Intellivision Announces New Console

R

rgMekanic

[H]ard|News
Joined
May 13, 2013
Messages
6,943
In news that no one expected, benzinga is reporting that Intellivision is going to release a new family video game console. Industry veteran Tommy Tallarico has been named President of Intellivision Entertainment, and is bringing with him original Intellivision team members to create the new console. While the new system is yet to be named, details will be released on October 1st, and the first 100,000 people who subscribe to updates at IntellivisionEntertainment.com will get the opportunity to purchase a unique, limited edition version of the console that will not be available in stores.

I was never an Intellivision guy, went from Atari to NES, to Genesis to PC, with a smattering of other consoles here and there since. It's very cool that they are wanting to stay to their roots, as well as bringing back original team members. Hopefully they will bring some original ideas with them.

"I grew up playing Intellivision with my parents and younger brother," says Tallarico. "It was always my favorite system because the games were cutting edge, yet fun and simple to play so our entire family could enjoy them together. I find those important elements to generally be lacking from our industry with the current modern gaming consoles. Our goal is to change that by focusing on bringing all age groups and levels of gamers and non-gamers together while introducing new generations of people to the legacy success of the Intellivision brand."
 
I had an Intellivision along-side my 2600, C64, (and other such things). It had a few really cool games on it. Others weren't that great, but some were good. They had a good version of Venture, and had a lot of good Space Invaders clones like Demon Attack, Astro Smash, etc. The controllers were weird, but they worked pretty well. Of course the C64 was light-years ahead of it in pretty much every way. We got ours for free from someone that worked with my dad who didn't want it anymore, so it was a nice/easy alternative to play some other games. I actually ended up putting it in my tree-house with a little TV when I was a kid. :D (couldn't bring the C64 out there, so this worked ok)

There was a game called Micro Surgeon that was pretty cool. I sucked at it as a kid, but looking back, the concept was really cool.
 
toast0 said:
I look forward to a janky ass disc, combined with a telephone pad where most of the buttons usually work, and the controllers aren't replaceable without a lot of work (unless you buy it from Sears). And woodgrain.
Click to expand...

:D Hehehe. Never had issues with mine, but yeah, they were odd. My overlays did tend to get fucked up though.
 
misterbobby said:
I had an Intellivision with the Atari adapter...
Click to expand...

Wow, I didn't know this existed. Like an inter-brand Power Base Converter? Nice!! That must have basically been a whole Atari stuffed in it since they had such different hardware. Maybe it just used the Intellivision as the A/V interface. Just read about it. Yep, that's exactly what it was. Now that I saw it, I actually remember it.

Now that I think about it, I also had a keyboard (musical keyboard) that attached to my Intellivision, but didn't have the software that went with it, so I could never use it.
 
Another blatant IPO scam.

Hats off to the dudes that prosper; everyone else, you deserved to get mugged.
 
Intellivision and Tommy Tallarico in the same article. Wow.
As far as the system goes, I don't really care. We already have Nintendo and mobile games catering to non-gamers and "the whole family" so I don't really need anything else like that.
Plus, when has a random upstart ever had any success in the console market? Intellivision isn't exactly Sony, Sega, or Microsoft.
 
Spaceninja said:
Why? Who asked for this?
Click to expand...

Probably nobody, but I'm sure some people will like it. Some people like the Mini NES and SNES. Nostalgia for one. Personally, I'd rather play Venture in MAME but whatever.

Hey, if you had a product that did pretty well in the 80s that brought some people entertainment or joy in some way, were getting on in age, and had the ability to bring around a little nostalgia-piece, why wouldn't you? Fuck it I say.

