Thanks for this post, it gives me a good template to describe my experience back in the day.
I was oblivious to the crash also. I remember purchasing a few Colecovision games in the bargain bins at the mall. All under $5. The one that stands out the most was Pepper 2.
2nd part. After I saved up enough cash my father matched dollar for dollar so I can get a new 800 XL. My same reaction,wow so much better then my old consoles.
1986—87 Holy cow my new Atari ST is amazing!
For me it wasn’t ET or Pac-Man that killed gaming for me. It was the upgrade to the new computers.