Breaking news: Intellivision flashback coming to retail

[+LS650]

About a week ago I ordered an Intellivision Flashback. Well, I received my Inty Flashback today - and after using it for a couple of hours I'm very impressed by it. It isn't perfect (I'd give it 4.5 out of 5 stars) - but it is quite good IMHO. I own an original Intellivision 2609, and ordered this Flashback as a daily use system so that I can keep my old Intellivision safe in storage.

 

I think the new Flashback controllers are very close to the originals in both look and feel - the manufacturer did a great job with these. The picture quality on my LCD flatscreen is good but not great - about the same as my original Intellivision connected via RF-coax adaptor.

 

The selection of 60 games is pretty decent: included are many old classics like Astrosmash, Night Crawler, Star Strike, Space Battle, etc. along with quite a few clunkers such as Math Fun or Word Fun.

 

IMHO the quality of the emulation is very good. Honestly, I have to say that playing most of these games really doesn't look or feel any different to me than on my original system. Even the plastic keyboard overlays look like the 1980s originals!

 

So... what's not to like? Well, I would like to see some of the 3rd party games from Activision, Imagic, etc. I realize that there are licencing issues and that may not even be legally possible, but I hope that if there is an Intellivision FB2, they can get at least a few of those included.

 

I did notice that in a couple of the games, the sound effects seem a bit off. I saw one reviewer give this Flashback only 3 out of 5 stars because he was upset that the sound of the cards shuffling in Blackjack was off. I think that's being overly tough, but yes the sound isn't perfect in a few of the games.

 

Also, the quality of the decals on the console itself is sloppy. On the one hand, the wood grain decals on the front and back sides look great and really give it the Reagan-era look. However, the metallic gold decals on the top surface don't look as sharp - and worse, are sloppily applied. Mine has a big air-bubble trapped under it that looks crappy, but that can't be squeezed out.

 

Overall, I am really pleased with my purchase. I would recommend searching for the best price possible; other vendors may offer you a better deal...

[+intvsteve]

ls650, your review is what most FB customers would likely say, and it think matches the general consensus even among this more critical crowd. Some of us around these parts are likely to be a bit more harsh than you on the sound front. Personally, the sound of the Intellivision was something at really stuck in my brain. It was *so* much better than the 'buzzy' and 'farty' sounds most VCS games of the period produced. (Imagic and Activision had done better on the VCS, but overall, the VCS really does 'fart' a lot. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great, fun games there...)

 

But for the Intellivision, the card shuffle, the 'buzz', and the 'YER OUT' are all iconic sound effects that really established the identity of the system -- and in the FB they're all just a bit off -- to me to the point of distraction. For pure 'musical' effects the FB is pretty close, but some of the effects just hurt my ears. I guess my brain imprinted on those sounds.

 

Overall, though, the flaws in the FB are well outnumbered by its positive aspects. There's never been a better *consumer-oriented* Intellivision product. As you rightly noted, the controllers are *excellent*. There are some subtle differences, but overall, they are amazingly accurate reproductions of the originals, to the point where people may by the unit just for those controllers! For the Intellivision to really shine, you *must* have those controllers. The game library -- but especially the titles that cemented the viability of the console back in 1980 -- *requires* the full range of capabilities those controllers offer. Other schemes fall apart pretty quickly since they easily lapse into being overly obtuse for all but the most dedicated fans of the system.

 

If you're nostalgic for the classic Intellivision library, and phobic of the emulator scene, the Flashback is the way to go. I sent one of these to each of my siblings, and they *LOVED* it -- even their kids have had a great time enjoying it, and could hardly wait to try it out! And as a bonus, there's a rich library of the later titles that will seem all new to "latecomers". My sibs, for example, had never really seem very many of the INTV Corp. titles, and they're almost all there. Gems like Thin Ice and Thunder Castle, Hover Force and the Super Pro sports titles will likely turn a few heads in surprise at what was squeezed out of the ol' Intellivision even past its prime years.

 

The best thing is that, with a successful Intellivision Flashback product, the chances of a 'version 2' that can remedy the emulation problems (Tower of Doom, et. al., sound) we 'fanbois' have found improve drastically. I know that my siblings largely remember the original library of the 1980-1981 games, which, sound issues aside, tend to be pretty darn good on the FB. So to this point, there's not been any complaint at all from them. I think the vast majority of those who get the FB will fall into this camp. With a successful product launch, hopefully we'll see some of the barriers that blocked the way to the Imagic, Activision and other titles fall. With some data points, hopefully whatever negotiations need to happen can be carried out in a reasonable, realistic fashion so we can enjoy the full library of games!

