I think this is part of what's behind the surge of interest in retrocomputing. As you say, those old 8-bit systems could be understood in their entirety by a single person. I know it's part of what has drawn me into the world of Arduino and other microcontrollers. It's fun to play with a simple system and get instant feedback from a blinky light.

Having said that, 512x480 with non-square pixels is a blight on the Universe.