{"id":274943,"date":"2021-06-14T13:40:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T10:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/"},"modified":"2021-06-14T13:40:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T10:40:00","slug":"a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/","title":{"rendered":"#A Successful Failure: The TI-99\/4A Turns 40"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28c0e93d444\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a28c0e93d444\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#What_Came_Before_1979s_TI-994\" >What Came Before: 1979\u2019s TI-99\/4<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#Enter_the_TI-994A\" >Enter the TI-99\/4A<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#What_Was_Cool_About_the_TI-994A\" >What Was Cool About the TI-99\/4A?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#Software_Applications_on_Cartridge\" >Software Applications on Cartridge<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#The_Speech_Synthesizer\" >The Speech Synthesizer<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#Great_Video_Games\" >Great Video Games<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#A_Unified_Interface\" >A Unified Interface<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-99-4a-turns-40\/#Business_Failure_Cultural_Success\" >Business Failure, Cultural Success<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>&#8220;#A Successful Failure: The TI-99\/4A Turns 40&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage wp-image-731748 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti_99_hero_4.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A TI-99\/4A\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Benj Edwards\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\">Benj Edwards<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In June 1981, Texas Instruments released the TI-99\/4A, a 16-bit home computer and gaming platform that became a huge cultural success in America after selling 2.8 million units, although it resulted in a business loss for TI. Forty years later, here\u2019s what made it special.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Came_Before_1979s_TI-994\"><\/span>What Came Before: 1979\u2019s TI-99\/4<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After dazzling the world with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/nerd-alert-7-iconic-calculators-of-yore\">pocket calculators<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pcmag.com\/news\/the-digital-watch-a-brief-history\">digital watches<\/a> in the early-mid 1970s, Dallas-based electronics powerhouse Texas Instruments set its sights on the emerging video <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> and personal computer markets in the late 1970s.<\/p>\n<p>At first, the firm intended to create both a video game console and a low-cost personal computer, but while in development, those products merged together into the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/oldcomputers.net\/ti994.html\">TI-99\/4<\/a> (no \u201cA\u201d yet), which was released in late 1979. The 99\/4 retailed for $1,150 (about $4,083 today), and due to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=f8kLXVsJ3J8C&amp;lpg=RA1-PA67&amp;ots=QDzpHwxAgQ&amp;dq=Texas%20instruments%20FCC%20rules%20relaxed&amp;pg=RA1-PA67#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">strict FCC emissions regulations<\/a>, shipped with its own 13\u2033 custom color TV set as a monitor. Notably, the TI-99\/4 included the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Texas_Instruments_TMS9900\">16-bit TMS9900 CPU<\/a>, which was based on the TI-990 minicomputer, making it the first mass-market PC with a 16-bit CPU in the U.S.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731759 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti-99_4_original.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Part of a TI-99\/4 brochure from 1979.\" width=\"650\" height=\"500\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">The predecessor of the 4A, the TI-99\/4, launched in 1979. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Texas Instruments<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From the beginning, TI wanted to maintain tight control over who developed software for its 99\/4 platform, so the company didn\u2019t publish technical specifications or initially release an editor\/assembler package that would allow for advanced programming on the system. This locked out third-party developers that could have enriched the platform with software variety.<\/p>\n<p>Due to its limited chiclet-style keyboard, limited <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lication support, and high price due to the pack-in color monitor, the TI-99\/4 received poor reviews and flopped in the marketplace. Varying reports say that it sold somewhere between 20,000 and 100,000 units in total.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Enter_the_TI-994A\"><\/span>Enter the TI-99\/4A<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After the 99\/4 flopped in 1980, TI decided to try again. It went back to the drawing board and came up with the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/oldcomputers.net\/ti994a.html\">TI-99\/4A<\/a> (note the \u201cA\u201d in the name), which included the same 16 KB of RAM and 3 MHz TMS9900 CPU as its predecessor, but which also included a full-stroke keyboard, lowercase support, and graphics chip improvements.<\/p>\n<p>Although the TI-99\/4A and its predecessor <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atarimagazines.com\/creative\/v9n5\/33_The_TI_994A.php\">garnered some criticism<\/a> for not living up to the potential of its 16-bit CPU, others found its design elegant. \u201cThe internal design of the system was excellent and one of the best home computers I had worked on to date,\u201d says Scott Adams, who developed several games for the platform with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adventure_International\">Adventure International<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike the 99\/4, the TI-99\/4A didn\u2019t need to ship with a dedicated color monitor. After the launch of the TI-99\/4 in 1979, TI acquired a conditional waiver from the FCC that allowed it to sell home computers that could attach to a standard home TV set. (Eventually, these relaxed rules would be <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.com\/books?id=8I8FzHHycB0C&amp;lpg=PA1069&amp;ots=c_Od4dqyhW&amp;dq=Texas%20instruments%20FCC%20rules%20relaxed&amp;pg=PA1068#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false\">adopted fully in 1983.<\/a>)<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731752 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti-99-system-box.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A TI-99\/4A system photo from the back of the US retail box.