The difference with an Atari flashback is that this is a COMPUTER. Also, this is a global release, so UK popularity is a moot point. Anyone interested in the history of home micros is most likely aware of the importance of this one as it was far ahead of what was available back then hardware wise. I'm from Argentina, never seen one of these in the flesh, we only got a bunch of 800XLs dumped on our shores once they had already been discontinued and replaced with the XEs, but I'm still going to get this to add to my collection...
The Atari 400/800 is the precursor to the Amiga, the graphics chips designed by Jay Minor the father of the Amiga. As said by someone else, this was a home computer and not a video game console. It doesn't play the Atari 2600 games like the flashback does. The Atari 8bit computer line has never had a physical emulation machine released in this way and I am very happy that it is finally happening. Otherwise I'd need to run an emulator on my PC or Mac. If this doesn't strike you as nostalgic then that's fine, don't buy it. We don't all have the same past experiences. I would rather it looked like the 800, but I understand why they used the 400 shape instead, probably being easier and cheaper to mold with the flat keyboard and all.
Great little machine was £349 when I bought my first one. Most the people I knew had this and a little down the line a Happy Drive board which cost me £100 in the 1050 disk drive, ahh the good old days
Atari was supposed to release the Amiga, but Commodore swooped in and I believe acquired the company Amiga that made the Amiga. Tramiel took the ST with him to Atari after separating from Conmodore. All this retro stuff has no must own. It is want to own. I can see an ST mini coming next, but Atari needs to move carefully.
The 400 case because it is the most different looking of the 8-bit Ataris. They missed a trick by not having the lift-up hatch where the BASIC cart would be be on a real 400. I expect this to be amongst the first mods (along with a functional keyboard).
I am going to buy it. This is the iconic first 8-bit Atari. I'm in the UK. At the time of its purchase:1982 from Laskys, Peterborough - this was the best computer on the market. Many of the early big C64 hits came from the 8-bit Atari: Bruce Lee, Dropzone, Encounter. The 800 was double the price for only a decent keyboard and more ram. I sold my 400 for an 800XL. Always preferred the 400 though.
Atari 8bit is currently going through its golden era in Europe with all those hardware upgrades and software releases almost every month....plus most Atari fans are hunting down a rare machine from the original line and this will do to fill the gap in their collections. This will be a massive hit in Europe.
I gather these didn't have a lot of impact in the UK, but here in Texas. . . An Atari 400 was my first computer. And I had no idea what I was doing with it, and I had no games for it. (The Star Raiders cartridge was $80, which accounting for inflation would be like $300 in today's funny money!) I dabbled with BASIC a bit. . . but a couple of years later got the Atari 800XL and a floppy drive, and then I discovered "dubiously sourced" games, and I was off to the races. It was the greatest game machine of its time. There were at least hundreds, maybe thousands of games produced for this platform, and with inventiveness that you just don't see anymore. It irks me that the laughably crude and limited VCS/2600 console gets so much attention while the 400/800/XL is glossed over. I mean, I know it's understandable by the sheer numbers. Atari computers were expensive, and most folks didn't turn them over to the kids. The 2600 was everywhere. But if you were lucky enough to have an Atari computer, you knew it was in a completely different category.
It plays great 8 bit games that were on the 5200 and the 8 bit home computers. Theres a lot if nostalgia for 5200 and the 800. The 5200 lid and controllers were garbage but the games were great. I wish the made a mini 600XL case instead if the ugliest model, the 400. The 600XL would be cool as a full size with working cartridge slot and to be a Bluetooth PC keyboard as well... so long as I can put my own backlit double shot buttons and custom switches in. This will be a great system. $120 is ok if it looked like the 600XL but I'll still buy it. They were the best arcade ports of the day. I hear they are doing a full size Amiga. I'm very very excited for that.
I pre-ordered one. I can't wait! You do know it does play the entire 8-bit line of the Atari computers. I never owned one because I was a commodore kid but I'm still getting one.
@@Wizbitsrandomgaming I could see that so I agree. It's possible in their release schedule they could be releasing another Atari product in the future. When they released the c64 mini later on they released a c64 Maxi and a Vic 20 maxi. I did a video on it last year sometime and in their schedule they had a few more products for this year. I believe it was a full size console and another plug and play but not releasing this year. I'm guessing if they're doing a full-sized console it's going to be the Amiga but not sure what the future plug and play will be.
Maybe the ST is coming at a later date? I was surprised they didn't go for the 800XL tbh, they were more popular than this model and looked a lot better! I had a XL as did a few of my mates but the lack of software over here in the computer shops forced me to sell and get a C64. Like you I do remember seeing 400's in Dixons bitd but I didn't know anyone who owned one. Strange choice to be sure and overpriced also. Nice review :)
Emulating Atari 400/800 is not as simple as you think. Indeed, we had to wait for a couple of years to have decent emulation of all the chips in all Atari machines in the 8 bit line...
Agreed. But i am betting the full sized console of Atari is coming and it's not this one. Likely an ST (80% chance) or 800/XL/XE models (20%). Let's see if i am right by early next year.
