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ColecoVision was the inspiration for the Famicom


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And we know the SG-1000 was also more than a little inspired by the ColecoVision. The MSX was another possible offspring, so Japan was surely crazy about the ColecoVision. Too bad Coleco didn't know how to take advantage of that...

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The NES is certainly more similar to the Colecovision than Atari 2600, although the main similarity would be the graphics chip, which originated in the TI99/4A, more specifically it's Graphics Mode 1. The NES is fairly unique in having a separate bus for its graphics chip, this allows it to read tiles directly from VROM, making the PPU work with merely 2 kilobytes of VRAM (as opposed to 16 kilobytes in the Colecovision) Another difference would be in how the color attributes are assigned (TMS9918 assigning colors based on tile numbers, while the NES PPU attribute table shares palette between 2x2 tiles regardless of the tiles used, this explanation may be rather confusing, perhaps a simpler explanation would be to say that one tile in VRAM on the colecovision can only use two colors, while on NES is can use any of the 4 background color palettes but 3 neighbouring tiles will also use the same palette)

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I am going to say something here that surely will cause some controversy, specially considering this is AtariAge, but anyway, I think it is worth saying. However let me say first that I am being as impartial as possible and I have no intention of start a "my console of choice is better then yours" type of thread, since as has been mentioned may times before, 30 years later that is irrelevant. What I believe is truly relevant is historical significance.

 

I belive that a lot of Atari products became overrated based on the 2600 success and the mythic status of the Atari name. On the other hand I believe that the importance of the ColecoVision has been vastly underrated. That is the kind of historical distortion that unfortunately tends to propagate and soon will be assumed as truth.

I think it is important that we gather as much information as possible and put some myths to rest, while some of the people involved are still around and information is still available. But for that we need to go beyond the typical video game magazine from the 80s and do some serious research about the cultural impact of the ColecoVision. The article above is just one example.

 

A friend of mine recently published a book about the history of video games in Brazil (which unfortunately it is in Portuguese only). But he did a really extensive research, and while neither the ColecoVision nor a certain Atari console were officialy released in Brazil, the former was fairly well known and supported (for example, by video game rental stores), while the later was mostly unkown by all but the most hardcore enthusiasts.

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http://www.glitterbe...g-on-the-specs/

 

... Uemura states that it was the ColecoVision that technologically spurred him and the ColecoVision he had in mind when considering the image of the product [Famicom].

 

Wow figure 3 reminds me of the arcade machine in SDF Macross Episode #24 where Max Jenius met Mirya for the first time.

 

Pure 1980s nostalgia. And it makes sense because the arcade machine and the anime both came from Japan.

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http://www.glitterbe...g-on-the-specs/

 

... Uemura states that it was the ColecoVision that technologically spurred him and the ColecoVision he had in mind when considering the image of the product [Famicom].

 

You can't understand how happy I am that you posted this

 

I always said that Nintendo based their works on Coleco success

 

SuperGame Module / Famicom Disk System

Expansion Port

Arcade Tabletop machine

 

Donkey Kong was included with the Coleco , Super Mario Bros was included with the NES

 

There's alot of similar things when you both compared their products

 

And, like the man itself said (Eric Bromley)

 

''If Coleco hadn't given up on videogames, crash or not, Coleco would have been here today instead of Nintendo''

 

 

I admit that it is kind of overstatement ,,, but I like to beleive that if the SuperGame module was released, then things would have been completely different in the videogame industry, .... in North America at least.....

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On the other hand I believe that the importance of the ColecoVision has been vastly underrated. That is the kind of historical distortion that unfortunately tends to propagate and soon will be assumed as truth.

 

100% agree with you!

 

 

ColecoVision was simply not only,... Another Competitor

 

Coleco did bring some fresh new things in a videogame console, ie, the expansion port.... so the possibility to expand your console.....

Keypad on controller (even if the controller quality is not great)

Playing other competitor carts over an adapter plugged into the expansion port (Exp#1)

 

The Exp#2 , the driving module was SO AWESOME back then!

That was surreal to have somthing like this at home! Hyped!

 

The list goes on!

 

 

In my opnion...

The ColecoVision redefined the home video games!

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On the other hand I believe that the importance of the ColecoVision has been vastly underrated. That is the kind of historical distortion that unfortunately tends to propagate and soon will be assumed as truth.

 

100% agree with you!

 

 

ColecoVision was simply not only,... Another Competitor

 

Coleco did bring some fresh new things in a videogame console, ie, the expansion port.... so the possibility to expand your console.....

Keypad on controller (even if the controller quality is not great)

Playing other competitor carts over an adapter plugged into the expansion port (Exp#1)

 

The Exp#2 , the driving module was SO AWESOME back then!

