Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Over 3 million Intellivision units were sold and a total of 125 games were released for the console.
Intellivision II
In addition to the ECS module, 1982 also saw the introduction of a redesigned model, called the Intellivision II (featuring detachable controllers and sleeker case), the System Changer (which played Atari 2600 games on the Intellivision II), and a music keyboard add-on for the ECS.
Instead of an internal power supply like the original system had, the Intellivision II would use an external AC adapter. Its main drawback, however, was that it was a non-standard power supply — running on 16.2V — meant that if the AC adapter was lost or damaged, the system could be rendered useless, as replacement power supplies for that particular voltage requirement were not readily available.
Mattel also changed the Intellivision II's internal ROM program (called the EXEC) in an attempt to lock out unlicensed 3rd party titles. To make room for the lock-out code while retaining compatibility with existing titles, some portions of the EXEC code were moved in a way that changed their timing. While most games were unaffected, a couple of the more popular titles had certain sound effects that the Intellivision II reproduced differently than intended, although the games remained playable. Mattel's attempt to lock out competitors' software titles was only temporarily successful, as the 3rd-party game manufacturers quickly figured out how to get around it.
Add-on
- Intellivoice
- Entertainment Computer System (Intellivision II only)
- PlayCable
- Keyboard Component
- System Changer (Intellivision II only)
Intellivision with all addons
Intellivision II with all addons
Clones
All are simply clones of the Intellivision Master Component with minor cosmetic differences.
- Tandyvision One (Radio Shack)
- Sears Super Video Arcade
- INTV Master Component (also called INTV System III and the INTV Super Pro System)
