In its brief two-year lifespan, ColecoVision broke expectations and sales records.
Having more than one game also made the Telstar the world’s first dedicated console.
At first, the Telstar was a big seller.
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Over the next two years, Coleco released several models, each with morePongvariations and increased quality.
The microchip that Telstar used was manufactured by General Electric.
Eventually, Atari turned to GE as it was a cheaper solution than manufacturing the chips itself.
Coleco Holdings, LLC.
Soon the market was flooded with hundreds of Pong rip-offs, and sales started to decrease.
In 1977, Atari released the Atari 2600 (also called the Atari VCS).
Many tried to compete but failed until ColecoVision came along.
Coleco Holdings, LLC.
Coleco delivered by being the first to put a computer processor into a home video game console.
Nintendo’s main game business came from arcades with its first major hit,Donkey Kong.
The chance to play the arcade hit at home drove sales of the console to major success.
Coleco Holdings, LLC.
Coleco Holdings, LLC.
The other factor in the ColecoVision breaking sales records was its first Expansion Module.
This pushed ColecoVision over the top as it quickly outsold Atari and Intellivision in a matter of months.
Ataritried to intervene by suing Coleco for violating their 2600 patent.
Coleco squeezed through the courts by proving it had built its emulator with off-the-shelf parts.
The Games
The ColecoVision touted arcade-quality games in a home system.
TheDonkey Konggame that came with the system is the closest ColecoVision came to recreating an original arcade game.
It’s the most comprehensive version ofDonkey Kongreleased for a home system.
Visually and gameplay-wise, numerous ColecoVision titles couldn’t hold a flame to the coin-op counterparts, such asGalagaandPopeye.
Expansion Model #2 ended up being an advanced Steering Wheel controller peripheral.
Still, it wasn’t a big seller.
Plus, only a handful of compatible games were designed for it.
Everyone was confident the SGM would be a hit.
That June, Coleco unexpectedly delayed the SGM release.
Two months later, it canceled the project.
Instead, Coleco released a different Expansion Module #3, the Adam Computer.
Hence, the Adam was born.
Although an advanced system, the Adam was plagued with bugs and hardware malfunctions.
Coleco lost money on the Adam as the Video Game Market Crash hit.
Starting in 1988, the company began to sell off its assets and closed its doors a year later.
Although the company as we know it no longer exists, the brand name was sold.
In 2005, a new Coleco was formed, specializing in electronic toys and dedicated handheld games.