\" width=\"650\" height=\"339\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Texas Instruments<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Without the expensive monitor, TI could cut the cost of its revised machine dramatically. The TI-99\/4A launched in the U.S. in June of 1981 for <span id=\"answer\">$525 (equivalent to about $1,409 in 2021), which was about half the cost of an Apple II at the time. This price put it in the range of other consumer home computers, such as the Commodore VIC-20, TRS-80 Color Computer, and Atari 800, which were some of its main American competitors at the time. As a celebrity pitchman, TI chose actor and co<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>n <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/139\/retro-scan-of-the-week-bill-cosby-fondles-a-ti-994a\">Bill Cosby<\/a>.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The TI-99\/4A included\u00a0built-in TI BASIC programming language, and it shipped with nice manuals that taught computer novices (especially kids) basic programming concepts. For inexpensive data storage, you could buy a special cable that let you save or load programs with a standard cassette tape recorder.<\/p>\n<p>Expansion on the TI-99\/4A was a little weird. TI initially released several different \u201csidecar\u201d modules for the 99\/4 that plugged into a port on the right side of the computer. These modules included a disk drive controller, a 32K RAM expansion, an RS-232 interface, a speech synthesizer, and even a printer. If you plugged them all in at once, you got an ungainly peripheral train that barely fit on a desk.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731736 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti99_sidecar_train.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A TI-99\/4A with many sidecar attachments.\" width=\"650\" height=\"272\" data-crediturl=\"http:\/\/oldcomputers.net\/ti994a.html\" data-credittext=\"Steven Stengel\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">If you plugged in every TI-99\/4A sidecar module, things could get wide pretty fast. <span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/oldcomputers.net\/ti994a.html\">Steven Stengel<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To solve that problem, TI later released the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mainbyte.com\/ti99\/hardware\/peb\/perf_box.html\">Peripheral Expansion System<\/a>. It included a disk drive and several of the sidecar modules as plug-in cards in a heavy external chassis. But few bought it due to its relatively high cost of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/oldcomputers.net\/ti994a.html\">$1,475<\/a> (about $4,700 today).<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Was_Cool_About_the_TI-994A\"><\/span>What Was Cool About the TI-99\/4A?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Texas Instruments went to great lengths to make the TI-99\/4A a user-friendly machine, and the TI-99\/4A included several features that made it fun to use. Here are just a few of them.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Software_Applications_on_Cartridge\"><\/span>Software Applications on Cartridge<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731754 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti_command_modules.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Information on Command Modules from a 1979 TI-99\/4 brochure.\" width=\"650\" height=\"500\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Texas Instruments<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Like other home computers of the time, the TI-99\/4A could play computer games that shipped on ROM cartridges (TI called them \u201cCommand Modules.\u201d) like a video game console. But Texas Instruments also went out of its way to publish <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ti99db.org\/Cartridges_view.php\">serious software applications,<\/a> such as word processors, financial utilities, terminal emulators, and more on cartridge, which made loading and using the apps far easier and quicker than using a disk drive or cassette recorder.<\/p>\n<p>TI called this approach \u201cSolid State Software,\u201d which emphasized the fact that users could instantly load applications stored on silicon chips with no moving parts.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Speech_Synthesizer\"><\/span>The Speech Synthesizer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731761 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti_speech_synthesizer.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The TI-99\/4A Speech Synthesizer Manual Cover\" width=\"650\" height=\"406\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Texas Instruments<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 1978, Texas Instruments released the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vintagecomputing.com\/index.php\/archives\/528\/vcg-interview-richard-wiggins-talks-speak-spell\">Speak &amp; Spell<\/a> educational toy, which included breakthrough speech synthesis <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> developed at TI. In 1980, TI included that same tech in a small box that plugged into a port on the right side of the TI-99\/4 (and later, the 4A). The Speech Synthesizer module added impressive spoken sound effects to video games, such as <em>Alpiner<\/em>, <em>Parsec<\/em>, and others. You could also program your own speech output in BASIC. It felt very futuristic at the time.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Great_Video_Games\"><\/span>Great Video Games<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731756 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti_99_cartridges.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A photo of TI-99\/4A cartridges.\" width=\"650\" height=\"388\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">TI-99\/4A game cartridges. <span class=\"imagecredit\">Benj Edwards<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When it came to gaming, the TI-99\/4A played host to its share of computer gaming classics. Popular favorites include <em>Parsec<\/em> (a side-scrolling space shooter), <em>Alpiner<\/em> (You climb up mountains.), <em>TI Invaders<\/em> (think<em> Space Invaders<\/em>), <em>Munchman<\/em> (a <em>Pac-Man<\/em> clone), <em>Hunt the Wumpus<\/em> (a puzzle game), and later, a selection of competent <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/4apedia.com\/index.php\/Atarisoft\">Atarisoft ports<\/a> of arcade games like <em>Donkey Kong<\/em> and <em>Centipede<\/em>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Sometimes you Hunt the Wumpus, and sometimes the Wumpus hunts you <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/nxmkJMd2H3\">pic.twitter.com\/nxmkJMd2H3<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Benj Edwards (@benjedwards) <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/benjedwards\/status\/1169740491006586880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 5, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>In particular, a 1983 adventure game called <em>Return to Pirate\u2019s Isle<\/em> stood out as a technical achievement. Developer Scott Adams, a pioneer known for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adventure_International\">creating adventure games<\/a> for early PCs, crafted a novel system to display graphics in the game that could fit in the limited space available on a cartridge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI came up with what was a system that allowed decent cell drawn pictures but was fairly labor-intensive for the graphical artist,\u201d says Adams. \u201cWe had a palette of shapes the artist could use to make all the pictures. He could add as needed to the selection, but we had to try and keep the size of this palette small.