I'd rather have a compact (smaller than original) Atari Lynx though with the full library on it, and an OLED display, as the original screen was about as bad as a color screen could be... The games were mostly weird, and/or arcade ports, but I had a lot of fun with it. :D
 
rgMekanic said:
In news that no one expected, benzinga is reporting that Intellivision is going to release a new family video game console. Industry veteran Tommy Tallarico has been named President of Intellivision Entertainment, and is bringing with him original Intellivision team members to create the new console. While the new system is yet to be named, details will be released on October 1st, and the first 100,000 people who subscribe to updates at IntellivisionEntertainment.com will get the opportunity to purchase a unique, limited edition version of the console that will not be available in stores.

I was never an Intellivision guy, went from Atari to NES, to Genesis to PC, with a smattering of other consoles here and there since. It's very cool that they are wanting to stay to their roots, as well as bringing back original team members. Hopefully they will bring some original ideas with them.

"I grew up playing Intellivision with my parents and younger brother," says Tallarico. "It was always my favorite system because the games were cutting edge, yet fun and simple to play so our entire family could enjoy them together. I find those important elements to generally be lacking from our industry with the current modern gaming consoles. Our goal is to change that by focusing on bringing all age groups and levels of gamers and non-gamers together while introducing new generations of people to the legacy success of the Intellivision brand."
Click to expand...

I liked my intellivision II. I recall playing b-17 bomber on the intellivoice, burger time and others.

But I don't think its a good idea to bring it back. Sure its better than the Atari 2600, but that's not saying much.

I tried the Nostalgia emulator a while ago, and really wasn't impressed at all. I mean it was nice to play Space Armada, but the exitement faded quickly. I don't see how it would be different.
 
Lets hope the Amiga follows


A short story about me and the Intellivision. Never owned one but when I was a kid, a JC Penny at the Golden Triangle Mall in Denton Texas had a small glass case with a few home consoles. This would have been around 1982 and I was 12 or 13 maybe.

They had ColecoVison, an Intellivision and a Vectrex you could play.

I'm pretty sure I played some adventure like game but it wasn't adventure like what the Atari had. It was a bit more in-depth but this was nearly 38 years ago.

The Vectrex was really cool because the graphics on it were a lot sharper and detailed over the other consoles. But no color. I think I played a tank game and a space game like Astroids.
 
Last edited:
Stoly said:
I liked my intellivision II. I recall playing b-17 bomber on the intellivoice, burger time and others.

But I don't think its a good idea to bring it back. Sure its better than the Atari 2600, but that's not saying much.

I tried the Nostalgia emulator a while ago, and really wasn't impressed at all. I mean it was nice to play Space Armada, but the exitement faded quickly. I don't see how it would be different.
Click to expand...

Yeah, those games (2600, INTV, etc.) don't hold up as well as say, many NES, C64, and other 8-bit games, but I can see a certain set of people enjoying it a bit. Then, I personally wouldn't buy most of these sorts of things. If they released a full, C64C sized C64 though, that used flash storage, and could run dumped .D64 and direct PRG files, and worked with a variety of controller types... I'd be all over it. I have a ton of working C64Cs and a 128D in my basement, but hooking it all up is a pain. I like VICE on a PC, but it would still be cool to dedicate a monitor and some game pads to a C64 only device IMO.
 
SixFootDuo said:
Lets hope the Amiga follows
Click to expand...

An A600 styled Amiga with SSD, that can load WHDLoad hard drive images of games? Yes please! I'd dedicate some space to that.

I love WinUAE, and am plenty happy with Amikit+AmigaForever+WinUAE, but a nice dedicated little box would be pretty cool in this case.
 
Stoly said:
I liked my intellivision II. I recall playing b-17 bomber on the intellivoice, burger time and others.
Click to expand...

Didn't have one but I remember having a friend and going to their house to play those. Lot's of fun for sure.
 
I'm all for these companies trying to make a comeback but not at the expense of doing it under some retro banner. Make a new machine, new somewhat cutting edge hardware, new products but of course keep a backwards compatibility option and way to get those games. For lower end machines we've already got the Switch, and many Android alternatives that most people are happy with.
 
lostin3d said:
I'm all for these companies trying to make a comeback but not at the expense of doing it under some retro banner. Make a new machine, new somewhat cutting edge hardware, new products but of course keep a backwards compatibility option and way to get those games. For lower end machines we've already got the Switch, and many Android alternatives that most people are happy with.
Click to expand...

