Have you noticed that the ColecoVision is celebrating its 25th anniversary
this year? Coleco released the system in 1982, with a handful of arcade ports
- the most famous being Donkey Kong - and so began a love affair with a
devoted fanbase that's still vibrant today. If you're reading this, I have to
assume you're a ColecoVision fan, which means you probably know most of the
story of the console and its games already, so I'm not going to waste your
valuable time reminiscing about my own childhood memories related to the
ColecoVision. Let's just say that, when I was a kid, I far preferred the
ColecoVision over all other video game systems. I was really a Coleco kid,
and a Coleco ADAM kid as well.
I would rather talk about the present. We all know that time has not been
kind for our beloved console. And I'm not talking about how technologically
out-dated the console is, but rather about the fact that it's getting harder
and harder to find a unit in good working condition these days. Buying a
ColecoVision on eBay is always a pretty big gamble, as the system is notorious
for breaking down: When it's not the power switch that's causing all sorts of
glitches, the standard controllers are worn out or downright broken, or the
power supply unit stops working... And don't get me started about the
expansion modules! How many driving controllers stopped working over time?
Plenty of them.
The ColecoVision is plagued with hardware problems, mostly because Coleco
used the cheapest parts available to build its console, and 25 years later,
we're feeling the aftermath of that money-saving corporate decision. However,
there are still plenty of CV fans out there today, and plenty of fully
functional CV cartridges available in the wild - dozens of carts pop up on
eBay every day - so I can't help but ask the question: How about re-releasing
the ColecoVision?
I like to believe that the greater majority of people who hang on to their
ColecoVision would gladly ditch their old dusty console in favor of a fully
backward-compatible modern replacement. Something smaller, with better
controllers and a power supply that doesn't weigh a ton. Telegames tried to
do just that with their repackaged Dina 2-in-1 console, but it didn't work,
mostly because it was released with no marketing budget, and because it
couldn't compete with more advanced systems like Nintendo's NES. Today,
however, with the whole "retro gaming vibe" happening and the internet being
such a great communication tool, a revamped ColecoVision console could make
real waves, at least within the hardcore CV community.
Below are a couple of mockups of how I envision this new incarnation of the
ColecoVision. For clarity purposes, let's call it the "CV2".
And here are the CV2's basic specs:
ColecoVision-on-a-chip internal design: This would help to reduce
the needed circuitry, and perhaps also the system's power consumption. This
has already been done in FPGA
form, so it's not a far-fetched idea.
Same cartridge port as the original CV console: All existing
ColecoVision game cartridges would be fully compatible with the CV2, which
is an important feature, because the company that would theoretically
produce and sell the CV2 wouldn't have to acquire any game licenses, arcade
or otherwise. They could just sell the system itself, and buyers would
simply use the CV games they already own, or track down used ColecoVision
cartridges, which are very easy to find in most cases. Such people are
really the core audience of the CV2, so it makes no sense to alienate them
by creating a video game console that cannot play original CV cartridges.
16K of native RAM: This is how much RAM the original
ColecoVision could theoretically address anyway, so the RAM might as well
be upgraded from its pitifully restrictive single kilobyte. Old CV games
wouldn't use the extra RAM, but new games could... However, such a RAM
upgrade implies that the CV2 would probably NOT be equipped with an
expansion port, but what this really means is that the Expansion Module #1
(a.k.a. the Atari 2600 adapter) and the Expansion Module #3 (a.k.a. the
ADAM computer add-on) couldn't be used with the CV2. Would that be such a
great loss? I don't think so either. :-)
Modern TV and audio output jacks: A/V, S-Video, composite, all
the TV and sound system output options that hardcore retro gamers need to
plug their CV2 system on a modern TV.
Ergonomic D-pad controllers: As pictured above, the CV2's
controller wouldn't be nearly as cramp-inducing as the original CV controller,
and with a D-Pad instead of a joystick, diagonal movements wouldn't be as much
of a chore. The controller's cord could also be longer (this was another flaw
of the original CV controller), and it could be equiped with a standard 9-pin
connector, so an original ColecoVision controller (or even a Super Action
Controller) could theoretically be used if the user really wanted to use one
with the CV2. The keypad on the CV2's standard controller could be equipped
with overlays similar to the ones Coleco made for the Super Action Controller.
In my controller mockup above, the overlay is held in place with a couple of
elastics, but that's just one possible way of locking down overlays on the
controller. Also notice the Super Action spinner sticking out from under
the controller, and the two shoulder buttons which are mapped to the two
extra trigger buttons found on the Super Action Controller.
While we're at it, why not upgrade the video chip and the sound chips, like
Opcode Games will be doing with the Opgrade
Module? The old chips used in the original CV are no longer available
commercially, but the V9958 (the fully backward-compatible successor to the
ColecoVision's TMS9928 video chip) is still available today at relatively
cheap prices. Same goes for the sounds chips, which could also be upgraded
without compromising compatibility with legacy software.
Honestly, I'm no business analyst by any means, so I don't know if the CV2
would sell in profitable numbers. But I believe it could in today's context,
and considering that the Coleco and ColecoVision brand is currently owned by
River West Brands, maker of electronic games, I'd say all the pieces could
easely fall into place, with a little effort and good will. As the original
ColecoVision console is very homebrew-friendly, the CV2 could be equally
interesting for bedroom coders. I just hope someone at River West Brands will
be reading this...
LATEST NEWS
Well, I have some good news and some bad news for you this month: The bad
news is that it is unlikely that we'll be able to release Pac-Man Collection
in April. The target date has been moved to the end of May, or beginning of
June. The good news is that I can now show you what the front of the box will
look like:
As you may already be aware of, Pac-Man Collection will be the first Opcode
release to use Bryan Edewaard's 128K MegaCart, and for the occasion, our good
friend Dale Crum has created a MegaCart logo, which we will use on the
packaging of each of our future MegaCart-equipped game releases. Check it out:
Now that's a great-looking logo, don't you think? :-)
That's all for this month. Long live the ColecoVision!
