Jump to content
IGNORED

Intellivision Questions


SlowCoder

Recommended Posts

My first foray into the IntV. Considering adding one to my collection some time in the future, when I can afford.

 

1. I recently purchased a CV. Got lucky for the price that it worked. According to the CV guys, the failure rate of buying from eBay is pretty high. I've not yet (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!) purchased a console from eBay that was dead, at least not after a little work. What is the likelyhood of dead IntV's on eBay?

2. What is a good price for a working IntV, not including games?

3. What functionality issues are most encountered? (Video, power, etc.)

4. These IntV's must be pretty large, or heavy, based on the shipping prices I see listed (typically ~$30), where other systems (2600, CV) are typically ~$15.

5. Are there folks on this board who specialize in knowledge, modding, repair of the IntV?

 

That should about get me started. Any other info you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My first foray into the IntV. Considering adding one to my collection some time in the future, when I can afford.

Congratulations! The Intellivision is a great system.

 

1. I recently purchased a CV. Got lucky for the price that it worked. According to the CV guys, the failure rate of buying from eBay is pretty high. I've not yet (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!) purchased a console from eBay that was dead, at least not after a little work. What is the likelyhood of dead IntV's on eBay?

The Intellivision hardware isn't nearly as problematic as the ColecoVision hardware, at least in my limited experience. You might do better to post a notice in the marketplace here on AtariAge: I know there are several collectors here who have spare Intellivision consoles, and you're more likely to get a better product than you would from eBay.

 

2. What is a good price for a working IntV, not including games?

Personally, I'd say that about $40 (give or take shipping charges) is a fair price for a working console and a handful of cartridges. You might get one a little cheaper without any games, but a few commons are generally thrown in as freebies, and it will save you the trouble of buying them later. The most common Intellivision titles are still very easy to come by, and as it happens, many of them are among the best games for the system.

 

3. What functionality issues are most encountered? (Video, power, etc.)

The power supply is built into the console (at least in the original Intellivision), so no AC adapter is needed. The Intellivision II requires a somewhat unusual power supply, but third-party replacements are available for about $25, so they're not too bad. Composite video upgrades are harder to come by than on Atari consoles, so far, but the RF output from the console is usually quite good.

 

4. These IntV's must be pretty large, or heavy, based on the shipping prices I see listed (typically ~$30), where other systems (2600, CV) are typically ~$15.

The original Intellivision is somewhat bulky, and is a little too large to fit into standard boxes, so perhaps that accounts for the higher shipping. The Intellivision II is much smaller and lighter.

 

5. Are there folks on this board who specialize in knowledge, modding, repair of the IntV?

Yes! Feel free to ask if you have any questions!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, jaybird! Great responses!

 

Next questions ...

1. What is the functional difference between the IntV and IntV2? If the IntV2 played different games, was it backward compatible with the IntV?

2. Would you recommend the IntV or the IntV2?

3. Is there a multi cart available?

Edited by SlowCoder
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you, jaybird! Great responses!

 

Next questions ...

1. What is the functional difference between the IntV and IntV2? If the IntV2 played different games, was it backward compatible with the IntV?

2. Would you recommend the IntV or the IntV2?

3. Is there a multi cart available?

My pleasure!

 

The Intellivision II was a cost reduction of the original Intellivision. It was smaller and had removable controllers, but it was functionally identical; there were no Intellivision II games that weren't also compatible with the original Intellivision. It plays almost all of the same games, except for a handful of third-party titles (mostly from Coleco). Fortunately, the games that aren't compatible were fairly mediocre arcade ports that were all done better on other systems, so in my opinion, you aren't missing much by not having them.

 

Which console you choose is mostly a matter of personal preference; each has its advantages and disadvantages. Many people find the original Intellivision to be the more comfortable of the two to use. The controllers are a bit better than the Intellivision II controllers because the side action buttons provide slightly better tactile feedback, and because the Intellivision II controllers have a large cavity in the back which makes them more awkward to hold. Also, the ON/OFF switch is more straightforward than the Intellivision II's combination power/reset button, which you have to hold down for three seconds in order to turn off the console. The Intellivoice speech synthesis module (a fun add-on that I'd highly recommend) was only manufactured in brown plastic, so it's a better cosmetic match for the original Intellivision.

 

On the other hand, the Intellivision II's controllers and power supply can be replaced without opening the console, and the console hardware is reportedly more reliable than the original Intellivision (although I've never had any trouble with either that couldn't be fixed by replacing a few chips). I also find that the Intellivision II seems to be the cheaper of the two, and if you want to expand your collection to include the Entertainment Computer System accessories, those are a better cosmetic match for the Intellivision II. I've got all of those accessories, so the Intellivision II tends to be the one I use the most, but you won't go wrong with either.