The graphics were so much better than the 2600. The games were much faster, and there were a lot of titles available for only the 8-bit systems. Every game Atari had looked better and played better on the 400 than the 2600. It was my family's first console, and I MUST HAVE THIS!
4:54 ok now I noticed the reason for the confusion. So there is a misconception and a confusion about Atari8bit computer games and Atari 2600 games. Atari 8bit games are, in many cases, superior to C64 games. (Check Space Harrier, Prince of Persia, Pang, Stunt car racer, Bomb Jack,Yoomp, Guard, Fractalus, Total Eclipse etc etc etc). Indie retro news (retro news site) and Saberman's channel have playlists of many retro home computers. If you check the Atari XE XL playlist you will see the difference in quality between Atari flashback and Atari computers.
Good video and it reflects my exact thoughts. Why even bother with something very few people have nostalgia for?? AT $120 US it's way overpriced. The Atari ST just made way more sense...
It wouldn't. To make money you need an involved and dedicated crowd willing to spend money. The Atari ST homebrew community is almost dead with 1-2 game releases per year...on a good year so it hasn't proved itself. On the other hand the Atari 8bit homebrew scene is HUGE and dedicated, being the third most active right behind and really close to the Speccy . The software competitions and hardware upgrades are at a different level...only matched by the commodore machines and speccy plus most Atari fans and collectors in Europe miss the 400 from their collections (pretty rare in Europe) so it will be a massive hit over here. The producers are aware of these numbers and if you add the lower cost of a replica without a dummy keyboard...it makes more sense.
Relax, this isn't Atari direcctly. Plus they seem to be going in some kinda order. Consoles, then next is the 8bit line. I'm sure the Lynx and ST are probably next and then the Jag. So go have a tea and biscuit and relax.
I LOVE the Lynx most of all my Atari systems. I still enjoy it (modern screen mod). I suspect I'll also get the new My Arcade for the living room since it's easy to add roms from various platforms. There's a newer updated model coming soon.
The difference with an Atari flashback is that this is a COMPUTER. Also, this is a global release, so UK popularity is a moot point. Anyone interested in the history of home micros is most likely aware of the importance of this one as it was far ahead of what was available back then hardware wise. I'm from Argentina, never seen one of these in the flesh, we only got a bunch of 800XLs dumped on our shores once they had already been discontinued and replaced with the XEs, but I'm still going to get this to add to my collection...
The Atari 400/800 is the precursor to the Amiga, the graphics chips designed by Jay Minor the father of the Amiga. As said by someone else, this was a home computer and not a video game console. It doesn't play the Atari 2600 games like the flashback does. The Atari 8bit computer line has never had a physical emulation machine released in this way and I am very happy that it is finally happening. Otherwise I'd need to run an emulator on my PC or Mac. If this doesn't strike you as nostalgic then that's fine, don't buy it. We don't all have the same past experiences. I would rather it looked like the 800, but I understand why they used the 400 shape instead, probably being easier and cheaper to mold with the flat keyboard and all.
Great little machine was £349 when I bought my first one. Most the people I knew had this and a little down the line a Happy Drive board which cost me £100 in the 1050 disk drive, ahh the good old days
Atari was supposed to release the Amiga, but Commodore swooped in and I believe acquired the company Amiga that made the Amiga. Tramiel took the ST with him to Atari after separating from Conmodore.
All this retro stuff has no must own. It is want to own.
I can see an ST mini coming next, but Atari needs to move carefully.
The 400 case because it is the most different looking of the 8-bit Ataris. They missed a trick by not having the lift-up hatch where the BASIC cart would be be on a real 400. I expect this to be amongst the first mods (along with a functional keyboard).
I am going to buy it. This is the iconic first 8-bit Atari. I'm in the UK. At the time of its purchase:1982 from Laskys, Peterborough - this was the best computer on the market. Many of the early big C64 hits came from the 8-bit Atari: Bruce Lee, Dropzone, Encounter. The 800 was double the price for only a decent keyboard and more ram. I sold my 400 for an 800XL. Always preferred the 400 though.
These were popular in the US.
Atari 8bit is currently going through its golden era in Europe with all those hardware upgrades and software releases almost every month....plus most Atari fans are hunting down a rare machine from the original line and this will do to fill the gap in their collections. This will be a massive hit in Europe.
I would think anyone wanting to use this as a retro computer would have preferred the 800 keyboard.
Well the keyboard is non-functional, so the 400 looks by far the best visually.
It seems you'll be able to plug any keyboard in here.
I gather these didn't have a lot of impact in the UK, but here in Texas. . . An Atari 400 was my first computer. And I had no idea what I was doing with it, and I had no games for it. (The Star Raiders cartridge was $80, which accounting for inflation would be like $300 in today's funny money!) I dabbled with BASIC a bit. . . but a couple of years later got the Atari 800XL and a floppy drive, and then I discovered "dubiously sourced" games, and I was off to the races.
