Intellivision fans - I'm looking for some answers

[doubledown]

I've got a few Intellivison questions for the fanboys out there:

 

1) Which consoles featured detachable controllers, just the Intellivision II and the Sears Super Video Arcade?

 

2) The controllers have 2 fire buttons on each side. Are these 4 independant buttons, or two sets of two buttons to accomodate left and right handers?

 

3) Are there any games that actually take advantage of the controller's 16-way control disc or would a standard 8-way be all that is really necessary?

 

4) What semi-common game(s) requires all directions/keys/buttons which would make for a good test cartidge to verify a joystick's working condition?

 

5) Of the released consoles: Intellivision Master Component, Intellivision II, INTV System III (Super Pro System), GTE/Sylvania Intellivision, Radio Shack Tandyvision I, and Sears Super Video Arcade, which console do you prefer or consider to be the best and why?

[accousticguitar]

Tron Deadly Discs uses almost all the keypad buttons and you can move in every direction, but I don't think it uses the fire buttons.

[darthkur]

1) Which consoles featured detachable controllers, just the Intellivision II and the Sears Super Video Arcade?

 

As far as I know only the INTV II and the Sears unit possess the detachable controllers.

 

2) The controllers have 2 fire buttons on each side. Are these 4 independant buttons, or two sets of two buttons to accomodate left and right handers?

 

Actually the top two buttons are identical. The lower two buttons both do separate functions from each other and from the top buttons, unless programmed to do the same function for any given particular game.

 

3) Are there any games that actually take advantage of the controller's 16-way control disc or would a standard 8-way be all that is really necessary?

 

I'm not certain. It seems that the sports titles and other "running man" types like AD&D, Tron Deadly Discs do but perhaps it just is the eight directions in those after all.

 

4) What semi-common game(s) requires all directions/keys/buttons which would make for a good test cartridge to verify a joystick's working condition?

 

Of the top of my head I'd have to say the first AD&D comes the closest. Space Spartans as well. Those use all fire buttons as the same though. Now that I think of it, Bomb Squad uses all the keypad buttons and even has different functions for the fire button setup.

 

5) Of the released consoles: Intellivision Master Component, Intellivision II, INTV System III (Super Pro System), GTE/Sylvania Intellivision, Radio Shack Tandyvision I, and Sears Super Video Arcade, which console do you prefer or consider to be the best and why?

 

Well, I don't have the Sears, GTE or Tandy versions, although I'd like to, so I can't comment about them other than I find the wood grain on the Tandy model ascetically pleasing. I tend to prefer the original version. I don't know if that's just pure nostalgia since it's the original one I had from the early 80's. But I do find the buttons on the keypads of the INTV II to be sub-par and much prefer the feel of the fire buttons of the first model as well. So there's that I suppose. The 2 does go great with the ECS. The System III is nice and the addition of the l.e.d. is a pleasant touch but my sys 3 console is defective. It is practically identical to the model 1. I really need to get it fixed soon. Then perhaps I'd play on that one more.

Edited October 2, 2008 by darthkur

[+remowilliams]

5) Of the released consoles: Intellivision Master Component, Intellivision II, INTV System III (Super Pro System), GTE/Sylvania Intellivision, Radio Shack Tandyvision I, and Sears Super Video Arcade, which console do you prefer or consider to be the best and why?

I had all three INTV units at one point. I prefer the INTV III the most, as I like its controllers the best. The combination of the INTV II horrible controllers, the incompatibilities of the unit and it's really annoying power switch made me actually ditch the unit completely.

 

Since I'm going on a wild guess here as to the intent of the questions - you can disconnect the INTV I/III controllers from a unit but it requires disassembly of the INTV unit itself. So no quick changes.

[holygrailvideogames.com]

The Intellivision II is an absolutley horrible system. The controllers for the Intelliviision II probably are the worst controllers that I have ever used.

 

I like the oriiginal Intellivision the best.

[BassGuitari]

I love the Intellivision II. I just wish I could find the power supply for mine.

 

I also have a regular Intellivision, and a Sylvania/GTE Intellivision. Both are awesome.

 

I want to get a Tandyvision and an Intellivision III one of these days. They just look awesome.

