Jay G.

Well, he did say grandparents, so maybe the name Intellivision is still familiar to them?

That said, you're right that the Switch would be the most likely recommendation.

One big issue with these new consoles is always software support. People aren't going to buy the consoles unless there's going to be a good number of games for it, and game developers aren't likely to make games for it until a lot of people have it. A giant company like Microsoft can push into the console market via lots of money, and being able to absorb the losses from the first generation before they get enough market penetration and brand recognition to matter. Ouya and Atari and others are just too small to be able to make an impact on their own.

Analogue had a lot of problems, especially with their first console, which was delayed and crazy expensive. Analogue has since proven itself, but just because Analogue is now considered a safe bet doesn't necessarily mean Polymega is bad.

Also, Analogue tends to stick to a single console per device, so you need multiple devices, which can add up. At least their Mega SG has a cartridge adapter set so you can play other Sega systems. Analogue also only goes up through the 16-bit era consoles at the moment, so if you want Playstation or later, you need to look elsewhere.

Jay G.

Sony had video game experience. They had a game studio that released some NES, SNES, Genesis, and Sega CD games.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Imagesoft

Sony had also just worked win Nintendo on a CD-ROM add-on for the SNES, and a all-in-one console combining both called, wait for it, the Playstation. Nintendo cancelled it, which prompted Sony to venture out on their own.

So Sony had some experience both making games and designing console hardware.

Same with Microsoft, which had extensive experience making video games, as well as designing the DirectX API, which lead to making a dedicated box for playing DirectX games, a DirectX Box if you will... or Xbox. There's a reason why the first Xbox was basically a locked down x86 PC running a stripped down Windows NT kernel.

Additionally, both Microsoft and Sony had one critical thing for breaking into the games market: money. They could spend the R&D to actually come up with a competitive consoles that could appeal to both developers and gamers, and be able to promise to mass produce it at a level that kept the price down and meant it'd be widely available. Sega got out after the Dreamcast because even though the Dreamcast was selling well, it wasn't selling well enough to offset the losses Sega had taken recently, and Sega basically only survived because a major Sega stakeholder forgave a massive $500 million loan and gave back $695 million in stock.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sega#S...%E2%80%932003)

This Intellivision will make a small blip as some curious for the novelty, or maybe even lured by the built in games, will buy it. But it's an uphill battle to keep a sustained interest, especially if the schedule of new releases is a slow drip.

Mike86

True. The first Analogue device was pretty crazy expensive (I think like $500 for the NT). I didn’t follow it super close so I don’t remember the delays. Just now they’ve proven to be reliable, and at least their products do see release.

I also will agree that one console per Analogue device is somewhat of a drawback. They’re good if you’re really into a particular console. I’ve thought of buying some of their products, but haven’t made the commitment yet. I would like the Pocket at some point when it’s available.