I am 50, and have played both systems. I owned the Intellivision II that you just reviewed and the was NOTHING wrong with that controller function-wise, especially in comparison to the Atari. There were games where you had to make quick turns (auto racing, tron deadly discs, Snafu) and that controller did its job flawlessly. Its not the the games just looked better, but they just were better. All you gotta do is compare the sports games. The baseball comparison alone makes the systems appear a decade apart. That boxing game, play with a bud and you'll see each color player was different. Blue player was fast, but couldn't take a punch. The yellow player could K.O. you in the first round if you caught your opponent right. Games like Dungeons and Dragons were straight up frightening cause you could hear the dragon breathing off-screen as you got closer and closer. Night Stalker was a classic and Sea Battle was one.of the first real time strategy war games. Having your PT Boat miraculously taking out an already damaged Battleship was classic. I get it that you're a fanboy that has to save face with the Atari guys, but there was really no comparison between the two systems. Besides that... pretty nice review.😂
@@Rob774 sea battle was fun. My friend always beat me because it was his game console and he knew the games much better than me. One day I finally took out all of his ships and I knew he laid mines down in front of his base. I used the minesweeper but it didn't work. I could never figure out how to use it right. Thought I had. It was my last ship so the game ended up being a draw. I still feel it was a victory. I was hitting the button but the mines didnt sweep.
@@larrym5120 Sea Battle was my favorite. You had to activate the 'sweeper' function. You knew you had it on, when your ship would immediately slow down. I like when someone would try and be sneaky with their troop transport and sneak it into your harbor while you were distracted with another part of the map. Or having great victories when a PT Boat could take out a Battleship with three torpedoes, while the It only took one barrage from a Battleship to take out that PT Boat.
I had a 2600 back in the day, my bestie had an intellivision. I spent a lot of time playing the Intellivision and have great memories of games like Advanced D&D, Dreadnought Factor, Discs of Tron and the Intellivoice. Plus I'll always remember baseball saying "you're out". The controllers weren't great but they were better than the 5200 ones
George Plimpton came and spoke to my journalism class when I was a teen. That man lived a very interesting life. He got to LARP as a pro football player in addition to being one of the most unusual pitch men of the era for Intellivision.
This what had when all my friends had Atari... we had the intellevision console with the wood grain. Loved the dungeons and dragons games. I was really into auto racing too.
That Commercial with the kid who said “My Name?” In it was a tie-in for the movie E.T.! One of the first examples of “cross-advertising” in modern media. Oh by the way the kids name was Elliot!
I bought the original Intellivision in 1979, and replaced it with the updated and smaller unit you're showing here. I bought nearly all of the games they offered as the intellectual George Plimpton, made us feel it wasn't just a kids game. When we had friends come over we would get high and play Horse Race and the exciting Bomb Squad. When I was alone I loved Dungeons and Dragons. When my daughter was 4 I pulled it back out and we would the same D&D. She would run away when your heard the dragon sneaking up. That was in 1992. I still have the system and games in the garage and would like to see if it still works and the connectors get updated. Great memories. Oh, I'm 68 now with 5 grandkids.
The intellivision is a cool system. The games are mostly slower action (other than Astrosmash and a couple others) but with better background graphics and sounds.
My brother in law gave me his old intellivision a few years ago and it’s really the first time I’ve played one but I can’t figure out why anyone thought the controllers were a good idea. It sits in my gaming room but never gets used. Perhaps now that Atari owns the ip’s they will release a better controller and I’ll give it another shot.
The directional controller isn't that bad, it's the side buttons that always seemed too stiff. It's pretty impressive how well it could work for games with things like inventories, and even kinda worked for the wrestling game that let you assign various moves. But the Intellivision just wasn't made to play games that came out in the arcade after its release, its impressive that it could. I think the designers originally imagined adults playing turn based titles like trivia and card games while passing the controllers between turns.
I have the model 1 intellivision, and love it. I had an intellivision when I was a kid, but can't remember what games I played on it, aside from what I believe was a hide and seek game lol Great console overall, I will never stop looking for a copy of that Super Mario Bros homebrew port for the Intellivision!!
I never grew up with one but I got one for my father as a Christmas present one year because he used to have one. His face lit up and he was very happy to play some of his favorite games when he was younger. His favorite was AD&D Treasure of Tarmin. I hope you do more videos like this. There are plenty of other odd consoles from that era worth looking into like the Channel F, the Odyssey 2, the Arcadia 2001, the Bally Astrocade, APF MP-1000 and of course the ColecoVision.
Even if the games are a bit simpler, I think I prefer the sunset gradients and rainbow stripes and stuff that the VCS could do with its far larger colour palette (just look at the colours in the sprites in Demon Attack or Atlantis, or the ground and sky in Battle Zone).
The Intellivision 1 controllers were so good, that I could play baseball by myself. Batting, running the bases and fielding at the same time. I don't think that's remotely possible on any other system.
Like I always say, better graphics doesn't mean it's a better game. You could have the most beautiful game ever made but what's the point if it's confusing and not fun?
If you think any game on the Atari 2600 comes close to AD&D (Misty Mountain) you're nuts. It's still a load of fun to play today. Many great two player games like Sea Battle have no equal.
The only game I remember playing on the Intellevision was Dungeons and Dragons at my brother's house when I was a kid. Cool game, tried it recently on an emulator but you need that dammed number pad to fire your weapon lol. Been thinking about getting one but don't really care for the controller. Hopefully someone will come up with a modern solution. That Intellivania game has me excited though!
Growing up, I hated seeing George Plimpton's smug mug on TV lol. There's no question that the Intellivision is a more capable hardware compared to the 2600. However, the controller was a deal breaker for me. I'm still a joystick guy but can now tolerate a disc pad style controller. I picked up the INTV 2 a few years ago and last year got the Sears version of the INTV which was modded with RGB output. I also bought a set of controllers that look like the INTV 2 controllers but with a thumbpad instead of the disc. I also bought an arcade joystick style controller for the INTV by Retrogameboyz. I don't have much playing time on the Intellivision so I can't say much about the controllers. The Intellivision homebrew scene looks to be very active. I have purchased several titles. Hopefully, I can find some time to play them and won't have to wait for retirement lol I'm glad you will cover the Intellivision here and look forward to future videos. I am also curious what Atari plans to do with the IP.
