The only perceptually faster feedback I can vividly recall my 1983 8-bit computer giving is "Oh, I know it took my input because now it's frozen."
The first paid programming job I ever did was writing some relocatable machine code in a USR$ because the patron's BBS couldn't calculate the XMODEM CRC in BASIC fast enough to support the upgrade to his new 1200 baud modem. I know I got paid $20 and I think it was about 20 bytes of code. I wish I got paid $1/byte for code I write today!
I mean, nowadays I am not very much into the "actually" arguments: I really don't deem it that important that older computers were better specialized for lower input lag. I just want that lower input lag back.
Complexity in modern machines and OS-es has grown too much. I feel a next Linux-like revolution might be coming that addresses this -- although this time around it would be much slower and gradual so it might not actually constitute a revolution per se. More like evolution.