I kept the original Atari reference manual and basic book but I regret cutting up the booklet shown in the video for a HS project. PS I am thrilled about this and hope the atari b bit catches on.
Hopefully you'll find this interesting.. The Atari 400 came in 5 different boxes. The basic Atari 400 had exactly the same colour pattern as the Atari 400 mini (you reference @2:51) For reference, see 'the Atari museum' selling the Atari 400/800 computers @2:56 The four kits that had bundles in items for different uses are @8:17 on the video mentioned above. The educator, (blue-green) The entertainer (yellow-orange) The programmer (mostly red) The communicator (purple) Your 800 manual is correct, but those colours were not 400 colours Hope this is interesting to someone
Why the 400 for the mini? Retro Games Ltd is probably going to release a full size replica of the 800 in Q1 2025. Releasing a cheap, mass market mini first followed by a more niche, more expensive full size version that runs the same hardware a year or so later is their business model. They first released the C64 Mini, followed by the C64 "maxi" and then the VIC20 maxi. In a press release late last year, they teased Q1 2024 would release a new mini, Q3 2024 would release the full sized Amiga following last year's mini Amiga, and Q1 2024 would release a full size new platform. My bet is that will be a 400 Mini with a fully functional keyboard, which only makes sense it would be the Atari 800.
ZX80 -> VIC20 -> Atari 400 -> Atari 800XL - 1040STf with SC1224 color monitor -> incredible $300 deal on an open box Commodore PC20-III with color monitor system -> homebuilt x86 PCs ever since. That's my sequence and I greatly regret getting rid of the pre-x86 systems, all of which were in mint condition but, strangely, I don't recall what I did with them other than the 1040STf system which I donated to my next door neighbors.
I believe you should team up with Atari. I believe an ST mini is coming and your advice would be perfect for the best way for them to design it for compatibility.
Would of been great if it had a mini working Keyboard and a working cart slot, I would of purchased one for its portability and expandability. But obviously its no match for its Father Atari. The quick access cartridge slot is what made the vintage 400 famous. I think the reason they picked the 400 style and not the 800 probably cause it was easy or cheaper to replicate down to the toy size and becasue of its flat printed keyboard and matchbox style case. Good for collectors or newbies.
I think a working keyboard would have been difficult and really not practical. HOWEVER, having a few of the buttons like "Start, Option, Select" functional would be helpful.
Thank you for this video, this is the 400 Mini review which stands out the most from the rest, focusing on the details of the form factor. I 100% agree with you, without the form factor it's just another emulator. My biggest disappointment with the 400 mini is that it's the replica of an Atari 400 - something that doesn't speak to me as much as the 800 XL (which is the most successful model, and the one I had). If they had released an 800 XL Mini I would have bought it in a heartbeat. We *may* also see the RM 800XL this year (if it is ever released), although it's unclear at what price.
I initially had the same thought as you about the 800xl (or maybe the 800) would have been a better fit. I'm onboard with the 400 just because of how unique it looks...it stands out.
@@powerofvintage9442 another thing I'm wondering is how good is the emulation. I learned the hard way that what you program on an emulator isn't always exactly what is happening on the original machine.
I look at it as just being a case for a very small, nice form factor. I understand why they went with the 400 case since its very unique. with the 400 mini, I was able to finally, after 35 years, retire my good old atari 800 and 1050 drive and pack them away. wireless keyboard is so much smaller. freed up a TON of desk space and I can play probably 98% of what I ever wanted to play on the original hardware. Much easier to run games than with the retropie. The easy game save, almost instantaneous loading off USB, roll back feature and hi-res HDMI output are the big bonus. The issues with running 5200 games and its controller will likely be fixed in firmware updates, which the company has a good track record on regularly releasing.
I would have done the 130 XE .. or an XL .. but they chose the 400 because this is a "game console", not a "computer", the original 400 was considered a game console and cheaper than the 800 .. serious computer
My point is that the mini is a great homage to the originals and that emulation is a great entry point for those new to retrocomputing. The Atari 400 mini is a good example of how to do emulation right and bring it to a broader audience. Original hardware is more expensive, takes more effort and has higher barriers to getting started. I love and prefer original hardware myself, but I got started with emulation...
@@powerofvintage9442 I have one (and the original hardware) the 400 mini is having some issues, the stick is an issue, the mule image is not good/has issues, the game station pro" seems better
What issues are you having with Mule? I've played through a few times and had a blast (didn't notice any issues). I'm not the biggest fan of either the original or the new stick...I use my modern VCS stick instead.
Your ST Mini deserves a video of its own!
good job sir kenneth..
I kept the original Atari reference manual and basic book but I regret cutting up the booklet shown in the video for a HS project. PS I am thrilled about this and hope the atari b bit catches on.
Hopefully you'll find this interesting..
The Atari 400 came in 5 different boxes.
