A new intellivision controller possibility?

[+Lathe26]

Definitely 16-way.

 

As for the Wico Command Control joystick, it is the single worst joystick made for the Intellivision. They got some thing right, but goofed up on too much other stuff. This is odd aince their Atari joysticks were so good. If you decide to make a new joystick, good lessons can be learned from Wico.

[1980gamer]

16 direction, but I think the top buttons would get pressed by my thumb on the hand that would control the keypad?

 

Of course I am not holding it! So, I don't know if that is the case or not.

 

The number pad also looks intellivision II-ish. Go Intellivision 1 style if at all possible! Love the over sized side buttons!

[NumbThumb]

16 direction, but I think the top buttons would get pressed by my thumb on the hand that would control the keypad?

 

Of course I am not holding it! So, I don't know if that is the case or not.

 

The number pad also looks intellivision II-ish. Go Intellivision 1 style if at all possible! Love the over sized side buttons!

 

Well, the idea is to have the top buttons placed like on most classic joysticks. (On the image below you can see what joysticks I based the design on)

I don´t think it would be a problem as long as the top buttons are not super sensitive which they are not in my mind...

 

The number pad is supposed to look like the original, not the Inty II version...

 

As for 16 directions, that´s fine with me as long as that does not interfere with the gameplay in 4 direction games.

 

The reason why suggested 4-way is that it might be easier and therefore cheaper to produce.

 

Anyways again,

 

Just throwing ideas out there...

 

 

 

And while I am at it, an Off Topic thing just for fun.

 

How about implementing the Inty controller concept to modern gaming?

 

 

[1980gamer]

Hey NumbThumb,

I am so pleased with the flashback controllers.

I have 8 new controllers. Should last a good long time ( I Hope )

I am certain I'll get a few more at close-outs etc.

 

But that doesn't mean I don't want to try your controller(s).

 

What can we do to help you make this a reality?

[NumbThumb]

Hey NumbThumb,

I am so pleased with the flashback controllers.

I have 8 new controllers. Should last a good long time ( I Hope )

I am certain I'll get a few more at close-outs etc.

 

But that doesn't mean I don't want to try your controller(s).

 

What can we do to help you make this a reality?

 

I am not sure…But thank you very much for asking.

 

A thought is that the obvious manufacturer would be Hyperkin since they (as I understand) are the

manufacturer of the Flashback and therefore have the basic knowhow of the controllers.

And they have the contacts with the retailers.

 

If you have any connections there and can pitch the basic idea to them that might do the trick?

 

The basic idea being that more controllers/joysticks to the Inty will make the system more enjoyable

for a lot of people and therefore help sell the Flashback (and a possible Flashback II), especially to the

general public.

 

Hyperkin as a manufacturer or someone else, this is the idea in more detail:

 

Background

 

The Intellivision controller is quite unique and sure has its benefits with original Mattel games but

many (the licensed games) are supposed to be played with joysticks, mainly 4-way games.

 

Looking at discussions on forums there is obviously an interest in new controllers that can bring the

Intellivision to its own. And different people prefer different kinds of joysticks and some people only

want D-pads etc etc.

 

The idea is to make a range of controllers that meet all the needs once and for all.

It would be 3 joysticks, 1 D-Pad and 1 new version of the original controller.

 

There is obviously an interest for new controllers and the Intellivision Flashback has sold fairly well.

New controllers at a fair price would make the Intellivision Flashback even more attractive and boost the sales of it.

And therefore also boost the interest in the Intellivision in general.

 

With the already available adapter cables the controllers would also be compatible with the original consoles and PC/Mac emulators.

 

To summarize:

 

Idea – Unique Selling Propositions (USP) – Image Mockups

 

· New set of Flashback Intellivision Controllers - will boost the sales of the console itself.

· Different controllers for different players and games – a new Inty gaming experience.

· New and ergonomic design – but still true to the original.

· With 100 000 Flashbacks and many original consoles out there, there is a market for this.

· Compatible with Flashback/original consoles/PC/Mac and emulators by adapter cables.

· Compatible with future Atari2600/Intellivision/Colecovision/RetroN-Flashbacks?

 

 

 

 

1. SlikStik BallTop for PacMan, Donkey Kong, Boulder dash etc
2. D-Pad appeals to Nintendo fans and modern gamers
3. TI/Atari/Starfighter/Intellivision III Appeals to Atari/C=/TI fans and others
4. Based on the original, more ergonomic
5. Quickshot/Aero for all games but especially “flyers” like Mission X, Space Battle, Hover Force etc

 

Again, this is just me, a retro gaming fan, brainstorming about how to make the Intellivision and espescially some Intellivision ports more enjoyable.

