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Should I trade my 2600 for a TI99/4a?


bluejay

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My local store has a TI 99/4a that is in pretty good shape, but is untested. Since I don't need 3 2600s(technically 2 since the 3rd is the ColecoVision EM1), might as well trade one for another system. After trying to figure out what I should trade it for, I decided to try the TI 99/4a. Is this a good trade? What's worth more? If it's a good trade, I could probably test it at the store before trading.

Thanks!

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It's kind of hard to give you a straight answer.  A 2600 game machine with without a keyboard that plays blocky looking games -vs- a computer with a keyboard.  The 2600 wins only if you have game cartridges for the 2600 and the TI has nothing.  A basic TI console is next to worthless without any accessories.  Honestly a TI-99/4A console can be a money pit when you are just starting out, but if you also get a FinalGROM and a 32K sidecar unit you'll blow that 2600 out of water.

 

Does the TI come with anything?  If not, are you willing to go in at least another $150.00?

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13 hours ago, bluejay said:

My local store has a TI 99/4a that is in pretty good shape, but is untested. Since I don't need 3 2600s(technically 2 since the 3rd is the ColecoVision EM1), might as well trade one for another system. After trying to figure out what I should trade it for, I decided to try the TI 99/4a. Is this a good trade? What's worth more? If it's a good trade, I could probably test it at the store before trading.

Thanks!

I had this argument in with myself in '92 when I first chose the TI
I had compared the consoles and the personal computers at the time and decided that having a device with a keyboard was the equivalent of a game console with 36+ buttons on it.
a tape drive allowed you to store stuff, while cartridges did not(except a few)
the reason why I didn't go with an atari 400/800 was that the cartridges were not backward compatible(and I think title count was low)
the C64 didn't appear to have a cheap storage setup, and the unit looked like it was "just a keyboard" (this might be my only regret)
TI had cartridges sold at nearby stores (kmart and shopko had them  in larger amounts than C64/apple selections)
TI had 16 colors and used a common TV
apple cost too much, needed a dedicated monitor
IBM cost waaaaaay too much, needed a dedicated monitor instead of a  TV


I got the 99/4a
my neighbors got a NES(and thought getting a job pushing button was completely absurd)

I have a job in IT now

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I don't know why this forum would have such a difficult time just saying unequivocally "YES"

 

The keyboard for programming BASIC on the 2600 is just horrible. The TI-99/4 and 4A are major upgrades to that experience. 

 

I also remember having a NES in high school, that I sold it so I could get more TI expansions. I have remained extremely happen with that decision.

 

-M@

 

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36 minutes ago, jedimatt42 said:

The keyboard for programming BASIC on the 2600 is just horrible.

 

Wow, did I enter an alternate reality or have I been totally oblivious for over 40 years?  I always thought the Atari 2600 was strictly a game machine without a keyboard.  Am I to understand it actually has a keyboard available for it and a cartridge that lets one program in BASIC?  I'm so confused!

 

2600.jpg.0c2d8c8486f44dbd05e0934ff9fa7aeb.jpg

 

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2 minutes ago, --- Ω --- said:

 

Wow, did I enter an alternate reality or have I been totally oblivious for over 40 years?  I always thought the Atari 2600 was strictly a game machine without a keyboard.  Am I to understand it actually has a keyboard available for it and a cartridge that lets one program in BASIC?  I'm so confused!

 

https://blog.codinghorror.com/everything-i-needed-to-know-about-programming-i-learned-from-basic/

 

I used to use this monstrosity.

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 I think everyone's missed an important part of the equation.

 

bluejay has THREE VCS-compatible devices. It isn't trading the 2600 for the 99/4a, it is trading A 2600 for the 99/4a. 

 

There's very little reason to say no, because there's very little to lose(except possibly bluejay, to the dark side if he trades for a Commodore instead)

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3 minutes ago, JB said:

 I think everyone's missed an important part of the equation.

