Hey! Everything I voted won, Cool!! Congrats to the winners!

You're the ho' of Mainstream, sucker!

Only four people liked hyperion?
oh well.
Everything else I voted for won, so I guess I'm happy.
Hats off to the winners!

yeah, i'm sure that there are more people that like hyperion. but what can compete w/ VTI??

Geez! Streetfigher Won?

LoL

~Jake B

looked in arcades lately? fighters are sickeningly popular.

What does LoL mean???

Licking old ladies

Ignore that pugnacious prepubescent. It means "laughing out loud."

thats it, next year im getting a ti89: THEIR GAMES ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE 86's. can someone tell me if another new calculator is coming out soon, better than the ti89

Obviously, there will be a ti calc better than the 89 sooner or later. But, for as of right now, the 89 is probably one of the most powerful calculators out there.

I don't know how you could expect something that much better than the TI-89... and have it still be a calc. It's got a M68k CPU (the same as the original Mac and as Gameboy), 512K RAM, Flash ROM, Gameboy-res screen, etc. It factors, does 3D graphing... all this really complex stuff; keep in mind, this is a POCKET CALCULATOR. Not that long ago, "Pocket Calculator" denoted a Gameboy-sized box that ate up batteries really fast and had nothing more complex than an 8-digit display and divide [or, if you were lucky, sq. root]. Now look!

On a side note, it is my theory that electronics will eventually all merge into three things... your do-it-all automated home, a similarly-equipped [self-driving] automobile, and a multifunction portable device, perhaps some crossbreed between the TI-92, a Windows CE device, and a MiniDisc player. Won't that be the day ;-)

Of course there'll be something more advanced. Like you said, 8-digit calculators were advanced in the 70's, now we have relatively killer 68000-based calculators...in ten years, the trend should continue. The 89/92+ (as they're the same machine) have great capabilities but can be slow. Try rotating a complex 3D surface. Try solving several complex equations simultaneously for multiple variables. Of course, right now we're thinking, "That seems like a rather obscure use you've picked." I'm sure fifteen years ago, they thought the same thing about things we take for granted (say, graphing equations--or Street Fighter).

I can't wait until my calculator has OpenGL

When that happens, it won't be a calc, it'll be a 'data pad' or something.

Is it possible to have a calc with a minidisc read/write hard drive and maybe even a port to remove and insert other outside discs(like even shareware or soon games lick you'd by for nintendo in the store)?

While both of these options are possible, neither are practical. First off, TI (and many users) see the calculators as just that: tools for school. While many people use them for gaming during free time (myself included), this is not their main function, and is therefore not taken into much account when the things are designed. 512Kb is plenty of memory for math apps, etc., and that's how TI is going to see it. While they realize their machines are used for games, they most likely will not design them for this purpose. That's what a Gameboy is for.

Also, extra slots and stuff like this would be very expensive. Should they be added, you could very easily see calc prices shoot into the 4-5 hundred dollar range. Just how much are you willing to pay for a pocket calc, anyway? [as far a price hikes, keep in mind that the technology of the actual calc would also have to be boosted to fully support such drives, adding to the raise in cost]

Finally, a MiniDisc or FlashRAM slot would be very impractical as far a energy consumption. Consider how long your batteries last you in a normal TI calculator, when you use it a lot. Then think of how long batteries (normal ones) last in things such as Genesis Nomad, old laptops, and similar devices. Running a drive is a major power drainer.

here here. This whole calculator games thing is getting out of hand. My 85 plays Tetris and ZKart, which is just fine for killing time in Study Hall. I think it's time for more programs that could potentially help kids in school, and maybe put things like Street Fighter 89 on hold.

Also, the reason that 92's suck is because you can't use them on standardized tests. I know they play better games, but what the hell is the point of buying a calculator you can't use. If you wanna play games, get a freakin' gameboy; I heard Pokemon 2 is coming out soon...

TI probally would make a calculator that is more like a laptop/palmtop if there was a high demand for it.
The problem is with demand. If the calcs. are too powerful ("playful"), schools will not buy them; many schools buy large quantities of calculators.
Also, if a school does not allow a calc., not everyone will buy that calc. in that school. Most people only buy a calc. because it can be used in school. (Let's face it: calc. users like us are few relative to the total pop. of students in most schools.)
Assume: the schools (even at "wholesale prices") provide 40% of TI's calc. earnings; students not wanting to pay for "neat" calcs. consist of 40+% of the earnings.
About 80% to 90% of the earnings would be lost if the above senario and percents are reasonable. It would be unfeasible to support the type of calc. that has rlatively little demand.

I still think it would be nice if there would be larg enough demand for a more advanced calc. that was affordable :)

The Gameboy's screen is 160x144, while the TI89 is 160x100.

Yeah, they have better games, but they're $150. I'd rather get a few psx games instead of a calculator to play gams on.