Greetings, I was an Atari fanboy too, had a 5200 at the time, but had fun with the inty, really enjoyed playing Sub Hunt, Burgertime, Blockade Runner and other games. When I was young I had no problems with the 5200 and inty controllers, but now I have bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis, bought the Sears version, a/v modded it but the controller is a pain. But found two persons making new controllers. The inty was the first 16 bit console. If you have chromadepth glasses you can play Hover Force in 3d, nice effect. Too bad the Intellivoice was required for the few games released for it, but were fun. Well there are some cool homebrews that use it. Check the Super Mario hombrew, it's awesome. Keep the good work and take care.
A friend of mine had an Intellivision along with a decent collection of games for it back in the day (he also had a Vectrex), so I got to play it quite a bit while growing up despite not having owned one myself. It was definitely a fun system that had its strengths compared to the 2600, but man, those controllers.... Although I greatly enjoyed playing on it, I don't recall ever being jealous over them having it. I was much more jealous of the Vectrex, which I also got to play a lot, and in fact played on it a lot more than the Intellivision. Having said that, it would be great if Atari were to release an Intellivision+, which I'm sure they'll do at some point.
My grandparents got me an Intellivision and a bunch of games for Christmas when the video game crash dropped the prices of pretty much everything. Although I enjoyed it, and agree that it's more powerful than the Atari 2600, I'm also glad that I had the Atari first and foremost. If for no other reason, than the quantity and variety of games available for it. I was never a big fan of the disc controller either. I used to stick a suction cup off an old dart gun dart on the disc and use it like a mini-joystick. That usually worked for about half an hour or so before it came off and I had to stick it on again. Although I do find it strange that while everyone hates the disc controller, if you stick a raised cross on it and call it a "d-pad" everyone loves it. Several companies made options to improve the controllers. One was a replacement disc that had a small joystick on it. It would probably be easy to design and then you could 3D print it. I mean, literally EVERYONE now has a 3D printer, right? Another was a stick-on joystick that kind of looked like a wide-based chess pawn. Then there was a frame that clamped around the controller with a joystick centered over the disc. Probably the best option was a controller made by Wico that had both a joystick and a built-in keypad, just like the stock controllers. It was uncommon and expensive, and is even moreso now. There are no electronics inside the controllers, just flex circuits, so it would probably be fairly easy to made an adapter for other controllers. I tried doing this for Atari joysticks, but trying to follow all the circuit traces back then made my head ache, Plus, you'd need a Y cable so you could use the keypad and the second fire button.
One minor detail: when the IntelliVision was released (1979) and years after that, the rival Atari console was still named VCS and had a fake wood front panel. The version showed at 0:23 (called 2600 with a black front panel) was released only in November 1982. But what is surprising is that, even with the release of the IntelliVision, Atari waited for years to release a next-gen console.
@@ecdhe I think the wait for the next gen console was because releasing new consoles and upgrades wasn't quite established yet. I think there were concerns with whether or not consumers would upgrade or want multiple consoles. It's easy to forget that gaming was in its infancy at this time. Great comment and thanks for watching!
@@TheAtariNetwork I would argue it was beyond that. Ray Kassar et al have always been reactive, even in the computer market. The Atari 400 was supposed to be a console (so people at Atari already thought of a next-gen console), but it was too expensive and Atari wasn't that interested in a new console anyway. The release of the IntelliVision should have been a wake-up call.
There was also the issue of the 2600 being a money printing machine. Why mess with success? Atari became a victim of their success when everybody had one and some games like ET and Pac-Man allegedly had more cartridges produced than consoles sold.
@@nickpalance3622 there's definitely this. But also the top honchos came from Warner. They weren't used to a world like video games which changed so quickly.
I'm in my 50's and don't see you as a traitor, as I grew up with the Atari as well and had the 5200 too, but it's because I love those early days and now own a Colecovision and Intellivision because I love those early beginnings where it was the wild west of gaming. great video dude!
I enjoyed your video. I wonder did you have access to any overlays when testing the controllers? My favorite games for 1 player - Space Battle, Astrosmash, Tron Deadly Discs, Star Strike, Burgertime, and B17 Boooombeeeeeer. 2 player games - Sea Battle and Triple Action Biplanes. Hope you enjoy these classics!
As an early Atari 2600 owner, Intellivision was like a huge sports rivalry back in the day. Those commercials rubbed salt in many a wound. But I always admired the graphics on the Intellivision. But it is time to beat the 8 bit sword into a plowshare and enjoy the peace.
True, the commercials were pretty fierce. Commodore even got in on it with the Vic-20 computer using actors resembling those Atari and Intellevision used.
Good Video! My first game system was the Atari 2600 system! Back in 1980! I got an Intellivsion system in the late 80's! It takes awhile to get used to the joysticks for the Intellivsion system! They do have some adapters to help using the Intellivison system! I like both systems, with all the new home brew games coming out for them. There are some really nice games for both! Maybe, Atari now that they own the Intellivsion rites, will come out with an Iintellivison Plus, like they did with both the Atari 2600+ and the Atari 7800+ systems!
The Intellivision controller was the reference point for ColecoVision and Atari 5200 and the disc is just like a big modern-day thumbstick. Just like the 2600 controller the Intellivision controller was meant to be held with both hands with one thumb on the disc and you’d other hand wrapped around to reach the buttons. Without the overlays you really don’t see how the number pad really opened up gameplay. But people have their preferences though most of the media of the day sort of decided the disc was bad much like the reaction to early analog sticks. Wishing you well on your Intellivision journey loads of great titles especially from Imagic and here’s hoping Atari acquires that library.
The bowling games on Atari 2600 and Intellivision are worlds apart and one of the things which got me to really get into the Intellivision. I remember also preferring the Intellivision version of Pitfall because the controls were better (in my opinion). I would play an Atari 800xl computer above both, though. That had some of the best arcade style gaming available, especially later when you could plug a Sega Genesis arcade stick controller into it.
