A brief history of the Texas Instruments 99/4A and the home computer price war of the 1980s

[@kethdredd]

My first computer. I can still remember typing in basic programs from Family Computing magazine into it and leaving the system on for days because we had no means of storage.

[@rsalek]

Same here, at least my family's own! I remember doing programming as well

[@shanethepain1000]

Me too , ispent days typing code and it was shit ! @ 10 yrs old ! My sister had a zx80 ! Got me into games though ! 👍😉

[@NoHandle689x]

That was my first computer in 1983, $199 CDN. Came with a BASIC language interpreter. Simple BASIC commands allowed to control the computer (basically load, run and save a program, today we use Windows). Software was very expensive, could not afford any; therefore the computer was mostly used to learn programming in BASIC language. The games were expensive, $60 each, so I had only one of them. Forget about peripherals as well $$$! It was connected to the living room TV with a long cable. I used my radio/cassette deck to save the code I would write, as well as the data. Eventually upgraded to a Commodore 64.

[@phelpsmarc]

I participated in a stampede to get one of these at Landmark Mall in Alexandria, VA in fall 1983 when it was discontinued. I was 14. My dad gave me his credit card and I ran in along with a mad rush of people when they opened the doors. I believe it was $99 but it may have been $59. The catch was they discontinued the software too. I got the touch typing tutor. I got really good at typing using it. I think it was a cardridge. I didn't get any game cartridges as I already had the Atari 2600. It came with a BASIC language tutor that was on a cassette. BTW there was no monitor. We hooked it up to the TV. So I had to alternate between this and the Atari

[@retrobitstv]

Thanks for sharing! That's a bummer that you were only able to get typing tutor. There were some pretty good game carts on the TI.

[@AngryCalvin]

So many memories. A good number of fantastic arcade ports. Tunnels of Doom and Microsurgeon blew away just about anything else at the time. Speech Synthesizer made it even more cool. While friends had Atari 800, C64, we usually played video games at my house. Home Computers were such an epic moment in gaming. Crazy to see how it resulted in losing a lot of money for these companies. Nintendo was going to go with a 16 bit system with arcade stick controllers. But decided to go cheap.

[@1981patx]

Nice Video, keep the retrospectives up =)

[@retrobitstv]

Thanks, will do!

[@LanternLabs]

Good job, this is the best TI99 video out. The TI was also my first computer, I still have my beige model from 1983. These days I use mine with a TIPI to BBS.

[@othinus]

Retro computers are extremely hard to come by here in the Philippines. I'm jealous...

[@retrobitstv]

Thanks for your support! I have yet to setup a TIPI but it's on the list of things to try soon!

[@joegordon5117]

First home computer I ever had, way back in the day, even before my Sinclair Spectrum, learned programming on this and its extended basic cartridge

[@forgivemenot1]

My first computer too I remember spending lots of fun days playing Tunnels of Doom or hours typing in some programme that just ended up being a ball bouncing around the screen, did have a good feature to find any miss typed code by stopping on the line that had a problem, miss those days.

[@matthewfarmer6830]

Our family use to have of these computer the Texas Instruments it was cool back then, use to play car wars, swamp the wampa, and just about everything learning your abc and 123 on this computer, so many memories.lol

[@teejmiller]

I HAD ONE OF THESE! It was all one color, it didn't have black panels. Your videos keep getting better and better! Edit: Just watched the end, I had that same machine! I only had a monochrome monitor for it though.

[@retrobitstv]

Nice. TI did sell a good number in just a few years. Many buyers never really used them for much and they just ended up in the attic. Now there are tons on eBay for cheap. Why not buy two?

[@TeamSkylanderx]

Excellent video. I love the TI-99 but never new much about the history. Keep the cool videos coming!

[@retrobitstv]

Glad you enjoyed it and thanks for the support!

[@WagnersTechTalk]

Great job on this video, really enjoyed it!

[@retrobitstv]

Thanks for the feedback!

[@JimLeonard]

Computer history videos can be a chore; keep up the good work. And personally, I can't imagine why anyone at TI thought a computer keyboard with a non-standard "?" key was a good idea.

[@retrobitstv]

Thanks! You aren't kidding. It wasn't my intention to do a history video at all and it took way longer than I imagined with all the digital archeology required!