I agree with this for the most part. However, the landscape is VERY different now, from when these companies were around in the 80s. Anyone willing to go up against the Sony/MS/Nintendo triumvirate with a modern console either has some serious nerve, or they're stupid. Nobody is going to compete in that space. So, I think for the little guys, they need to find a niche, which is often these obscure little products for those that have fond memories. I applaud the efforts of the Atari guys trying to get something in the mid-range into the market, but I have SERIOUS doubts about its success. Not because the idea isn't sound, but simply because we have PCs, Switches, PS4s, XBoxen, 3DSes, Nvidia Shield TVs, and plenty of low-quantity no-names in the Android or custom spaces. I'm not saying a Retro-Intellivision is going to fare any better. (probably worse) However, I see why they (in particular) would go this route. Plus they put this out under a toy company in the 80s. It's not like they were an Atari, a Commodore, Sega, or Nintendo. They were selling it as a toy under Mattel IIRC. (hmm... forgot Coleco in there too... :D )

I'm not sure they could pull off something in the mid-high-end space.

It would have to be REALLY cool. Possible, but unlikely. A small company putting something out to rival MS/Sony can't get their pricing on components, don't have their design teams, and without previous generation proven products, would absolutely have to BLOW PEOPLE.... ...'S MINDS... :D
 
Hopefully the have the intellivoice built-in this time and have the console backward compatible with older titles, bring back that awesome controller for Tron Deadly Discs!
Oh, and can this have the keyboard!?
 
The Intellivision is one of the more difficult systems to emulate due to the controllers. Coleco would be similar. If it had a full library with some sort of LED controller so no overlays were needed, it just changes for each game, I might bite on nostalgia for under $100.
 
Intellivision had a great navy strategy game I loved to play. I never got to play anything else, though.
 
I have fond memories of AD&D. I found my original Intellivision along with a bunch of games a couple years ago. Ended up getting $360 for one of the games, Congo Bongo, in its original box. It was a terrible game, but apparently pretty rare so some dude at Konami USA in California bought it off me.

That said, I really have no interest in this. Maybe I'll pick up a couple of the shittier games that nobody else buys though. ;)
 
dgingeri said:
Intellivision had a great navy strategy game I loved to play. I never got to play anything else, though.
Click to expand...
I highly recommend Utopia. Kind of a pre Sim City head to head. It is up there with Mule (A8bit, C64, NES, PC) for old-skool multiplayer fun.
Yes as many other have said. AD&D was a lot of fun. Very repetitious as all "deep" games of the era were. Also it was sorta hard-core as AD&D has this overblown rep back in the day. AD&D = EVIL! LOL!
Other stand outs besides the great sports games (for their time) Astrosmash, Snafu, Horse Racing (I shit you not)
The problem with that era was the focus on arcade ports. The big names sold. The problem was you always got an inferior version, and arcade it designed to take your $$ for a quick burst of cutting edge tech. Playing at home sucks. Nintendo realized this and started making "home" games. Shit that had play value and lasting entertainment. Yes NES had arcade ports, but none of them are in the best of NES category. I also feel this is why the Sega MS failed. Sega focused too much on arcade ports, which was their bread and butter, and didn't quite understand the home console. ColecoVision could have competed as it is hardware competitive with NES hardware, but again in the early days of consoles, it was all about the arcade ports. Coleco kicked ass in this regard, but arcade ports do not make a good console.
 
Spaceninja said:
Why? Who asked for this?
Click to expand...
Everyone who paid for the retro nintendo, or SNES, or Genesis, or Atari, or any of those other "hey I don't know how to use an emulator" people. Expect a ColecoVision one as well if there isn't already.
 
