A new retro recreation called THE 800XL is a full-size modern take on the classic Atari 8-bit computer, announced with an April 2027 release and a $220 pre-order price. It recreates the original form factor with a full-size mechanical keyboard, a working cartridge slot, HDMI output, BASIC built in, and boots from disk images on USB. The system ships with THE CXSTICK 8-button USB joystick and 25 built-in games, including Asteroids, M.U.L.E., Star Raiders II, Millipede, Boulder Dash and Crystal Castles. Under the hood it runs an emulator and exposes only USB-A ports for joysticks and USB drives. Marketing and naming are inconsistent compared with the smaller THE 400 Mini, which shares the same 25-game lineup but lacks keyboard and cartridge support.
The author welcomes the full-size keyboard, cartridge port and HDMI but flags important limitations: no native 9‑pin joystick support, no SIO peripheral support (so classic disk drives and FujiNet won’t connect natively), and doubt that OSS language cartridges or Sidecart hardware will work. USB-to-SIO adapters would be required for legacy peripherals. Given those tradeoffs, the author is excited but will wait for retail availability rather than pre-order, expecting price drops and recommending hands-on videos (e.g., GenXGrownup) for further evaluation.
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