Jump to content

History of video games/Platforms/Texas Instruments TI-99/4A

100% developed
From Wikibooks, open books for an open world

History

[edit | edit source]
TI Basic on a TI-99/4A

The Texas Instruments TI-99/4 was released in 1979 at a cost of $1,150.[1][2]

The improved Texas Instruments TI-99/4A was released in June 1981 at a cost of $525.[1][3]

Despite costing less than $100 by fall of 1982, and by being promoted by then popular comedian Bill Cosby, the TI-99/4A was severely challenged in the market by fierce competition in the low end segment, and by the video game crash of 1983.[2]

Production of the Texas Instruments TI-99/4A ended in 1984 with about 2.5 million systems sold.[4][5]

Technology

[edit | edit source]

Compute

[edit | edit source]

The Texas Instruments TI-99/4A is powered by the 16-bit TMS9900 processor clocked at three megahertz.[3]

A TMS 9918 or TMS 9929 handles video processing.[4]

The TI-99/4A has 16 kilobytes of RAM and 16 kilobytes of video RAM.[3][4]

Hardware

[edit | edit source]

The TI-99/4A has 26 kilobytes of ROM.[3]

[edit | edit source]

360 View

[edit | edit source]

Details

[edit | edit source]

Accessories

[edit | edit source]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. a b "Full Page Reload". IEEE Spectrum: Technology, Engineering, and Science News. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  2. a b Pollack, Andrew (19 June 1983). "THE COMING CRISIS IN HOME COMPUTERS (Published 1983)". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  3. a b c d "Texas Instruments TI-99/4A computer". oldcomputers.net. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  4. a b c "OLD-COMPUTERS.COM : The Museum". www.old-computers.com. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  5. "Texas Instruments Model 994A Personal Computer". National Museum of American History. Retrieved 28 November 2020.