I have a sneaking suspicion that the 7800 keeps coming up because many of us use it to play our 2600 games. I haven't had an actual 2600 hooked up in years. Thus, it all blends a bit to feel like "one system." But I certainly agree - it is ultimately a completely different beast and is decidedly third gen.
The homebrew scene is certainly intriguing and I'll admit that $$$ is the main reason I haven't explored it. Many of these games are $30+ and for that price I could buy something like 10 old retail Atari carts. But I do plan on getting some homebrew carts eventually; those other Adventure titles are especially intriguing. What's neat is that the latest Flashback systems include a healthy dose of homebrew games - for instance, Mecha-8 is on the Coleco one. Amazing.
(oh and there is a great home console port of Scramble from back in the day - but it's on Vectrex

marlowe221 wrote:So.... I want an Intellivision.
Which model do I want?
I don't know if it matters, honestly. Unless you collect hardware variations shoot for whatever is cheapest and in the best condition. I got mine locally a few years ago for $50. Came with 40 games! getting tougher to find deals like that. It's a great system - enjoy!