Retro console test: The400 Mini emulates Atari's 8-bit family
Page 2: Detailed mini console
Externally, the console is amazingly true to the original, just like its predecessor, the Atari 2600+. It looks like an Atari 400 shrunk by around 50 percent, and even small details such as air intakes and the roughened surface have been reproduced exactly. The flap above the keyboard, in which the module port is located in the original, looks deceptively real so that it is hard to believe that it cannot be opened.
If you stroke the fake keyboard, you can feel the grain and think you can feel individual keys, just like the original – but it's still just a dummy without any function. However, if you need a keyboard, you can easily connect a standard external USB keyboard. It can also be played without a keyboard: An on-screen keyboard can be displayed by pressing the Home and Menu buttons.
The Atari 400 was released together with its sister model, the Atari 800, in 1979 in the USA (1981 in Germany). In contrast to its big brother, which was geared towards more professional requirements, the Atari 400 was designed as an inexpensive and uncomplicated entry into the world of computers. The series was initially planned as the successor to the VCS system.
Compared to other devices of the time, it looked rather unusual with its protruding sides and membrane keyboard: developer Doug Hardy wanted to create a robust computer for the children's room. As with the Atari 800, which was released at the same time, the protruding sides were intended to provide a secure hold when the computer was sitting on the lap.
The membrane keyboard was designed to withstand the occasional spilled drink. The four nine-pin DSUB-9 joystick connections also set Atari apart from the competition, where more than two controller connections - if at all - could only be set up with additional hardware.
The team around the later Amiga chief developer Jay Miner designed three special chips to relieve the main processor: The Alpha-Numeric Television Interface Circuit (Antic) was responsible for various graphics generation tasks and controlled the Color Television Interface Adaptor (CTIA, later GTIA), which was responsible for the color palette. The Potenziometer and Keyboard Integrated Circuit (POKEY) chip was responsible for sound generation, keyboard scanning and the serial interface. The concept of the special chips later found its way into the custom chips of the Amiga.
The Atari 400/800 could be supplied with games or tools via a cassette drive, module or 5 1/4-inch floppy disk. The Atari 800 in particular managed to dominate the market, at least briefly: Then came the C64. Although Atari tried to counter Commodore's dominance with the XL series and the XE, the devices did not come close to repeating the success of the early years.
Speaking of connections: The criticism of the low number of USB ports on the C64 and Amiga mini consoles seems to have been taken on board by Retro Games. With four USB-A ports on the front and one on the back, the device offers sufficient options for connecting additional controllers, keyboards or storage devices. As with the original, the ports on the front are numbered according to the players: Front left is for Player 1, the port to the right of it is for Player 2 and so on. This can otherwise lead to confusion, as you can also navigate the menu with controllers that are connected to other ports, but the joystick or gamepad seems to refuse to cooperate in the game.
The USB-C port on the back is used exclusively for the power supply. The internal values are nothing special for a retro emulation system: an AllWinner H3 SoC chip with 256 megabytes of DDR3 RAM and 128 megabytes of eMMC flash memory is used.
The joystick, called The CX Stick, is based on Atari's legendary CX40 joystick, but with a few additional functions: In addition to the fire button, which is located on the front left as on the original, there are seven more buttons for the settings hidden almost out of sight: in the ring around the knob are one button each at the front, and at the back, right and left. The Menu and Home switches are located in the middle of the front, with a shoulder switch at the bottom left of the side. The buttons are so discreetly positioned that the joystick is almost indistinguishable from the original CX40.
The 400 Mini - what it looks like (6 Bilder)
On the other hand, it's not perfect: it's quite stiff, and you notice this when you try to make precise manoeuvres in the heat of the moment. If you don't pull with force, the movement may not be enough or may be executed imprecisely. If you push too hard, you may hit a button hidden in the ring. In the test environment, we were knocked out of the game several times as a result.
Fortunately, you don't have to rely solely on the controller supplied: A great many commercially available USB joysticks and controllers can be connected without any problems. It was even possible to play on the mini console with a Playstation 5 controller connected by cable. However, a controller requires the USB connection: wireless controllers are out of the question – The400 Mini is not Bluetooth-capable.
(Bild: Markus Will)
A practical solution: a trick makes it easier for left-handers to use. Pressing the home button, the left button in the ring and the home button activates left-handed mode. The joystick knob control is positioned 90 degrees to the left so that the joystick can be turned so that the fire button is on the right-hand side.
The attention to detail can also be seen in the connection cables: Both are beige in color and Atari logos are incorporated. Like the joystick cable, they are also sufficiently long (1.8 meters each) to bridge distances of more than 3 meters to the TV.