[+DZ-Jay]

Here's a short review, such as it is. I finally took the time to hook up my ColecoVision and Intellivision Flashback consoles and give them a whirl. Here are my first impressions. Unless otherwise noted, these comments apply to both consoles.

• The consoles themselves look beautiful, and match the original designs very well. However they are exceedingly cheap, "plasticky" things; so light that they feel they can fall off a table by blowing at them from the couch. I wish someone would have taken the initiative to just put a rock inside to make them feel more substantial.
• The hand-controllers have been reproduced superbly! They feel genuine, they work precisely, and they are every bit as polished and sturdy as the original ones. They feel just right when cradled in your hands and when pressing any of the control surfaces. Really, I lack the magniloquent vocabulary to describe them justly. They are awesome!
• The action buttons on the Intellivision hand-controllers are much improved from the original: they are responsive, soft to the touch, and provide enough tactile feedback. I could play Astrosmash and Dracula for hours on this thing! No more sore thumbs after 5 minutes of play, yay!
• And speaking of Dracula: the game selection is lackluster. There's a lot of "fluff," and not enough of the games I loved as a child. That said, at least in the Intellivision version, some of the "key" games are there, like B-17 Bomber and Utopia.
• The lack of instructions provided for each game--even a xerox on cheap stock with the most basic steps--severely cripples its usability for the general audience. I bought an Intellivision Flashback for my Father as a Christmas present. He just wants to play B-17 Bomber, and he was very excited at first. Then called me to ask me "where are the plasticky thingies? I don't recall how to play." I sent him the link to the IntellivisionGames.com page for the manuals and overlays, but then he had to jump through many hoops just to be able to start the game: go to the webpage, click on a link, click on another link--no not that one, the other one--go back, click on the game, click on the download link--no! not text, get the PDF with pictures--try again, download. Where did go? oh there it is. Double-click it. Now print. Ugh. He probably won't bother too much with it.
• The emulation seems good and accurate. I haven't played every game yet (probably about half on each), but those that I have played seem solid enough.
• I didn't notice any "bad" sound effects, but I did notice at least one effect missing: in Star Strike, when blowing up the planet, the "whirling scaling" sound of the missile launch is missing; only the explosion sound is there. As intvsteve said above, this quirk is very noticeable to someone who has had these sounds imprinted on their brain since childhood. However, unlike him, I do not agree that it detracts from the experience. In my opinion, the hand-controllers themselves make the experience. By his latter comments, it seems intvsteve agrees with this as well.
• The menu screens are pretty, but clunky and unintuitive to use: you hit left or right to change pages, but up and down to move from one column to the next. Pressing the "Enter" key on the Intellivision's keypad acts like a disc entry, changing the menu page, rather than engage the game selected. It's rather weird in practice.
• The hand-controller cables are long enough to reach the couch from a reasonably distanced coffee table or TV console. I was impressed by this detail, which makes setting up the consoles for a casual play very convenient.

Overall, it is a very good product, for an exceptional price. I can see myself using it fairly often. However, I do have a few suggestions for At Games and Mr. Robinson to improve future generations of the item:

• Put a rock or a lump of something heavy inside to make it feel more substantial and still keep the cost down. Seriously, this thing feels like it's going to fly away if I turn on the fan!
• Add more of the licensed and classic games, maybe a home-brew or two (hint! hint!)
• Include the most basic instructions or steps on how to play each game in a fold-out sheet or stapled booklet on cheap stock. Or sell the glossy manuals as an adjunct product, like the overlays set. Without the manuals, most games will be inscrutable to the general user; and most won't bother to hunt them down on the Internet.
• DO NOT change the hand-controllers--not one whit. They have attained perfection.

[+DZ-Jay]

• I didn't notice any "bad" sound effects, but I did notice at least one effect missing: in Star Strike, when blowing up the planet, the "whirling scaling" sound of the missile launch is missing; only the explosion sound is there. As intvsteve said above, this quirk is very noticeable to someone who has had these sounds imprinted on their brain since childhood. However, unlike him, I do not agree that it detracts from the experience. In my opinion, the hand- controllers themselves make the experience. By his latter comments, it seems intvsteve agrees with this as well.