I would recommend trying out the Intellevision version of The Dreadnought Factor, it is a good port of the game but what really stands out is that it's a horizontal scroller compared to being a vertical scroller on the 5200 and Atari 8-bit.
Answers to a few of your questions: 1. The controller on the Intellivision I is a lot more ergonomic and responsive than the Inty II. Why they went with the chunky, non-responsive design for the II is beyond me. The Inty 1 controller has rubberized side buttons and bubble buttons for the keypad, making that controller far superior to the one on the Intellivision II. Mattel also made the Sears Super Video Arcade, which is a rebranded Intellivision with a slightly altered design. Controllers from this model can be unplugged and used in the Intellivision II. This format is what I primarily use with my Inty II. 2. Regarding the controller, you can press the disc in the direction you wish to go and then circle around to another direction without lifting your thumb. This is the easiest way to use the disc. If you try to use it as a D-pad, it doesn't work as expected.
In all honesty, the 2600 library is generally more fun. The Intellivision processor was actually pretty slow and it's reflected in the gameplay. Yes, the sports games looked great and played okay. I always saw it almost as "Your parents' game system."
It was not so much the processor, but the underlying "OS" called the EXEC. If you look at modern homebrews, they are all faster in part because they bypass the EXEC.
@@intellivisionhomebrewvideo4792 Yeah, perhaps. I don't know a whole lot about the kernel or whatever, but I do believe the clock speed (such as it was back then) was something like 50% slower than the Atari. I think the Intellivision was .95 Mhz or thereabouts and the Atari's was 1.5 MHz.if memory serves.
Intellivision II looked the coolest, but the controller on the other versions were better quality. The cartridge port on the side was to allow for expansion modules that would sit off to the side.
This was a fair review, based on what you have access to. Thank you. I owned a pretty decent library for both systems, and saw them as complementary experiences, similar to SNES and Genesis. Recommendations would include: Bomb Squad was a great bit of early tension and panic gameplay, but I don't even want to know how much an Intellivoice add-on goes for these days. Is it even compatible with that model? Discs of Tron was gutted for 2600. Thunder Castle and the wrestling game were proof that there was still life post crash. Did you pilot the UFO in Atlantis? Atari fans seem to miss that feature.
I do have the model II, and it does in fact work with the Voice Module. In fact, you can even plug it into the end of the Computer Module attached to an Intellivision II for some kind of sideways tower of power situation!
I have an Intellivision II with the computer module and Intellivoice module. I play it about as much as my 2600. There are fun games on both. I hate both standard controllers, but I built an arcade stick for my 2600 that makes it a ton of fun to play, the paddles are still great, and the Track & Field controller is fun to use. The Intellivision controller, though does play really well as a steering wheel for Turbo. It's just hit and miss as to what games are better on which console. I think both are worth playing if you can enjoy these classic games. I can get out Warlords with the paddles on 2600 and even a group of 12 year olds will have a great time in spite of themselves. Bomb Squad with the Intellivoice module still feels pretty unique, and I still enjoy it. Shark! Shark! is pretty timeless as well, and the port of Turbo is as good for Intellivision as Track & Field is for Atari 2600... and both are more fun than my Emerson Arcadia 2001.
It took me decades to get an intellivision, but I enjoy the hell out of mine. Often intellivision versions are better. Not always but often. The homebrew scene is lit right now for intellivision. Phenomenal works of art are being made for the intellivision like Intellivania to name just one. I recommend the joystick additions if you can find them, though the steering wheel like disc motion for Turbo works very well. I have the computer add on wich enhances the system further, baseball is amazing for the computer add on. Voice narration included.
You should seek out a Wico CommandControl joystick 🕹️ … I’ve got one or two for my Colecovision. Be warned that they look the same. I guess the Intellivision version has a 90 degree turn in the 9-pin connection? (Like the Intellivision II but unlike the Sears Super Video Arcade). Oh and if you have the original model Intellivision or TandyVision then you’ll need a screwdriver to disassemble the stock controller (as it is hard wired into the console) and attach the fixed cable to the Wico.
Just get the long play controllers for the Intellivision, and you will have a better experience. Also try out Burger Time, Utopia, and Start Strike. They are classics.
I only have an Intellivision Flashback console, but from my experience with it, I kind of like the controller. Kind of. The disk looks weird and has an annoying clacking sound, but for certain games, gliding your thumb around the outer rim like a rotating d-pad works pretty well. Though the side buttons are not great, I will admit. They feel gummy, like they could end up getting stuck.
If only the 5200 controllers were reliable, and they had used a spring centering for the stick, I actually quite liked that system... Including the controllers.
I will go out on a limb and claim that if Atari didnt get liscences for hit games like Space Invaders, intellivision would have been a real headache for Atari. Its that good. Intellivision eventually got most popular games but Atari often got them first wich made the difference in my opinion.
Some of my favorite games on the Intellivision; Atlantis Bomb Squad (Intellivoice) Burgertime Demon Attack The Dreadnaught Factor Microsurgeon Pinball Sub Hunt I would list Swords and Serpents, but the game was literally never finished. The programmer ran out of room on the cartridge, so it's impossible to kill the dragon and beat the game. Not that I ever got that far, but why play a game that's impossible to finish?
There is nothing wrong with the controllers, I never had any problems with the controllers on my Intellivision even on the moment I first hooked it up to my TV, I had the Model 1 version with the better quality and more comfortable controllers, The Intellivision 2 controllers were horrible because Martel got cheap to cut costs. The Disc is like the D-Pad, just press the disc in the direction you want to move by sliding your thumb across the disc. The Games were more fun than atari VCS. Why did you not show the so called Classic Six Switch Woody VCS?
@@Monhamd1000 I think it's good looking until you pop the controllers out. Which is why I think the design was never used again. I think people want their consoles aesthetically pleasing all the time and not just when it's not in use. But that's just like my opinion man! Thanks for watching and thanks for the support!
@@TheAtariNetwork then I can never forgive Intellivision. Naw that's not true, the number pad on the Jag is pretty useful. Just wish I had them overlays.