Might as well try and cash in.

I tried a few old Intellivision games on retropie a while back with my brothers to rekindle some of our 80's childhood. It was a little complicated mapping the buttons to an Xbox controller but we were able to play a few old classics.
 
]
sfsuphysics said:
Everyone who paid for the retro nintendo, or SNES, or Genesis, or Atari, or any of those other "hey I don't know how to use an emulator" people. Expect a ColecoVision one as well if there isn't already.
Click to expand...
Coleco along with Intellivison are far overlooked. Coleco, while far superior to all of that gen, relied on the hype of arcade ports. Ultimately a loosing business model. KB restricted carts = short play garbage. If we remember early Atari/Intellivision/Odessey games, they were all home built. Arcade copies came later. And sucked.
 
funkydmunky said:
I highly recommend Utopia. Kind of a pre Sim City head to head. It is up there with Mule (A8bit, C64, NES, PC) for old-skool multiplayer fun.
Yes as many other have said. AD&D was a lot of fun. Very repetitious as all "deep" games of the era were. Also it was sorta hard-core as AD&D has this overblown rep back in the day. AD&D = EVIL! LOL!
Other stand outs besides the great sports games (for their time) Astrosmash, Snafu, Horse Racing (I shit you not)
The problem with that era was the focus on arcade ports. The big names sold. The problem was you always got an inferior version, and arcade it designed to take your $$ for a quick burst of cutting edge tech. Playing at home sucks. Nintendo realized this and started making "home" games. Shit that had play value and lasting entertainment. Yes NES had arcade ports, but none of them are in the best of NES category. I also feel this is why the Sega MS failed. Sega focused too much on arcade ports, which was their bread and butter, and didn't quite understand the home console. ColecoVision could have competed as it is hardware competitive with NES hardware, but again in the early days of consoles, it was all about the arcade ports. Coleco kicked ass in this regard, but arcade ports do not make a good console.
Click to expand...

Utopia sounds great!! Huge M.U.L.E. fan here! Never played Utopia.

I loved Snafu! Forgot about it! Good music on that one :)
 
Intellivision as a name is just so horribly retro. That's going to be a hard sell unless they have something truly great. Which is doubtful, with their demography statement it sounds like what they're planning on selling is a Android console like those other failed ones.
 
J3RK said:
Wow, I didn't know this existed. Like an inter-brand Power Base Converter? Nice!! That must have basically been a whole Atari stuffed in it since they had such different hardware. Maybe it just used the Intellivision as the A/V interface. Just read about it. Yep, that's exactly what it was. Now that I saw it, I actually remember it.

Now that I think about it, I also had a keyboard (musical keyboard) that attached to my Intellivision, but didn't have the software that went with it, so I could never use it.
Click to expand...

ColecoVision had one of these too. It's the same deal -- an Atari 2600 clone that hooks up to the A/V interface via the expansion port (apparently it uses the ColecoVision system clock too, but nothing else)
 
I wonder what is holding Magnavox back from announcing a new Odyssey? Oh yeah, Magnavox is gone and only exists as a brand name owned by Funai.
 
J3RK said:
I agree with this for the most part. However, the landscape is VERY different now, from when these companies were around in the 80s. Anyone willing to go up against the Sony/MS/Nintendo triumvirate with a modern console either has some serious nerve, or they're stupid. Nobody is going to compete in that space. So, I think for the little guys, they need to find a niche, which is often these obscure little products for those that have fond memories. I applaud the efforts of the Atari guys trying to get something in the mid-range into the market, but I have SERIOUS doubts about its success. Not because the idea isn't sound, but simply because we have PCs, Switches, PS4s, XBoxen, 3DSes, Nvidia Shield TVs, and plenty of low-quantity no-names in the Android or custom spaces. I'm not saying a Retro-Intellivision is going to fare any better. (probably worse) However, I see why they (in particular) would go this route. Plus they put this out under a toy company in the 80s. It's not like they were an Atari, a Commodore, Sega, or Nintendo. They were selling it as a toy under Mattel IIRC. (hmm... forgot Coleco in there too... :D )

I'm not sure they could pull off something in the mid-high-end space.