That was surreal to have somthing like this at home! Hyped!

 

The list goes on!

 

 

In my opnion...

The ColecoVision redefined the home video games!

 

I agree. However, didn't Intellivision give us the Keypad on the controller first?

Edited by pboland
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Indeed, many similarities. As the article mentions, the Famicom was based on the DK arcade hadrware, and DK was one of the few launch titles in 1983, just like it was back in 82 with the CV. Curiously both Famicom and CV versions lacked the conveyor belt stage. FDS is indeed too similar in concept to the original SGM to be a mere coincidence.

But I think the important point here is the impact the CV had back in 1982, which I believe has been muted in recent years because it doesn't carry the Atari name. I hope your book helps to correct that at least somewhat...

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Eduardo, I'm sure you realize this when you start working on DK Arcade ..... (and probably before that)

 

I used to played alot of Mario Bros on the NES ..... when I started working on the Colecovision port of Mario Bros, I realize how powerfull the CV is when you consider it was released in 82

 

I mean, not because that I made it , but the CV version of Mario Bros is by far supperior to the NES version, ok sure, the MegaCart di help ALOT

But other than space limit, ... ok RAM too ;) .... the console could have been competitive till the late 80s

 

And yes, Famicom Disk version of DK is really similar to the SuperDK ... and I also think this is not a coincidence

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On the other hand I believe that the importance of the ColecoVision has been vastly underrated. That is the kind of historical distortion that unfortunately tends to propagate and soon will be assumed as truth.

 

100% agree with you!

 

 

ColecoVision was simply not only,... Another Competitor

 

Coleco did bring some fresh new things in a videogame console, ie, the expansion port.... so the possibility to expand your console.....

Keypad on controller (even if the controller quality is not great)

Playing other competitor carts over an adapter plugged into the expansion port (Exp#1)

 

The Exp#2 , the driving module was SO AWESOME back then!

That was surreal to have somthing like this at home! Hyped!

 

The list goes on!

 

 

In my opnion...

The ColecoVision redefined the home video games!

 

You're making me sick to my stomach that I threw my steering wheel away. :(

 

I never did have another steering wheel for any other console.

 

Sega Turbo on Coleco was the only video game my Dad ever played. One day I caught him playing it by himself early in the morning before he left for work. :)

Edited by BillyHW
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Eduardo, I'm sure you realize this when you start working on DK Arcade ..... (and probably before that)

 

I used to played alot of Mario Bros on the NES ..... when I started working on the Colecovision port of Mario Bros, I realize how powerfull the CV is when you consider it was released in 82

 

I mean, not because that I made it , but the CV version of Mario Bros is by far supperior to the NES version, ok sure, the MegaCart di help ALOT

But other than space limit, ... ok RAM too ;) .... the console could have been competitive till the late 80s

 

And yes, Famicom Disk version of DK is really similar to the SuperDK ... and I also think this is not a coincidence

 

The FDS had a different version of Donkey Kong? I did not know this...it's not in my ROM set. Could someone please post it?

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And yes, Famicom Disk version of DK is really similar to the SuperDK ... and I also think this is not a coincidence

 

I didn't know the FDS version of DK was different of the regular ROM version. I think I have it in my collection, though I never bothered to actually play because my master list shows it as a re-release.

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http://www.glitterbe...g-on-the-specs/
... Uemura states that it was the ColecoVision that technologically spurred him and the ColecoVision he had in mind when considering the image of the product [Famicom].
You can't understand how happy I am that you posted this I always said that Nintendo based their works on Coleco success SuperGame Module / Famicom Disk System Expansion Port Arcade Tabletop machine Donkey Kong was included with the Coleco , Super Mario Bros was included with the NES There's alot of similar things when you both compared their products And, like the man itself said (Eric Bromley) ''If Coleco hadn't given up on videogames, crash or not, Coleco would have been here today instead of Nintendo'' I admit that it is kind of overstatement ,,, but I like to beleive that if the SuperGame module was released, then things would have been completely different in the videogame industry, .... in North America at least.....

 

Expansion peripherals of that nature have never had a record of success. They just don't make sense economically. The resources wasted on developing it could have been put to much better use.

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The FDS was actually pretty successful, sold almost 5 million units in Japan only. The problem with the FDS was that soon after it had been released, companies were already releasing cartridge games bigger than a full disk capacity. Disks were 112KB, and a few months after the FDS had released, Konami released Goemon in a 256KB cartridge. Piracy was another major issue.