I had an Intellivision and it had a better looking colour palette, graphics capability, memory, and sound etc. The controllers were good and offered a lot more options. Seems like your number pads on the Intellivision II controllers are fairly beat up. You do not roll the disc around but there are more points of contact for them around the diameter compared to the different directional points the Atari could sense, if memory serves. I found the Atari joysticks big and clunky. I think it is all just a matter of what you get used to, but in the end it comes down to the tech of the components inside, the fun of game play, and game selection mostly. Arcade ported games are bad picks to compare off Colecovision as developers once Colecovision was out could produce deliberately worse versions for other consoles. I remember this with Donkey Kong for sure. I would never have traded my Intellivision for an Atari.
Here's hoping Atari does something interesting with the IP. The last people who owned it were using it to bait people into funding a money laundering scam disguised as a game console that never came out.
The intellivision is a fun console, the downside being the controller. It kicked off that telephone number pad controller that all the console makers thought were a good idea for a short while. I'll give them a pass though. It was kind of the wild west for video game consoles and at least they were trying to be innovative.
I'm happy that you got the intellivision , it was my first console and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, The controller of the intelliivision is worst and cheaper than the one on the original intellivision, Intellivania is a good inty homebrew but the best intellivision Homebrew are Pandora Incident, Infiltrator and Operation cloudfire, the particularity of them is that they have by Carlos Madruga, this man is the John Champeau for the Intellivision, Here's the youtube link review below for these three game th-cam.com/video/Iep9dBrNRck/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/3g6_Wr6eAWg/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/wc0RqyW6B6c/w-d-xo.html good original Intellivision games are Cloudy mountain - dungeons and dragons, night stalker, burger time to name a few, by the way there's 3rd party companies that make other controller for the intellivision that will look more like a joysticks, don't forget Intellivision is part of Atari, atari fanboy and intellivision fanboy have to be friend now
Thanks for the information. I'll look into those. Yes Intellivision is now under the Atari umbrella so I suppose I could do reviews and cover the console. There's just so much to cover now. This channel was just supposed to be 7800! Lol
The v1 controllers were way better, except for being hardwired. And the side buttons - too hard, too stiff to press. The control disc is weird, but if you get used to it, its fine; but the v2 disc I've hear is worse than the first version.
Thanks for sharing your impressions. That said, an Intellivision II was the worst choice, as its controllers are notorious for being the worst of the bunch. An original model Intellivision or the Sears model (Super Video Arcade) would have been a better way to go.
Terrible review. Atari 5200 had the worst controller ever made. Once you get used to the Intellivision controller the only really bad thing are the side buttons if you have to push them a lot. The extra pad buttons made certain things possible you can't do on a Atari 2600 (from football quarterback play choices to advanced dungeons and dragons shooting while running backwards to throwing to any base in baseball to choosing ships quickly in Sea Battle). I missed the Intellivision after my dad managed to get his stolen in El Paso Texas while there for Army Reserves. I ended up buying one out of a mini-merchant ad for $25 with 30 games in the early 1990s. My dad still had the speech module so it was B17 Bomber all over again (sweet bomber game with shooting aircraft down on the way and a real bombing view while the game yells things like, "Bandit 6'o'clock". For arcade games, the Colecovision had the best conversions at the time. It had somewhat wonky controllers too, but the buttons were easier on the fingers. Once I got a set of Super Action Controllers, life was good. They were excellent controllers and had more buttons for baseball and Front Line (pretty great arcade conversion as I played the arcade version before). The driving controller playing The Dukes of Hazard was fun as a kid too. Not until I got a PC force feedback wheel and Test Drive Unlimited did I really have more fun (Hard Driving at the arcade excepted where I learned to drive a stickshift. I drove one home 30 miles away the first time). But in the end, all of the consoles sucked by comparison to a Commodore 64 (and later Amiga). The C64 had thousands of games made for it, some excellent and I still play today in emulation. The Amiga had amazing graphics for its day, but the gameplay seemed to sometimes lag the graphics.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Now I really want to see a video on the Colecovision.
@@braillynn hmm I'll have to get a hold of Hugo lol
ColecoVision was the best out of all of them
Yeah, I had the Colecovision and loved it!
I am 50, and have played both systems. I owned the Intellivision II that you just reviewed and the was NOTHING wrong with that controller function-wise, especially in comparison to the Atari. There were games where you had to make quick turns (auto racing, tron deadly discs, Snafu) and that controller did its job flawlessly. Its not the the games just looked better, but they just were better. All you gotta do is compare the sports games. The baseball comparison alone makes the systems appear a decade apart. That boxing game, play with a bud and you'll see each color player was different. Blue player was fast, but couldn't take a punch. The yellow player could K.O. you in the first round if you caught your opponent right.
Games like Dungeons and Dragons were straight up frightening cause you could hear the dragon breathing off-screen as you got closer and closer. Night Stalker was a classic and Sea Battle was one.of the first real time strategy war games. Having your PT Boat miraculously taking out an already damaged Battleship was classic.
I get it that you're a fanboy that has to save face with the Atari guys, but there was really no comparison between the two systems. Besides that... pretty nice review.😂
I had a 2600 and a good friend a few blocks away had an intellivision. I was always jealous. His games kicked the snot out of my games.
@@larrym5120 Thank you for honest opinion good sir. I rubbed this same sentiment in my buddy up the street face with his Atari.
@@Rob774 sea battle was fun. My friend always beat me because it was his game console and he knew the games much better than me. One day I finally took out all of his ships and I knew he laid mines down in front of his base. I used the minesweeper but it didn't work. I could never figure out how to use it right. Thought I had. It was my last ship so the game ended up being a draw. I still feel it was a victory. I was hitting the button but the mines didnt sweep.
@@larrym5120 Sea Battle was my favorite. You had to activate the 'sweeper' function. You knew you had it on, when your ship would immediately slow down. I like when someone would try and be sneaky with their troop transport and sneak it into your harbor while you were distracted with another part of the map. Or having great victories when a PT Boat could take out a Battleship with three torpedoes, while the It only took one barrage from a Battleship to take out that PT Boat.
@@Rob774 the pt boats were so quick. The were fun to use.