 

Hmm... After playing some more, I did notice sound glitches in some games, for instance in Sub Hunt and AD&D Cloudy Mountain Crown Of Kings. Nothing spectacularly bad, but noticeable. I too would like these issues to be resolved, but I certainly can live with them. Everything else seems spot on.

[freewheel]

As far as homebrew, the CVFB has some good ones included. I really hope the INTV FB2 includes a few of the better ones. I think these consoles can somewhat make up for the lack of licensed titles by including the best modern homebrew.

 

It's also super cool to show this to people today, who have no idea that the HB scene even exists. They're blown away not only by the fact that people are even writing HB, but especially that the games are often way better than many of the originals. I guess people just assume that in a commercial shop, you'd make better games. People underestimate just how much shovelware exists, and just how much easier it is to develop rich, complex games when you have today's tools. No more graph paper sprites, for one thing!

 

Also, without homebrew on these things, how will us mere mortals experience the gaming nirvana that is Blix????

[+LS650]

Put a rock or a lump of something heavy inside to make it feel more substantial

I agree with almost everything you wrote, and I think this in particular is a great point - these units are actually _too_ small and lightweight! I have thought of opening the shell of my Intellivision Flashback just to zip-strap in a chunk of metal to give the unit more heft and substance!

 

Other than that, I'd really recommend tweaking the emulator to improve the sound. And of course, include more 3rd party and homebrew games.

Edited January 1, 2015 by ls650

[+JasonlikesINTV]

I recently picked up the Colecovision FB, but sadly despite owning around 50ish games for it (mostly loose) I haven't played many at all. One of these days I plan to clean up my Colecovision console and play some games, but in the meantime what games on the Flashback should I start with? Sell me on the CV

[+DZ-Jay]

I recently picked up the Colecovision FB, but sadly despite owning around 50ish games for it (mostly loose) I haven't played many at all. One of these days I plan to clean up my Colecovision console and play some games, but in the meantime what games on the Flashback should I start with? Sell me on the CV

 

I second this request. By the way, nanochess' Princess Quest is included. I tried playing it, but found the controls awkward. Now, this is not a knock on the game, I'm just not used to that weird CV hand-controller. "Dude, your controller looks like a phone!"

 

Oh wait...

[RickR]

Just a note that the INTV Flashback is on sale at Walgreens this week. I bought one today for $24.99. I've heard it's less in other regions. Your mileage may vary, but it's worth a look if you have a Walgreens nearby.

[Arenafoot]

Just a note that the INTV Flashback is on sale at Walgreens this week. I bought one today for $24.99. I've heard it's less in other regions. Your mileage may vary, but it's worth a look if you have a Walgreens nearby.

I bought mine yesterday at Walgreen's for 70% off of the original price of $34.99 making it $10.50 and then came home and ordered the missing overlay pack for $14.99......more than the cost of the console itself!!!

[daldude]

I bought mine yesterday at Walgreen's for 70% off of the original price of $34.99 making it $10.50 and then came home and ordered the missing overlay pack for $14.99......more than the cost of the console itself!!!

You got one for 10.50? Was it in a clearence bin? The Walgreens by me has it for 51 bucks WAY TO MUCH! How did yiu get yours so cheap?

[RickR]

You got one for 10.50? Was it in a clearence bin? The Walgreens by me has it for 51 bucks WAY TO MUCH! How did yiu get yours so cheap?

It was priced $50 here on the shelf, but when I took it to the register, it rang up at $24.99. Good luck!

[Mazerati]

any sales figures come in on the Intellivision Flashback? what level of sales would be considered great and what level of sales would be needed to pretty much insure there will be a 2nd edition?

[Atariboy]

We're never going to be privy to such data. The best indicator will be next Fall.

[1980gamer]

One thing we can look at is amazon ranking...

 

Intellivision: Only 16 left in stock.... I have 3... 1 from Intellivision Productions and 2 from Toy r Us.... May get another from Dollar General someday? Who was buying these from amazon??????

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00K2BOG66
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 1, 2014
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,672 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Colecovision:

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• Release Date: October 1, 2013
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,263 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here

 

Genesis:

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00ALI2OYG
• Item Weight: 3 pounds
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: October 25, 2013
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,241 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Had anyone tried the Sega Genesis handheld version yet? I read that previous versions had bad sound emulation. Has this improved for the newest iteration? I also saw that these have an SD card slot. Is that for potential upgrades to the games and/or addition of more games? Could this also be used for bug fixes/updates to the emulator? Biggest question, what's a reasonable price point? I have seen these at Walgreens for $24 and suspect they may fall lower. Should I buy one?

