Holster

When choosing a holster for a firearm, factors of interest include:. The change was apparently made to fractionally reduce the materials cost of the units, and was never play-tested for usability due to the rush to bring the system to market in the early days of the Video game crash of 1983. Other, specialized types of holsters are designed to be mounted inside briefcases, day planners, purses and filofaxes, or even articles of clothing. The problem was worsened significantly when the cost-reduced Intellivision II changed from solid rubber side buttons to plastic ones with a hollow center, leaving a rectangular imprint on players' thumbs and causing pain after even short periods of play. Popular holster types are:. This was a phenomenon similar to BlackBerry Thumb today. Slow access is acceptable in this case because the handgun is not expected to be used for defensive purposes. Fans of the game recall that an overuse injury was possible when playing for extended periods of time due to the pressure needed to use the keypad and especially the side buttons.

The largest handguns are often carried in holsters that are slung across the shoulder, and removed from the body before the handgun is drawn. More screenshots can be found in the Screenshot Gallery. Holsters for hunting tend to be unique, as they are designed to carry the largest handguns, and often must make allowances for telescopic sights. As a result, games originally designed for the Intellivision are available on modern-day consoles including the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo DS, in the Intellivision Lives! package. Like any sporting equipment, sporting holsters evolve to maximize the benefits given the rules of the game, where applicable, so the competitive sports have the most specialized holsters. Intellivision games became readily available again when Keith Robinson, an early Intellivision programmer responsible for the game TRON Solar Sailer purchased the software rights and founded a new company, Intellivision Productions. Sporting holsters cover the widest range, from holsters with maximum access for fast draw shooting, to highly adjustable holsters used in IPSC and pinshooting, to high retention, maximum protection holsters used for handgun hunting, to simple holsters used to hold a handgun while out plinking. Eventually, the system was discontinued in 1991.

For pocket holsters, the external flat side is often the side with a nap, or rougher surface, to provide better retention when drawing the pistol. also continued to develop new games, releasing a few new titles each year. Often the external side of the holster is also broader, to help break up the outline of the handgun and prevent printing, where the outline of the gun can be seen through tight clothing. This unit was actually a cosmetic rebadge of the original Intellivision console (this unit was later renamed the Super Pro System.) In addition to manufacturing new consoles, INTV Corp. Since the holster is held close to the body, comfort becomes important too, and concealment holsters often have broad surfaces in contact with the user's body, to distribute the pressure across a wider area and prevent abrasion of the skin. When the old stock of Intellivision II consoles ran out, they introduced a new console dubbed INTV III. Protecting the hangun from the user's perspiration is often an important consideration in such carry locations. The new company, INTV Corp., continued to sell old stock via retail and mail order.

Concealment holsters are designed to be worn under clothing, or to be used in front or rear pockets of trousers. After much of the existing software inventory had been sold, former Mattel Marketing executive Terry Valeski bought all rights to Intellivision and started a new venture. Concealment holsters are designed to be lightweight and unobtrusive, and are generally designed for compact and mid-sized handguns, since those are easier to conceal. Intellivision game sales continued when a liquidator purchased all rights to the Intellivision and its software from Mattel, as well as all remaining inventory. Duty holsters are generally only found for full-sized and mid-sized handguns, since there is no reason to carry a compact handgun unless concealment is needed. Early in 1984, the division was closed - the first high profile victim of the crash. Cosmetics are also important in duty holsters, as they are generally considered part of the wearer's uniform, so they are often found made with quality leather for police use and polished with shoe polish, or made in a camouflage color or pattern for military use. Mattel Electronics posted a $300 million loss.