[ApolloBoy]

I used to own an INTV II, but I really disliked the godawful controllers and the power/reset button. I'd like to have the Sears Super Video Arcade, since it has removable controllers like the INTV II, but it's essentially an original INTV (in a funky cream-colored case no less).

Edited October 1, 2008 by ApolloBoy

[Prodos8]

I've owned a Sear's Super Video arcade since 1984 and is the only version I've had personal experience with. It still works great to this day and I liked the fact the controllers were removalbe. As far as games that use all the buttons you could try Utopia or Sea Battle as I know they use every button. I believe the side mounted fire buttons are three unique buttons as two are redundant as far as which two I'm not really sure, I think its the top pair.

 

Based on looks alone the original Mattel version has and still is my favorite.

[BigO]

I agree with Prodos8 on the fire buttons. The 4 buttons provide three unique functions with the top 2 buttons being the same.

(I arrived at this conclusion via my own analysis of the controller completely independent of the console or game play.)

[+cvga]

I agree with Prodos8 on the fire buttons. The 4 buttons provide three unique functions with the top 2 buttons being the same.

(I arrived at this conclusion via my own analysis of the controller completely independent of the console or game play.)

 

Wouldn't you be able to tell just from looking at some overlays? The Utopia overlay would confirm that the top buttons perform the same function.

[BigO]

I agree with Prodos8 on the fire buttons. The 4 buttons provide three unique functions with the top 2 buttons being the same.

(I arrived at this conclusion via my own analysis of the controller completely independent of the console or game play.)

 

Wouldn't you be able to tell just from looking at some overlays? The Utopia overlay would confirm that the top buttons perform the same function.

That's logical, but I wouldn't feel comfortable stating it as fact on that basis. The game in question could easily just activate the same function in response to any two buttons. You could make it look like the # button was exactly the same as the lower right fire button.

 

Given the results of the testing I did a few months back, I can say definitively that the top two buttons perform the same function. The console can not identify which of those two buttons was pressed.

Edited October 2, 2008 by BigO

[+remowilliams]

The console can not identify which of those two buttons was pressed.

And if you're using an INTV II with those 'special' controllers it has, the console often can't tell when any fire button is pressed.

[Prodos8]

Does anyone know if the Inty II and Sears Super Video Arcade controllers are interchangeable? I beleive they both use a 9-pin connector, but I'm not sure if the pinout is the same.

[darthkur]

I agree with Prodos8 on the fire buttons. The 4 buttons provide three unique functions with the top 2 buttons being the same.

(I arrived at this conclusion via my own analysis of the controller completely independent of the console or game play.)

 

 

That's right. My mistake. The sad thing is I knew this but still wrote what I did.

I'll amend my original post so as not to look entirely dense.

[Lord Thag]

Get a I or a III. Both are excellent. I love the Intellivision! It's my second favorite system of all time, and there are so many uniques gmes you can play nowhere else

[dave04045]

Honestly,

I like the Intellivision the best. The Intellivision 2 controllers are horrible and were not made to be held by human hands. The side buttons are all different except for the top two. They usually hold the same function. But both of the bottom buttons are different. Intellivision I is definitely easier to find. If you are looking for a good game cartridge to test it would probably be Utopia. You need the disk for every movement and you need the numbers to decide what to build. You also need the side buttons to see different stats of your island.

[RangerG]

Here's the best combination inh my opinion:

 

Intellivision II console w/ Sears Super Arcade controllers

 

You get a reliable console with a LED but without the horrible INTV II controllers. The negatives are the game incompatibility with the INTV II. The Sears unit by itself is ok, but it is ugly (and often stained yellow) and suffers from reliability issues like the INTV 1.

[BigO]

I agree that the INTV2 controllers are less than optimal, but I'd had no experience with any of the others. I just got an INTV1 the other day. It's got a problem of some sort that causes a lot of games to hang on the splash screen, but given how much better the controls feel, it'll be worth fixing just for that. Oh, and the separate power and reset switches... Oh, and the internal power supply...

 

I guess the only thing I like about the model 2 is the form factor of the console. But, it looks silly with the brown voice module.