I was raised on the TI and C64 before i got my own system, The InTv System III, and the only thing I missed was the ability to change controllers...

 

I realize that hardcore fans think "do not mess with perfection". And that is not the intent. The Original will always be there. And I love it.

 

This is about having alternatives to that...

[SPONGEZILLA]

I realize this is a very old thread but a lot of what I see here is still relevant to most of us.

My thought pattern is slightly different in concept to what Numbthumb posted above but has some similarities in concept. Rather than look out to Hyperkin to make another hardwired controller, my goal was to build a Bluetooth controller that Intellivision Corp. could sell/market. For getting the device manufactured, they could go through someone like 8BitDo who has a lot of experience with Bluetooth based controllers and dongles. This controller could appeal to those with Sears Super Video Arcade and Intellivision II systems which are plentiful. These controllers could also be used with the Intellivision Flashback systems with the same Dongle but with some form of mode switch built in to alter the way the controller interacts with the system. Finally, since the controller is Bluetooth... it could work with any single board computer or desktop computer that has Bluetooth compatibility. That opens a pretty sizable market for anyone using an Intellivision emulator. Which, since aging hardware can be finicky... having access to newer hardware to play Intellivision games on could be the potential largest market.

Further inspiration for the controller came from trying to match up an officially licensed Intellivision product in aesthetic. I went with the Intellivision II (since it was the only Intellivision system that supported DB9 connections) and my goal would be to design the controller to fit the system as replacements for the original OEM controllers (the above controllers weren't designed to any scale though, I just mocked up a concept in Illustrator). The original Intellivision had it's controllers hardwired and therefore would require tinkerers to mod them to work with this type of controller. For some, they would likely opt that mod... for others that don't want to Frankenstein an original pure Intellivision, they weren't really the target audience for this controller to begin with.

8BitDo could theoretically just alter the color scheme as they have with various controllers in the past so it at least matches in color if it doesn't exactly fit in the particular slots. Then again, since it's Bluetooth you'd probably not store the controllers exactly with the system and instead set them aside someplace to be charged since they also would contain Li-Ion batteries. I figure the controller could have a USB-type C port in the top to work with USB cable connectors and/or the controllers could also support wireless charging via a wireless mat. As such, it doesn't really matter if your Intellivision Pro controllers match up cosmetically and/or physically with the indentions in the original Intellivision, clones, or foreign market systems. All that matters is whether you can retrofit to accept a dongle, if it can use a dongle, or if the controller just works with the system itself.

For the control pad region... my thought process was to go solid state, combining the concept of either an iPod Clickwheel with the touch sensitive control pads from the Steam controller. The cosmetic of the disc is more akin to the Steam controller for that reason. On the controller I included a pair of jog switches for controlling rapid fire for the triggers as well as a way to dial the 16-way controls of the disc down to 4-way for games where it'd be preferred. I stuck with a thumb-based pad simply because... I don't believe a joystick to be necessity. In majority I see most games of today relying on 4-way dpads, not 4-way joysticks... with the only stick-based controllers being the typical analog nub joysticks that are used in majority for greater than 4-way control. I'm not foreseeing this controller as an alternative to a good XBox One, PS4, etc. controller and in fact figure anyone that's buying one from Intellivision Corp. or 8BitDo is likely using it as a controller on a retro-based single board computer in majority to better play games that ran on systems like Colecovision, Atari 5200, and... the Intellivision itself. If you are going to play anything else on a Retropie or similar system, I'd anticipate you'd use another controller more dedicated to that task. So... I didn't bother trying to devise a stick attachment. I felt the touch register of the Steam controller with the click to actuate the selection would be plenty enough and probably be more responsive. In fact... you could perhaps even run greater than 16-way on this controller if you ultimately wanted to.

