# Atari 2600 vs. Matell Intelivision **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034 "2003-02-14T10:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/21 "2003-02-14T21:06:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\*Burgertime was on Intellivision…could have been on Coleco., too…but was definitely on Intellivision. > > Sorry, Hello Again \*\* Ah, but Colecovision had my favorite game ever: **Cosmic Avenger!!!** You could speed up, slow down, shoot forward and drop bombs. Great sound f/x, (The Beastie Boys mixed in the bomb dropping noise on a song off _Hello Nasty_), and a **great** opening theme, which I’m singing to myself right now. They also had Venture, Looping, Omega Race…ah, memories. However, I must admit that the Baseball game on Intellivision was fantastic. Nothing like playing against your brother and hitting a slow liner that turned into a Home Run. We also used to lure newbies into stealing home by throwing to the center fielder, who for some reason could throw twice as fast as everyone else, so you could easily throw the runner out at home. “YRRRRRRR OUT!!” ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/22 "2003-02-14T23:29:10Z")
> [@](#): > > You could do an Atari game on Intellivision, but NOT vice-versa, Yes you could, I still have several cartrages for the 2600 that are adapted intellivision cartrages. It even references it in your link: > [@](#): > > An M Network Atari 2600 version, called Super Challenge Baseball, was released [http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/sports.html](http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/sports.html) I have this game for the 2600. The graphics were basically the same. IIRC (it’s been a while since I have played it) to throw/select to the 1st base man you would press and hold fire while moving the stick once to the right, then releasing the fire button, to get the right fielder you would press and hold the fire button while ‘double clicking’ the stick to the right. The same pattern for 2nd/center and 3rd/left field. I don’t remember if there was a shortstop. I also have several other ‘ported’ games, including a tank game. The intellivision version allowed you to lay 2 mines. The 2600 version didn’t have any documentation on how to do that. I found if you fired while pulling back on the stick you would lay a mine. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/23 "2003-02-15T00:34:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DougC \* > \*\*- - - The “Atari 2600” lived longer though: in fact, it’s still out there. > > - A couple years ago I saw the genuine Atari 2600 available for $30 US from a close-out company and including 10 assorted games their choice, in the back of “popular electronics” or some similar magazine. > - And in just the last year or so I saw an advertisement for an imitation atari 2600 somebody had posted online from an Indian magazine.\*\* Several years ago on a trip to Brazil, a friend’s daughter asked if I wanted to play videogames with her. I followed her to her room where I encountered a strange “Brand-X” video game system that was clearly an Atari 2600 under the hood. I thought it was so cool to play the games I had played as a child, while at the same time wondering if this was the latest and greatest system available in stores in Rio de Janeiro. In reality, they were probably sold by street vendors for a very reasonable price. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/24 "2003-02-15T02:39:25Z")
I tried a demo Intellivision in some department store, Sears maybe. Had no idea how to work that controller. However, I played a 2600 at home for nearly a decade. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/25 "2003-02-15T04:11:17Z")
Atari 2600 vs. Mattel Intellivision: a debate exclusive to people in my age group. My family had an Atari 2600 but, from what limited exposure I had to it, the Intellivision was probably a better system–especially for the sports games. However, Atari had an advantage over Intellivision because it was more aggressive in getting rights to the then-hot arcade games like Defender and Pac-Man (which seriously taxed the graphics of the 2600). Eventually, Intellivision managed to secure a few arcade titles like Burgertime for its system but it was almost too late by that point. This was too bad because games that used a lot of buttons like Defender would’ve worked a lot better with Intellivision’s control pad than with Atari’s simple one button and joystick. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/26 "2003-02-15T05:21:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DougC \* > \*\*- - - The “Atari 2600” lived longer though: in fact, it’s still out there. \*\* It will soon be back in a new form. Atari is releasing a new version of the 2600 which will come with 10 built in games-all of it packed inside the housing of their classic joystick. My mind still reels at this. The 10 game ROM chips, the circuit board of the 2600, plus the 5 stick sensors all inside the joystick. IIRC the suggested retail was $29.99 It’s an amazing time to be alive! ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/27 "2003-02-15T11:51:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*It will soon be back in a new form. Atari is releasing a new version of the 2600 which will come with 10 built in games-all of it packed inside the housing of their classic joystick. > > My mind still reels at this. The 10 game ROM chips, the circuit board of the 2600, plus the 5 stick sensors all inside the joystick. > > IIRC the suggested retail was $29.99 > It’s an amazing time to be alive! \*\* It’s not so great. The selection of games is strange. Games that originally used a paddle ‘hacked’ to use a joystick. Adventure with weird colors. The classic gamers are mystified. There are other devices of the same type. Search for “TV Boy”. 127 games! Some hobbyists are working on true portable 2600s; Gameboyish things. Mass producion prolly not. The Intelli was better in many respects, but it was a little slow and a bit confined. It had an OS and built in graphics… Easier to program. The 2600 was primitive but extensible; it was meant to play Pong and Tank but it had much greater capabilities. Intv was great for strategic games, sports, and larger world games. 2600 was better at twitchy, actiony stuff. IMO. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/28 "2003-02-15T14:38:38Z")
> [@](#): > > managed to secure a few arcade titles like Burgertime for its system but it was almost too late by that point Burgertime was a flop whel Intellivision got it, they lucked out as it became popular after they licenced it. ---
**Author:** ![racekarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6bbea6/32.png) [@racekarl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racekarl)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/29 "2003-02-18T13:52:25Z")
kanicbird – You are confusing “M-network” games (basically games made for 2600 by Mattell) with true Intellivision ports. Basically, Mattel would often develop the same game simultaneously for the Intellivision and 2600. The 2600 version was limited by the capabilities of that system and could not truly be said to be a direct port of the intellivision version. Some of those links have pics of both versions, take a look at them and see if you still think the 2600 version was the same as the intellivision version. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2003, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034/30 "2003-02-18T14:06:55Z")
I remember playing MNetwork Baseball on 2600 and it looks to be very close, if not the same, to the intellicison pic on the right from your link above. Maybe gameplay was different, but it sure looks nearly the same. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/atari-2600-vs-matell-intelivision/155034.md?page=1)