I had a 2600 back in the day, my bestie had an intellivision. I spent a lot of time playing the Intellivision and have great memories of games like Advanced D&D, Dreadnought Factor, Discs of Tron and the Intellivoice. Plus I'll always remember baseball saying "you're out". The controllers weren't great but they were better than the 5200 ones
The D&D games are amazing for the intellivision,just got Dragon Quest for it
That Castlevania Port running on hardware designed in the late 70's without any extra chips in the cartridge is very impressive.
George Plimpton came and spoke to my journalism class when I was a teen. That man lived a very interesting life. He got to LARP as a pro football player in addition to being one of the most unusual pitch men of the era for Intellivision.
And he was a presidential candidate too!
This what had when all my friends had Atari... we had the intellevision console with the wood grain. Loved the dungeons and dragons games. I was really into auto racing too.
Tron Deadly Discs is probably the #1 must-have game on INTV
Burgertime too.
That Commercial with the kid who said “My Name?” In it was a tie-in for the movie E.T.! One of the first examples of “cross-advertising” in modern media. Oh by the way the kids name was Elliot!
I can't recommend this channels Discord enough. Great people discussing great stuff!
@@cyrollan agreed! Get active there guys!
yes. I would love to see Atari 2600 vs Intellivison games in a dare to compare episode !
@@OGHUGO OMG it's Hugo! Thanks a ton for the Intellivision! It's awesome and I'm having fun exploring it!
@@OGHUGO and I knew you would want to see that! :)
I bought the original Intellivision in 1979, and replaced it with the updated and smaller unit you're showing here. I bought nearly all of the games they offered as the intellectual George Plimpton, made us feel it wasn't just a kids game. When we had friends come over we would get high and play Horse Race and the exciting Bomb Squad. When I was alone I loved Dungeons and Dragons. When my daughter was 4 I pulled it back out and we would the same D&D. She would run away when your heard the dragon sneaking up. That was in 1992. I still have the system and games in the garage and would like to see if it still works and the connectors get updated. Great memories. Oh, I'm 68 now with 5 grandkids.
The intellivision is a cool system. The games are mostly slower action (other than Astrosmash and a couple others) but with better background graphics and sounds.
@@8bitrocketstudios I would agree with that assessment to this point
You need to see the more recent homebrews, those will change your opinion.
My brother in law gave me his old intellivision a few years ago and it’s really the first time I’ve played one but I can’t figure out why anyone thought the controllers were a good idea. It sits in my gaming room but never gets used. Perhaps now that Atari owns the ip’s they will release a better controller and I’ll give it another shot.
The directional controller isn't that bad, it's the side buttons that always seemed too stiff. It's pretty impressive how well it could work for games with things like inventories, and even kinda worked for the wrestling game that let you assign various moves.
But the Intellivision just wasn't made to play games that came out in the arcade after its release, its impressive that it could. I think the designers originally imagined adults playing turn based titles like trivia and card games while passing the controllers between turns.
You need to try Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (Misty Mountain) if you want to try THE classic Intellivision game of all time.
I have the model 1 intellivision, and love it. I had an intellivision when I was a kid, but can't remember what games I played on it, aside from what I believe was a hide and seek game lol Great console overall, I will never stop looking for a copy of that Super Mario Bros homebrew port for the Intellivision!!
I never grew up with one but I got one for my father as a Christmas present one year because he used to have one. His face lit up and he was very happy to play some of his favorite games when he was younger. His favorite was AD&D Treasure of Tarmin.
I hope you do more videos like this. There are plenty of other odd consoles from that era worth looking into like the Channel F, the Odyssey 2, the Arcadia 2001, the Bally Astrocade, APF MP-1000 and of course the ColecoVision.
Even if the games are a bit simpler, I think I prefer the sunset gradients and rainbow stripes and stuff that the VCS could do with its far larger colour palette (just look at the colours in the sprites in Demon Attack or Atlantis, or the ground and sky in Battle Zone).
@@monolalia I think a lot of people will agree with you!
Was thinking the same thing
The Intellivision 1 controllers were so good, that I could play baseball by myself. Batting, running the bases and fielding at the same time. I don't think that's remotely possible on any other system.
Like I always say, better graphics doesn't mean it's a better game. You could have the most beautiful game ever made but what's the point if it's confusing and not fun?
@@GregsGameRoom agreed! Great insight! You should start a TH-cam channel... :D
@@GregsGameRoom I watched your Every Jaguar Game video a while back and didn't think to subscribe. I just remedied that!
@@cyrollan Thanks!
I agree. I play WoW, FFXIV and my Atari emulators. Just because the graphics are prettier doesn't mean the gameplay is more fun.
If you think any game on the Atari 2600 comes close to AD&D (Misty Mountain) you're nuts. It's still a load of fun to play today. Many great two player games like Sea Battle have no equal.
The only game I remember playing on the Intellevision was Dungeons and Dragons at my brother's house when I was a kid. Cool game, tried it recently on an emulator but you need that dammed number pad to fire your weapon lol. Been thinking about getting one but don't really care for the controller. Hopefully someone will come up with a modern solution. That Intellivania game has me excited though!
@@southtexasatlatl I haven't tried Dungeons And Dragons yet. Intellivania is excellent though!
Growing up, I hated seeing George Plimpton's smug mug on TV lol. There's no question that the Intellivision is a more capable hardware compared to the 2600. However, the controller was a deal breaker for me. I'm still a joystick guy but can now tolerate a disc pad style controller.
I picked up the INTV 2 a few years ago and last year got the Sears version of the INTV which was modded with RGB output. I also bought a set of controllers that look like the INTV 2 controllers but with a thumbpad instead of the disc. I also bought an arcade joystick style controller for the INTV by Retrogameboyz. I don't have much playing time on the Intellivision so I can't say much about the controllers.
The Intellivision homebrew scene looks to be very active. I have purchased several titles. Hopefully, I can find some time to play them and won't have to wait for retirement lol
I'm glad you will cover the Intellivision here and look forward to future videos. I am also curious what Atari plans to do with the IP.
Whew! We can finally forget Sauron.
Never!
