this post was submitted on 16 Mar 2024
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Y'all remember the turbo button?
Yes, and I was astounded to learn that it's function is actually the opposite. It slows your computer's processor down to near-8086 speeds for software (games, mostly) that didn't use timers but was rather tied directly to the CPU clock speed.
Unless you mean the "turbo" button on your NES Advantage controller. That button's primary function was to annoy the shit out any adults within earshot by spamming the jump noise or pause-unpause jingle.
My understanding of the 286/386 systems was that turning it off would have the exact effect you describe, and "turbo" would simply put the processor to the design frequency.
It was meant to be left on unless you needed to turn it off for some reason.
That's correct. The reason it was there is that some games were written assuming a specific processor speed. When faster processors came out, the games ran too fast. The turbo button let you play older games on your new computer.
I remember playing a port of centipede that used text mode graphics - on the original 8086 it was playable, but on my dad's 386, you'd start the game and immediately lose because the centipede had already reached the bottom in like 1/10th second.
"Text mode graphics" would probably confuse a lot of the younger folks all by itself...