Skippy B. Coyote Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 I've been meaning to get my feet wet in the idiosyncratic world of 8-bit computing for a couple years now, and with the holiday season coming up and how dirt cheap and easily available mint in box TI-99/4As are these days now seems like a good time to pick one up as a Christmas present for myself. I know I could just go on eBay and find one in the pristine condition I'm after for $25 to $45 + shipping but I'd rather buy from someone on AtariAge to keep it in the community if I have the option. Outside of the computer the only other TI things I'm looking for right now are a composite video cable and a couple inexpensive game cartridges to get me started, since I do have some other holiday purchases to attend to this month and I'm trying to keep my vintage computer dabbling pretty budget friendly (though a voice synthesizer module or a copy of Pac-Man or Ms. Pac-Man could tempt me ). In any case, feel free to shoot me a PM if you happen to have a spare mint condition TI tucked away in a closet somewhere and don't mind letting it go for a reasonable price to someone who is looking start dabbling in vintage computing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted November 27, 2017 Share Posted November 27, 2017 You can get the carts and cable at arcadeshopper.com. Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 You can get the carts and cable at arcadeshopper.com. Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk Thanks ArcadeShopper! I've looked at your site before and I'll definitely be heading your way at some point next year for a FlashROM99 if nothing else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+arcadeshopper Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Thanks ArcadeShopper! I've looked at your site before and I'll definitely be heading your way at some point next year for a FlashROM99 if nothing else. Get the finalgrom99 instead it has more ram and does grom onboard too. And supports folders Greg Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) Get the finalgrom99 instead it has more ram and does grom onboard too. And supports folders Greg Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk Thanks for the heads up! When I did some TI-99/4A research back in May it seemed like a lot of people were recommending the FlashROM99 then, but if FinalGROM99 is fully developed at this point and has better compatibility with games than the FlashROM99 then that's the route I'll go when it comes time to order a flash cart. First things first though, I need to get my hands on a computer! Not much point in buying a flash cart if you don't have something to stick it in. Thank you again for your advice and your support of the TI-99/4A platform. This computer has had a ton of really exciting modern hardware developments as of late and I think it's great that passionate individuals such a yourself are making them available to support the community. Edited November 28, 2017 by Jin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digdugnate Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Thanks for the heads up! When I did some TI-99/4A research back in May it seemed like a lot of people were recommending the FlashROM99 then, but if FinalGROM99 is fully developed at this point and has better compatibility with games than the FlashROM99 then that's the route I'll go when it comes time to order a flash cart. First things first though, I need to get my hands on a computer! Not much point in buying a flash cart if you don't have something to stick it in. Thank you again for your advice and your support of the TI-99/4A platform. This computer has had a ton of really exciting modern hardware developments as of late and I think it's great that passionate individuals such a yourself are making them available to support the community. *when* you do get a TI definitely go for the FinalGROM99- i got rid of the majority of my cart collection since this met my needs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted November 28, 2017 Author Share Posted November 28, 2017 *when* you do get a TI definitely go for the FinalGROM99- i got rid of the majority of my cart collection since this met my needs Will do! Though I'll have to create a thread in the TI-99/4A section to ask if there are any cartridge based games that don't work on the FinalGROM99 and what games or compilations require a 32K memory expansion to run, since I definitely won't have one of those for a good long while. I'm honestly a little nervous about diving into it since I have very little in the way of classic computer experience and don't really know what I'm doing, so I guess I'll just have to read everything I can on the subject and mess around until I figure out how everything works… though I do seem to recall there being some kind of warning about messing with Texas so maybe I should be careful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digdugnate Posted November 28, 2017 Share Posted November 28, 2017 Will do! Though I'll have to create a thread in the TI-99/4A section to ask if there are any cartridge based games that don't work on the FinalGROM99 and what games or compilations require a 32K memory expansion to run, since I definitely won't have one of those for a good long while. I'm honestly a little nervous about diving into it since I have very little in the way of classic computer experience and don't really know what I'm doing, so I guess I'll just have to read everything I can on the subject and mess around until I figure out how everything works… though I do seem to recall there being some kind of warning about messing with Texas so maybe I should be careful. We'd welcome the questions! I'm not super knowledgeable about it like some of the more devoted posters, but I have gleaned a lot feel free to reach out to me for general-knowledge type stuff since i reentered the hobby back in February. as far as i know there isn't a cart-based game that doesn't work on the FG99- some of the educational carts act kind of wonky, but that's because of how the ROMs were programmed I suspect (like the ones that don't have a 'menu'). i feel like that if you got a console, power adapter, rf cable, joysticks (even the hand crampers), and a multicart you would be set pretty good if you just want to mess around. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skippy B. Coyote Posted December 1, 2017 Author Share Posted December 1, 2017 (edited) As an update to my TI quest, today I picked up a Wico adapter for Atari compatible joysticks from eBay (https://www.ebay.com/itm/222684507877) as well as a NTSC composite video cable (https://www.ebay.com/itm/261217712125). I think I'm pretty well set on the mandatory accessories for TI-99/4A now, so all that's left is to find a computer and some books that will teach me how to use it. Edited December 1, 2017 by Jin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMenard Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 You can get the books on Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/ti-99-4a-users-reference-guide-1981 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digdugnate Posted December 1, 2017 Share Posted December 1, 2017 bumpety bump- surely someone on AA has a TI that needs a good home for Jin. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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