Ti-99/4A is a good downtempo winter computer..?

[Keatah]

Ti-99/4A is a good downtempo winter computer..? I certainly think so. At least I did when I was a kid. The machine always seemed and had slow action graphics compared to the Atari 400/800 or VCS. And it felt much like an educational computer that required thought and attention to work.

 

Nearly perfect for those snowed-in days of doing nothing but having hot soup and watching the blizzard rage around outside. A great chess computer. The complete and total opposite of anything "twitch" or "modern game"ish.

Edited January 17, 2019 by Keatah

[tschak909]

I dunno, Borzork is pretty fast

 

-Thom

[Keatah]

Some games. But the majority of games, especially from back in the day, were much slower paced. Or felt that way.

[cbmeeks]

Funny, the C64 has always been my go-to winter computer. I load up the Christmas demo every year around Christmas time. Play some classic games, etc.

 

For me, it's not the make/model of the winter computer that's important...it's the retro/nostalgia of using a vintage computer while sitting near the toasty heater that warms the soul. :-)

 

Then again, I have a permanent spot in my office for vintage computers so I have one going all year round.

 

Oh, and Parsec can get pretty fast sometimes. :-)

[Retrospect]

You've described perfectly part of the charm of the TI99. On a cold winters day I took great pleasure from warming my hands upon the cartridge port where it would get hot.

[+save2600]

While BASIC is slow and a game here or there may be, never really considered the TI to be "downtempo". As these things are concerned, I'd say such a distinction belongs to the Intellivision.

[tschak909]

Intellivision: "it's not slow, you're just looking at it from REALLY FAR AWAY!"

 

-Thom

[cbmeeks]

You've described perfectly part of the charm of the TI99. On a cold winters day I took great pleasure from warming my hands upon the cartridge port where it would get hot.

 

 

That's where I keep my hot tea warm.

 

At the same time, I use my ColecoVision power supply as my ottoman.