Editing Intellivision (section)

==Reception==
A July 1980 article in [[Video (magazine)|Video]] magazine said "Now, arcade addicts can revel in the most sophisticated games this side of the complex simulations designed for high-level computers right in their own livingrooms.", "It may not be perfect but it's certainly the best unit offered so far to players of electronic video games.", "Those used to joysticks will have to endure a short period of adjustment, but even finicky players will be forced to agree that the company has developed a truly elegant solution to the controller problem."<ref name="video_198007">{{cite journal |last1=Kunkel |first1=Bill |title=The Head of the Class - Mattel's Intellivision |journal=Video |date=July 1980 |volume=four |issue=four |page=16 |url=https://archive.org/details/0404-video-jul-80}}</ref>

[[Ken Uston]] published ''[[Ken Uston's Guide to Buying and Beating the Home Video Games]]'' in 1982 as a guide to potential buyers of console systems/cartridges, as well as a brief strategy guide to numerous cartridge games then in existence. He described Intellivision as "the most mechanically reliable of the systems… The controller (used during "many hours of experimentation") worked with perfect consistency. The unit never had overheating problems, nor were loose wires or other connections encountered." However, Uston rated the controls and control system as "below average" and the worst of the consoles he tested (including [[Atari 2600]], [[Magnavox Odyssey²]], [[Astrovision]], and [[Fairchild Channel F]]).<ref>Uston, Ken. ''Ken Uston's Guide to Buying and Beating the Home Video Games'' (Signet, 1982), p. 8.</ref>

[[Jeff Rovin]] lists ''Intellivision'' as one of the seven major suppliers of videogames in 1982 and mentions it as "the unchallenged king of graphics", but says the controllers can be "difficult to operate", mentions the fact that if a controller breaks the entire unit must be shipped off for repairs (since they did not detach at first), and explains that the overlays "are sometimes so stubborn as to tempt one's patience" .<ref>"The Complete Guide to Conquering Video Games" by Jeff Rovin, [[Collier Books]], 1982.</ref>

A 1996 article in ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' said the Intellivision "had greater graphics power than the dominant Atari 2600. It was slower than the 2600 and had less software available, but it was known for its superior sports titles."<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Intellivision|magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=15 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=March 1996|page=35}}</ref> A year later, ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' assessed the Intellivision in an overview of older gaming consoles, remarking that the controllers "were as comfortable as they were practical. The unique disk-shaped directional pad provided unprecedented control for the time, and the numeric keypad opened up new options previously unavailable in console gaming." They praised the breadth of the software library but said there was a lack of genuinely stand-out games.<ref name=EGM91/>