GearBits

Intellivision Lives!

When I was 10, I started saving all my allowance for one thing: an Intellivision. Launched in 1979, this was the first 16-bit gaming console. Given its superior graphics, 16-bit architecture, and (ahem) innovative disc controllers, Mattel Electronics thought it would compete favorably with the Atari 2600.

Unfortunately, I don't think it did. While the gaming experience was, IMO, arguably better than most anything on the Atari system, the price for the Intellivision was about double the Atari, with games being generally harder to find and almost always a bit more expensive. You just can't argue with tens of millions of consoles being sold. There's an interesting history of the Intellivision here.

While the merits of the Intellivision's controller design were hotly debated (either you loved 'em or you hated 'em), the Intellivision had some kick-ass games. Some 125 titles were released for the platform. One of my favorites was Sea Battle, which was best played as a head-to-head strategy/action ocean warfare game. Utopia was a really fun and innovative game -- possibly the true grandfather of modern governance simulation games, such as SimCity and Age of Empires.

So why am I writing about the Intellivision? Well, today, while doing some holiday shopping, I saw the Intellivision 25 (pictured) being sold in a Bed, Bath & Beyond (of all places) for the mere price of $19.99. Basically, you plug the Intellivision 25 directly into your TV -- all the electronics and memory for the whole game are contained in the controller! It has 25 games pre-loaded on it.

If you want more information on the Intellivision 25, or on Intellivision in general, check out the www.intellivisionlives.com website. It is chock-a-block full of good info and, if you were among the few, the proud, the Intellivision owners, may bring a tear of reminiscence to your eye. One of the interesting pieces of info on that site about the Intellivision 25 unit says this:

"Unlike the Jakks Pacific Atari 10-in-1 video game that looks like the joystick controller of the Atari 2600, the Intellivision 25 unit bears no resemblance to any part of the original Intellivision. It is based on the Techno Source TV Play Power technology, which means what they are doing is having NES hardware emulate an Intellivision. It really looks like a Dreamcast controller more than anything else. Just as well. I've always thought that the original Intellivision 16-position thumb-pad controller must have been designed by someone with an utter hate and contempt for humanity. The nice thumb stick and D-pad lets me finally enjoy playing some of these great games that the original controller made less than fun."

So, did I pick one up for the low, low price of twenty bucks? Nah, I passed...here's why. First, you can't play against anyone. Second, neither of my two fav games were included. Had it had Sea Battle or Utopia and provided a means for playing against someone, I would have bought two. Reviews over at Amazon.com are generally pretty bad.

Eventually, I hope that somebody sees fit to make an Intellivision emulator for Palm OS so I can enjoy Sea Battle on my Zodiac...now that would rock.