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What does the future hold?

Lets look at the past..........

The TI-99/4 Home Computer was released in 1979.

The TI-99/4A computer was released in 1981.

The TI-99/2 Basic Computer was to be released in 1982.

The TI-99/8 Advanced Home Computer was to be released September, 1983.

Texas Instruments left the Home Computer market October 1983.

And finally, The Myarc Geneve 9640 Family Computer was released in 1987.

You can see it has been 20 years since TI has been in the home computer market. The TI-99/4A consoles that are still in use to this day are, on the average, 22 years old. They won't last forever, but they might. So, what happens when there are no TI-99's left?

Emulation! Emulation! Emulation!

Through the magic of emulation, all your favorite vintage computers and game systems live on in our modern computer systems.

PC99

By far, the emulator with the most options I have seen is PC99. 

There are two PC99 products available: Full and Light. 

The Full product is the equivalent of:

1. A TI-99/4A console with choice of TI, TI version 2.2, CDC, or OPA ROMs and GROMs and support for up to 16 GROM-based command modules.
2. A Peripheral Expansion Box containing a TI 32K or Myarc 512K or AMS memory card; TI, Guion, or Myarc Disk Controller; TI or Guion RS232 card; TI p-Code card; and PC99 "card" (real-time clock).
3. A TI Speech Synthesizer (speech functions work, no audible speech is produced).
4. TI Extended Basic, TI Editor/Assembler, Tombstone City, and Mechatronic Extended Basic II Plus command modules.

For more information on this great product, check out the PC99 website here.

Classic99

Classic99 is a free download and includes everything you need to run a 99/4, 99/4A and a 99/4A QI on you modern computer system. It has all the necessary ROMS and even some GROM cartridges to let you relive your TI-99/4A experience.

Go to the Classic99 website here.

M.E.S.S.

Another great emulation is MESS. The Multi Emulation Super System. MESS can emulation the TI-99/4, 99/4A, 99/8 and the Geneve 9640. Here are screenshots taken with a Nikon Coolpix 880 of the TI-99/8 emulation in MESS running under Windows XP SP2 on my Sony VAIO PCV-RS530G computer on a Sony 19 inch LCD display.

Notice the Windows XP toolbar at the top of the screen.

Here is a shot of the Options screen.

Here is a picture of Extended BASIC II.

I put the 99/8 emulation to the test. Owning two 99/8 computers and having the manuals for the computers, I programmed the emulated 99/8 using Extended BASIC II commands.  The emulated 99/8 performed just as it real counterpart would. It's amazing, for years, the TI community wanted the TI-99/8. Wondering what might have been. Now they can have there very own.

Go to the MESS web site here.

Get TI99/8 MESS ROM here

Get Geneve 9640 MESS ROM here

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