It was the greatest game machine of its time. There were at least hundreds, maybe thousands of games produced for this platform, and with inventiveness that you just don't see anymore. It irks me that the laughably crude and limited VCS/2600 console gets so much attention while the 400/800/XL is glossed over. I mean, I know it's understandable by the sheer numbers. Atari computers were expensive, and most folks didn't turn them over to the kids. The 2600 was everywhere. But if you were lucky enough to have an Atari computer, you knew it was in a completely different category.
They should do an MSX 2 Mini, that'd be AWESOME!
ah, but which one?
Each time someone says why, it makes me wants to buy. Atari 8bit computers are the jam. The game line is more advanced than the Atari 2600.
It plays great 8 bit games that were on the 5200 and the 8 bit home computers. Theres a lot if nostalgia for 5200 and the 800. The 5200 lid and controllers were garbage but the games were great.
I wish the made a mini 600XL case instead if the ugliest model, the 400. The 600XL would be cool as a full size with working cartridge slot and to be a Bluetooth PC keyboard as well... so long as I can put my own backlit double shot buttons and custom switches in.
This will be a great system. $120 is ok if it looked like the 600XL but I'll still buy it. They were the best arcade ports of the day.
I hear they are doing a full size Amiga. I'm very very excited for that.
I'd take an Atari 5200 Mini over this...
@@Elgo2024 well this will play the 5200 games. Just won't look as good in the form of a 400 sitting there lol
I should say it would look better as a 5200 or an XL computer.
I pre-ordered one. I can't wait! You do know it does play the entire 8-bit line of the Atari computers. I never owned one because I was a commodore kid but I'm still getting one.
Yeah I'm aware but just think an ST would have been a much better seller
@@Wizbitsrandomgaming I could see that so I agree. It's possible in their release schedule they could be releasing another Atari product in the future. When they released the c64 mini later on they released a c64 Maxi and a Vic 20 maxi. I did a video on it last year sometime and in their schedule they had a few more products for this year. I believe it was a full size console and another plug and play but not releasing this year. I'm guessing if they're doing a full-sized console it's going to be the Amiga but not sure what the future plug and play will be.
Maybe the ST is coming at a later date? I was surprised they didn't go for the 800XL tbh, they were more popular than this model and looked a lot better! I had a XL as did a few of my mates but the lack of software over here in the computer shops forced me to sell and get a C64. Like you I do remember seeing 400's in Dixons bitd but I didn't know anyone who owned one. Strange choice to be sure and overpriced also. Nice review :)
Emulating Atari 400/800 is not as simple as you think. Indeed, we had to wait for a couple of years to have decent emulation of all the chips in all Atari machines in the 8 bit line...
Agreed. But i am betting the full sized console of Atari is coming and it's not this one. Likely an ST (80% chance) or 800/XL/XE models (20%). Let's see if i am right by early next year.
Because we can.
The graphics were so much better than the 2600. The games were much faster, and there were a lot of titles available for only the 8-bit systems. Every game Atari had looked better and played better on the 400 than the 2600. It was my family's first console, and I MUST HAVE THIS!
4:54 ok now I noticed the reason for the confusion.
So there is a misconception and a confusion about Atari8bit computer games and Atari 2600 games.
Atari 8bit games are, in many cases, superior to C64 games. (Check Space Harrier, Prince of Persia, Pang, Stunt car racer, Bomb Jack,Yoomp, Guard, Fractalus, Total Eclipse etc etc etc).
Indie retro news (retro news site) and Saberman's channel have playlists of many retro home computers. If you check the Atari XE XL playlist you will see the difference in quality between Atari flashback and Atari computers.
Agreed 100%
Why not
Now to be honest I didn't like the look of it either but I was guessing this was a popular model in Europe lol! I guess by your video I was wrong.
In the UK most definitely not
Good video and it reflects my exact thoughts. Why even bother with something very few people have nostalgia for?? AT $120 US it's way overpriced. The Atari ST just made way more sense...
It wouldn't. To make money you need an involved and dedicated crowd willing to spend money. The Atari ST homebrew community is almost dead with 1-2 game releases per year...on a good year so it hasn't proved itself.
On the other hand the Atari 8bit homebrew scene is HUGE and dedicated, being the third most active right behind and really close to the Speccy . The software competitions and hardware upgrades are at a different level...only matched by the commodore machines and speccy plus most Atari fans and collectors in Europe miss the 400 from their collections (pretty rare in Europe) so it will be a massive hit over here. The producers are aware of these numbers and if you add the lower cost of a replica without a dummy keyboard...it makes more sense.
...few people have nostalgia for in the UK. Us yanks loved the atari-8 bit line. I could never get past the pastel color palette on the C64. lol
Relax, this isn't Atari direcctly. Plus they seem to be going in some kinda order. Consoles, then next is the 8bit line. I'm sure the Lynx and ST are probably next and then the Jag. So go have a tea and biscuit and relax.
I LOVE the Lynx most of all my Atari systems. I still enjoy it (modern screen mod).
I suspect I'll also get the new My Arcade for the living room since it's easy to add roms from various platforms. There's a newer updated model coming soon.
Speak n Spell....... hahaha