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geekhack Community => Other Geeky Stuff => Topic started by: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:19:10

Title: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:19:10: I'm looking at buying another video game system ... and when you think of video game systems you immediately think of Ti calculators, AMIRITE? :p :confused:

Seriously though - I've seen enough Youtube videos of games to become fascinated with these devices. Does anyone have suggestions for which Calculator is better for games? Obviously the device is a CALCULATOR and not a Gameboy - but perhaps some models are more suited than others?

DANTE WHY YOU DO DIS???
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:36:14: calculator for games? are you saying you want to program the games yourself for fun? or play the games that were made for calculators..
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:40:38: Quote from: tp4tissue on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:36:14
calculator for games? are you saying you want to program the games yourself for fun? or play the games that were made for calculators..

Both. I did some Z80 Assembler back in the day and it would be interesting to get back into it; though I think some of the newer models may use ARM.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:51:17: Quote from: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:40:38
Quote from: tp4tissue on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:36:14
calculator for games? are you saying you want to program the games yourself for fun? or play the games that were made for calculators..

Both. I did some Z80 Assembler back in the day and it would be interesting to get back into it; though I think some of the newer models may use ARM.

well the Newest ti calcs, they're more/less smartphones.. LOL, so you can do pretty much anything on them...

but if that's the case... u could just you know.. program for android.. hahaha
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:58:14: I'm not trying to act like a hipster but I seriously love monochrome displays; that's why I'm partly attracted to this over say a Vita/DS/Android/whatever. Not looking at it to make money just for fun to tinker with it and what not.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: tp4tissue on Sun, 27 July 2014, 11:06:14: Quote from: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:58:14
I'm not trying to act like a hipster but I seriously love monochrome displays; that's why I'm partly attracted to this over say a Vita/DS/Android/whatever. Not looking at it to make money just for fun to tinker with it and what not.

wait, so u want the "OLD" monochrome ones, like 89 titanium? not the new Color ones - Nspire?
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: microsoft windows on Sun, 27 July 2014, 11:24:50: The TI-85's were always good. I used to play good games on those.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 12:05:15: Quote from: tp4tissue on Sun, 27 July 2014, 11:06:14
Quote from: dante on Sun, 27 July 2014, 10:58:14
I'm not trying to act like a hipster but I seriously love monochrome displays; that's why I'm partly attracted to this over say a Vita/DS/Android/whatever. Not looking at it to make money just for fun to tinker with it and what not.

wait, so u want the "OLD" monochrome ones, like 89 titanium? not the new Color ones - Nspire?

For now strictly B&W. Although someone has gotten Quake to run on the newer model:

I also found this video ... very sexy...
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dorkvader on Mon, 28 July 2014, 04:50:16: Forget the nspire (too new). I would rock it old school with a 83/84 series. Try to get the clear 83SE if you can. Craigslist is a must.

There are some really interesting 3D games for it, but it's mostly 2D. Mario clones, there was a great JRPG I remember playing, racing games, even a skate game. All in all a lot of solid choices.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dustinhxc on Mon, 28 July 2014, 11:11:25: When I was in high school I enjoyed the TI 83 Plus very much! Played Mario and a ton of other games, fun Times man. also enjoyed drawing on it as well.

Whoa the forum is still up that I went to back then..
http://www.ticalc.org/ (http://www.ticalc.org/)
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: davkol on Tue, 29 July 2014, 04:21:21: TI-89 Titanium user checking in. More like "user" though, because I'm usually at my desktop and I don't really need a calc as a theoretical CS major.

Anything newer/fancier is more of a ****ty smartphone with awful UX.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: tp4tissue on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:00:10: Quote from: davkol on Tue, 29 July 2014, 04:21:21
TI-89 Titanium user checking in. More like "user" though, because I'm usually at my desktop and I don't really need a calc as a theoretical CS major.

Anything newer/fancier is more of a ****ty smartphone with awful UX.

arguably 838485 had a better ui than the 89

89 had much stronger algebra features though, good for school at the time, but no body does their own algebra anymore post school..
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: SpAmRaY on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:02:31: Am I the only one who had a Ti-92?
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: tp4tissue on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:05:25: Quote from: SpAmRaY on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:02:31
Am I the only one who had a Ti-92?

yes, you are.. I only know 1 other person with a 92 , maybe he had the 92 plus..

either way.. The only reason I didn't get one, was cuz by the time I was ready for it, they already made the 89 titanium, and then they screwed up the 92 by making it all rounded (voyage)
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:09:01: TI-89 or TI-NSpire are probably your best bets. I myself have a TI-86, but they're a bit dated (yet still more useful than the 84s).

I will say though, that the 84s have some decent games, as does the 86.

EDIT: Get the original NSpire with the TI-84 swappable keypad, so you can get the best of two worlds.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: tp4tissue on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:18:11: Quote from: Computer-Lab in Basement on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:09:01
TI-89 or TI-NSpire are probably your best bets. I myself have a TI-86, but they're a bit dated (yet still more useful than the 84s).

I will say though, that the 84s have some decent games, as does the 86.

EDIT: Get the original NSpire with the TI-84 swappable keypad, so you can get the best of two worlds.

but the nspire keys are not as "tactile"... idk if that's a factor.. (http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/uhuhuh-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862523)
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: Computer-Lab in Basement on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:21:46: Quote from: tp4tissue on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:18:11
Quote from: Computer-Lab in Basement on Tue, 29 July 2014, 10:09:01
TI-89 or TI-NSpire are probably your best bets. I myself have a TI-86, but they're a bit dated (yet still more useful than the 84s).

I will say though, that the 84s have some decent games, as does the 86.

EDIT: Get the original NSpire with the TI-84 swappable keypad, so you can get the best of two worlds.

but the nspire keys are not as "tactile"... idk if that's a factor..
Show Image
(http://emoticoner.com/files/emoticons/onion-head/uhuhuh-onion-head-emoticon.gif?1292862523)

Well that'd be up to the OP, now wouldn't it?
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: dante on Tue, 29 July 2014, 12:30:37: Is it safe to say the Z80 models have more games? It looks like the 89/200 models come with 68K's...

I'd probably stay away from NSpire - the quake demo is neat but I want to catch up on all the older stuff first.
Title: Re: Any Ti calculator users/experts here?
Post by: ddot on Fri, 12 September 2014, 15:07:23: I had a TI-83+ in high school and a TI-89 in university. I found the Z80 calculators (ie the TI-83+ etc) had way more availability for games than the 68k (ie TI-89). I think it was simply the Z80 had a bigger user base. (When I was in high school, you could use a Z80 calculator for exams but not the 68ks because the 68ks could do symbolic algebra.)

I'm a little out of the loop now, but ticalc.org (http://www.ticalc.org) was the big community back in the day. Joe Wingbermuehle (http://joewing.net/projects/ti83/index.shtml) came out with his ION shell and a bunch of assembly games. Then the guys at Detached Solutions (http://www.detachedsolutions.com/main/) came out with the MirageOS shell and a few more games.

After that I move on to the TI-89 and kind of lost track of the community.

For me, Diamonds by Joe Wingbermuehle was the pinnacle of calculator gaming. I repeatedly played that game just trying to shave a second or two off my high score.