Bill Loguidice

I still think it has a good chance of being their biggest-selling title, even moreso than the Duke Nukem collections. These things sell on name recognition and nostalgia as much as actual playability.

I'll just repeat my Reddit comments because that's about the effort that this is worth... "Nice that the console is pre-yellowed." "I know that the super-indie developers mean well, but based on what they produced for iiRcade, they're just not going to be polished titles. It's mind-boggling how unnecessary and non-competitive their Android box is, so I guess it fits in well with the current state of Amico."

Technically, circa 1963 for the Mother of All Demos by Douglas Engelbart and then in practical use by Xerox in business environments in the 70s. For home use, it was again Xerox with a 1981 mouse, but it really didn't start to be given much notice until Apple's Lisa launch in 1983. Of course, many 8-bit computers and beyond did eventually get mice of their own in one form or another.

Along those same lines, Tomb Raider Collection 1 and Thalamus Collection 1 have been leaked on Amazon.

It's one thing to shovel out digital store content, since anyone with minimal investment can get their apps published, and it really doesn't matter whether or not they sell (versus the minimal investment, relatively speaking), but it's something else entirely to manufacture a physical good in a reasonably cost-effective volume. If those don't sell, you're really in trouble. I'm sure they're still sitting on a ton of mostly empty game boxes, not even counting the ones, like mine, that were returned. And unless they find a way to make the controllers work universally, rather than just with their apps, that presents a similar issue. We can assume that the mobile games, in total, have sold maybe in the low thousands across all SKUs. What percentage of those individuals would even be interested in the controllers, even putting aside the idea that I'm sure many of those purchases were one-offs done simply out of morbid curiosity rather than genuine interest in the games themselves? And who is still going to be playing these games long-term if the controllers do actually come out? They're not exactly deep experiences you want to revisit. So yeah, that's a long-winded way of saying how many controllers, minimum, can they actually manufacture, and how many of those can they actually sell, especially if they won't function as controllers for anything else (not that that would help THAT much, but certainly would make it easier for SOME people to purchase one).

Not to derail anything, but I've NEVER liked that joystick. It's beloved by so many, but despite all the versions I have, from original to the remakes that are included with various things, I never found it especially usable. It's basically the defacto Commodore joystick. For me, I'd rather have an Epyx 500XJ (Konix Speedking) any day of the week. The positioning is even workable for easy access to two buttons. It's a shame that, despite having many of the Epyx games licensed now, no one seems to have pursued what it might take to recreate that design.

Correct. I have four. I like the d-pad on the older Xbox One controller (and had extras of those), so that's what I paired. I successfully paired Switch and PS controllers, as well as Xbox Series S/X without issue as well. If you want to switch, you just need to plug the dongle into your computer, run the software, and tell it which controller to pair with. Not a big deal, fortunately. I also put a tiny colored sticker on the dongle and its matching controller so I don't mix up what I paired with what.

It works great on the Polymega too (natively). The nice thing is once you pair the dongle with a controller via the PC app, it stays paired, so can be used on just about anything.

8BitDo USB Wireless Adapter 2 works wirelessly with an Xbox One controller (and it would be the same for an Xbox Series X/S controller). It should also work the same with Switch and PS controllers, but I haven't bothered to try it.

I wouldn't necessarily call it a problem. They do actively sell, sell variations of, a console. That might actual encourage both more console and game sales to handheld owners who haven't made the jump. They're already clearly quite comfortable in having some games work or be locked to some form factors or specific handhelds and not other devices. This would just be an extension of that. And again, these are things actively requested by the community, so if they can do it in their usual cost-effective manner, they will sell.

Of course, another option is some type of adapter that allows use of USB keyboards and mice. It feels like those types of older computer games would be a logical next step. Either way, I'd be SHOCKED if there weren't SOME type of peripherals in that as-yet-unknown batch of hardware. I really do think they can't realistically introduce any new hardware this year, other than perhaps some more themed/skinned stuff a la the Duke Nukem VS (and, pretty much no matter what it is, I'd have to pass on, since I already have a regular VS, regular Duke, original handheld, and EXP).

My guess for at least some of the new hardware would be an arcade controller and perhaps some wireless options (and I suppose to extend that, perhaps spinner and trackball options; and maybe to go REALLY far out, a light gun option). Those are among the most requested items. I can't see them doing another handheld iteration or even another VS for this year (definitely next year a strong possibility for both), but I guess you can never truly rule that out.

My How-To Geek review is live: https://www.howtogeek.com/atari-the400-mini-review/ Of course, given the type of site, my editor removed a lot of the historical context I provided, but so be it.

My go-to for systems like this (and Polymega, etc.) is to use the 8Bitdo Adapter 2. I use them with Xbox controllers, but they also work with PS and Switch controllers. You pair your choice of controller with the adapter on your PC and then it stays paired, so I can move it from system to system.

You are indeed a special breed then.