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ColecoVision
A "CBS ColecoVision" unit
Manufacturer Coleco
Type Video game console
Generation Second generation
First available US August 1982
EU 1982
Discontinued 1984[1]
CPU Zilog Z80
Media ROM cartridge
Controller input Joystick/Numeric Keypad
Roller Controller
Driving Controller
Super Action Controller
Units sold 6 million[1]
Best-selling game Donkey Kong (pack-in)

The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console and was released in August 1982. A console manufacturer is a company that manufactures and distributes Video game consoles It is also known as a first-party Video game publisher. Coleco was a company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as " Co nnecticut Le ather Co mpany " Video games were introduced as a commercial entertainment medium in 1971, becoming the basis for an important entertainment industry in the late 1970s/early 1980s in the United In the history of computer and video games the second generation (sometimes referred to as the early 8 bit era) began in 1976 with the release of the Fairchild The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events December 27 - Starcade, a Video game Television Game show, debuts on TBS in the United States Events Notable releases Alley Cat is released for IBM PC compatibles * King's Quest ( Sierra, IBM The Zilog Z80 is an 8-bit Microprocessor designed and sold by Zilog from July 1976 onwards A ROM cartridge is a removable cartridge that contains ROM devices and commonly Flash memory devices to allow some read-write capability This is a list of Video game consoles and Handheld game consoles that have sold or shipped at least one million units This is a list of Video games that have sold or shipped at least one million copies including the top ten best-selling franchises. is an Arcade game developed by Nintendo, and released in. It is an early example of the platform genre as the Gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main A pack-in game (or bundled game is a game that is included with the purchase of a Video game console. Coleco was a company founded in 1932 by Maurice Greenberg as " Co nnecticut Le ather Co mpany " In the history of computer and video games the second generation (sometimes referred to as the early 8 bit era) began in 1976 with the release of the Fairchild Events December 27 - Starcade, a Video game Television Game show, debuts on TBS in the United States The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, the ability to play Atari 2600 video games, and the means to expand the system's hardware. An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in businesses such as Restaurants Pubs Video arcades and Family Entertainment The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977 The ColecoVision was released with an initial catalog of 12 titles, with 10 additional titles on the way for 1982. Approximately 170 titles were released in the form of plug-in cartridges between 1982 and 1985. In various types of electronic equipment a cartridge can refer one method of adding different functionality or content (e

Contents

History

Coleco licensed Nintendo's Donkey Kong as the official pack-in cartridge for all ColecoVision consoles, and this version of the game was well received as a near-arcade perfect port, helping to boost the console's popularity. is a Multinational corporation headquartered in Kyoto Japan founded on is an Arcade game developed by Nintendo, and released in. It is an early example of the platform genre as the Gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main See also Software portability In Computer science, porting is the process of adapting software so that an executable program can be created By Christmas of 1982, Coleco had sold 500,000 units, largely on the strength of its bundled game. The ColecoVision's main competitor in the next generation console space was the arguably more advanced but less commercially successful Atari 5200. The Atari 5200 SuperSystem, or simply the Atari 5200, is a Video game console that was introduced in 1982 by Atari Inc

The ColecoVision was distributed by CBS Electronics outside of the United States, and was branded the CBS ColecoVision. CBS Corporation () is an American Media conglomerate focused on Broadcasting, Publishing, Billboards, and Television The United States of America —commonly referred to as the

Sales quickly passed one million in early 1983, before the video game crash of 1983. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The North American video game crash of 1983 (sometimes known as the video game crash of 1984 because it was in that year that the full effects of the crash became apparent The ColecoVision was discontinued in the spring of 1984. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Even with its late difficulties, the ColecoVision still sold more than six million units. In 1986, Bit Corporation produced a ColecoVision clone called the Dina, which was sold in the United States by Telegames as the Telegames Personal Arcade. Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Bit Corporation (普澤 Pu Ze in Chinese was a Taiwanese Game developer and console manufacturer The Dina is a Video game console originally manufactured by Bit Corporation, later sold in the United States by Telegames as the Telegames The Telegames Personal Arcade was the US version of Bit Corporation 's DINA 2-in-1.

River West Brands currently owns the ColecoVision brand. [2]

Hardware

The main console unit consists of a 14x8x2 inch rectangular plastic case that houses the motherboard, with a cartridge slot on the right side and connectors for the external power supply and RF jack at the rear. Power supply is a reference to a source of Electrical power. A device or system that supplies Electrical or other types of Energy to an output load An RF connector is an Electrical connector designed to work at Radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range The controllers connect into plugs in a recessed area on the top of the unit. A game controller is an Input device used to control a Video game.

