Post
Mattel's 1979 console that was Atari 2600's main rival, famous for its 16-direction disc controller and pack-in voice-synthesis module.
Intellivision was pitched as the thinking person's 2600: sharper graphics, better sports games, and a controller with a numeric keypad for complex inputs. Mattel ran legendary marketing campaigns with sportscaster George Plimpton comparing their NFL title to Atari's blocky alternative. The Intellivoice voice synthesis add-on was one of gaming's earliest voice integration attempts.
Example
Major League Baseball, NFL Football, and Astrosmash were system-defining titles. Around 3 million units sold worldwide before the 1983 crash gutted the brand. The Amico revival attempt in 2020 became a notorious failed Kickstarter-adjacent project.
Why it matters
Intellivision was the first console to credibly challenge Atari's dominance and introduced the template of hardware add-ons for expanded capability. Its controller design also set an early precedent for games needing more inputs than a joystick could provide.
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