[@eebuckeye]

Excellent video! Hope to see more TI content as it was my first computer also. Have problems hearing parts of you talking with background sound using laptop speakers. Other youtube videos are fine so just wanted to mention.

[@retrobitstv]

Thanks for the feedback! I've gotten several comments now about the music being too loud so I will have to dial it back further in upcoming bits. It's a learning process!

[@Miler97487]

There were a few legally produced third party software for the TI in that they were released by TI using TI's distinct cartridges but with the third party logo slapped on the cartridge, instruction booklet and intro screen alongside the TI logo. Milton Bradley was the first to do it with the likes of Zero Zap and Blasto, but later on Sega and Imagic with the likes of Buck Rogers, Super Demon Attack, Fathom and the likes. Atarisoft and Parker Brothers was non-legal in that it was released exclusively by those companies, not licensed by TI like Milton Bradley, Sega or Imagic. Also Atarisoft and Parker Brothers released their titles with their own distinct cartridges. In 1983-'84 I owned a bunch of those Parker Brothers and Atarisoft cartridges and loved playing those arcade classics on the 99/4a.

[@b3stbuddy]

That was a good computer! Keys started sticking in the end. Alpiner! Had the voice synthesizer and the tape recorder.

[@Kw1161]

The only time I had a chance to use it, was when in the US Navy Shipmate bought one when it went on sale. The problem was the lack of software and a power supply problem. He hated the keyboard also. We tried to play a typed in game but it wasn't hard to play with just a keyboard. After the power supply broke he chuckled over the side.. what a waste My 1st computer was an Amiga 500 I still miss it..

[@DavidGolder]

What happened to the modern upgrades video?

[@chaseofori-atta2225]

Texas Instruments is a great American company!

[@ronb6182]

Yes great American company and that was when computers were fun. Everybody except a few all wanted software handed to them but a home computer should be a computer to write programs. Learning basic and writing basic programs. That's the fun and challenge. I liked the extended basic and having a disk drive and 32k of memory. Now I wish I kept my expansion box. I'm not into replacing it now but would like a disk drive side car. I just bought the assembler package new out of the box everything sealed. I cannot use it until I get a floppy drive and controller. I'm not interested in a tipi and are really hard to find. I only buy on eBay or others that take PayPal I won't use other methods of paying. PayPal keeps your orders safe from fraud. Apparently some vendors don't like consumer protection. I just don't buy from them. Buyer beware. 73

[@othinus]

Thanks for the great content! It's a shame that TI was never present here in the Philippine market. Will you be uploading content about computers/laptops from 1995(when I was born).? Something from the Japanese market which were dominant over where I live. #StaySafe 🧡🇵🇭🍺

[@retrobitstv]

Glad you liked it! There's not much in the way of Japanese market stuff here in North America, so they mostly have to be imported specially. Another commenter suggested the MSX2 as a competitor to the C128 so I may have to look into that! I plan to do a bunch of videos on 16 bit systems in the future but that'll be early 90's stuff. By '95 I was 100% into PCs but I may take a look at some of the later high clock speed 486s and such!

[@robertlock5501]

Our family's first computer too B)

[@robertlock5501]

Do you happen to have a link to the article shown there at 4:54 (When will TI Bounce Back?")?

[@TheAlignmentGuy_TM]

GRM Magazine shirt. This guy's OK. JMF TAG

[@infinitecanadian]

I hate price wars. Sure, the consumer wins with them, but the companies get hurt. So considering that they were in a price war, I don't know what they could have been thinking being so stingy with software development.

[@ronb6182]

Yes great American company and that was when computers were fun. Everybody except a few all wanted software handed to them but a home computer should be a computer to write programs. Learning basic and writing basic programs. That's the fun and challenge. I liked the extended basic and having a disk drive and 32k of memory. Now I wish I kept my expansion box. I'm not into replacing it now but would like a disk drive side car. I just bought the assembler package new out of the box everything sealed. I cannot use it until I get a floppy drive and controller. I'm not interested in a tipi and are really hard to find. I only buy on eBay or others that take PayPal I won't use other methods of paying. PayPal keeps your orders safe from fraud. Apparently some vendors don't like consumer protection. I just don't buy from them. Buyer beware. 73