ColecoVisionToy
manufacturer Coleco Industries released the ColecoVision in August
1982. Initially billed as "The Arcade Quality Video Game System," it
would battle against Atari's VCS and Mattel's Intellivision, two
well-established industry giants. ColecoVision would become the
videogame connoisseur's choice in platforms.
Coleco wanted a blockbuster "pack-in" game to introduce their
console to the market. They needed a game that would be so
attractive to players they would have to purchase the ColecoVision
system just to play it. The game Coleco selected was Nintendo's 1981
arcade hit Donkey Kong. Before the end of 1982, they had sold
600,000 units.
Nine games were available for ColecoVision at the system's launch,
most being converted arcade games. Coleco attracted considerable
consumer interest by releasing a large number of arcade titles for
play on their system. The ColecoVision system offered 48K of RAM
(Random Access Memory) and was powered by an 8-bit Z-80A
microprocessor. It was unique for allowing up to 32 sprites be
displayed on-screen at any one time.
Later in 1982, Coleco announced the sale of the $60 Expansion Module
#1. It inserted into the "Expansion Module Interface" slot located
on the front of the console, allowing Atari 2600 games to be played
on the ColecoVision. Ports for 2600 joysticks were located on the
module.
Coleco subsequently released Expansion Module #2. It was designed
for use with driving games. It consisted of a full-sized steering
wheel and miniature dashboard. The Turbo game cartridge was included
with the module.
Coleco also released the Super Action Controller for ColecoVision,
featuring a gun grip with four firing buttons on the handle and a
joystick at the top. There is an eight-button keypad on the top face
of the controller for game selection. Coleco packaged it with the
Super Action Baseball cartridge. Later, Coleco released the Roller
Controller, a track-ball that came packaged with the Slither game
cartridge.
In February 1983 Coleco announced the arrival of the Expansion
Module #3 (also known as the Super Game Module). It was scheduled to
be released in August 1983 and packaged with the Super Donkey Kong
game cartridge. Coleco said it would provide an additional one
million bits to their console. The module would read "Super Game
Wafers," or thin micro-cassettes, that contained specially enhanced
games.
These wafers could hold enough programming data to accommodate true
arcade-level software. The "Super Games" played on the Expansion
Module #3 would feature intermissions, additional levels and high
score lists. It would also permit the play of original Colecovision
cartridges. The introductory retail price of the module was planned
to be $120. In October 1983, Coleco canceled plans for release of
the module.
By late 1983, Coleco invested all its energy into the Adam computer
system. Instead of releasing Expansion Module #3, they announced
that for $400, ColecoVision owners could transform their console
into a home computer. This would happen when a module was inserted
into the system's expansion port. Included with the module would be
a 75-key keyboard and a letter quality printer. Plans for releasing
the ColecoVision computer adapter were dropped in 1984. That year
Coleco had sold less than 100,000 units of the Adam system and
suffered losses of close to $80 million.
Coleco discontinued production of ColecoVision in midst of the
videogame market crash in 1984. An estimate six million consoles
were sold in two years.
— Dave Beuscher
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