HN Explorer

15 comments

[ 2.6 ms ] story [ 61.0 ms ] thread
bane
The TI Calculator scene is one of these cool scenes that's both vibrant and well organized.

Some fantastic low-end hacking going on there, from software to hardware.

More here. http://www.ticalc.org/

gioele
> The TI Calculator scene is one of these cool scenes that's both vibrant and well organized.

This is what you get when you have a very stable reference hardware and software platform plus a continuous influx of new young users with smart minds.

ibrahima
Right, I think the basic hardware has not changed in 20+ years. It's a pretty weird situation. Although I kind of feel like they should get with the times and produce better hardware given the ridiculous prices they still charge, it leads to a really interesting community.
CometLord
Same group who did the Pokemon conversion, amazing.
JoshTheGeek
I'm sure my math teacher would love me playing this in class. It's amazing what you can do with just a calculator.
userbinator
It's really not "just a calculator", it's a complete computer system with processing power equivalent to those of the early-to-mid 80s.
anonova
Even sneakier, the TI-89, 92, and V200 have a full-fledged Gameboy emulator [1]. It's pretty amazing.

[1]: http://www.ticalc.org/archives/files/fileinfo/369/36950.html

voltagex_
Which one would you recommend if I want to develop, rather than calculate?
acjohnson55
I would pick the latest TI-84 model. Z80 assembly is significantly simpler than 68k, and the hardware is simpler too. And as you can see, you can still get some pretty incredible results.
kclay
Man I remember typing in program code line by line before I got the connector to sync programs.
ChuckMcM
Love it. The TI Calculator scene reminds me of the 4k demoscene, or more specifically any group who push the limits of what is perceived to be possible within a hard limit of resource, compute cycles, and time. I find it some of the most inspiring work out there.
agumonkey
Will there be a movement to go back to constrained system to bring back the fun ? I got more 'wow' from this than from Assassin's Creed Unity. Weird.
lbotos
I mean, a lot of indie game designers are into that:

retro graphics

simple mechanics

etc.

agumonkey
Not only this, which I love, but deep machine constraints too.
geori
The speed of that dynamic scaling sprite routine is ridiculous. I'm very impressed. I've written 4x4, 8x8, 12x12 and 16x16 sprite routines on the 83, but had never considered dynamic scaling. My hat's off to Hayleia and Badja.