Breaking news: Intellivision flashback coming to retail

[Flojomojo]

Just picked up two INTV FBs at my local TRU. Now regretting I didn't get a Coleco FB...

I don't have a local TRU, I had to drive 30 miles (and forget about Dollar General!). That's why I got one of each!

[freewheel]

So apparently not only are they not available to buy on the Canadian Toys'R'us website but the American site won't ship them to Canada either. WTF?

 

New to Canada?

 

I blame the French. Most products that don't come to Canada these days are because of our packaging laws. And for some reason US companies and a lot of Ebay sellers treat shipping to Canada as if it's shipping to some sketchy 3rd world hell hole.

 

So happy I got an INTVFB at CGE. A bit pissed they didn't have the CVFB for sale - next time I'm in the US is early December, and Hawaii at that, so lord knows if I'll have any luck finding one. I'd be curious to see production numbers for these things as they seem to have wide distribution, but very low numbers per store. And I find it hard to believe that there are THAT many hardcore retro gamers that places have sold out already, unless they're shipping like 3-5 per store max.

 

[daldude]

So there is a broken game for the Intellivision one? Has this been adressed by the company at all? Think it will be fixed?

There is no broken game for the Intellivision 1 it's for the Flash Back. All my games I played on my Intellivision 1 and Sears Super Video Arcade worked fine but same of the programs mainly demos and prototypes one of them being the Pong Game (Not the Easter Egg one in 4-Tris but the stand alone prototype one) on my Intellivision 2 don't work.

[daldude]

The Flash Back has Sound issues and one Tower of Doom does not work? So it is still like the previous Intellivision Plug and Play units where it still has a quality control issue, after all the hype and supposed demand for accurate reproduction of the game play by Keith the system still has issues?

One post said there were missing sound effects, is this true and if so what sound effects are missing? How can it be missing sound effects if it is running the original game code? If the game calls for the system to play a sound why would it not be able to play that sound?

Why can they still not get the Buzz Sound at the right pitch and the voice to not be to fast?

[+nurmix]

There is no broken game for the Intellivision 1 it's for the Flash Back.

I'm sure when he said "Intellivision one" he meant 'one' in the sense of "that one", not the number 1.

 

As for the emulation issues, that's not really on Keith, it's on AT Games. They were given the ROMS, and the Mac version of the emulator to use an an example. From that point on it was their engineering and software.

Edited September 26, 2014 by nurmix

[+cmart604]

I'm sure when he said "Intellivision one" he meant 'one' in the sense of "that one", not the number 1.

 

As for the emulation issues, that's not really on Keith, it's on AT Games. They were given the ROMS, and the Mac version of the emulator to use an an example. From that point on it was their engineering and software.

<Cmart looks at the calendar and ponders why Paul is wasting precious time posting in threads when he could be working on EP13.... Lol!>

[+intvsteve]

The Flash Back has Sound issues and one Tower of Doom does not work? So it is still like the previous Intellivision Plug and Play units where it still has a quality control issue, after all the hype and supposed demand for accurate reproduction of the game play by Keith the system still has issues?

One post said there were missing sound effects, is this true and if so what sound effects are missing? How can it be missing sound effects if it is running the original game code? If the game calls for the system to play a sound why would it not be able to play that sound?

Why can they still not get the Buzz Sound at the right pitch and the voice to not be to fast?

No, this is nothing like the previous units. It's light-years superior in every possible way.

 

Any problems like sound effects, etc. will be due to bugs in the emulator. The huge, Huge HUGE difference with this product is that the flashback plays the original ROMs. The previous Direct-to-TV units ran newly-written games that tried to be similar to the originals, but were 'homage' (or imitations).

 

Even though the Intellivision is old, the emulator needs to perfectly pretend to be an entire CPU, its states and registers, as well as a sound processor, RAM, and myriad other timing and hardware behaviors. No emulator is perfect - even those that get regular attention and are nearing 20 years old. In fact, there are still some observed hardware behaviors that aren't fully understood / explained, let alone emulated.

 

This is all a long-winded way to say:

1. No emulator is perfect.
2. It's unfortunate that QA didn't catch the Tower of Doom problem.
3. It's unfortunate that there are some problems with certain sounds.

