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I had 800XL but with the joystick from the picture. It didn't had micro switches so it was very quiet. I could play while father was sleeping on the couch.

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I also really enjoyed the 800. That picture of Joust brings back memories.

The 800 series was pretty sweet. We had one growing up with all sorts of addons. tape, floppy, printer, modem.

We had a 400 before that, and that one was ... less sweet.

You mean, you didn’t enjoy the “spill resistant” membrane keyboard? I was trying to describe it to someone a few weeks ago. The best I could come up with was that it was like trying to type on a microwave or stove panel. But not a glass one. Maybe a better analogy would be trying to type on a really cheap remote control - but full keyboard sized. Fun times…

I was too young at the time to appreciate the greater computing ecosystem, but today, I find it fascinating. Growing up, we too had a 400 and then 800, and that’s where I first started. And now you can find YouTube videos building a computer from scratch using the same chips.

> You mean, you didn’t enjoy the “spill resistant” membrane keyboard?

It's not an exaggeration to say that one third of the ads in contemporary Atari magazines is for some sort of keyboard replacement for the 400.

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