The official "ColecoVision 2" thread

[NIAD]

The original Coleco roller controller should work fine with the ColecoVision II as long as one uses the original ColecoVision power supply to power the roller controller.

Didn't even consider having the CV Power Supply plugged-in and tte Roller Controller Power Adapter attached to it all by it's lonesome. It somewhat defeats the purpose of the CV 2 by having to use the old Power Brick as well, but if you must have the Roller Controller, that would be the easiest way to go.

 

Maybe I am just having some bad experiences with Coleco controllers. New Coleco controllers are over $50 on EBAY and when I use the Coleco controller my game play quality does not match the game play quality of a PS/2 keyboard with emulation. Using the arrow keys on the PS/2 keyboard has greatly increased the quality of game play over the Coleco controller. Maybe I need to get the 31 year old Coleco controllers serviced so that they operate properly.

Definetly having bad expeiences because you shoudl be able to obtain them on eBay for between $5-$15. Now if you are talking about a CIB Hand Controller in it's generic Coleco box, $50 is right in the ballpark.

 

31 years without servicing your controllers! No wonder you prefer emulation and a keyboard for input.

[+grips03]

Wow I wish there was this much interest in the CV controller I made

 

If you like the original get some from Yurkie, ball top is much nicer and the cords too

[Jordiway]

this system needs to have its own controller, you dont play SNES with nes controllers. I still like doubledown's mod the best it wouldnt be that hard to mass produce these

 

[HDTV1080P]

this system needs to have its own controller, you dont play SNES with nes controllers. I still like doubledown's mod the best it wouldnt be that hard to mass produce these

 

Another thing to think about is perhaps the new ColecoVision II controller should be based on the Super Action controller with the 4 buttons and spinner. The Super Action controller also had its own custom overlays. However reproducing the Super Action controller might be too costly.

 

The only thing I do not like about the doubledown’s controller is that the original Coleco overlays cannot be used.

 

However I really like the look of doubledown’s controller since it looks like a modern controller. I also like the arrow keys on the controller since it’s similar to the arrow keys on a PS/2 keyboard.

If one or two of these controllers were bundled with the ColecoVision II then we would have a completely new videogame system.

Edited May 25, 2013 by HDTV1080P

[SeymorOnion]

Or he could take the Nintendo approach; a controller for each hand.

Left Hand: A Nunchuk-like device with a D Pad, instead of an analog stick, and two triggers (A & B).

Right Hand: A Number-pad that's compatible with CV1 Inserts.

 

If ya can't afford to make one now, it's cool, because you, or someone else, could do so in the future.

Edited May 25, 2013 by SeymorOnion

[tomjscott]

this system needs to have its own controller, you dont play SNES with nes controllers. I still like doubledown's mod the best it wouldnt be that hard to mass produce these

 

That is an awesome controller and exactly what I would want. Are these available anywhere?

[NIAD]

That is an awesome controller and exactly what I would want. Are these available anywhere?

IIRC from DoubleDown's thread many years ago, these control pads were originally for the Famicom disk based system or maybe the Super Famicom. He modified a number of control pads and provided details and pics, but this one was the best one that I recall.

[+Yurkie]

Swapping the cord and wiring the controller up to work on the CV would be easy...the problem with it is that the CV is a joystick system NOT a D-Pad system and looses it original flare when a D-Pad is used.

[SeymorOnion]

Are the original CV Joysticks Pressure-sensitive?

Do they work like PS2/PS3/PS4 & XB/XB360/XBO & n64/GC/Wii/WiiU Analog-Sticks?

 

Can they be twisted clockwise and counter-clockwise, like an Atari 2600 paddle?

Edited May 25, 2013 by SeymorOnion

[Kiwi]

Nope, It is 8 directional joystick. It's doesn't twist like a paddle controller unfortuately.

[Jordiway]

If you keep the pin set the same you could still use your old controllers for CV1 games, giving you your overlays and joystick option. Since CV1 came out with a 2600 module do you think coleco's CV2 would have been able to play NES games?

Edited May 26, 2013 by Jordiway

[HDTV1080P]

If you keep the pin set the same you could still use your old controllers for CV1 games, giving you your overlays and joystick option. Since CV1 came out with a 2600 module do you think coleco's CV2 would have been able to play NES games?

 

I think doubledown’s controller is also 8 directions if one pushes two arrow keys at once (in fact it would have to be 8 directions to be compatible with all games).

 

The pin set on the ColecoVision II would absolutely need to be 100% compatible with old Coleco controllers since there is games that require the Coleco Super Action Controller, Roller Controller, and Expansion module #2 Steering wheel (Of course if all those original Coleco controllers were remade then the pin set could be different, however people would be upset if they could not use the original Coleco controllers since the main goal of the ColecoVision II is to play all or most of the classic original 80’s videogame cartridges).

