Intellivision vs Atari comparison ad scandal! (?)

[Eiswuxe]

I think most of you are familiar with the comparative ads that Mattel ran back in the days. I just noticed that in the advertising showing the baseball games, Mattel spiced things up a little bit by showing what I would consider "fake screenshots" to support their claim that the Intellivision was technically more capable than the 2600.

If you look closely, the blue field players on the green background have additional white faces and hands. Something that would afaik only be possible when additionally using sprites. Given the sprite limit of 8, then the red field players could not be displayed in the same frame. So I think that Mattel did not even play by its own rules by "just comparing" the two systems. They cheated. Or is there any graphical trick that I am unaware of at the moment? What do you think?

 

 

[+cmadruga]

They seem to have used the real games in the video ads.

 

The white faces are in principle doable if you use background cards in combination with MOBs when players are resting. Some shenanigans needed when it comes to positioning.

[else]

Interesting observation.  Surprised Atari didn't call them out on this (file a lawsuit).  Are the other screenshots in the ad embellished too?

[Eiswuxe]

1 hour ago, cmadruga said:

They seem to have used the real games in the video ads.

 

The white faces are in principle doable if you use background cards in combination with MOBs when players are resting. Some shenanigans needed when it comes to positioning.

Like I said, this would only work for up to eight players due to the MOB limit. In the screenshot however, you can see the red player running on the right which is also a MOB to me. So I think a scene as in this screenshot would not be possible. I have checked gameplay videos of major league baseball, and you dont see white faces there, too.

[MrBeefy]

Using "fake" pictures/gameplay to show how you are great must be an Intellivision tradition! 🤣

But seriously, in the end it doesn't matter if they used a fake screenshot. Atari still walloped them and there was a better baseball game on the 2600 than the one they showed (if released yet by time of ad idk).

 

Also, using mock ups was pretty common back in the day.

Edited July 26 by MrBeefy

[mthompson]

All of the game screens in this ad are the same ones that appear in the Atari and Intellivision catalogs and on packaging, so there was no manipulation done just for this ad. They’re all artistic versions of the games’ actual screens. 

[+cvga]

It's probably a bigger white lie to say they have 4 buttons on their controller when we know they only map to three outcomes. On the other hand I'm surprised they didn't discuss the keypad/overlay component of the controller more (it's just indicated in the picture).

[Eiswuxe]

34 minutes ago, mthompson said:

They’re all artistic versions of the games’ actual screens.

Makes sense. Also given the fact that "screenshots" back then were not created like screenshots today, but a bit more complicated!

 

I was mainly wondering if there is a graphics mode that I am unaware of. Seems like, at least in this case, it isnt

[+cmadruga]

2 hours ago, Eiswuxe said:

Like I said, this would only work for up to eight players due to the MOB limit. In the screenshot however, you can see the red player running on the right which is also a MOB to me. So I think a scene as in this screenshot would not be possible. I have checked gameplay videos of major league baseball, and you dont see white faces there, too.

I was just being provocative by saying that it is possible to manufacture a screenshot like that by combining background graphics and MOBs. This does not mean the game would look like that when played.

 

[Eiswuxe]

4 hours ago, cmadruga said:

I was just being provocative by saying that it is possible to manufacture a screenshot like that by combining background graphics and MOBs. This does not mean the game would look like that when played.

 

That is basically my whole point. I said that parts of the screenshot could be done the way you describe it (I only used the word "sprites" instead of "MOBs" out of habit) but not the whole running game. So I thought its quite unfair to describe your system as "technologically advanced" and then faking some of this "advanceness" 😅

Edited July 26 by Eiswuxe

[mr_me]

16 hours ago, Eiswuxe said:

I think most of you are familiar with the comparative ads that Mattel ran back in the days. I just noticed that in the advertising showing the baseball games, Mattel spiced things up a little bit by showing what I would consider "fake screenshots" to support their claim that the Intellivision was technically more capable than the 2600.

If you look closely, the blue field players on the green background have additional white faces and hands. Something that would afaik only be possible when additionally using sprites. Given the sprite limit of 8, then the red field players could not be displayed in the same frame. So I think that Mattel did not even play by its own rules by "just comparing" the two systems. They cheated. Or is there any graphical trick that I am unaware of at the moment? What do you think?

 

 

Those aren't their hands, it's the space between their elbows and hips. It's not how they are showing technical superiority in their ads. As a mockup screenshot it was likely unintentional with the player image taken with the wrong colour background.

 

If they used an actual screenshot from a 1980 television there would be a third colour with the blue players on the green background due to unintentional NTSC colour bleeding or artifacts.

 

12 hours ago, cvga said:

It's probably a bigger white lie to say they have 4 buttons on their controller when we know they only map to three outcomes. On the other hand I'm surprised they didn't discuss the keypad/overlay component of the controller more (it's just indicated in the picture).

It should have said sixteen buttons including two side action buttons each for left or right handed players.

[+Lathe26]

It's about time Atari sued those Intellivision folks for false advertising!  Sic their lawyers on them!

[+cmadruga]

Taking a step back, I find Mattel’s approach quite rational and “by the book”: pointing out objective product attribute differences between them and the category leader.

However, in my view Atari was successful due to so called “network externalities”: the more other people have the same product, the more beneficial it becomes for someone else to buy it as well.

They could have asked any kids in my street growing up… They would all have said they preferred the Atari because their friends already had it. Easier to exchange carts, compare scores, etc.

Were they still impressed by that rich kid’s Intellivision? Sure. But they all still wanted the Atari. 

[+DZ-Jay]

An advertisement that misrepresents the product by overselling its qualities against its competitors?  Say it ain't so!! 😱

 

    dZ.

[David Rolfe]

[wolfy62]

I was 16 or 17 at the time,I purchased every sports game when they came out,and no teenage kid in my neighborhood would have rather been playing an Atari sports game over an Intellivision sports game.

The Intellivision sports games were superior in every sports category, graphics and game play wise.

I am a living eyewitness to the Intellivisions superiority back in the day,so to speak. 😊👍

[Crash7]

When we had a chance to get an Intellivision when we moved to Colorado we were done with Atari.

 

My friends and I in our neighborhood would play round robin baseball tournaments all day.  

[zzip]

On 7/26/2024 at 6:03 AM, Eiswuxe said:

I think most of you are familiar with the comparative ads that Mattel ran back in the days. I just noticed that in the advertising showing the baseball games, Mattel spiced things up a little bit by showing what I would consider "fake screenshots" to support their claim that the Intellivision was technically more capable than the 2600.

If you look closely, the blue field players on the green background have additional white faces and hands. Something that would afaik only be possible when additionally using sprites. Given the sprite limit of 8, then the red field players could not be displayed in the same frame. So I think that Mattel did not even play by its own rules by "just comparing" the two systems. They cheated. Or is there any graphical trick that I am unaware of at the moment? What do you think?

 

 

Many of the screenshots seen in magazines or back of boxes back then  were fake mock-ups.    You couldn't easily do a screen-dump then, and taking a photo of the screen doesn't look good in print.   Most of the time the fake-mockups were reasonable representations of the game, but sometimes you'll find some that look way better than any released version of the game.

Edited August 2 by zzip