controller ain't that bad.....

[zetastrike]

I just got my first Intellivision yesterday, a model II. I played Burgertime and Stampede. The controller was not an issue. I thought the disc was pretty cool. I found that it was easy to get the chef to respond and go in the direction I wanted, that steering it and using it like a d-pad were both effective. I thought it was neat. Also in both games, the fire button were fine. They responded every time I pressed them and it didn't require much pressure.

 

For years I've heard people talk crap about the Intellivision controller, the model II version even moreso. I've only had it for one day, but I like it. It seems like a mountain is being made out of a mole hill by people who've become too used to gamepads or joysticks.

[+save2600]

You'll probably get old of the Model II controller before too long, but agree in general about the regular Intellivision controller.

[+intellivotion]

agreed! The disc has never been an issue, except for those who love the stick of... nevermind

[+JasonlikesINTV]

Play a few hours of Astrosmash with auto fire disabled

[Ignorama]

What Jason said. The side buttons are terrible and of you play a game where you need to press them all the time you definitely understand why this controller gets much hate. The disc is cool, yeah.

[VectorGamer]

I just got my first Intellivision yesterday, a model II. I played Burgertime and Stampede.

 

Revisit this thread after you've played more than 2 games.

[mr_me]

What Jason said. The side buttons are terrible and of you play a game where you need to press them all the time you definitely understand why this controller gets much hate. The disc is cool, yeah.

Would you guys say that the flashback controller solves the side button issue? And you can get them to work with the original hardware.

[+fdr4prez]

The complaints about the Intv II controller are not a recent complaint from being used to gamepads.

 

Back in the day many people were use to the first generation Intv controller, and when the Intv II came out the complaints were near instant.

 

The controller is thicker, the keypad buttons use a different, a flat, cover, so there is little tactile feedback when they are pressed, and just trying to move your fingers around to the various buttons without looking is more difficult because they are flat and many times your finger may not be quite on the button.

 

But the complaints about the side buttons are the biggest complaints. They are made from harder plastic, and their is little tactile feedback when pressed, so you end up pressing them harder than needed and some controllers are less responsive so you do need to press the side buttons harder.

 

Overall they were not well received, or liked.

 

As a kid I played my Intellivision so often my grandparents decided to get one for their own pleasure, but they got an Intv II and when I learned that I was both excited and sad at the same time.

[+Lathe26]

Would you guys say that the flashback controller solves the side button issue? And you can get them to work with the original hardware.

 

Contact Nurmix on AA (he posts frequently here), he sells adapter cables for the Intellivision II and for the original hardware. For the original hardware, you will need to unscrew the console's plastic case but after that it is trivial to swap in the adapter cables.

 

http://atariage.com/forums/topic/237113-intellivision-flashback-controller-adapters-round-2/

[BydoEmpire]

I grew up with the Inty, but never had a real problem with it back then, and if the controller is in good shape it's fine now. The Inty 2 is a step back, sure, especially the keypad. And the side buttons can get sticky over time, which kind of sucks. Never really had a problem with ergonomics, though it doesn't cramp my hands the way some *cough* other systems' controllers do.

 

The Inty Flashback controllers are fantastic.

Edited June 30, 2016 by BydoEmpire

[+grips03]

Disc is ok on Intv 1 controllers. But the button on side layout is not good IMO.

I plain dislike the Intv2 controller

 

I use the Super Ninja Controller and cart these days as I always have a few consoles out and this way I can use the same controller for all of them.

[SoulBlazer]

My first exposure to the Intelivision controller was with the Flashback. I had heard time and time again how terrible they are, and there are some people who have played the games for years and tolerate the controller...they STILL hate it despite liking the system and the games. Once I got used to it, I found the controllers were quite good....I'd rank them about a 7 on a 1-10 scale. The disk reminds me of a early version of a modern thumbstick on all modern controllers, and the buttons are easy to press. My main complaints are with the shape and design....vertical controllers like this one and the Colecovision one are a terrible idea as they don't fit right in the hands and they cramp my hands after a while (the INTV one less soon, but it still happens). Not that NES controllers didn't cramp my hands also, but the horizontal layout on that was much better. Also having to use two hands on the INTV controller in akward positions doesn't help, with one hand for the disc and one for the buttons. Two thumbs to operate everything is MUCH better. And side buttons! Why, God, why?!? Stupid, terrible design. I'm glad from the NES and on all buttons have been either on the top of the controller or on the very top lip of the controller. But the disc is very responsive and gives you a lot of control once you get used to it, and the keypad buttons are not used so much that I hate them despite not being a fan of them. And all those buttons again was ahead of it's time. If you think of the keypad buttons as counting, the INTV controller has more buttons (16) then a modern controller (13).

[+fdr4prez]

My first exposure to the Intelivision controller was with the Flashback. I had heard time and time again how terrible they are, and there are some people who have played the games for years and tolerate the controller...they STILL hate it despite liking the system and the games. Once I got used to it, I found the controllers were quite good....I'd rank them about a 7 on a 1-10 scale. The disk reminds me of a early version of a modern thumbstick on all modern controllers, and the buttons are easy to press. My main complaints are with the shape and design....vertical controllers like this one and the Colecovision one are a terrible idea as they don't fit right in the hands and they cramp my hands after a while (the INTV one less soon, but it still happens). Not that NES controllers didn't cramp my hands also, but the horizontal layout on that was much better. Also having to use two hands on the INTV controller in akward positions doesn't help, with one hand for the disc and one for the buttons. Two thumbs to operate everything is MUCH better. And side buttons! Why, God, why?!? Stupid, terrible design. I'm glad from the NES and on all buttons have been either on the top of the controller or on the very top lip of the controller. But the disc is very responsive and gives you a lot of control once you get used to it, and the keypad buttons are not used so much that I hate them despite not being a fan of them. And all those buttons again was ahead of it's time. If you think of the keypad buttons as counting, the INTV controller has more buttons (16) then a modern controller (13).