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-732340\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/return_to_pirates_isle_screenshot.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Return to Pirate's Isle (1983) used novel compression techniques to fit rich graphics on a cartridge.\" width=\"650\" height=\"488\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Return to Pirate\u2019s Isle<\/em> (1983) used novel compression techniques to fit rich graphics on a cartridge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The 99\/4A also supported over 40 educational games (that covered math, geography, language, and more) published on cartridge\u2014far more than was typical for other computer platforms.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Unified_Interface\"><\/span>A Unified Interface<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>TI made navigating the 99\/4A interface easy with onscreen menus and function keys. At boot, you\u2019d see a splash screen, and then a numbered menu, with choices based on what was plugged into your cartridge slot. To start TI BASIC, you\u2019d press \u201c1\u201d on the keyboard. To start other programs on cartridge, you\u2019d press \u201c2\u201d or higher.<\/p>\n<p>Also, the TI-99\/4A included a Function key on its keyboard that allowed you to use its number keys as function interface keys. Many software applications used these standardized keys (such as \u201cRedo,\u201d \u201cBack,\u201d and \u201cQuit\u201d) for navigation through onscreen menus. It was a user-friendly touch for the time.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Business_Failure_Cultural_Success\"><\/span>Business Failure, Cultural Success<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Initially, the TI-99\/4A sold well, but after intense price competition from Commodore, it fell behind. TI introduced a $100 rebate in September of 1982 that briefly put it back in first place, with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/oldcomputers.net\/ti994a.html\">roughly 35% of the home computer market<\/a> in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>At the height of the competition, TI suffered an additional financial setback. In early 1983, engineers at TI discovered a potential electrical shock hazard with its power transformer, and the firm <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cpsc.gov\/Recalls\/1983\/texas-instruments-providing-adapter-for-ti-994a-computer\">issued a recall<\/a> and offered a safety adapter cord to customers at a cost of <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1983\/06\/19\/business\/the-coming-crisis-in-home-computers.html\">$50 million<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>As the destructive price war with Commodore intensified, TI continued to drop prices until it began selling the TI-99\/4A at a loss for under $100 in mid-1983 (even with a new, cost-reduced, beige-colored model). After writing off multiple <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1983\/07\/23\/business\/texas-instruments-lost-119.2-million-in-quarter.html\">hundred-million-dollar losses<\/a> from poor sales and overproduction, Texas Instruments <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1983\/10\/31\/business\/texas-instruments-pullout.html\">pulled the plug on manufacturing the TI-99\/4A<\/a> in October of 1983. After that, the price of the TI-99\/4A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1983\/11\/01\/business\/a-seesaw-day-for-computers.html\">dropped to $50<\/a> (and in some cases, as low as $20) as the firm cleared inventory.<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-731757 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti_99_family_hero_1.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A family playing a TI-99\/4A.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Texas Instruments<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While the Commodore\/Atari\/TI home computer price war destroyed the sub-$1,000 home computer market and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fastcompany.com\/90432140\/how-atari-took-on-apple-in-the-1980s-home-pc-wars\">tanked the video game industry<\/a> with it, customers took advantage of the low prices. The TI-99\/4A sold around 2.8 million units in total, giving it a sizeable cultural footprint in American technological lore.<\/p>\n<p>So today, you\u2019ll see a different angle taken on the TI-99\/4A\u2019s history depending on who is telling the story. From a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/spectrum.ieee.org\/tech-history\/heroic-failures\/the-texas-instruments-994-worlds-first-16bit-computer\">business point of view<\/a>, the 99\/4 <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> represented a significant market blunder for TI, resulting in significant losses and a short product lifespan of just over two years. But from a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.com\/2017\/02\/27\/community_builds_around_ti_99_4a\/\">cultural standpoint<\/a>, the TI-99\/4A was a resounding success, inspiring and entertaining a generation of kids who grew up to architect our modern technological world.<\/p>\n<p>As with any historical tale, the shape of the story depends on how you slice the cake. Happy birthday, TI-99\/4A!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/731558\/a-successful-failure-the-ti-994a-turns-40\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#A Successful Failure: The TI-99\/4A Turns 40&#8221; Benj Edwards In June 1981, Texas Instruments released the TI-99\/4A, a 16-bit home computer and gaming platform that became a huge cultural success in America after selling 2.8 million units, although it resulted in a business loss for TI. Forty years later, here\u2019s what made it special. What&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":274944,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/ti_99_hero_4.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=274943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/274943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/274944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=274943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=274943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=274943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}