First it was Colecovision, which failed spectacularly. Next was Atari, who just launched a hugely successful IndieGoGo for its Atari VCS system. Now Intellivision is planning a comeback as well!
Intellivision, along with ColecoVision, were the primary rivals to the hugely popular Atari 2600. Released in 1979 and sporting an actual 16-bit processor, the Intellivision was far more advanced than the 2600. Commercials comparing the two systems showed off how sad Atari games like Baseball looked side-by-side with the Intellivision baseball title. Sadly, the video game crash of 1983 not only took down Atari, but every other console of the time as well. During its lifespan, the console sold 3 million units and boasted a library of 118 games.
With other nostalgia-fueled consoles doing the whole comeback thing, Intellivision is getting another chance as well. It was recently announced that a big stake in the Intellivision brand was purchased by video game composer and enthusiast, Tommy Tallarico. Tallarico has been a big personality in gaming over the years, from his gig hosting the gaming TV show Electric Playground to founding the Video Games Live traveling video game music concert.
Right now, details of the new console are very slim. The full plans for the console are set to be announced in October, but here’s what we do know:
The console will be a download-only machine, with a focus on games for the whole family. They fully admit they have no plans to compete with Sony or Microsoft, which would be suicide. This console will be designed to fill the gap between more hardcore game consoles and something more focused on fun and pick-up-and-play games. With a commitment to quality, they claim that the console will eschew shovelware and only approve games they feel are at least a “7 out of 10”. A $199 price tag is currently their target price for this machine.
The full details of this console are months away, but I’m not sure that there’s room for it in today’s market. Between the Playstation, Xbox and Switch, Steam and mobile gaming and the upcoming Atari VCS, is there room in the market for a new Intellivision? Time will tell, and we’ll know how good of a shot this console will have once the full details of it are released in October.
Cover Image Source: Screen Rant