Duty holsters are carried openly, so concealment is not an issue; however, since they are worn out in the open day after day, protection of the handgun and secure retention are important. By August there were massive layoffs, and the price of the Intellivision II (which launched at $150 earlier that year) was lowered to $69. Holsters can be divided into three broad categories by use: duty holsters, worn by uniformed police and military users; concealment holsters, worn by plainclothes law enforcement and licensed CCW armed civilians; and sporting holsters, worn for shooting sports and hunting. In the spring of 1983 Mattel went from aggressively hiring game programmers to laying them off within a two week period. Holster designs cover a wide range of shapes, materials, and retention/release mechanisms, from simple leather pouches hanging from a belt to highly protective holsters with flaps that cover the entire handgun, to highly adjustable competition holsters that hold the handgun at a precise position and release instantly with the right pressure. Unfortunately, although Burger Time was one of the best games on the Intellivision and was programmed by Blue Sky Ranger Ray Kaestner in record time, the five-month manufacturing cycle meant that the game did not appear until the late spring of 1983, after the video game crash had severely damaged game sales. On the other hand, an inadequately secured and protected handgun could be lost, damaged, or stolen, which could also be fatal, as it would not be usable when needed. The Intellivision team rushed to finish a major new round of games, including Burger Time and the ultra-secret 3D glasses game Hover Force.

If the handgun is needed quickly, and cannot be drawn quickly, it could be fatal for the user. New game systems (ColecoVision, Atari 5200, and Vectrex, all in 1982) were further subdividing the market, and the videogame crash began to put pressure on the entire industry. The need for ready access is primarily for holsters designed to carry defensive handguns. Amid the flurry of new hardware, there was trouble for the Intellivision. The need for ready access is often at odds with the need for security and protection, so the user must decide how much they are willing to compromise on ready access to gain the security and protection. Unfortunately, many Intellivision games had been designed for users to play by feeling the buttons without looking down, and many games were far less playable on Intellivision II. Holsters are generally designed to offer protection to the handgun, secure retention, and ready access. Among other things, the raised bubble keypad of the original hand controller was replaced by a flat membrane keyboard surface.

A holster is a specialized article of clothing worn to hold a handgun about the person, most commonly in a location where it can be easily drawn for immediate use. Like the ECS, Intellivision II was designed first and foremost to be inexpensive to manufacture. Some users will require multiple holster types per gun, while others may prefer a generic holster for carrying multiple gun types. In addition to the IntelliVoice module, 1983 also saw the introduction of a redesigned model, called the Intellivision II (featuring detachable controllers and sleeker case), the System Changer (which played Atari 2600 games on the Intellivision II), and a music keyboard add-on for the ECS. Price - modern holsters for a $500 handgun can cost $20 to $200. Voice titles included:. Adjustability - a holster that provides for the adjustment of gun cant and position can aid in both comfort and concealment. Top Mattel programmers including Bill Fisher, Steve Roney, Gene Smith and John Sohl were diverted to the project, slowing the previous initiative to counter Atari with new arcade-style games.

Frequently, retentive holsters are custom designed for a specific model of gun. In 1983 Mattel introduced a new peripheral innovative for the time: IntelliVoice, a voice synthesis device which produced speech when used with certain games, most of which would not work without the add-on component. Modern duty holsters have multiple hidden retention devices to this end. With the video games business already staggering by the time the new Keyboard Component was planned, Daglow suggested the new device be code-named LUCKI (for "Low User Cost Keyboard Interface.") The name stuck but the good fortune did not: the cheaply manufactured ECS keyboard add-on was a retail failure. Retention - a holster designed with retention in mind will help prevent a gun from being removed from the holster by anybody apart from the person wearing it. To maintain secrecy in a toy industry where industrial espionage was a way of life, many projects had code names, so documents and casual discussion did not reveal company secrets. Durability - ability to withstand abuse and long-term usage without mechanical failure or impaired performance. The two keyboard units were incompatible, but owners of the older unit were offered a new ECS.