 

Maybe this is why today's youth are playing nonstop.... their fancy modern controllers are just too dang comfortable in their hands!!!

 

In my day we'd play until your hands tire/cramp/numb and then go outside and play, and get the blood flowing again.

[+the1hatman]

I play primarily on the Intellivision II console. The thicker controller gives me a better grip and I find the smoother buttons easier to glide across. The original system side buttons are better but both pale in comparison to the Flashback controllers.

[m-crew]

Flashback controllers usually on a intellivision II for me. When I want to play the five games that don't work on it I pull out the intellivision.

[fsuinnc]

I love the inty controllers, Always have. Having the ability to move in 16 directions and have access to 4 "fire" buttons, plus the keypad, are you kidding me? Back in the day, when the inty was new many of friends and family complained about the controllers. but even then, I had the feeling that it wasn't the controller so much as I was simply better at using the controller (it was my game system). So, yeah, I kicked everybody's butt in soccer, hockey, baseball and football. I think in soccer, people had a harder time figuring out how to use the players as they scroll off of the screen on one side and appear on the other. I will admit that I was never that into astosmash so I didn't play it for hours on end. I did play Centipede and Pac man quite a bit though and I thought the controller was fine.

I love the atari 2600. I think some games work great with the 8 direction stick and one button. I think it was a BIG mistake for Mattel to not have plug in controllers and allow things like paddle controllers and driving controllers. But, if I have to pick one single controller to offer the best range of game play I will go with original Inty controller.

[+DZ-Jay]

I always preferred the Intellivision disc controller over a joystick. About the only time I felt a joystick was superior was when playing ports of arcade games designed specifically for a gated 4-way stick -- but even then it was only because the ports tried to map the 16 directions to four in a direct manner, leaving "dead-zones" and providing for a lackluster experience.

 

However, as we can see with some modern home-brews, there really is no reason why the disc shouldn't be able to offer the same precision and accuracy of movement; it just takes some imagination and extra work in programming a workable scheme.

 

The action buttons on the other hand, are just a pain to use -- at least in their original incarnation. The Intellivision Flashback goes a long way in improving the ergonomics of the buttons by making them more responsive to the touch, which prevents you from having to press them too hard all the time. Yet, they remain awkwardly placed and cumbersome to use. (By the way, there's only three action buttons; the top two ones are wired together.)

 

If you look through out the history of video game consoles, you'll notice that the once venerable joystick went out of favour over time, and that the "analog stick" or the "d-pad" replaced it as the better input surface. And what are these new controls but the direct descendants of the good old, 16-way, golden-plated Intellivision disc pad?

 

-dZ.

[mr_me]

... I think it was a BIG mistake for Mattel to not have plug in controllers and allow things like paddle controllers and driving controllers. But, if I have to pick one single controller to offer the best range of game play I will go with original Inty controller.

The disc was designed to also be a rotary control. Its functionally equivalent to the Atari driving controller. But a higher precision rotary control might be better. But yeah just having the option for this and trackballs might have been nice. Looking at atari (and not sure about colecovision) very few games were programmed to use those optional controllers.

[7800fan]

I always thought the issue were that it was often impossible to fix. THe circuit sheet inside oxidates easily and eventually just fails. Inty 2 controllers aren't supposed to come apart at all so when it doesn't work well anymore, the only solution was to dump it and buy a new one.

 

Many other controllers usually can be fixed. A little glue here, a little file there to clear the corrosion and most controllers will work. Later controllers with rubber pads can also last a long time, one can still get new replacement rubber parts (not necessarily as good as original) from many online places. But Intellivision controller (and Atari 5200 keypad sheet) both are pretty much unrepairable when they go.

[NumbThumb]

Here is the first fair review of the Intellivision that I have seen on YT.

Of course the controllers do get critizised...

 

However if he playes more Inty in the future and learn to use them correctly he might change his mind a little bit.

[+DZ-Jay]

Here is the first fair review of the Intellivision that I have seen on YT.

Of course the controllers do get critizised...

 

However if he playes more Inty in the future and learn to use them correctly he might change his mind a little bit.

 

That's is a very nice review, and I will tend to agree. However, I am not an outsider: I grew up playing Intellivision and not owning an Atari VCS or ColecoVision, so my alliance is firmly rooted by my parents' hand right there. That's probably why I think it is superior in any way.

 

I can appreciate someone who doesn't have the same attachment having a different perspective, and it is quite refreshing that the reviewer is honest enough to appreciate the good things about the machine (although he didn't even get to play the best games!).

 

-dZ.

[freewheel]

Ugh. Reviewers are trying waaaaay too hard to create "personalities" and a gimmick these days. Get to the point.

[pimpmaul69]

Ugh. Reviewers are trying waaaaay too hard to create "personalities" and a gimmick these days. Get to the point.

people who show how to repair something are the worst. They spend 10 minutes poking at the item, have to show all sides of the item repeatedly, talk about why they love the item, blah blah blah when all you want to see is how to take the item apart. Then when they finally get to the point they edit the video showing the item already open so you just wasted 10 minutes to have gotten nowhere......