 

There is an excellent multi-cart available, the Cuttle Cart 3.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Most of the Inty stuff I've bought from ebay has worked with minor fussing. The worst INTV I got was one that needed a resistor soldered back in place near the RF cord. It's still working fine.

The library for INTV is smaller but still has a large amount(percentage-wise) of quality games made for it. Some were ahead of their time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, don't forget to tell him about the Sears Video Arcade and Tandyvision One versions! Sears repackaged theirs into a white case and the controllers are aligned differently than the Mattel console when placed in their storage receptacles. The Tandyvision One is more or less identical to the first Mattel version only with more woodgrain trim in place of the shiny metal on the Mattel. The Tandyvision One is probably the hardest to find of all the Intellivision variants. There's also an INTV System III (not to be confused with Mattels Intellivision III project, which would have been an upgraded Intellivision with backwards compatibility that would have competed head on with Colecovision) that goes back to the 1st generation Intellivision look but it says INTV on the top and was made by INTV after Mattel decided to get out of the console business.

Edited by OldAtarian
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, don't forget to tell him about the Sears Video Arcade and Tandyvision One versions! Sears repackaged theirs into a white case and the controllers are aligned differently than the Mattel console when placed in their storage receptacles. The Tandyvision One is more or less identical to the first Mattel version only with more woodgrain trim in place of the shiny metal on the Mattel. The Tandyvision One is probably the hardest to find of all the Intellivision variants. There's also an INTV System III (not to be confused with Mattels Intellivision III project, which would have been an upgraded Intellivision with backwards compatibility that would have competed head on with Colecovision) that goes back to the 1st generation Intellivision look but it says INTV on the top and was made by INTV after Mattel decided to get out of the console business.

 

 

The awesomeness of the Tandyvision woodgrain can not be overstated! icon_mrgreen.gif Probably my favourite version, I actually find it feels more "solid" than the INTV 1, INTV2, Sears Video Arcade, Super Pro System, INTV System 3, the GTE/Sylvania version, which for me, is the rarest among the regular issues, not counting the Bandai or Digiplay versions, or the Tutorvision for that matter....so much INTV goodness, so little time.

 

As for reliability, I've had a pretty good track record on the 15+ INTV's I've bought, save for a lot that I knew was likely junk, which I bought for spare parts, and for Yurkie to experiment on.

 

Congrats on your decision to join the INTV masses and welcome!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey, don't forget to tell him about the Sears Video Arcade and Tandyvision One versions! Sears repackaged theirs into a white case and the controllers are aligned differently than the Mattel console when placed in their storage receptacles. The Tandyvision One is more or less identical to the first Mattel version only with more woodgrain trim in place of the shiny metal on the Mattel. The Tandyvision One is probably the hardest to find of all the Intellivision variants. There's also an INTV System III (not to be confused with Mattels Intellivision III project, which would have been an upgraded Intellivision with backwards compatibility that would have competed head on with Colecovision) that goes back to the 1st generation Intellivision look but it says INTV on the top and was made by INTV after Mattel decided to get out of the console business.

 

 

The awesomeness of the Tandyvision woodgrain can not be overstated! icon_mrgreen.gif Probably my favourite version, I actually find it feels more "solid" than the INTV 1, INTV2, Sears Video Arcade, Super Pro System, INTV System 3, the GTE/Sylvania version, which for me, is the rarest among the regular issues, not counting the Bandai or Digiplay versions, or the Tutorvision for that matter....so much INTV goodness, so little time.

 

As for reliability, I've had a pretty good track record on the 15+ INTV's I've bought, save for a lot that I knew was likely junk, which I bought for spare parts, and for Yurkie to experiment on.

 

Congrats on your decision to join the INTV masses and welcome!

 

Hi,

 

In overall the Intv 1 design is very stable, butyou can fix it very easy, the common failures are:

Power supply (just replace it)

The flat cable between power supply and main board, with age is amess that cable, but is easy to replace.

RF: there´s 2 potenciometers in the rf unit that you can adjust to get proper video signal, had to be carefull because had to be done "live"

Chips, if you get lucky and your Intv had socketed chips, you can swap them with a working one and find the failing one (Failures from blank screen to a Crazy resemblance of the game, like constantly changing symbols)

 

There´s a guy who had the same store from the 80´s he cover the warranty for mattel. and still had some Intv spare parts, he´s the one advicing me in how to repair them, he still got some unused intv mainboards but he charged for them more than a complete Intv (like 50$) little by little i get some tips, because he´s very expensive..

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...