pack-in game question/my INTV history

[xSeriesMan]

I received my system for Christmas with Las Vegas poker and blackjack as the pack-in game. I am pretty sure I also received Star Strike that first Christmas as well. According to intellivision lives Star Strike came out on December 22, 1981. So it was 1981 or later. At some point Astrosmash became the pack in. Does anyone know by what Christmas the pack in was changed?

[mr_me]

I haven't seen any evidence that Astrosmash was ever a pack-in. In 1982 there was a free Astrosmash by mail offer with the purchase of an Intellivision master component, but LV Poker & Blackjack was still the pack-in. When the Intellivision II came out in 1983, I don't think it originally had a pack-in cartridge at all. Later Intellivision II was packed with Burgertime in the US and Locknchase in Canada. There was another thread about it here. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/251169-was-astrosmash-a-pack-in-game/

[xSeriesMan]

Thanks! Sorry I did not see that thread. So it looks like it was Christmas of 1981 or 1982 for me if the Star Strike date is good on Intellivision lives. Astrosmash was one of the original 29 carts I had as a kid, so it could have been part of the mail in offer without my dad and mom telling me. (; I just remembered getting Triple Action (came out Oct of 1981) with Star Strike and the pack-in that first Christmas.

 

I haven't seen any evidence that Astrosmash was ever a pack-in. In 1982 there was a free Astrosmash by mail offer with the purchase of an Intellivision master component, but LV Poker & Blackjack was still the pack-in. When the Intellivision II came out in 1983, I don't think it originally had a pack-in cartridge at all. Later Intellivision II was packed with Burgertime in the US and Locknchase in Canada. There was another thread about it here. http://atariage.com/forums/topic/251169-was-astrosmash-a-pack-in-game/

[xSeriesMan]

Found the pictures of the Astrosmash offer on your thread above so I am leaning toward 1981 since I don't see my dad trying to remove that sticker. Lol. Thanks again

[wolfy62]

Great question!

 

I got my Intelivision Christmas of 1979 so was still Poker and Blackjack for sure.

 

Baseball was my first game,and I still play it with a friend.

[mr_me]

Offers like that were usually summer offers; probably gone by Christmas. If you want to know what year you got your Intellivision, open up your LV Poker/BJ cartridge and read the date printed on the chips. If it says 82xx then you got it in Christmas 1982. That's if you still have your original cartridge.

Edited January 18, 2018 by mr_me

[mr_me]

Great question!

 

I got my Intelivision Christmas of 1979 so was still Poker and Blackjack for sure.

 

Baseball was my first game,and I still play it with a friend.

That would have been one of the test market Intellivisions! Do you remember what the packaging was like; was it similar to what came later with the keyboard promotion. The Baseball cartridge would not have been available until summer/fall 1980.

[xSeriesMan]

Offers like that were usually summer offers; probably gone by Christmas. If you want to know what year you got your Intellivision, open up your LV Poker/BJ cartridge and read the date printed on the chips. If it says 82xx then you got it in Christmas 1982. That's if you still have your original cartridge.

 

That is a great idea! I do have the original, but I have another copy as well and probably mixed them up by now.

[wolfy62]

That would have been one of the test market Intellivisions! Do you remember what the packaging was like; was it similar to what came later with the keyboard promotion. The Baseball cartridge would not have been available until summer/fall 1980.

Poker and Blackjack was certainly the pack in game. Baseball I purchased when they released it as well as any other game that came out through 1983.

 

I grew up not far from Mattel headquarters in the San Fernando Valley,maybe they sent them to my Gemco as one of the first selling spots.

 

Oh yea,I don't remember the box I probably just through it out back then like my Baseball cards and 45 records.

 

Amazing what I spent my money on and wish I had back!

Edited January 19, 2018 by wolfy62

[Walter Ives]

On 1/18/2018 at 4:05 PM, wolfy62 said:

I grew up not far from Mattel headquarters in the San Fernando Valley,maybe they sent them to my Gemco as one of the first selling spots.

Not a chance. Working consoles were very dear at that time and they all went to the greater Fresno area. Some retailers from outside the region scavenged some, mostly from the smaller participants, and sold them in other areas at a premium. A large retailer like Gemco wouldn't have been able to get sufficient numbers by that mechanism to make it worth their efforts.

Furthermore, Intellivision had gotten some favorable press, and that drew individual poachers from outside the targeted region. Maybe your Santa was one of the poachers?

Marketing did not appreciate either of these types, as their actions screwed up the test market data.

Another thing happened was that Mattel would give product to recruited focus groups to take home, play with and comment on. Mattel found it convenient to recruit focus groups from the employees of nearby companies. The San Fernando Valley is within commuting distance of Mattel. But the focus group testing for the Master Component would have been done long before Christmas.

WJI