It would have to be REALLY cool. Possible, but unlikely. A small company putting something out to rival MS/Sony can't get their pricing on components, don't have their design teams, and without previous generation proven products, would absolutely have to BLOW PEOPLE.... ...'S MINDS... :D
Click to expand...
I totally agree and this is pretty much what I was trying to get across, I just think you expressed it better.

On a side note I did remember an upstart company that did make me totally envious when they came out. They totally blew away the then competition in terms of graphics and, to me, was the first console whose games actually looked like the arcade versions-Colecovision! I couldn't afford it, but man did I often walk into stores just to look/play. I even remember when they started to put out accessories that tried to bridge the gap between them and home computers. Unfortunately shortly after that, they went under.
 
KamelRed said:
Rather have an Atari Jaguar Mini Classic TBH..
Click to expand...
This. I actually enjoyed the Jaguar. AvP was great, and Tempest 2000. Though, ideally, I would settle for a controller that is similar so I could play properly on an emulator. Hell, that sounds like a better idea than these rehash consoles...they could sell the emu and ROM pack with a USB controller that is an exact replica. I'd pay 20 or so dollars for the controller. I'll NEVER buy a *insert system* "Classic".
 
Last edited:
I actually have an Intellivision compilation of games for an original Xbox. It kind of falls flat. However, on the Intellivision, I loved playing BurgerTime, Space Armada, Bomb Squad, Astrosmash, and He-Man: Masters of the Universe back in the day. The controller did suck. I also had Tron that was OK, but hard to use because you had to hit buttons to throw the disks in different directions. About the time I got it, you could pick up games super cheap as they were all being blown out at toy stores. I also had D&D: Advanced Dungeons or something like that. I remember I could see the Minotaur, but for some reason couldn't get to it around a corner.
 
i seem to be one of those the whole retro gaming is lost on. a great big MEH is given by me. Played almost all the systems from 2600 and on. but the thought of playing a game designed for a 20" CRT on my 55" TV just cries out.. HOLY MEGA PIXELS

now.. give me a modern version of ghost n goblins i can play on my PC.. and i will take that.


Actually what i would LOVE to see is an updated version of the old gold box D&D games i played on my C64. Keep the game play, just update the graphics and sounds, and maybe fix a few bugs LOL
 
katanaD said:
i seem to be one of those the whole retro gaming is lost on. a great big MEH is given by me. Played almost all the systems from 2600 and on. but the thought of playing a game designed for a 20" CRT on my 55" TV just cries out.. HOLY MEGA PIXELS

now.. give me a modern version of ghost n goblins i can play on my PC.. and i will take that.


Actually what i would LOVE to see is an updated version of the old gold box D&D games i played on my C64. Keep the game play, just update the graphics and sounds, and maybe fix a few bugs LOL
Click to expand...

You know, I've wanted similar things. Modern version of XXXXX game that I loved as a kid. For the ones I've gotten though, (Archon, M.U.L.E., Dino Eggs, and others) even though they looked more modern, and played pretty much the same, I always go back to the originals. There isn't anything wrong with the way Ghosts and Goblins looks IMO. As soon as it's turned into some 2.5D remake, it will lose something, I can almost guarantee it. Give it a try sometime. Grab a copy of MAME, and the GnG ROM, get everything set up just right. (meaning, proper screen scaling, aperture grill emulation, VSync, etc. with a proper controller) and tell me you don't enjoy it.

I always preferred Ghouls and Ghosts though myself. ;) (which also still looks incredible) Capcom CPS1 and CPS2 based games look good even now. I play Final Fight with my daughter all the time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top