Intellivision Plan Release of a Brand New Console

Intellivision Announce Plans For A Brand New Console

Admittedly, the Intellivision wasn’t as popular in Europe as it was in America. That being said though, for a time while they might not have been on par with Atari, they were still a brand to take notice of.

The original Intellivision console introduced a lot of new features to modern gaming. Firstly, it was (arguably) the first 16-bit system (beating the Sega Megadrive/Genesis by about 10 years). Secondly, it was also (and arguably) the first dedicated games console and finally, it was also the first to bring voice to games. Albeit via a rather clunky add-on that sounded slightly less human than a ‘Speak-and-Spell’.

It seems, however, that not only is the company back, but they’re also planning to release a brand new console.

Following up on Atari

The announcement is in no small part likely due to the fact that Atari wants to get back in on the action with their VCS console. In a report via Eurogamer though, their project lead, Tommy Tallarico, has said: “I see a huge gaping hole in the market now with families in the home. We will be focused. We will not try to compete with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. That would be insane, and we would need $1 billion.”

Being assured that this will not be a retro system, it does make me wonder exactly what this will be. It also promises, in the company tradition, to provide a number of new ‘firsts’ for the industry.

Call me a cynic, but I think I’m going to need more details before I sign up for this. It’s almost exactly how I feel about the Atari VCS. It is, however, perhaps an amusing twist that Atari and Intellivision, once competitors in the late 70’s, might be locking horns again.

What do you think? Are you interested in this new Intellivision console? Did you own an original? – Let us know in the comments!