Something comparable to the Nintendo SNES or DS's hardware capabilities, which seemed like the perfect sweet spot between artistic freedom and "helpful" limitations which actually improved creativity by lowering complexity.
The closest thing today is RaspberryPI, and boot to a linux in text mode, you're basically there.
What is more difficult to find is the combo hardware/software, but the Pi 400 includes keyboard and a mouse comes with as a kit.
Just like in the old days, find a (~TV) cheap LCD monitor and plug and play.
And you have hundreds of games for free, thousands possibly with emulators etc. And you can program in virtually every languages on the planet.
If anything, what you have now paralysis by choice. There is just too much you can do with a basic computers, so you wind up on youtube and social medias instead of being bored with 1 compiler and 1 book.
ref: I grew up on ZX Spectrum+! :)
These kinds of projects are becoming more and more common in retrocomputing circles.
An intersection of simple and impressive - I feel like Raspberry Pi Pico and the likes embody this spirit nowadays.
https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/picosystem?variant=323695...
https://shop.pimoroni.com/products/picovision?variant=410489...
(Not affiliated nor trying to sell it, the shop is just the best link for information.)
EDIT: Also it's not quite boot into IDE, but the vibe of both is similar in every other way.
An open issue [1] makes a point that MMIXX [2], which adds graphics to Knuth's MMIX, is a fantasy computer.
It's a platform specifically made for games (as opposed to a Raspberry Pi for example), has a library of great games and is ostensibly easy to develop for.
It's a "computer" that boots straight to your program. MicroPython (I even did it with TinyGo), and you can make lights blink! But seriously... there's some very interesting stuff with it, and you can also add on another chip that lets you rock and roll with motors, speakers, etc. https://www.adafruit.com/product/3093