Greetings, I was an Atari fanboy too, had a 5200 at the time, but had fun with the inty, really enjoyed playing Sub Hunt, Burgertime, Blockade Runner and other games. When I was young I had no problems with the 5200 and inty controllers, but now I have bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and osteoarthritis, bought the Sears version, a/v modded it but the controller is a pain. But found two persons making new controllers. The inty was the first 16 bit console. If you have chromadepth glasses you can play Hover Force in 3d, nice effect. Too bad the Intellivoice was required for the few games released for it, but were fun. Well there are some cool homebrews that use it. Check the Super Mario hombrew, it's awesome. Keep the good work and take care.
A friend of mine had an Intellivision along with a decent collection of games for it back in the day (he also had a Vectrex), so I got to play it quite a bit while growing up despite not having owned one myself. It was definitely a fun system that had its strengths compared to the 2600, but man, those controllers....
Although I greatly enjoyed playing on it, I don't recall ever being jealous over them having it. I was much more jealous of the Vectrex, which I also got to play a lot, and in fact played on it a lot more than the Intellivision. Having said that, it would be great if Atari were to release an Intellivision+, which I'm sure they'll do at some point.
My grandparents got me an Intellivision and a bunch of games for Christmas when the video game crash dropped the prices of pretty much everything. Although I enjoyed it, and agree that it's more powerful than the Atari 2600, I'm also glad that I had the Atari first and foremost. If for no other reason, than the quantity and variety of games available for it.
I was never a big fan of the disc controller either. I used to stick a suction cup off an old dart gun dart on the disc and use it like a mini-joystick. That usually worked for about half an hour or so before it came off and I had to stick it on again. Although I do find it strange that while everyone hates the disc controller, if you stick a raised cross on it and call it a "d-pad" everyone loves it.
Several companies made options to improve the controllers. One was a replacement disc that had a small joystick on it. It would probably be easy to design and then you could 3D print it. I mean, literally EVERYONE now has a 3D printer, right? Another was a stick-on joystick that kind of looked like a wide-based chess pawn. Then there was a frame that clamped around the controller with a joystick centered over the disc.
Probably the best option was a controller made by Wico that had both a joystick and a built-in keypad, just like the stock controllers. It was uncommon and expensive, and is even moreso now.
There are no electronics inside the controllers, just flex circuits, so it would probably be fairly easy to made an adapter for other controllers. I tried doing this for Atari joysticks, but trying to follow all the circuit traces back then made my head ache, Plus, you'd need a Y cable so you could use the keypad and the second fire button.
One minor detail: when the IntelliVision was released (1979) and years after that, the rival Atari console was still named VCS and had a fake wood front panel. The version showed at 0:23 (called 2600 with a black front panel) was released only in November 1982.
But what is surprising is that, even with the release of the IntelliVision, Atari waited for years to release a next-gen console.
@@ecdhe I think the wait for the next gen console was because releasing new consoles and upgrades wasn't quite established yet. I think there were concerns with whether or not consumers would upgrade or want multiple consoles. It's easy to forget that gaming was in its infancy at this time.
Great comment and thanks for watching!
@@TheAtariNetwork I would argue it was beyond that. Ray Kassar et al have always been reactive, even in the computer market. The Atari 400 was supposed to be a console (so people at Atari already thought of a next-gen console), but it was too expensive and Atari wasn't that interested in a new console anyway. The release of the IntelliVision should have been a wake-up call.
There was also the issue of the 2600 being a money printing machine. Why mess with success? Atari became a victim of their success when everybody had one and some games like ET and Pac-Man allegedly had more cartridges produced than consoles sold.
@@nickpalance3622 there's definitely this. But also the top honchos came from Warner. They weren't used to a world like video games which changed so quickly.
I'm in my 50's and don't see you as a traitor, as I grew up with the Atari as well and had the 5200 too, but it's because I love those early days and now own a Colecovision and Intellivision because I love those early beginnings where it was the wild west of gaming. great video dude!
I enjoyed your video.
I wonder did you have access to any overlays when testing the controllers?
My favorite games for 1 player - Space Battle, Astrosmash, Tron Deadly Discs, Star Strike, Burgertime, and B17 Boooombeeeeeer.
2 player games - Sea Battle and Triple Action Biplanes.
Hope you enjoy these classics!
As an early Atari 2600 owner, Intellivision was like a huge sports rivalry back in the day. Those commercials rubbed salt in many a wound. But I always admired the graphics on the Intellivision. But it is time to beat the 8 bit sword into a plowshare and enjoy the peace.
@@Jolt7800 swords to plowshares you say....
I can be a bit over dramatic at times
True, the commercials were pretty fierce. Commodore even got in on it with the Vic-20 computer using actors resembling those Atari and Intellevision used.
@@Jolt7800 lol I was just teasing jolt! I agree with the comment and mattel was doing this years before Sega and the Nintendont ads
@@TheAtariNetwork😂
Good Video! My first game system was the Atari 2600 system! Back in 1980! I got an Intellivsion system in the late 80's! It takes awhile to get used to the joysticks for the Intellivsion system! They do have some adapters to help using the Intellivison system! I like both systems, with all the new home brew games coming out for them. There are some really nice games for both! Maybe, Atari now that they own the Intellivsion rites, will come out with an Iintellivison Plus, like they did with both the Atari 2600+ and the Atari 7800+ systems!
Night Stalker and Astrosmash were my favourite Intellevision games I owned.
The Intellivision controller was the reference point for ColecoVision and Atari 5200 and the disc is just like a big modern-day thumbstick. Just like the 2600 controller the Intellivision controller was meant to be held with both hands with one thumb on the disc and you’d other hand wrapped around to reach the buttons. Without the overlays you really don’t see how the number pad really opened up gameplay. But people have their preferences though most of the media of the day sort of decided the disc was bad much like the reaction to early analog sticks. Wishing you well on your Intellivision journey loads of great titles especially from Imagic and here’s hoping Atari acquires that library.
Yet Intelivision is now blissfully part of the Atari Empire.