 

The original ColecoVision also had an Intellivision adapter prototype that was never released. I would have purchased one of those if Coleco would have released the Intellivision adapter. Its all speculation, but possible if Coleco would have made a ColecoVision II it would have had a front expansion module interface to play NES games or Sega games with a optional adapter. The OpCode ColecoVision II to save on cost will not have a front expansion module interface, but instead the OpCode ColecoVision II will offer an internal expansion capability.

[Jordiway]

It would be awesome to have a machine that played all 3 Nes, Sega Master, CV2. The original Nes console binks out anyway and if we had 1 machine to play all 3 that would be something.

Edited May 27, 2013 by Jordiway

[tomjscott]

It would be awesome to have a machine that played all 3 Nes, Sega Master, CV2. The original Nes console binks out anyway and if we had 1 machine to play all 3 that would be something.

 

If that were possible it would certainly change the CV2 from just a niche product to one that could be sold more mass market. There are a lot of multi-system retro consoles out there that play 2-3 systems. However, I'm pretty sure that Eduardo is not interested in that approach.

[Jordiway]

You don't need a front expansion module interface.

 

 

[digress]

hey i already mentioned this one. master system is nearly coleco compatible already.

 

Apparently though this attachment doesn't support sg1000 graphics modes only the actual master system can.

Edited May 27, 2013 by digress

[HDTV1080P]

I own a 1993 Pioneer Laseractive videogame system that will play both SEGA-CD and Genesis titles as well as NEC TurboGrafx games (Also special 12 inch Laserdisc games for the two systems can be played). The game modules for each system slide into the front expansion slot of the Pioneer Laserdisc player. Also the computer interface pack allows one to control a Laserdisc from a computer. In the late 80’s I missed out on purchasing the original Dragon’s Lair Laserdisc from the arcade(I put it off when a mail order company had some in stock). If I would have had that Dragon's Lair Laserdisc I could have plugged the RS-232 port into the ADAM computer and made a program to control the original Dragon's Lair Laserdisc. Of course now Dragon’s Lair and Dragon’s Lair II and others have been released on Blu-ray in HD quality since the scan of the original film negative was done.

 

The advantage of OpCode’s ColecoVision II is that it has a component video output (I wish it also had a SVGA or HDMI output). My Laseractive system only has a composite video output, and most classic videogame systems only have a RF or composite video output unless one modifies the videogame system to have S-Video or component video output.

 

OpCode is not interested in turning a SEGA system into a ColecoVision II. However maybe if it was possible to plug in a cartridge adapter on the ColecoVision II then we could have an Atari 2600 emulator from cartridge, or a Sega system from cartridge, etc. I wonder if the ColecoVision II would be powerful enough to do a full software emulation of the ATARI 2600 from a Ultimate SD cartridge. The Atari 2600 rom images could then be played from the Ultimate SD cartridge.

Edited May 27, 2013 by HDTV1080P

[Jordiway]

Why would you want to play 2600 games on the CV2? The whole point of the CV2 is to move forward somewhere in between (nes and snes) or (Sega Master and Genesis) we are suppose to be evolving. So it should be better than the nes or master system but not as good as the Snes or Genesis.

[HDTV1080P]

Why would you want to play 2600 games on the CV2? The whole point of the CV2 is to move forward somewhere in between (nes and snes) or (Sega Master and Genesis) we are suppose to be evolving. So it should be better than the nes or master system but not as good as the Snes or Genesis.

 

The main purpose of the ColecoVision II is the following:

1. Play 99%-100% of existing ColecoVision games on a brand new reliable videogame console.
   
2. Play special Supergame module games.
   
3. Play exclusive new ColecoVision II videogames.
   

If some third party company wants to make a (NES and SNES) or (Sega Master and Genesis) cartridge module adapter for the ColecoVision II, then I am all for it.

 

If we are suppose to be evolving like you mention then we should all go out and purchase a PS4 or XBOX One since those two system will be the most powerful videogames systems with built in BD-ROM drives. My ColecoVision has been seating around for 31 years and I wish it would evolve into a ColecoVision II but it has not. The videogame systems and videogames are created by intelligent engineers and programmers that keep improving the technology every year.

 

I am a videogame collector, and since I purchased the Expansion module #1 Atari 2600 adapter for the original ColecoVision back in 1982 or 1983, the result has been I have a huge collection of Atari 2600 games. I was wondering if the ColecoVision II would be powerful enough to emulate Atari 2600 rom images with the Ultimate SD cartridge (pull the cartridge reset and a special Atari 2600 emulator program could run with Atari 2600 rom images played from a SD card). It would be really neat if all kinds of cartridge adapters were made for the ColecoVision II so that one could play Genesis, SNES, Atari 2600, Intellivision, and others. Of course that is just a dream. The Windows PC can emulate just about any videogame system.

