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History
The HyperScan was Mattel’s second major attempt to enter the dedicated video-game console market, following the Intellivision of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Released in late 2006, just weeks before the Sony PlayStation 3 and during the rise of the Nintendo Wii, the system tried to capitalize on the popularity of collectible trading cards among tweens (ages 8 and up).
The core concept was straightforward: combine traditional video-game play with RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology embedded in physical trading cards. Players would scan special IntelliCards to unlock characters, abilities, power-ups, levels, and to save progress. Mattel marketed the HyperScan as an “industry-first hybrid” that blended collector-card collecting with button-mashing video games.
Mattel was founded in 1945 in a Los Angeles garage by Harold “Matt” Matson, Ruth Handler, and Elliot Handler. The company name is a portmanteau of “Matt” and “Elliot.” Originally focused on picture frames and dollhouse furniture, Mattel quickly shifted to toys and became one of the world’s largest toy manufacturers, best known for Barbie (introduced in 1959) and Hot Wheels (1968).
In the late 1970s, as video games exploded in popularity, Mattel created a dedicated electronics division (Mattel Electronics) and entered the market. Its first major success was the Intellivision, released in 1979–1980. The console competed directly with the Atari 2600, offering superior graphics and sound for its time, and sold roughly three million units. Mattel also released the short-lived Aquarius home computer in 1983. The video-game crash of 1983 hit the company hard; Mattel Electronics posted massive losses and was shut down in 1984. The Intellivision rights were sold off, and Mattel largely stayed out of the dedicated console business for more than two decades. Instead, they acted as a distributor for video game in various country, including for the Nintendo Entertainment System.
In 2006, Mattel decided to re-enter the market with a new hybrid concept aimed at tweens. The HyperScan combined traditional video-game play on CD-ROM with collectible trading cards that used RFID technology. Players could scan physical cards to unlock characters, abilities, levels, and save progress. The RFID reader and the rewritable tags embedded in the IntelliCards were developed and supplied by Innovision Research & Technology, a UK-based fabless semiconductor company specializing in low-cost contactless RFID and NFC solutions. Innovision’s technology allowed Mattel to offer a mass-market reader/writer and game cards at a significantly lower cost than previous RFID systems.
The HyperScan was positioned as an affordable “toy-to-life” system that blended the collectibility of trading cards with video-game action, arriving just as the seventh-generation console war (PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360) was beginning.
Release
The HyperScan launched in North America on October 23, 2006, at a retail price of $69.99. The standard package included the cube-shaped console, one controller, the pack-in X-Men game on CD-ROM, and six X-Men IntelliCards. A two-player value pack (sold primarily online) added a second controller and extra cards.
Three games were available at or near launch:
- X-Men (pack-in fighting game)
- Ben 10
- Interstellar Wrestling League
Marvel Heroes , the 4th game for the console, was released in November 2006 followed by SpiderMan which was exclusively released at a Toys ‘R Us.Each game pack retailed for $19.99 and included the disc plus a starter set of six or seven cards. Additional randomized Booster Packs containing more cards sold for around $10.
Demise
The HyperScan was a commercial failure. Critics panned its outdated 2D graphics, long loading times, limited game library, and overall toy-like build quality. Sales were poor from the start. Within months the console was heavily discounted (down to $9.99), games fell to $1.99, and booster packs to $0.99. Only five games were ever released; two more (Avatar: The Last Airbender and Nick Extreme Sports) were cancelled. Mattel discontinued the system less than a year after launch, in 2007. Lifetime sales are estimated at around 30,000 units, although no official statement were made by Mattel.
Games
Only five titles were released:
| Game | Genre | Cards released | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Men | Fighting | 56 | Pack-in, rated T |
| Ben 10 | Side-scrolling | 80 | |
| Interstellar Wrestling League | Fighting | 54 | |
| Marvel Heroes | Side-scrolling | 70 | |
| Spider-Man | Side-scrolling | 59 | Toys “R” Us exclusive in some markets |
Canceled Games
Avatar: The Last Airbender was announced at the console launched and was planned to be released in 2007. The game was finished and ready to be distributed, but was ultimately canceled due to the poor sale of the systems. It’s rumored that some copy of the games might have been distributed, but there’s nothing to substantiate these claims at the moment.
Nick Extreme Sports (initially called Nickelodeon Sports) was a title in the early stages of development. It was canceled at the same time as Avatar and for the same reason.
Legacy
While the GoLive MystiKats is, to our knowledge, the first video game console to incorporate toy-to-life experience, predating the Hyperscan by a month, the Hyperscan was the first home console to do it. It was also the first video game console to requires the toys to play the game and the first to sell additional toys (booster pack in our case) to enhance the experience.
Technical Specifications
- SoC: Sunplus SPG290 (approx. 108 MHz)
- Memory: 16 MB SDRAM
- Display: 640 × 480 resolution, 65,535 colors (RGB 565)
- Video output: Composite
- Media: CD-ROM (UDF format)
- Controllers: Up to two gamepads
- RFID scanner: 13.56 MHz (reads and writes to IntelliCards)
- Card capacity: Approximately 96 bytes of user memory + unique ID per card