[freewheel]

$24 is pretty cheap for a handheld anything, if the screen isn't complete crap.

 

Of all systems, I find it hard to see much to complain about with Genesis sound emulation. Not only did it have some of the worst (and yet I love it) sound hardware for its day, there was so much variation between hardware revisions that some people swear 3/4 of the consoles are garbage. So I can't see how emulation can be that much worse.

[+JasonlikesINTV]

$24 is pretty cheap for a handheld anything, if the screen isn't complete crap.

 

Of all systems, I find it hard to see much to complain about with Genesis sound emulation. Not only did it have some of the worst (and yet I love it) sound hardware for its day, there was so much variation between hardware revisions that some people swear 3/4 of the consoles are garbage. So I can't see how emulation can be that much worse.

Thanks for the info. I never had a Genesis, so I wouldn't know if the sounds were off anyway I'll keep an eye on them and see if it drops lower, but I'll probably grab one even if it stays at $24.

[daldude]

Had anyone tried the Sega Genesis handheld version yet? I read that previous versions had bad sound emulation. Has this improved for the newest iteration? I also saw that these have an SD card slot. Is that for potential upgrades to the games and/or addition of more games? Could this also be used for bug fixes/updates to the emulator? Biggest question, what's a reasonable price point? I have seen these at Walgreens for $24 and suspect they may fall lower. Should I buy one?

It's sound emulation is CRAP not worth buying the thing because the sound is so Crappy. I saw a Youtube video on it. The Screen is great but the sound S---s.

[+JasonlikesINTV]

It's sound emulation is CRAP not worth buying the thing because the sound is so Crappy. I saw a Youtube video on it. The Screen is great but the sound S---s.

Yikes! Thanks for the info. I might watch that YouTube review.

[daldude]

Yikes! Thanks for the info. I might watch that YouTube review.

 

[freewheel]

It's sound emulation is CRAP not worth buying the thing because the sound is so Crappy. I saw a Youtube video on it. The Screen is great but the sound S---s.

 

Having heard it - I dunno. It's certainly way off from an original Genesis, but it just sounds lower pitched. It's still the same sound and music. To someone that never played a Genesis, I doubt you'd even notice.

 

Of course to my ears - ugh. I've got some music burned into my brain and this ain't exactly it. For the life of me I don't understand why such glaring emulation issues crop up in these things. We had much better Genesis sound emulation over 10 years ago. I guess NIH applies.

[+JasonlikesINTV]

I've never owned a handheld (not even a Gameboy, DS, ...), so I kinda want this. I don't think the sound will be a deal breaker for me. If I can find one under $20, I'm buying one

[Arenafoot]

You got one for 10.50? Was it in a clearence bin? The Walgreens by me has it for 51 bucks WAY TO MUCH! How did yiu get yours so cheap?

It was part of the Christmas clearance at Walgreen's which was 70% off all Christmas stuff. There were 3 more Intelli's and 3 Sega's left. Mine rang up for $24.99 at the register and there was a yellow sticker on the box marked $34.99 (original price) and when I asked the cashier about the 70% off, he asked a manager if it was part of the Christmas clearance and she said yes, so he overrode the price to $10.50.

 

I found out (New Years Eve) from someone in a FB group about it at their local Walgreen's where he got one for $7.00 - which was 80% off the original price. I might check back at the end of the week to see if they have some left and if the discount is higher.

[+JasonlikesINTV]

It was part of the Christmas clearance at Walgreen's which was 70% off all Christmas stuff. There were 3 more Intelli's and 3 Sega's left. Mine rang up for $24.99 at the register and there was a yellow sticker on the box marked $34.99 (original price) and when I asked the cashier about the 70% off, he asked a manager if it was part of the Christmas clearance and she said yes, so he overrode the price to $10.50.

 

I found out (New Years Eve) from someone in a FB group about it at their local Walgreen's where he got one for $7.00 - which was 80% off the original price. I might check back at the end of the week to see if they have some left and if the discount is higher.

The Walgreens I was at today Had a Christmas clearance sale for 70% off, but the Flashbacks weren't part of that deal. They were $24.99. I took them up to the register to have them verify, but they rang up as $24.99. I'm going to watch for a few days to see if they make it into Xmas clearance.