[Kiwi]

CV2

The main purpose of the ColecoVision II is the following:

1. Play 99%-100% of existing ColecoVision games on a brand new reliable videogame console.
    
   
2. Play special Supergame module games.
    
   
3. Play exclusive new ColecoVision II videogames.
   

Yep!

If some third party company wants to make a (NES and SNES) or (Sega Master and Genesis) cartridge module adapter for the ColecoVision II, then I am all for it.

That cartridge module for the Genesis is a pass through since Sega Genesis already have z80 chip that handles the sound side of the Genesis, and the graphic chip I think is backward compatible. A pass through would requires full NES/SNES hardware.

 

 

 

I am a videogame collector, and since I purchased the Expansion module #1 Atari 2600 adapter for the original ColecoVision back in 1982 or 1983, the result has been I have a huge collection of Atari 2600 games. I was wondering if the ColecoVision II would be powerful enough to emulate Atari 2600 rom images with the Ultimate SD cartridge (pull the cartridge reset and a special Atari 2600 emulator program could run with Atari 2600 rom images played from a SD card). It would be really neat if all kinds of cartridge adapters were made for the ColecoVision II so that one could play Genesis, SNES, Atari 2600, Intellivision, and others. Of course that is just a dream. The Windows PC can emulate just about any videogame system.

 

The biggest issue that Atari 2600, NES and SNES, and Intellvision uses very different hardware and chip instruction set. The Atari systems, NES, and SNES uses the 6502 instruction set while Colecovision, Gameboy, TI-83 calc uses z80 instruction set. Also their graphic chips is a bigger challenge. Atari 2600 looks simple but it much more complicated behind the scene. CPU and TIA have to work together to draw a picture every frame since Atari 2600 doesn't have a frame buffer. It's better to recreate the game itself for the CV or CV2 than trying to emulates games.

 

I do have the NES, SNES, CV, n64, Gamecube and etc on a shelf. I can just grab one of them and hook them up to the TV if I wish to play that specific game.

 

Also, Atari 2600 have Harmony cart, which is like Ultimate SD cartridge. That should definitely work for the CV Atari Module.

[HDTV1080P]

Thank you very much Kiwi for the Harmony SD cartridge information on the Atari 2600. They also have a miro SD version. The price is only around $59.99 plus shipping or $79.99 for the deluxe edition plus shipping. I wonder if that Harmony cartridge also accepts up to 32GB SDHC cards like the Ultimate SD cartridge. I am guessing that the Supercharger games would be the only games not available with the Harmony SD cartridge, unless a new Harmony cartridge somehow contained the required hardware to play Supercharger games (Also the games would need to be modified into one large ROM image). I own the Coleco cartridge extender that Coleco sent me for free after I purchased a Atari 2600 adapter, so I can play anything from the Atari 2600 adapter including long cartridges like the Supercharger unit.

 

I see there is a Harmony cartridge forum, if I have anymore questions about the Harmony I better ask it there.

 

Thanks again for the information, I never knew this Harmony cartridge existed (It appears to be a new product within the last 3 years).

Edited May 29, 2013 by HDTV1080P

[ApolloBoy]

 

IIRC from DoubleDown's thread many years ago, these control pads were originally for the Famicom disk based system or maybe the Super Famicom.

It's from neither, it's actually a controller used for the Famicom Network System, which is a modem that Nintendo put out around 1988/89. The Super Famicom controller is practically identical to the SNES controller and the FDS has no controllers of its own, it's just an attachment.

 

I wonder if that Harmony cartridge also accepts up to 32GB SDHC cards like the Ultimate SD cartridge.

Why would you need that big of an SD card for 2600 games?

Edited May 29, 2013 by ApolloBoy

[HDTV1080P]

 

 

Why would you need that big of an SD card for 2600 games?

 

I would not need 32GB but in theory that would be the largest size SDHC card one could use if the Harmony supports FAT32. Was some of the Atari 2600 games 2k and 4k rom images? What was the largest rom file size? It looks like 32K rom images are now available for the Atari 2600 cartridges that use bank switching. Every Atari 2600 cartridge ROM image should fit on one SD card in theory.

[KalessinDB]

IIRC, the current best-available Good2600 clocks in at a whopping 7 megs zipped. Even accounting for it getting bigger unzipped, you could hold every 2600 rom in existence, multiple times over, on the smallest SD card you can find.

[panzeroceania]

I'm wondering if strides in 3D printing technology will lower the cost of manufacturing the console, case, and controllers for this system. Fingers crossed.