Intellivision was one of the most popular gaming consoles of the ’80s, and, with a bunch of old school video game consoles making a comeback in recent years, the Intellivision is on its way back as well, hoping to compete with some of the same people it did way back when.
Not long ago, we told you about how the N64 is getting rebooted, and, while that is awesome news for all those people who still haven’t let go of their original Super Mario Kart cartridges, it’s not the only console worth saving your money for. While Intellivision doesn’t have the same graphics or simple gameplay as the N64 — or other rebooted gaming consoles — it’s got that sentimental value for people. Plus, it’s a rare piece of gaming history, so who wouldn’t want to get their hands on one of these?
According to Maxim, the main reason why Intellivision is on the comeback trail is actually pretty simple (and cool), with the President of Intellivision Entertainment, Tommy Tallarico, saying he went back to his own memories with the console to inspire him to reboot the gaming system, per Maxim.
“I grew up playing Intellivision with my parents and younger brother,“ he says. Tallarico also says the Intellivision was his “favorite system because the games were cutting edge, yet fun and simple to play so our entire family could enjoy them together.”
The company is dead serious about making this system in the spirit of the original, as it also says “Original Intellivision team members will also play important roles in the creation, development, software and design of the new platform.”
For those who don’t remember just how badass (and revolutionary) Intellivision was in the gaming industry, here are some of its features — which hoped to compete with Atari.
- The first 16-bit gaming machine
- First console to offer digital distribution
- First to bring speech/voice to games
- First to license professional sports leagues and organizations
- First to be a dedicated game console and home computer
After originally releasing in 1979, Intellivision sold more than 3 million units worldwide from 1980-83, per Wikipedia, with Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack and Major League Baseball serving as the top-selling titles. So, given the news about a new Intellivision, we’re curious to see how the console may evolve. Only time will tell, with more information coming later this year.