The design of the controllers is similar to that of Mattel's Intellivision — the controller is rectangular and consists of a numeric keypad and a set of side buttons. Mattel Inc ( is the world's largest Toy importing company based on revenue The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979. In place of the circular control disc below the keypad, the Coleco controller has a short, 1. 5-inch joystick. A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling The keypad is designed to accept a thin plastic overlay that maps the keys for a particular game. Each ColecoVision console shipped with two controllers.

All first-party cartridges and most third-party software titles feature a twelve-second pause before presenting the game select screen. This delay results from an intentional loop in the console's BIOS to enable on-screen display of the ColecoVision brand. In Computing, the BIOS (ˈbaɪoʊs Companies like Parker Brothers, Activision, and Micro Fun bypassed this loop, which necessitated embedding portions of the BIOS outside the delay loop, further reducing storage available to actual game programming. Parker Brothers is a Toy and Game Manufacturer and Brand. Over nearly 115 years the company published more than 1800 games among their Activision Inc is an American Video game developer and publisher.

Technical specifications

Similarities to other platforms

The ColecoVision contains the same CPU and graphics chip as the MSX and Sega SG-1000/SC-3000. A Video Display Controller or VDC is an Integrated circuit which is the main component in a Video signal generator, a device responsible for the production Texas Instruments ( better known in the electronics industry (and popularly as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA The TMS9918 is a Video Display Controller (VDC manuafactured by Texas Instruments. Texas Instruments ( better known in the electronics industry (and popularly as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA The SN76489 Digital Complex Sound Generator (DCSG is a TTL -compatible Programmable Sound Generator chip from Texas Instruments. MSX was the name of a standardized Home computer architecture in the 1980s The, which stands for Sega Game 1000, is a cartridge-based Video game console manufactured by Sega. It also shares a sound chip with Sega consoles (including the Master System), making them identical in hardware capabilities. The Sega Master System is an 8-bit cartridge-based Video game console that was manufactured by Sega and was first released in 1986. The MSX contains a different sound chip that is very similar in capabilities, the General Instruments AY-3-8910. AY-3-8910 is a 3-voice Programmable Sound Generator (PSG designed by General Instrument, initially for use with their 16-bit CP1610 or one of the PIC1650 series For this reason it is very easy to port games between the three systems.

Expansion modules

From its introduction, Coleco had touted a hardware add-on called the Expansion Module #1 which made the ColecoVision compatible with the industry-leading Atari 2600. The Atari 2600 is a Video game console released in October 1977 Functionally, this gave the ColecoVision the largest software library of any console of its day. The expansion module prompted legal action from Atari, but Atari was unable to stop sales of the module because the 2600 could be reproduced with standard parts. Coleco was also able to design and market the Gemini game system which was an exact clone of the 2600, but with combined joystick/paddle controllers. The Coleco Gemini was an Atari 2600 clone manufactured by Coleco.

Expansion Module #2 is a driving controller expansion that consists of a steering wheel, gas pedal and the pack-in game Turbo. The driving controller is also compatible with the games Destructor and Dukes Of Hazzard.

Expansion Module #3, the final hardware expansion module, was released in the summer of 1983. Module #3 converts the ColecoVision into a full-fledged computer known as the Coleco Adam, complete with keyboard and digital data pack (DDP) cassette drives. The Coleco Adam was a Home computer, an attempt in the early 1980s by American toy manufacturer Coleco to follow on the success of its ColecoVision Module #3 was originally conceived to be the ColecoVision Super Game Module using game wafers as the storage medium. Although Coleco presented a mock-up of the SGM at the 1983 New York Toy Show, that product was never manufactured. There were also rumors that Expansion Module #3 was to have incorporated an RCA CED player to store larger amounts of data. RCA Corporation, founded as Radio Corporation of America, was an electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986 The Capacitance Electronic Disc (or CED) was a video playback system developed by RCA, in which video and audio could be played back on a TV using a special analog

Coleco prototyped a fourth expansion module intended to provide compatibility with Mattel's Intellivision, but this was never released.

Two controller expansions were also available. First was the Roller Controller, a trackball packaged with a port of the arcade game Slither, a Centipede clone. Centipede is a vertically-oriented Shoot 'em up Arcade game produced by Atari in 1980 The second was the Super Action Controller Set, resembling a pair of boxing gloves each with joystick and numeric keypad on top and a series of buttons along the grip. It came with the game Super Action Baseball and saw later release of the Rocky-inspired Super Action Boxing and a port of Front Line. Rocky is a 1976 Film written by and starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by John G Front Line is a Military Combat -themed Arcade game released in 1982 by Taito Corporation.

