Jump to content
IGNORED

IntelliXpander module


opcode

  

86 members have voted

  1. 1. What design would work best for the IntelliXpander?

    • Make it to match the original Intellivision design
      58
    • Make it to match the Intellivision II design
      28

  • Please sign in to vote in this poll.

Recommended Posts

Ok, the new specs are more less set, which will require redesigning everything. We are going Intv III style, and I hope to have this out ASAP (like having it ready for production by the end of the year), with 3 or 4 games. I have a clear plan for the games as well.

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok, the new specs are more less set, which will require redesigning everything. We are going Intv III style, and I hope to have this out ASAP (like having it ready for production by the end of the year), with 3 or 4 games. I have a clear plan for the games as well.

Great news for sure !!!

 

share that game plan ;) lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I get that point, but, the thing is that the InTV III sounds like a half step between consoles than a real system, from the released specs,

...

This is actually correct. Pushed by Mattel marketing, the Intellivision III was a quick fix in response to the Colecovision in 1982. Mattel design & development had already started planning the next generation video game system codenamed "Decade". Even though it was started before Intellivision III, "Decade" is now known as Intellivision IV. It was to be based on all new trechnology, a Motorola 68000 CPU and a Mattel designed advanced graphic interface chip. It was to have bitmapped and tiled graphics modes, and 3D object rotation and shading. They may have been targeting a 1984/85 release as Opcode suggested; not soon enough for Mattel marketing. Some specifications here. http://papaintellivision.com/docIntv4.php

 

...

 

EDIT: To elaborate a little more, with the SGM I was mostly after arcade ports from the golden era (1980-1983). That isn't the case here. The Intv was never much am home arcade system like the ColecoVision. I like it for its more complex and more involving (for the time) library. So that is what I want to do, games requiring exploration, strategy and that last longer than the usual 15 minutes arcade fare.

 

By the usual 5 years console cycle, the Intv was due an update around 1984/85. So something akin a NES isn't unrealistic or too much imho.

 

Nothing has being decided. The current design has no video updates, but it was suggested by the hardware team, and some people here seem to like the idea, that we could add it. I am doing the middle man here, so let's keep talking and see if we can reach a middle ground.

The Colecovision had a very short life. At first it used arcade games to quickly grab market share. But as third party developers started programming Colecovision, we started to see more complex games like Fortune Builder and Gateway to Apshai. Its library could have looked alot different if it survived a couple more years. Similarly Intellivision initially used sports games to quickly grab market share but after three or four years its library became diverse, including adventure games, RPGs, simulations, and a good chunk of arcade games. The arcades may have been less popular by 1985; but "golden age" arcade remakes always seem popular.

 

Since most original Intellivision games are "exec" based and limited to 20Hz animations; any game that makes full use of the Intellivision's existing hardware can be faster, smoother, and more advanced than the old games.

Edited by mr_me
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks like some here are getting confused between the style of the case and the design specs of the hardware inside.

 

That is what I said a few post above:

 

Case style: I posted the mock-up a few days ago. Offered both brown and gray to match Intv I and II

Hardware specs: similar to proposed Intv III

 

So, just as an exercise in what is possible with such hardware, here are mock-ups for IntelliXpander versions of Pac-Man Collection and Donkey Kong.

 

post-1432-0-17670600-1499541797.jpg

 

post-1432-0-91214500-1499541810.jpg

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Too much? Yes? No? Can we go ahead?

 

EDIT:

 

I used the Intv III specs or less: 16 colors from 4096, 256 tiles or less (the 4KBx16 bit external GROM memory mentioned somewhere, which leads to 512 patterns for sprites and tiles), 8x8 tiles and 8x16 sprites with 4 colors each, 64 sprites on screen, 8 sprites/scanline maximum. Resolution for both is 256x192, just because the source material doesn't work well in 320x192, so I am actually using a windows.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...