As far as the back design of my controller... since some complain about the ergonomics I did try to create an indention in the back for better gripping the controller by the control disc and adding duplicate trigger buttons in the underside of the controller. I'm not sure if this would ergonomically improve gameplay but... it was just an idea or concept. Ultimately, my main goal would be to see the controllers themselves feature mechanical switch mouse-style triggers for each of the side triggers as well as the bottom triggers. My goal is to basically make an Intellivision II sized controller which I feel has adequate size/heft but has God awful triggers for comfortably playing the game. Using more ergonomic trigger controls with a more accurate directional disc IMHO would rectify a great deal of the performance concerns with the original controller. Basically put, I'd consider this a higher grade controller than the original made with mechanical switches and a more advanced technology to the directional controller. I'd expect some heft with the Li-Ion battery and since it'd use an actual circuit board inside with actual mechanical switches for triggers with the membrane keypad (not really as important to have tactile switches and likely make it less feasible), it would definitely be more of a premium accessory. I consider this important because I don't consider the Intellivision market to be quite as sizable as the NES, SNES, or Genesis amongst retro gamers so there'd be a need for a premium device and likely a product with a higher price tag. I think those that are diehard Intellivision fans though would likely more than be willing to pay the premium to get something that wasn't shoddy. We're very passionate about our systems and our love affair with said system and games. We have to be to cling to a system this old when there's plenty of newer systems. That and the historical lack of options makes a premium controller that does everything well out of the box (imperative that it's tested to do so) to me a sought after item within what is likely a more niche crowd. And the best thing about it is if we underestimate the niche crowd's overall size... if handled via a Kickstarter-style campaign, the more the merrier. The larger a pool of customers we can get... the more hopefully it'll drive the pricing down.

At any rate... here's my illustrated concept. It's not perfect by any stretch but it's just something I felt compelled to throw together after purchasing an Intellivision II recently (to go with the Sears Super Video Arcade I've owned since I was 5 years old, in 1980). I wanted to stay true to the Intellivision II aesthetic, improve on the functionality, and come up with something that like many of the 8BitDo controllers that support Bluetooth... is a modernized alternative to the original controller that would fit in the same slots on an Intellivision II and be identifiable to Intellivision diehards. I could see a black/gold variety of the same controller design being sold that would require customers to either mod their original consoles or... just to more appeal to people's sensibilities for a black controller with gold accents to use with their Flashback or Retropie-style systems sans dongle (no need for one and if you do, you'd just use a Standard Bluetooth dongle... not that Pi 3/3b needs one).



Note: The top indention is designed for any clearance needs of an Intellivision II-based Bluetooth dongle in the event the controller were sat in the top of that system. Ultimately, I still believe the majority of users would likely store the controllers to the side for charging via either USB-C or some sort of wireless charging mat. I also believe that having that area more carved out could help with the weight balance of the controller helping bring more of the weight closer to the bottom of the controller which is beneficial to a controller that's often held in both hands (one hand behind wrapped around the triggers from behind, one hand at the bottom with finger/thumb front to back over the Dpad), but could be held in one hand using the control disc and back of the controller (hence the back triggers). To be honest, I'd have to see the controller in physical action to see if the back-based triggers make any sense at all. If not, just having a slight indention for a better grip for the controller and to help keep the controller a bit heavier as a lower counterweight to the battery might be a better choice.

Just wanted to share my idea. Thanks!

[+the1hatman]

Oh please someone make this happen!

[mr_me]

When I first saw the steam controller the round trackpad did remind me of the Intellivision disc-pad. Anyone use a steam controller, would it work well as disc replacement? The most important thing is to have proper switches for the side buttons.

[vtadave]

not sure on the market size, but Id buy a couple.

[NumbThumb]

I also made this mockup a few years ago

 

 

A new ergonomic controller would be great, but for me it would be sufficient with controller adapters/connectors that would allow you to use Atari/Commodore DB9 joysticks and controllers with some Intellivision games.

 

For example I have a Intv System III and last night I played some Astrosmash on it for the first time in a long while. (I have mostly played on emulator the last few years with USB SNES controller or SlikStik via USB adapter). And man did my hands hurt after just a little while... it was painful...

 

I like the original controllers for some games but I want to have options and adapters cables would provide that.

 

However, there would also have to be DB9 connectors to put on the original Inty controllers so that you can easily switch between Inty controllers and other joysticks.

 

Again, in short, adapter cables and connectors that allows you to switch between Inty and regular DB9 joysticks would be good enough for me.

[tripletopper]

I am with you on the 16-direction requirement. If I had to bet money I would say many games take 16 directions into account even if they are not explicitly requiring all 16 points to be "hit" in a game.

 

I think it would be cool to have a horizontal controller housing design.

 

intyhoriz.jpg

 

Something the resembled a 21st-century controller, but was still the Intellivision innards, just placed differently. Disc on the left for the thumb, keypad on the right, side buttons are all placed along the top.

 

 

 

 

But the problem is you throw away a key tenant of gaming at that time. Something I wish was still in place today with fight sticks. The Astrocade, INTV1,2 and 3, Colecovision Standard and Super Aciton, the Emerson 2001, and the Atari 5200 and 7800 are designed to be ambidextrous. Fortunately for Atari 2600 fans, even back in the day, there were left handed alternatives, from lefty pin-swap adapters, to mirrored single buttons, to (on the Atari 800 computers) software-based lefthanding.

 

Don't destroy one of the good things done with that controller.