Games

See also: List of ColecoVision games

Coleco's software approach was to license arcade games that Atari had not. This is a list of games for the ColecoVision video game console, organized alphabetically by name Realizing that Atari had firm support from Namco (the creators of Pac-Man and many other hits), Coleco entered into contracts with companies such as Sega, Konami, and Universal. is an amusement company based in Japan, best known overseas for Video games development is an Arcade game developed by Namco and licensed for distribution is a multinational Video game Software and Hardware development company and a former Home computer () is a leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys Trading cards, Anime, Tokusatsu, Slot machines ( (pronounced "Ah-roo-zeh" is a Japanese manufacturer of Pachinko, Slot machines and other gaming Given that the ColecoVision could produce near arcade-quality ports, industry magazines like Electronic Games were unanimous in their enthusiasm over the console. Electronic Games was the first Video game Magazine published in the United States and ran from 1981 to 1984

Some of the more popular games include Donkey Kong (the pack-in), Donkey Kong Junior, Carnival, Lady Bug, Mouse Trap, and Zaxxon. is an Arcade game developed by Nintendo, and released in. It is an early example of the platform genre as the Gameplay focuses on maneuvering the main For the character of the same name see Donkey Kong Junior. is a 1982 arcade -style platform Video game by Nintendo Carnival is a Fixed shooter Arcade game created by Sega in 1980 not to be confused with CarnEvil, and has the distinction of being Lady Bug is a Pac-Man -like maze-based Insect -themed Arcade game produced by Universal Games and released in 1981. Mouse Trap is a 1981 Arcade game released by Exidy, similar to Pac-Man. Zaxxon is a 1982 Arcade game developed by Ikegami Tsushinki and released by Sega. Coleco also popularized lesser known arcade games, such as Venture, Cosmic Avenger, and Mr. Do!. Venture is a 1981 Arcade game by Exidy. It was ported to a number of home consoles, including the Atari 2600 Cosmic Avenger is a 1981 Arcade game developed and published by Universal. Mr Do! is an Arcade game created by Universal in 1982.  Remotely similar in gameplay to Namco 's popular Dig Dug In some cases, the console versions were arguably superior to the arcade versions, as seen in Space Panic. Space Panic is a 1980 Arcade game designed by Universal. Chris Crawford calls it the first ever Coleco also made ports of many of these games for the Atari 2600 and Intellivision, in an effort to broaden its market. The Intellivision is a Video game console released by Mattel in 1979.

Compared to arcade ports, the ColecoVision did not offer many games original to the console, though a few notable releases are Smurf: Rescue in Gargamel's Castle, War Room, Illusions, and Fortune Builder, an early milestone in the style of SimCity. Smurf Rescue in Gargamel's Castle is a Video game for the ColecoVision and Atari 2600 in which the player must War Room is a Video game version of a fictional nuclear defense that was programmed by Robert S Illusions is a surreal ColecoVision Video game in which the player maneuvers blobs around the screen trying to get them to merge or alternately split SimCity is a city-building simulation game, first released in 1989 and designed by Will Wright.

Coleco was infamous for its vaporware offerings. Vaporware is a somewhat derogatory term used to describe a Software or Hardware product that is announced by a developer well in advance of release but which then An example of such was to be an adaptation of Tunnels and Trolls. Tunnels & Trolls (abbreviated T&T) is a 1975 Fantasy Role-playing game designed by Ken St It is not known whether the game's printed screen shots were from an actual prototype or were merely pre-development illustrations. The ColecoVision's box itself bears several other examples, among them Chess Challenger, Side Trak, Rip Cord, Horse Racing, and Mr. Turtle.

In 1997, Kevin Horton wrote the ColecoVision's first homebrew, the Tetris clone Kevtris. Homebrew is a term frequently applied to Video games produced by consumers to target Proprietary hardware platforms not typically user-programmable or that use proprietary Tetris (Тетрис is a Video puzzle game originally designed and programmed by Alexey Pajitnov in June 1985 while working for the Dorodnicyn Since then, dozens of homebrew games have been released.

References

  1. ^ a b ColecoVision - 1982-1984. ClassicGaming. IGN. IGN (abbreviated and formerly known as I magine G ames N etwork is a multimedia news and reviews Website that focuses heavily on Video Retrieved on 2008-05-16. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire.
  2. ^ Trademark Registration for River West Brands

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