Sometimes, you ship known bugs because you have to. In the case of the sound issue, I can see that being a reasonable, and difficult, decision. I HAVE NO IDEA IF THAT IS IN FACT WHAT HAPPENED. As a software developer myself, when the release date looms and features must be cut and bugs left in, we call it 'killing puppies.' It makes you feel horrible, but it must be done. Maybe 'Old Yeller' would be a better analogy.

Edited September 26, 2014 by intvsteve

[SoulBlazer]

I'm sure when he said "Intellivision one" he meant 'one' in the sense of "that one", not the number 1.

 

As for the emulation issues, that's not really on Keith, it's on AT Games. They were given the ROMS, and the Mac version of the emulator to use an an example. From that point on it was their engineering and software.

Can anyone else confirm if Tower of Doom is indeed NOT working correctly on the Flashback? I'm waiting for the Sam's Club release on Wed but this is disappointing.

[daldude]

Does anyone have Sears Super Video Arcade and a Flash Back that can compare the length of the Flash Back controller cords to the Sears Sper Video Arcade controller cords? Are they longer on the Flash Back or same length?

The SSVA had the un coiled cords which was better then the coiled ones on the Mattel Intellivision.

 

[popsicle]

 

I think you should get the current one.

1. It's just forty bucks
2. It's adorably cute
3. The controllers alone are worth the price YES YES, and YES
4. There are 59 other working games on it RIGHT!
5. You can still play Tower of Doom as a roguelike (possibly without dying) UH, NO THANKS
6. Buying this now shows support for the concept and project YES
7. A revised version is not a sure thing
8. AtGames has done upgrades and exchanges in the past
9. This one is out now, and it's still pretty awesome PLAYING IT EVERY DAY

I'll add that the picture is crystal clear without having to f*** with an r/f switchbox.

 

 

[nesboy43]

There is no broken game for the Intellivision 1 it's for the Flash Back. All my games I played on my Intellivision 1 and Sears Super Video Arcade worked fine but same of the programs mainly demos and prototypes one of them being the Pong Game (Not the Easter Egg one in 4-Tris but the stand alone prototype one) on my Intellivision 2 don't work.

 

 

 

I'm sure when he said "Intellivision one" he meant 'one' in the sense of "that one", not the number 1.

 

As for the emulation issues, that's not really on Keith, it's on AT Games. They were given the ROMS, and the Mac version of the emulator to use an an example. From that point on it was their engineering and software.

 

 

Yes. I was not saying the original intellivision. I was saying Intellivision one because we just had a bunch of Flashback's released. As for actual hardware Intellevision's seem pretty cheap unlike Colecovisions, but I think I'll get the Flashback since it has the built in games and has composite video. My 2600 currently is unusable on my Sony PVM Brodcast Monitor since it has no tuner.

[freewheel]

While I'm ready to be as critical as the next person - emulation is not that hard to get "mostly right" - I'm kinda shocked at some people's reactions. A few sounds are off? One feature in one out of 60 games doesn't work? It's 40 bucks, people! It's designed to be cheap and effectively disposable. An impulse buy.

 

Get back to me when you can get even a third of those games, hardware to play them on a composite screen, and brand-new controllers that are actually better than the originals for a measly 40 bucks.

[popsicle]

Hey, I didn't get a harumph outta that guy!

[+intvsteve]

While I'm ready to be as critical as the next person - emulation is not that hard to get "mostly right" - I'm kinda shocked at some people's reactions. A few sounds are off? One feature in one out of 60 games doesn't work? It's 40 bucks, people! It's designed to be cheap and effectively disposable. An impulse buy.

 

Get back to me when you can get even a third of those games, hardware to play them on a composite screen, and brand-new controllers that are actually better than the originals for a measly 40 bucks.

Good points.

 

We're a tough crowd sometimes. Waiting so long for 'our very own' Flashback has built expectations. As several here have noted, these are almost worth the price just for the controllers! A couple of bumps are to be expected.

 

Hoping that this will be a big enough success to at least merit a second one, ideally with the Activision, Imagic and other third party titles. Would be even cooler to see some of the new independent releases or even a brand new title or three. Fixes to the emulator and possibly the controllers would be awesome, too.

[+nurmix]

[ Cmart looks at the calendar and ponders why Paul is wasting precious time posting in threads when he could be working on EP13.... Lol! ]

I have to do something while I'm rendering the final .WAV mix down...

Edited September 27, 2014 by nurmix

[wolfy62]

Good points.

