Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2024/07/02/atari-400-mini-minier-than-expected.html
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Interesting item. Yet even after playing the accompanying amazon video couldn’t understand the keyboard. that is, it looks like a membrane keyboard, but the entire keyboard appears to be no wider than four usb plugs plus a bit of spacing. perhaps 4*2cm → 8cm? so painted-on fake keyboard or keyboard used with a toothpick?
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It looks cool, though i don’t have any nostalgia for Atari systems. But i hope it’s worth buying for those that are into this kind of retro gaming, all its missing is a small faux CRT TV
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Probably fake, other minis have had fake too, you need a USB keyboard.
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I’m more a Commodore guy, but some of the games on the list make it really tempting. MULE? Seven Cities of Gold?
My friend had one of these - 400 or 800, I can’t remember.
We used to play this RPG where he would do the stick, and I would do the management of item, healing etc. via the keyboard. I remember one time we got so far in and my stupid finger hit the reset button. No “are you sure you want to reset” - just poink.
ETA - I had to go look for it, pretty sure it was Gateway to Asphai.
I remember a Black Mamba got us in the deepest level we made it to.
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Honestly, the one and only reason that I would want to buy this (never having actually owned an Atari 400/800 personally) would be M.U.L.E.! I loved playing it at home on our Commodore 64, but the C64 only supported 2 joysticks/human players. In college, I met a group of guys (one of whom became my roommate in following years) who had an Atari computer in their room, and it supported 4 live players, which made M.U.L.E. exponentially more fun!
Of course, I’d then be faced with the question: If I bought one of these, where in hell would I get the Atari version of M.U.L.E. on a USB stick to actually run on it??
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For the Pi:
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The reason I mentioned MULE is it is one of the pack-ins.
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Will it accept my 5-1/4in floppy drive? How 'bout my RS-232 interface? (Still have both!)
Way back when, I disabled the copy protection on my cassette games so I could copy them to floppy. Disassembly cartridge (still have it!) helped with that. I’ve never been a pirate, though.
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It may not be the same A400 mini I have, but mine is a painted on fake, which is too bad. You can use a USB keyboard with it though, and it’s normal UX doesn’t need a keyboard unless the chosen “game” requires one. I’m dick-quoting game because you can run any Atari productivity software you can locate (the A400/800 had an ok word processor, the Atari ST had a direct dependent, although the mini A400 doesn’t do Atari ST emulation).
It’s a shame, I would have paid an extra few bucks for a usable crap keyboard on the thing.
I also have a mini Amiga 1000 (or was it 500?) with a fake keyboard which I think as it is a fake “real” keyboard would have worked even better.
I wonder if anyone makes a mini Atari 2600/VCS. I have a “full size” one that can actually use the original cartridges which is cool. The “pack in” is a cartridge with a 4 position DIP to select between 16 games (Combat and Adventure both included).
I enjoyed the one I bought. I’ve been meaning to load Star Raiders onto it. I bought a HDMI to USB-C capture dongle and use my iPad as the little TV. I have an iPad program that decides the HDMI and can add CRT distortion and persistence, and some games it really does improve when you try it. Others re just “Even worse”
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Mini enough for you?
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The top google hit should have it, but they note they ar missing th image and will get one “soon”. Much farther down M.U.L.E. for Atari 48K Home Computers (Atari 400/800) – Carpe Ludum – Eidolon's Inn – World of M.U.L.E. has one…
…and this particular mini Atari has it as a pack in game, so if you plonk down the cash you won’t have to wait to download a massive 16K byte image.
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Yes! Sadly out of stock, but hey if it existed in the past someone will make one in the future…
Yes but no dual density 5-1/4 
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Interesting that I envied my peers back in the day that had an Atari system, but now that I’m an adult with (some) discretionary money, I’m not so inclined to buy this or any other modernized Atari replica.
Maybe the nostalgia doesn’t interest me so much these days.
Wait, free emulators exist, games are free to download with a simple google search, why spend $100 on a computer runs that is artificially stripped of its versatility and still needs to be connected to a screen?
Maybe this online emulator of MULE for the 800xL is enough to cure your nostalgia? Or you can get this version packed for modern computers and licensed by th original publisher with multiplayer for $5.
You can install an emulator on a Raspi Zero and have the same experience for a lot less money. If you get bored with the games, you can turn that into a Pi-Hole.
Very nice game, at least at the time. The version for the Colecovision is available to play in the browser. The Atari version may be available, too.
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Thanks! I can’t seem to get it to work though - I can’t seem to equip a weapon. Oh well, it was neat. I did watch some play through on youtube to jog the old memory!
Well I won’t really have the experience of having a physical Atari 2600 looking object. Unless I 3D print a case that looks like one…
I have already played with Stella (the 2600 emulator) on an RPi. I did part of the work of jamming it into a Lego 2600. What I didn’t do is make a PiZero live in the Lego joystick and send control information back to the Pi in the body of the Atari which I think would be super cool…
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