NOTE: PhillyClassic has passed.

Announcing the PhillyClassic Special Edition 4-TRIS Cartridge!

I'd like to announce the PhillyClassic 2001 Special Edition 4-Tris Cartridge! To celebrate the release of the first new actual Intellivision cartridge in over a decade, I am making an initial run of approximately 30 Special Edition 4-Tris cartridges specifically for PhillyClassic 2001! I will also allow people to order Special Edition carts at the show. After PhillyClassic, I will still sell 4-Tris cartridges (at some indeterminate point in the future), but they won't be PhillyClassic Special Edition Cartridges.

Please bear in mind, that you're paying for the cartridge and the documentation only. As always, I am committed to the concept of Free Software, and I encourage those of you who have the appropriate equipment to download the game for free. The $45 I am charging for this cartridge is paying for the EPROMs, circuit boards, board assembly, and the time it takes to put it all together. I'm making this cartridge form as a service to those of you who want the convenience of a cartridge, or lack the equipment for playing the downloadable version on your Intellivision. The game itself is free and always has been!

I'm not making a profit off of this. Any money beyond my initial hardware costs is going back into additional hardware, so that non-Special Edition cartridges can be sold at mortal prices. The high initial cost covers my NRE costs producing the initial carts.

Note, if you're curious about the current status, see below.

The Gory Details

There are the basic details about the PhillyClassic Special Edition Cartridge, as well as how you can get one (while supplies last!).

• There will be a limited run of PhillyClassic 2001 Special Edition cartridges, and after PhillyClassic, these Special Edition carts will never be made available again. Regular edition carts will be available at a future date, but they won't be nearly as cool.

• How many? The initial PhillyClassic 2001 Special Edition cartridge run will be about 30 cartridges total. These carts will be physically ready to deliver at PhillyClassic 2001. The cartridges will each come with overlays and a manual. Tim Lindner has graciously made up PhillyClassic Special Edition versions of the manuals, overlays, and cartridge labels!

  UPDATE: Since I've completely filled my initial preorder allotment of 24 orders (out of 30 -- I want to have some uncommitted carts available), I will be extending my run of cartridges (similar to how Andrew Davie has done with Qb) by taking orders at the show for carts that will be manufactured afterwards. No orders for PhillyClassic Special Edition will be taken after PhillyClassic 2001 closes. Let me me know if you're opposed to this idea!

  To keep things sane, I am imposing a few limitations:

  • Once I sell out of my initial physical cartridges, I will take orders for additional PhillyClassic Special Edition cartridges at PhillyClassic only. There will be no difference in price / features for carts ordered at Philly vs. the carts I will arrive with in Philly.
  • All such orders must be paid for at PhillyClassic. The carts will be shipped sometime after PhillyClassic. (They need to be made, after all.)
  • No PhillyClassic Special Edition orders will be accepted after April 21st, 2001, period.
  • One cart per person / ticket -- these additional orders would be limited to show attendees. I'm not letting one person just order a dozen or something silly like that. :-)

  So, let me know if you think this is a bad idea! I want people to have a chance to enjoy the PhillyClassic Special Edition, but I do also want it to be special. At the same time, I don't want my aversion to financial risk to leave die-hard Intellivision fans out in the cold.

• Spash! These carts will have a custom title screen (as shown above), and will report themselves a PhillyClassic Special Edition versions. The Manual and Overlays will share the Special Edition logo, shown at right. You can also see the Special Edition logo on everything (except the PCB itself) in this picture.

• Numbering: I will hand-number the EPROMs inside the cartridge (in case a cart shell bites the dust), using a "silver" marker. Tim Lindner has also digitally numbered each of the Special Edition cartridge labels. Click here for a closeup that shows the cart labels.

• Preorders: I am no longer accepting preorders! The lucky last slot in my 2-dozen preorders was filled by an email I got early this morning. I accepted two dozen preorders for cartridges. Pre-paid orders will be guaranteed, and I will hold the cartridge for the purchaser as long as necessary. I can also ship the cartridge for the purchases, if they're willing to pay shipping. Non-paid orders will be held until noon, Saturday April 21st, at which point the carts become available for general sale.

• Price: Cartridge, with overlays and color printed manual will be $45 apiece. I was previously offering a "without manual" price, but nobody who has preordered so far has ordered one without a manual! So, I'm no longer offering that option.

• Payment and Ordering: If you have already preordered, please email me with "PhillyClassic 4-Tris Preorder" in the Subject line to pay for your preorder. For payment, I will accept PayPal, cashier's checks or money orders for $45 (+ shipping, if you're not picking your cartridge up in Philly). If you're paying in-person at Philly, I can accept cash, cashier's check, or money orders. I prefer not to accept personal checks. (Sorry.)

• Number 1: I am planning to auction #1 off at PhillyClassic. I will try to have Chuck Whitby coordinate the auctioning for me.

• For more information:

  • The 4-Tris homepage.
  • The PhillyClassic 2001 homepage.

Special Thanks!

I would like to extend a special THANK YOU to the following people:

• Chad Schell, who did the hardware design for the 4-Tris cartridges. Without his help, these cartridges would not exist.
• Tim Lindner, who did the manual layout and is making the overlays. These really do add a crowning touch to the whole package.
• 4-Jays, for providing the bulk of the cartridge shells for this venture.
• Chuck Whitby and the rest of the PhillyClassic organizers, for putting together such a cool event, and allowing me to make my new release there.
• And, to all the Intellivisionaries! for helping keep this cool platform alive for over 23 years!

As I get updates in status, I'll place the information here. For now, here's the current news, as of today, Apr 12th:

• Preorders are NOW CLOSED! Sorry -- you'll have to buy your cart at PhillyClassic if you haven't preordered yet.
• The boards are here! I'm busily assembling and QC'ing carts.
• The manuals, overlays and labels are printed. I received the overlays in the mail (on Mar 27th), and they're freakin' awesome. Tim Lindner is the man! Check out this picture to see what I mean.
• Special Thanks to 4-Jays, as they've sent me a fine batch of Intellivision cartridge shells.
• I've posted some digital photos of the carts, PCBs, overlays, and manual.
• I've sent email out to all of the people who have preordered a cart. If you've preordered, but haven't heard from me, PLEASE CONTACT ME NOW!

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