 

bluejay has THREE VCS-compatible devices. It isn't trading the 2600 for the 99/4a, it is trading A 2600 for the 99/4a. 

 

There's very little reason to say no, because there's very little to lose(except possibly bluejay, to the dark side if he trades for a Commodore instead)

 

He stated that himself... And already decided.

 

I'm just making jokes, cause you don't go to a TI forum to ask this question except to ensure you get the answer you want to hear.   Which makes it a 100% pointless question.  But hopefully, our anecdotes allow him to feel happy with the decision that was already made.

 

-M@

 

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2 hours ago, wierd_w said:

What's wrong with commodores?  Some of their systems were quite swanky!

 

TI just got a bad deal from Commodore's market flooding, which forced TI to stop selling to stay alive.  That's not the computer's fault, that's the fault of managers from yesteryear. 

Commodore is the enemy! Never bury the hatchet!

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I was given a Commodore VIC-20 in the summer of 1983 (with expanded RAM), used a TRS-80 Model III in computer class for a while, typed in little programs on a TI-99/4A that was on display at Woolco department store, bought a used Commodore 64 with my own money near the end of 1984, then bought a new Commodore 64C in the late 1980s (it had the look of a Commodore 128). I finally got an Amiga 500 in the early 1990s.

 

The best thing about all of the more affordable computers was that middle class kids and semi-poor kids had a fairly good shot at getting one if they wanted a computer badly enough. Didn't matter which computer you ended up with, you could think up code, type it in, and make something happen on the screen. There was a crackling sensation of magic in the air where your experiments could make you feel like a cross between a mad scientist and a demigod. If you put at least a little bit of AI in your program, you were creating life. You could interact with your own creation and be surprised by it. Every computer I got a chance to try or drool over in the 1980s was overflowing with magical possibilities.

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The rivalry was kind of fun back then.  No one wanted to admit to having "the second best" and admit they MAY have made the wrong choice, after all we had so much money invested back then, whatever our choice. 

 

Whether it was due to superior marketing, product dumping or just a better product for the buck, the consumers all voted with their pocketbooks and the chips have already fallen... but it's nice to see both machines have survived. 

 

In 2023 on the 4A's 40th birthday, what will our little box be capable of?  In 2033, those of us still alive, will we still have working TI's?  Our little boxes, like us, have a certain percentage that pass away over time.  Maybe it's time to start considering some more practical projects to increase longevity too?

 

Commodore or TI,  whatever YOU enjoy is what's important, not what the other guy 'thinks'.

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On 1/6/2020 at 7:18 AM, --- Ω --- said:

In 2023 on the 4A's 40th birthday, what will our little box be capable of?  In 2033, those of us still alive, will we still have working TI's?  Our little boxes, like us, have a certain percentage that pass away over time.  Maybe it's time to start considering some more practical projects to increase longevity too?

 

It would be 40 years since TI pulled out of the market in 2023--the 99/4A was introduced in 1981 (and the /4 in 1979), so next year would be the 40th anniversary of the release of the /4A. . .and to keep this on topic, welcome to the TI world, @bluejay

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Time really flies, (at TI related world).

I remember telling my mother,as I was maybe 18ish.. that I wanted a Sinclair..then we looked one over and decided naaa, I'll just wait a bit and save my $100 bucks..

look at all the money I could have saved if I had purchased that Sinclair...

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Yikes, I didn't know this thread had become a "VCS BASIC sucks" thread. Though I must say, programming BASIC on the Atari seems to be a horrible idea. At least Mattel give you an "actual" keyboard for the Intv. I didn't know programming on a game console could get any worse than than on the Intv!

And BTW, I'm definitely swapping the Atari for the TI. I would swap my heavy sixer for something else since I don't use it, but 2 reasons keep me from doing that. 1: It's a heavy sixer. It's worth something. 2: Playing Space Shuttle on the EM1 is a complete pain in the butt. I actually made my own overlay for it, but it's still terrifying to play on lol!

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