I agree: I can and have emulated Atari 8-bits on my Win laptop, but having a console format sitting on the coffee table connected to my large screen TV seems just a bit more comfortable and "old school".
I like it a lot - but I'm not blind to the Mini's flaws. The console itself I am happy with. I'd give it a 10/10 but the 5200 control inputs is a fly in the ointment. I'm hoping they get that straightened out with firmware.
The CX-stick, though: ai yi yi. How they could put it out as-is and then tell people, "Oh just don't press too hard and you won't get those false diagonals"...?
I don't experience that issue myself, but the stupid Ring buttons are an idea that seems great but proves to be terrible in practice. I've turned them off and use the Function keys on my USB keyboard instead.