![]() ![]() By 1983, the 99/4A was selling for under US$100, at a loss. Commodore's CEO Jack Tramiel had once been offended by TI's predatory pricing during the mid-1970s, and retaliated with a price war by repeatedly lowering the price of the VIC-20 and forcing TI to do the same. The 1981 US launch of the TI-99/4A followed the Commodore VIC-20 by several months. TI released developer information and tools, but the insistence on remaining sole publisher continued to starve the platform of software. At half the price of the original model, sales picked up significantly and TI supported the 4A with peripherals, including a speech synthesizer and a "Peripheral Expansion System" box to contain hardware add-ons. The TI-99/4A was released in June 1981 to address some of these issues, featuring a simplified internal design, full-travel keyboard, improved graphics, and a unique expansion system. The calculator-style keyboard of the TI-99/4 was cited as a weak point, and TI's reliance on ROM cartridges and their practice of limiting developer information to select third parties resulted in a lack of software for the system. Based on the Texas Instruments TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer, and the associated video display controller provided color graphics and sprite support that was among the best of its era. The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 19, respectively. Home computer by Texas Instruments TI-99/4A ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |