PlayCable

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PlayCable or PlayCable: The All Game Channel was the name of an early online service for the Intellivision game console . It was only available in the USA and operated in conjunction with local cable broadcasters . Mattel worked with General Instrument for this service .

history

development

After a test phase from 1979 in the cities of Moline , Jackson and Boise , the service went online nationwide in 1981 and was massively promoted from then on. The baseball player Mickey Mantle served as an advertising character .

Shutdown

Although, or precisely because, the service was ahead of its time, it was not granted a great success. Atari offered a similar service called GameLine for its Atari 2600 . Another point that led to failure were the general technical limitations such as the low internal memory of 4 KB and the fact that the games could not be saved. In the end, this was probably also due to the relatively high costs for the user.

PlayCable was discontinued in 1983 as part of the video game Crash , which also affected Mattel.

technology

In order to be able to use the service, a so-called PlayCable adapter was required. Like all extensions for the Intellivision, this was connected to the side expansion port. The port was looped through, so other accessories such as the Intellivoice could still be used. It was adapted to the design of the console. The download of a game lasted about 10 seconds . The adapters were given to customers by the cable broadcasters and were requested again after the offer ended in 1983. So today it is a rare but also functionless collector's item.

Games

There were 20 different games to choose from every month. Due to the small memory (see above), more complex titles could not be made available.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ TV Ads We Can't Forget: Mickey Mantle Goes to Bat for Archaic Gaming Service Called PlayCable. In: SF Weekly. Retrieved February 15, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Steven A. Orth: INTV Funhouse - Intellivision Hardware: Play Cable. intvfunhouse.com, accessed February 15, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Intellivision Classic Video Game System / PlayCable. intellivisionlives.com, accessed February 15, 2016 .
  4. ^ The History Of Online Console Gaming. Digital Spy, January 9, 2011, accessed February 15, 2016 .