Reholstering may be of secondary importance for civilians, who may often be legally required to contact law enforcement authorities after any lawful use of a firearm. Unfortunately, while the original Keyboard Component had some advantages over the small computers of its day, the new Keyboard Component was designed to be inexpensive, not functional, and was far less powerful than emerging machines like the Commodore 64. Reholster ease - a rigid-walled holster will allow a gun to be returned to it with one hand, while a flexible one may collapse after the gun is drawn, requiring the use of both hands to reholster. The Entertainment Computer System (ECS), was much smaller, sleeker, and easier to produce than the original Keyboard Component. Draw ease - practical shooting holsters allow a gun to be presented quickly, but drawing ease is often compromised in concealed carry. The rival Mattel engineers had come up with a much less expensive keyboard alternative. Almost all concealment holsters are designed to be worn with a covering garment that is part of the wearer's everyday attire. By this time, Mattel had set up competing internal engineering teams, each trying to either fix the Keyboard Component or replace it.

A carefully designed and worn holster can make a gun virtually invisible. [1] In addition, the Keyboard Component could be modified into a development platform for the Intellivision, and such units were used internally for game development during the latter portion of the system's lifespan. Concealability - it is often desirable not to alert other people of one's being armed. According to the Blue Sky Rangers web site, users who opted to keep theirs were made to sign a waiver absolving Intellivision of all future responsibility for technical support. Comfort - ability to wear a gun for an extended period without hurting the user. Four thousand units were sold; many were later returned for a full refund when Mattel recalled the unit in 1983 due to various support problems, especially that the then-innovative cassette tape unit never proved to be reliable. Finish - a well finished holster should not snag a pistol or abrade its finish. Finally, Mattel offered the Keyboard Component for sale via mail order.

Often with buckles for quick release. Mattel was subsequently investigated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for failing to produce the promised upgrade, and eventually ordered to pay $10,000 a day (about $25,000 in 2005 when adjusted for inflation) until it was released. Modern ones use nylon. The upgrade had proven too expensive to develop and produce, so Mattel had repeatedly sent the engineers "back to the drawing board" to attempt to increase reliability and reduce cost. cavalry units used these in the early 1900's with a leather thong strapping it to the leg. The Keyboard Component would plug into the cartridge slot on the Intellivision, and had an additional cartridge slot of its own to allow regular Intellivision games to be played in the usual way. Early U.S. The unit featured a built-in cassette tape drive for loading and saving data.

Thigh holsters are the more recent popular military item that holds the sidearm on the leg right where the hand naturally hangs, making for a quick draw. Many users waited patiently for the promised release of the "Keyboard Component", an add-on computer upgrade unit touted by Mattel as "coming soon" even when the original console was first shipped. There are no body movement restrictions and very little clothing restrictions with these holster types. The original 5-person Mattel game development team had grown to 110 people under now-Vice President Baum, while Daglow led Intellivision development and top engineer Minkoff directed all work on all other platforms. SmartCarry® has a 100% waterproof liner in the holster rear panel (the part of the holster worn next to the body) which will allow air to pass through, so the holster still "breathes", but does not allow perspiration to reach the firearm. The most popular titles sold over a million units each. Groin holsters like Thunderwear and SmartCarry®, which place the handgun mostly below the waistline around the 12:00 position. Mattel created M Network branded games for Atari and Coleco's systems.

Pocket holsters, for use with very small weapons, such as a back-up gun or a mousegun. Third party Atari developers Activision, and Imagic began releasing games for the Intellivision, as did hardware rivals Atari and Colecovision. In order to remain in place, a belly band must be extremely tight; this does not lend itself to a very pleasant experience - it is comparable to wearing a girdle. This was a big year for Mattel. There are various types, worn at the belt line or higher, with the gun placement anywhere from in front to under the armpit. Over two million Intellivision consoles had been sold by the end of the year, earning Mattel a $100,000,000 profit. The "belly band" holster, which is a notoriously uncomfortable, wide elastic belt with a built-in holster, to be worn under a shirt that is not tucked in, to facilitate access. By 1982 sales were soaring.