The basic Atari 400 had exactly the same colour pattern as the Atari 400 mini (you reference @2:51)
For reference, see 'the Atari museum' selling the Atari 400/800 computers @2:56
The four kits that had bundles in items for different uses are @8:17 on the video mentioned above.
The educator, (blue-green)
The entertainer (yellow-orange)
The programmer (mostly red)
The communicator (purple)
Your 800 manual is correct, but those colours were not 400 colours
Hope this is interesting to someone
Love this information! Thank you for sharing.
Why the 400 for the mini? Retro Games Ltd is probably going to release a full size replica of the 800 in Q1 2025. Releasing a cheap, mass market mini first followed by a more niche, more expensive full size version that runs the same hardware a year or so later is their business model. They first released the C64 Mini, followed by the C64 "maxi" and then the VIC20 maxi. In a press release late last year, they teased Q1 2024 would release a new mini, Q3 2024 would release the full sized Amiga following last year's mini Amiga, and Q1 2024 would release a full size new platform. My bet is that will be a 400 Mini with a fully functional keyboard, which only makes sense it would be the Atari 800.
ZX80 -> VIC20 -> Atari 400 -> Atari 800XL - 1040STf with SC1224 color monitor -> incredible $300 deal on an open box Commodore PC20-III with color monitor system -> homebuilt x86 PCs ever since. That's my sequence and I greatly regret getting rid of the pre-x86 systems, all of which were in mint condition but, strangely, I don't recall what I did with them other than the 1040STf system which I donated to my next door neighbors.
It's a common story...
I believe you should team up with Atari. I believe an ST mini is coming and your advice would be perfect for the best way for them to design it for compatibility.
Would of been great if it had a mini working Keyboard and a working cart slot, I would of purchased one for its portability and expandability. But obviously its no match for its Father Atari. The quick access cartridge slot is what made the vintage 400 famous. I think the reason they picked the 400 style and not the 800 probably cause it was easy or cheaper to replicate down to the toy size and becasue of its flat printed keyboard and matchbox style case. Good for collectors or newbies.
I think a working keyboard would have been difficult and really not practical. HOWEVER, having a few of the buttons like "Start, Option, Select" functional would be helpful.
@@powerofvintage9442 Yes agree even a few of those functions would of made it enjoyable if not for a full functioning keyboard.
Thank you for this video, this is the 400 Mini review which stands out the most from the rest, focusing on the details of the form factor. I 100% agree with you, without the form factor it's just another emulator. My biggest disappointment with the 400 mini is that it's the replica of an Atari 400 - something that doesn't speak to me as much as the 800 XL (which is the most successful model, and the one I had). If they had released an 800 XL Mini I would have bought it in a heartbeat. We *may* also see the RM 800XL this year (if it is ever released), although it's unclear at what price.
I initially had the same thought as you about the 800xl (or maybe the 800) would have been a better fit. I'm onboard with the 400 just because of how unique it looks...it stands out.
@@powerofvintage9442 another thing I'm wondering is how good is the emulation. I learned the hard way that what you program on an emulator isn't always exactly what is happening on the original machine.
I look at it as just being a case for a very small, nice form factor. I understand why they went with the 400 case since its very unique. with the 400 mini, I was able to finally, after 35 years, retire my good old atari 800 and 1050 drive and pack them away. wireless keyboard is so much smaller. freed up a TON of desk space and I can play probably 98% of what I ever wanted to play on the original hardware. Much easier to run games than with the retropie. The easy game save, almost instantaneous loading off USB, roll back feature and hi-res HDMI output are the big bonus. The issues with running 5200 games and its controller will likely be fixed in firmware updates, which the company has a good track record on regularly releasing.
I would have done the 130 XE .. or an XL .. but they chose the 400 because this is a "game console", not a "computer", the original 400 was considered a game console and cheaper than the 800 .. serious computer
Does the 400 mini joystick work flawlessly on a500 mini and c64 maxi?
I do not have either of those units myself to test. It does work on my PC though and other USB controllers work well on the 400 mini.
Did people program Atari games on the 400?
I did not, but I'm sure others did even with the limited RAM.
Is that a Dalek hiding behind your head at around 13 minutes 🤣
MINI IS NICE BUT ITS EMULATION VS ORIGONAL HARDWARE. A WORKING ORIGONAL IS FAR MORE SATISFYING
My point is that the mini is a great homage to the originals and that emulation is a great entry point for those new to retrocomputing. The Atari 400 mini is a good example of how to do emulation right and bring it to a broader audience.
Original hardware is more expensive, takes more effort and has higher barriers to getting started. I love and prefer original hardware myself, but I got started with emulation...
@@powerofvintage9442 Yep I agree, I may even get one because im a crazy Atari collector
@@powerofvintage9442 I have one (and the original hardware) the 400 mini is having some issues, the stick is an issue, the mule image is not good/has issues, the game station pro" seems better
What issues are you having with Mule? I've played through a few times and had a blast (didn't notice any issues). I'm not the biggest fan of either the original or the new stick...I use my modern VCS stick instead.