Do you prefer your TI-99/4A to have the "Solid State Software" panel?

[pixelpedant]

The TI-99/4A was sold with a "Solid State Software" panel in front of the cartridge ports on some revisions, where the volume slider had been on early 99/4s. 

 

All other things being equal, do you like your TI-99 with a "Solid State Software" badge?

[oracle_jedi]

I prefer the later revision without the Solid State Software badge, but still with the black and aluminum finish.  

 

On the later model the keyboard overlay strip rested on a small indentation above the top row of keys.   The earlier model had a raised strip you sort of have to feed the overlay into.  

 

With that said my only remaining 4A is a beige one. 

 

 

 

[MaDDuck]

Technically that is the only port that is labeled at all!! No other port tells you what they do...

[RXB]

Do not see the point of it as just decor at best.

 

[HOME AUTOMATION]

More parts means ...more that can go wrong!
I imagine at least one TI, bit-the-dust due to these completely unnecessary accoutrements.
I'm reminded of STS 51L!
I mean, perhaps the tag or part thereof could come loose, detach and fall into the power supply...
...Kobayashi Maru!

 

      P.S.   I've already sacrificed one 4A, thanks to that metal support
              leaf-spring, near to the I/O port on some units.

 

      P.P.S. Then again, perhaps it could be used for mayhem...
             ...When I think of all the odd-items I have used to
             jimmy locks open, escaping from many a bad place,
             totally unnoticed, often never to be seen again!
             ...well it doesn't exactly give me a warm-fuzzy,
             but these certainly cannot be considered, trivial
             matters!!!

[WhataKowinkydink]

It isn't too important, but I do wish I still had one of the silver (badged of course) consoles  :(

[firebottle]

1 hour ago, MaDDuck said:

Technically that is the only port that is labeled at all!! No other port tells you what they do...

How many out there have not used a TI-99 for a while and plugged the joysticks into the cassette port?

[JB]

I like the look of the badge on the black systems, and the ones without it feel WRONG.

I also just like the phrase. It feels high-tech and futuristic in that way that only decades-old technology can.

 

...

 

But I also like the clean lines and minimalist design of the beige units. I think the power switch fills that same "accent in the cart ramp" spot for me, and keeps it from feeling barren and lonely.

[pixelpedant]

4 hours ago, firebottle said:

How many out there have not used a TI-99 for a while and plugged the joysticks into the cassette port?

 

So that's why my serial mouse isn't working? 

 

Damn!

 

The joys of DE-9.  The connector that could really be pretty much anything. 

 

[Airshack]

20 hours ago, firebottle said:

How many out there have not used a TI-99 for a while and plugged the joysticks into the cassette port?

The National Video Game Museum just north of Dallas (Frisco, TX) had the joysticks connected in this manner on the day I visited.

It was somewhat striking to me how they presented the system so poorly when its genesis took place in North Texas? PEB not hooked up, joysticks plugged into the cassette port, etc. The entire museum was a little disappointing IMHO. Very little depth beyond a large collection of consoles and 8-bit computers.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Airshack