Specialized shoulder holsters such as those made by Kangaroo Concealed Carry are designed to be concealed under a T-shirt. In public, the programmers were referred to collectively as the Blue Sky Rangers. This holster setup requires the person to be wearing a jacket, vest, or camp shirt to hide the strap harness and the holster from others, but it's somewhat easier to carry since it's located near the center of body mass. To keep these programmers from being hired away by rival Atari, their identity and work location was kept a closely guarded secret. Shoulder holsters, that consist of two straps connected in a manner similar to a backpack, with the actual holster mounted to a strap on the right or the left side. Levine and Minkoff (a long-time Mattel Toys veteran) both came over from the hand-held Mattel games engineering team. Inside the waistband (IWB) holsters, which clip or mount to a belt and allow one to securely holster the weapon inside the pants. The original five members of that Intellivision team were manager Gabriel Baum, Don Daglow, Rick Levine, Mike Minkoff and John Sohl.

Belt holsters can be worn relatively high and close to the body, slightly behind the hip bone ("4:00 position"), and can be concealed under a long, untucked shirt or jacket. Realizing that potential profits are much greater with first party software, Mattel formed its own in-house software development group. Outside the waistband (OWB) or belt holsters, which are most common in police and military use and in the popular historical image of the Wild West "cowboy". The company recognized that what had been seen as a secondary product line might be a big business. At this point in time, all Intellivision games were developed by an outside firm, APh. In that first year Mattel sold 175,000 Intellivision consoles, and the library grew to 19 games.

(The Sears model was a particular coup for Mattel, as Sears was already selling a rebadged Atari 2600 unit, and in doing so making a huge contribution to Atari's success.). These models include the Radio Shack Tandyvision, the GTE-Sylvania Intellivision, and the Sears Super Video Arcade. Like Atari, Mattel marketed their console to a number of retailers as a rebadged unit. One of the slogans of the television advertisements stated that Intellivision was "the closest thing to the real thing"; one example in an advertisement compared golf games - the others had a blip sound and cruder graphics, while Intellivision featured a realistic swing sound and striking of the ball, and graphics that suggested a more 3D look, although undoubtedly crude when compared with modern game consoles.

A series of ads featuring George Plimpton were produced which mercilessly attacked the Atari 2600's lesser capabilities with side-by-side game comparisons. Though not the first system to challenge Atari (systems from Fairchild Semiconductor, Bally, and Magnavox were already on the market), it was the first to pose a serious threat to Atari's dominance. The console was test marketed in Fresno, California, in 1979 with a total of four games available, and went nationwide in 1980 with a price tag of $299 and a pack-in game: Las Vegas Blackjack. The Intellivision was developed by Mattel Electronics, a subsidiary of Mattel formed expressly for the development of electronic games.

. The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1980; development of the console began in 1978 (less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the legendary Atari 2600 aka the Atari VCS). IntellivisionWorld, The more up to date Intellivision related web site, working on development of new cartridges. Article at The Dot Eaters, an extensive history of the Intellivision console and its development.

IntelligentVision, a group releasing cartridge versions of homebrew Intellivision games. SDK-1600, a development kit for the Intellivision. Intellivision Technical Wiki, put together by modern day Intellivision enthusiasts. Intellivision retrogaming company homepage, run by Keith Robinson and The Blue Sky Rangers (the original Intellivision game programmers).

"Overlays" that would slide into place as an extra layer on the keypad to show game-specific key functions. "Directional Disk", capable of detecting 16 directions of movement. "Four" side-located "action buttons" (where the top two are actually electronically the same, giving three distinct buttons). Twelve-button numeric keypad (0–9, Clear, and Enter).

3 channel sound, with 1 noise generator (audio chip: GI AY-3-8914). Can be mirrored horizontally or vertically. Can be stretched horizontally (2×) or vertically (2×, 4× or 8×). 8 sprites of size 8×8 or 8×16