Atari 400 Mini Review: "A Cleanly Realized Effort That Could Resonate Within Its Niche"

From the perspective of modern computing, the Atari 400 seems like an awkward if charming object, boasting a difficult pressure-based keyboard and an unusual form factor with a central bulge for a cartridge slot. That cartridge slot, however, is the calling card of a machine that bridged home computing and gaming in a more intuitive way than its contemporaries could manage. Almost 45 years later, the Atari 400 Mini brings its namesake back to life in the now-familiar form of a downsized classic console, and it's a cleanly realized effort that could resonate within its niche.

The Atari 400 Mini isn't the first retro console that the company has put out in recent years, but it might be the simplest approach on most levels. Gone are the cartridge slot of the Atari 2600+ and the grand, awkward ambitions of the VCS, jettisoned in favor of a streamlined approach more comparable to Nintendo's throwback models. Notably, however, it's compatible with games across all of Atari's 8-bit systems, which includes the 800 (effectively the same computer), 5200, 130XE, and more.

Atari games tend to be straightforward, and the 400 Mini doesn't attempt to get in the way of that. A quick logo sequence on boot-up precedes a side-scrolling menu that features tiles and description for all 25 included games, which can be opened with the press of a button and suspended just as easily. Everything is snappy and responsive, and a small array of useful settings (like an aspect ratio toggle) stay tucked away in a manner that's not intrusive. It's all been done before, but it works.

The biggest difference that comes from playing these titles on the Atari 400 Mini instead of original hardware lies in the addition of save slots, pausing, and rewinding. While the grinding difficulty of simple games once helped to mimic the arcade experience and provide more value in length, it's not as appealing to every potential player today. Each included title features four save slots, with filled files