can’t actually open the cartridge slot or feel the keyboard. The new version tries to make up for the latter with an on-screen keyboard, but it’s not the same experience.
Thankfully, the device does have a clever way of getting around its lack of onboard buttons. It comes with a redesigned version of the iconic Atari joystick that stealthily sneaks in seven extra buttons. They’re so hidden as to not ruin the feel of the original controllers that you might not even notice they’re there at first. Two small buttons on the front side take the place of functions like reset, while each direction around the stick can actually be pressed in. That’s rounded out by a
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