ColecoVision
The ColecoVision is a second-generation video game console developed and sold by Coleco Industries in August of 1982. Like other consoles of the time, it used ROM cartridges, and, following in the precedent set by the Intellivision, it used a number pad on the controllers which were hard-wired into the console. The pack-in game was the best home port of Donkey Kong available at the time.
The console was one of the last to be released in the second-generation, so it was technically superior to its rivals, especially the Atari 2600, the most popular console of the generation. However, because it was released so late in the generation, it only had a little time to make a name for itself before the third-generation consoles were released, and it never exploded in popularity like the 2600. However, with over 2 million units sold, it was still the third most popular console of its generation.
The console's CPU is a Zilog Z80A. Its graphics chip is a modified Texas Instruments TMS9918, which is superior to the Intellivision and vastly superior to the Atari 2600. The audio chip is a Texas Instruments SN76489 which is equivalent to the Intellivision and superior to the Atari 2600. The console also featured an expansion port which additional hardware could be plugged in. Its first expansion allowed the console to be cross-platform compatible with the Atari 2600.
Personal
I remember hearing a little about the the ColecoVision in the late 1980s, and seeing the Coleco logo on some Atari 2600 games (like Donkey Kong, but I never played the console in real life. In the early 2000s, a friend of mine was leaving his parent's house and didn't have a place to keep his stuff (including an old ColecoVision), so he let me have it. However, it was missing the power cable, so I never played it. Later, when emulation became popular, I started playing through various games on the system and found them to be almost entirely weak arcade ports. Those few games made unique for the system are so primitive they lacked the depth necessary for an enjoyable game, so I never gave the system much attention.
I own a ColecoVision and Expansion Module #1, but I don't know if it works. I have two games. I have two Coleco Adam controllers and a Coleco Gemini paddle set.
Hardware
- Expansion Module #1 - Allows Atari 2600 games to be played on the ColecoVision.
- Expansion Module #2 - Driving controller.
- Expansion Module #3 - Adam computer.
- Roller Controller - Trackball controller.
- Super Action Controller Set - Dual joysticks.
Games
- See all ColecoVision Games.
Initial Games
The ColecoVision's pack-in title was Donkey Kong.
The following games were available at the console's launch: Carnival, Cosmic Avenger, Donkey Kong, Lady Bug, Mouse Trap, Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, Turbo, Venture, and Zaxxon
Personal
There are no games for the ColecoVision that are important to me.
Review
I don't know enough about the console to write a proper review.
Media
Power plug diagram.
Links
- 8bitworkshop.com - Online development.
