#### Back to index | # Info for ti99_4a

#### Texas Instruments TI-99/4a Home Computer

Known Issues:
Requires full keyboard emulation. At startup, full keyboard emulation mode is enabled by default. Whilst in full keyboard emulation mode, some key associated functionality may be disabled (like the ESC key for EXIT). The keyboard emulation mode is toggled using the scroll_lock key.

Usage:
This TI99/4a driver offers a high level of compatibility. It currently
supports V9t9-format cart images and up to SSSD disk images. Speech
synthesis is partially supported.

Loading a cart:
No cartridge is required, as TI99/4a has a built-in small basic interpreter.
V9t9-format cart images are typically split into up to 3 files. These can be
loaded in any order, so long as all necessary portions are loaded.

History and Trivia:
The TI99/4a Home Computer was a TI99/4 with improved keyboard, revised
ROMs, and an additional graphics mode. It was officially introduced in
June 1981, and was retired in late 1983.
TI99/4a was quite successful in Europe and US (possibly hundreds of
thousand units built). In 1983, though, competition on the home computer
market was so harsh that TI had to cut down the price of TI99/4a to less
than $100, while suffering heavy losses. So, by the end of 1983, TI had
abandoned TI99/4a, its prototype successors, and withdrawn from the home
computer market.

created on Tue Jan 01 12:56:01 2002