The bowling games on Atari 2600 and Intellivision are worlds apart and one of the things which got me to really get into the Intellivision. I remember also preferring the Intellivision version of Pitfall because the controls were better (in my opinion). I would play an Atari 800xl computer above both, though. That had some of the best arcade style gaming available, especially later when you could plug a Sega Genesis arcade stick controller into it.
I didn't get an Intellivision until 2020, and I was a little disappointed. Like you, I am glad that I had an Atari back in the day.
I would recommend trying out the Intellevision version of The Dreadnought Factor, it is a good port of the game but what really stands out is that it's a horizontal scroller compared to being a vertical scroller on the 5200 and Atari 8-bit.
Answers to a few of your questions:
1. The controller on the Intellivision I is a lot more ergonomic and responsive than the Inty II. Why they went with the chunky, non-responsive design for the II is beyond me. The Inty 1 controller has rubberized side buttons and bubble buttons for the keypad, making that controller far superior to the one on the Intellivision II. Mattel also made the Sears Super Video Arcade, which is a rebranded Intellivision with a slightly altered design. Controllers from this model can be unplugged and used in the Intellivision II. This format is what I primarily use with my Inty II.
2. Regarding the controller, you can press the disc in the direction you wish to go and then circle around to another direction without lifting your thumb. This is the easiest way to use the disc. If you try to use it as a D-pad, it doesn't work as expected.
In all honesty, the 2600 library is generally more fun. The Intellivision processor was actually pretty slow and it's reflected in the gameplay. Yes, the sports games looked great and played okay. I always saw it almost as "Your parents' game system."
@@mwhite212 that's great insight and a good way to put it! Thanks for the opinion I like it
It was not so much the processor, but the underlying "OS" called the EXEC. If you look at modern homebrews, they are all faster in part because they bypass the EXEC.
@@intellivisionhomebrewvideo4792 Yeah, perhaps. I don't know a whole lot about the kernel or whatever, but I do believe the clock speed (such as it was back then) was something like 50% slower than the Atari. I think the Intellivision was .95 Mhz or thereabouts and the Atari's was 1.5 MHz.if memory serves.
Nice Drelbs namecheck reference!
Intellivision II looked the coolest, but the controller on the other versions were better quality. The cartridge port on the side was to allow for expansion modules that would sit off to the side.
This was a fair review, based on what you have access to. Thank you.
I owned a pretty decent library for both systems, and saw them as complementary experiences, similar to SNES and Genesis.
Recommendations would include:
Bomb Squad was a great bit of early tension and panic gameplay, but I don't even want to know how much an Intellivoice add-on goes for these days. Is it even compatible with that model?
Discs of Tron was gutted for 2600.
Thunder Castle and the wrestling game were proof that there was still life post crash.
Did you pilot the UFO in Atlantis? Atari fans seem to miss that feature.
I do have the model II, and it does in fact work with the Voice Module. In fact, you can even plug it into the end of the Computer Module attached to an Intellivision II for some kind of sideways tower of power situation!
I have an Intellivision II with the computer module and Intellivoice module. I play it about as much as my 2600. There are fun games on both. I hate both standard controllers, but I built an arcade stick for my 2600 that makes it a ton of fun to play, the paddles are still great, and the Track & Field controller is fun to use. The Intellivision controller, though does play really well as a steering wheel for Turbo. It's just hit and miss as to what games are better on which console.
I think both are worth playing if you can enjoy these classic games. I can get out Warlords with the paddles on 2600 and even a group of 12 year olds will have a great time in spite of themselves. Bomb Squad with the Intellivoice module still feels pretty unique, and I still enjoy it. Shark! Shark! is pretty timeless as well, and the port of Turbo is as good for Intellivision as Track & Field is for Atari 2600... and both are more fun than my Emerson Arcadia 2001.
The music and scrolling capabilities are comparable to NES😊
It took me decades to get an intellivision, but I enjoy the hell out of mine. Often intellivision versions are better. Not always but often. The homebrew scene is lit right now for intellivision. Phenomenal works of art are being made for the intellivision like Intellivania to name just one. I recommend the joystick additions if you can find them, though the steering wheel like disc motion for Turbo works very well. I have the computer add on wich enhances the system further, baseball is amazing for the computer add on. Voice narration included.
I hope you do a follow-up! Ladybug rules!
You should seek out a Wico CommandControl joystick 🕹️ … I’ve got one or two for my Colecovision. Be warned that they look the same. I guess the Intellivision version has a 90 degree turn in the 9-pin connection? (Like the Intellivision II but unlike the Sears Super Video Arcade). Oh and if you have the original model Intellivision or TandyVision then you’ll need a screwdriver to disassemble the stock controller (as it is hard wired into the console) and attach the fixed cable to the Wico.
Just get the long play controllers for the Intellivision, and you will have a better experience. Also try out Burger Time, Utopia, and Start Strike. They are classics.
@@CFF1974 I'll have to look into that. Thank you
I only have an Intellivision Flashback console, but from my experience with it, I kind of like the controller. Kind of. The disk looks weird and has an annoying clacking sound, but for certain games, gliding your thumb around the outer rim like a rotating d-pad works pretty well. Though the side buttons are not great, I will admit. They feel gummy, like they could end up getting stuck.
Graphics fluidity and sound mostly blows the 2600 away but I've heard elsewhere also that those controllers were often a pain to use.
That disc controller looks like a nightmare to use. Coleco did the number pad thing but it useable. Haven't ever played on a Intellivision to try it.
If only the 5200 controllers were reliable, and they had used a spring centering for the stick, I actually quite liked that system... Including the controllers.
Atari will always be the best.
And goes to show games are more than just about the graphics
I will go out on a limb and claim that if Atari didnt get liscences for hit games like Space Invaders, intellivision would have been a real headache for Atari. Its that good. Intellivision eventually got most popular games but Atari often got them first wich made the difference in my opinion.
Loved m intellivision. My friends Atari consoles had more games but they seemed weak compared to my intellivision games.
Some of my favorite games on the Intellivision;
Atlantis
Bomb Squad (Intellivoice)
Burgertime
Demon Attack
The Dreadnaught Factor
Microsurgeon
Pinball
Sub Hunt
I would list Swords and Serpents, but the game was literally never finished. The programmer ran out of room on the cartridge, so it's impossible to kill the dragon and beat the game. Not that I ever got that far, but why play a game that's impossible to finish?