 

We're a tough crowd sometimes. Waiting so long for 'our very own' Flashback has built expectations. As several here have noted, these are almost worth the price just for the controllers! A couple of bumps are to be expected.

 

Hoping that this will be a big enough success to at least merit a second one, ideally with the Activision, Imagic and other third party titles. Would be even cooler to see some of the new independent releases or even a brand new title or three. Fixes to the emulator and possibly the controllers would be awesome, too.

If you have an Intellivision 2 and Nurmixs controller adapters it is worth the price for those alone.

 

Hands down, no question, completely worth buying for those reasons.

 

Way better tp play intellivision with these!

[ACFinPGH]

Can anyone else confirm if Tower of Doom is indeed NOT working correctly on the Flashback? I'm waiting for the Sam's Club release on Wed but this is disappointing.

 

Confirmed. Tower of Doom doesn't play correctly. Something with collision detection? No melee mode when you run into monsters and you can walk right through the traps.

 

You can still shoot enemies with arrows, etc, but it is a lot like fish in a barrel.

 

On the bright side I'll finally be able to beat it on the hardest levels.

[jointfilms.com]

My two nieces are visiting. I let them try the Intellivision Flashback. They're 10 and 7 years old. Figured they'd enjoy Shark Shark. Not so much. Snafu. Nah. What did they have a blast playing?

Baseball. The older one won 25-18. Played all 9 innings and wanted to keep playing.....

[freewheel]

My nephews played the living shit out of Frog Pond for the 2600 (came on the FB4). These are kids who've grown up with ultra high resolution games and they can master a 17-button controller like no one's business. Never ceases to amaze me what kids find interesting.

[wolfy62]

My two nieces are visiting. I let them try the Intellivision Flashback. They're 10 and 7 years old. Figured they'd enjoy Shark Shark. Not so much. Snafu. Nah. What did they have a blast playing?

Baseball. The older one won 25-18. Played all 9 innings and wanted to keep playing.....

Baseball to me is arguably the best game made for the system.

 

Actually the whole sports line of games was what set the Intellivision above and apart from other home consoles back in the day!

[frank_c]

My nephews played the living shit out of Frog Pond for the 2600 (came on the FB4). These are kids who've grown up with ultra high resolution games and they can master a 17-button controller like no one's business. Never ceases to amaze me what kids find interesting.

 

Like later Christmas day...$500 in toys spread out across the floor, and the kid wants to play with the boxes!

[daldude]

 

Confirmed. Tower of Doom doesn't play correctly. Something with collision detection? No melee mode when you run into monsters and you can walk right through the traps.

 

You can still shoot enemies with arrows, etc, but it is a lot like fish in a barrel.

 

On the bright side I'll finally be able to beat it on the hardest levels.

Speaking of Tower of Doom, it was originally going to be the 3 instalment of the Advance Dungeons and Dragons called Tower of Mystery but I guess the video game crash of 83 killed it. There is a unfinished version of it and I have it on my Cuttle Cart 3. It has missing sounds and no level select and I'm not sure you can beat it because I've never made it past level 4 I think. When you die it plays a little song more complex then the simple song Tower of Doom pays when you first start it and beat it.I wonder why Tower of doom did not leave that in?

[toymailman]

I just got the INTV FB at a local TRU, but they didn't have a CV FB. I haven't tried it yet, but I did look through the contents. It has some overlays for the various games (ten-ish sets) but definitely not all. The manual said more can be purchased from www.intellivisiongames.com but I did not see where to go on that website to buy the ones that this unit did not include. Any ideas?

[+nurmix]

I just got the INTV FB at a local TRU, but they didn't have a CV FB. I haven't tried it yet, but I did look through the contents. It has some overlays for the various games (ten-ish sets) but definitely not all. The manual said more can be purchased from www.intellivisiongames.com but I did not see where to go on that website to buy the ones that this unit did not include. Any ideas?

Intellivision Productions is in the process of updating / revamping their website to include all the pertinent Flashback information. I'm told it should be done very soon.

[atarifan88]

Went to Sam's Club yesterday and asked about the availability of the Intellivision Flashback Deluxe Edition. They looked on their inventory computers (not the ones we would use via internet) and they claim they didn't even have an item number for it yet. They told me to check back after the release date, which they couldn't confirm either. So can anyone confirm if the release date for the deluxe editions are the same as the standard editions (10/1/14)?