The controller was one of the main reasons I never considered getting a Intellivision.
There is nothing wrong with the controllers, I never had any problems with the controllers on my Intellivision even on the moment I first hooked it up to my TV, I had the Model 1 version with the better quality and more comfortable controllers, The Intellivision 2 controllers were horrible because Martel got cheap to cut costs. The Disc is like the D-Pad, just press the disc in the direction you want to move by sliding your thumb across the disc. The Games were more fun than atari VCS. Why did you not show the so called Classic Six Switch Woody VCS?
The 2600 homebrew makes Mr. Plimton look likea liar.
Haha, show me Castlevania on the 2600.
It's a decent looking console with some memorable classic games but the controller is awful.
@@Monhamd1000 I think it's good looking until you pop the controllers out. Which is why I think the design was never used again. I think people want their consoles aesthetically pleasing all the time and not just when it's not in use. But that's just like my opinion man!
Thanks for watching and thanks for the support!
Could this have been the origin of the number pad that ended up on the Jag after so many years?
@@cyrollan I think it could be!
@@TheAtariNetwork then I can never forgive Intellivision.
Naw that's not true, the number pad on the Jag is pretty useful. Just wish I had them overlays.
I think you forget that the 5200 had a built in number pad .
Pog
Try he controller of the Intellivision I. The controller of the Intellivision II are much worse.
I had an Intellivision and it had a better looking colour palette, graphics capability, memory, and sound etc. The controllers were good and offered a lot more options. Seems like your number pads on the Intellivision II controllers are fairly beat up. You do not roll the disc around but there are more points of contact for them around the diameter compared to the different directional points the Atari could sense, if memory serves. I found the Atari joysticks big and clunky. I think it is all just a matter of what you get used to, but in the end it comes down to the tech of the components inside, the fun of game play, and game selection mostly. Arcade ported games are bad picks to compare off Colecovision as developers once Colecovision was out could produce deliberately worse versions for other consoles. I remember this with Donkey Kong for sure. I would never have traded my Intellivision for an Atari.
Gotta try Burger Time on Intellivision
Here's hoping Atari does something interesting with the IP. The last people who owned it were using it to bait people into funding a money laundering scam disguised as a game console that never came out.
The intellivision is a fun console, the downside being the controller. It kicked off that telephone number pad controller that all the console makers thought were a good idea for a short while. I'll give them a pass though. It was kind of the wild west for video game consoles and at least they were trying to be innovative.
I'm happy that you got the intellivision , it was my first console and I have a lot of nostalgia for it, The controller of the intelliivision is worst and cheaper than the one on the original intellivision, Intellivania is a good inty homebrew but the best intellivision Homebrew are Pandora Incident, Infiltrator and Operation cloudfire, the particularity of them is that they have by Carlos Madruga, this man is the John Champeau for the Intellivision, Here's the youtube link review below for these three game
th-cam.com/video/Iep9dBrNRck/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/3g6_Wr6eAWg/w-d-xo.html
th-cam.com/video/wc0RqyW6B6c/w-d-xo.html
good original Intellivision games are Cloudy mountain - dungeons and dragons, night stalker, burger time to name a few, by the way there's 3rd party companies that make other controller for the intellivision that will look more like a joysticks, don't forget Intellivision is part of Atari, atari fanboy and intellivision fanboy have to be friend now
Thanks for the information. I'll look into those. Yes Intellivision is now under the Atari umbrella so I suppose I could do reviews and cover the console. There's just so much to cover now. This channel was just supposed to be 7800! Lol
@@TheAtariNetwork more variety the better !
The v1 controllers were way better, except for being hardwired. And the side buttons - too hard, too stiff to press. The control disc is weird, but if you get used to it, its fine; but the v2 disc I've hear is worse than the first version.
Thanks for sharing your impressions. That said, an Intellivision II was the worst choice, as its controllers are notorious for being the worst of the bunch. An original model Intellivision or the Sears model (Super Video Arcade) would have been a better way to go.
Intellivision wins hands down!
Awwww BATS
Did you say you’re looking for “5200” subscribers in an Intellivision video?😂
The Intellivision controller just sucks. It looks very futuristic for the 80s .. with a full keyboard, multiple buttons, but it really needed a stick
Terrible review. Atari 5200 had the worst controller ever made. Once you get used to the Intellivision controller the only really bad thing are the side buttons if you have to push them a lot. The extra pad buttons made certain things possible you can't do on a Atari 2600 (from football quarterback play choices to advanced dungeons and dragons shooting while running backwards to throwing to any base in baseball to choosing ships quickly in Sea Battle).
I missed the Intellivision after my dad managed to get his stolen in El Paso Texas while there for Army Reserves. I ended up buying one out of a mini-merchant ad for $25 with 30 games in the early 1990s. My dad still had the speech module so it was B17 Bomber all over again (sweet bomber game with shooting aircraft down on the way and a real bombing view while the game yells things like, "Bandit 6'o'clock".
For arcade games, the Colecovision had the best conversions at the time. It had somewhat wonky controllers too, but the buttons were easier on the fingers. Once I got a set of Super Action Controllers, life was good. They were excellent controllers and had more buttons for baseball and Front Line (pretty great arcade conversion as I played the arcade version before). The driving controller playing The Dukes of Hazard was fun as a kid too. Not until I got a PC force feedback wheel and Test Drive Unlimited did I really have more fun (Hard Driving at the arcade excepted where I learned to drive a stickshift. I drove one home 30 miles away the first time).
But in the end, all of the consoles sucked by comparison to a Commodore 64 (and later Amiga). The C64 had thousands of games made for it, some excellent and I still play today in emulation. The Amiga had amazing graphics for its day, but the gameplay seemed to sometimes lag the graphics.
If it can't play yars' revenge then it ain't a good console. Plain and simple.
It's been ported to the Intellivision. Nice try.
Atari is trash. I fell for the Atari XE scam as a kid and I am still bitter. Besides Archon and Lode Runner, it was a joke.
Z zz😊