 

The problem with the original SGM was that Coleco was only announcing waffer games that were already available in cartridge format. Even with the extra stuff, I don't see how a lot of people would be interested on those. Nintendo was quick to realise that the FDS needed exclusives, and so they released Kid Icarus, Zelda, Metroid, and many other classics for the FDS.

 

Nintendo did a lot of things right. They shifted all their best designers from arcade to their Famicom business as soon as the console started selling. That was surely important for their success. And that was a mistake US companies made, Coleco didn't have much in terms of good designers (as their focus was primarily arcade ports), while Atari kept their best designers in the arcade business, well away from their home division.

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The problem with the original SGM was that Coleco was only announcing waffer games that were already available in cartridge format. Even with the extra stuff, I don't see how a lot of people would be interested on those.

This focus of Coleco's of releasing "Super" game versions of ColecoVision carts was in fact a means for Coleco to get the largest amount of games ready and available for the expected release of the SGM. A heck of a lot easier and a lot less time consuming to expand upon a game that has already been made for the ColecoVision than to start fresh with a new game as I'm sure you know all too well.

 

As far as interest in the lineup of "Super" games such as Smurf, DK, DK Jr., etc., I think it was pretty high back then... especially for myself and all my friends. Pretty much the same way everyone is interested in your Donkey Kong Arcade :!: :-D

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Interest may be high, but what happens when it is actually time to spend your money buying something? Back in 1983 would you prefer to spend $200 for a SGM + some game you might have already played or would you prefer to spend that same money with totally new games in cartridge format?

The former option would work with enthusiast, but I just don't see the general audience thinking like that. Don't believe me? Just check the best seller list of Famicom Disk System games. How many re-releases do you see in the top 10 or 20?

 

Today is a totally different story, we are all super hardcore enthusiasts here, the same logic doesn't apply.

 

The problem with something like the SGM or the FDS is that it is the same as having two platforms. Releasing the same game in both cartridge and magnetic media format just isn't smart because you would be spending twice as much to develop both versions but you surely wouldn't be selling twice as many copies, not everybody buys the same game twice, no matter what. Of course with time people with the SGM would stop buying cartridges to wait for the waffer version, but then the SGM would become simply a niche device, most players would be more than happy to have the cartridge versions, without the need to deal with loading times and unreliable media. Coleco needed exclusives for the SGM if they wanted it to succeed. Games like Dragon's Lair would be such exclusives, but they needed exclusives from day 1.

 

Nintendo understood that and for almost two years they released games exclusively for the FDS, not a single cartridge.

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I totally agree that Nintendo did perhaps copy or were inspired by the success of the Coleco -- was the Coleco even sold in Japan? I know that Bandai sold the Intelivision in Japan and Atari also had a version of the 2600 for sale, but everything I've read indicated that neither sold very well.

 

It also makes sence that if the crash had not happened -- and if Coleco hadn't foolishy dumped all those resources and money into the Adam -- the Colecovision could have been easily supported through the rest of the 80'. After all, the 2600 had first party games coming out for it until 1992, and INTV kept the Intelivision alive until 1990. Coleco probaly would have released a 'expansion module' to boost the ability of the system to keep it on par with the NES and SMS along the lines of what Sega did with the Sega CD and 32X. I still think the NES and SMS would have gottened released in the US, but it would have been interesting -- would Atari had even bothered trying to release the 7800 when their were three major players in the market allready?

 

Don't forget, also, that Matell was working not only on the Intelivsion 3, which would have been a upgrade on the original season, but also the Intelivision 4, which would have been their system for the rest of the 80's. Again, the crash killed that project. What the rest of the decade would have been like if the crash hadn't happened is VERY interesting to examine for what may have been.

 

Finally, re the FDS -- that system was suported for a LONG time, even if the number of games dropped off for it after about 1988. I don't recall the exact years off the top of my head, but I think the last units were not removed from stores in Japan until the early 2000's. The format was very popular in Japan -- you could bring your old game on a disk to the store, put it in the machine, pick a new game, and replace your own game with the new one, for a cheap price. Then you bring it home and play it on your Famicon. I always thought this system could have been done very well in the US -- along with the modem network that the Famicon and Super Famicon had in Japan.

Edited by SoulBlazer
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Interest may be high, but what happens when it is actually time to spend your money buying something? Back in 1983 would you prefer to spend $200 for a SGM + some game you might have already played or would you prefer to spend that same money with totally new games in cartridge format?

The former option would work with enthusiast, but I just don't see the general audience thinking like that. Don't believe me? Just check the best seller list of Famicom Disk System games. How many re-releases do you see in the top 10 or 20?

Of course I would have prefered some fresh games right off the bat, as I'm sure everyone else would, and the release of the SGM and Buck Rogers - The SuperGame would have been a nice start. Some of the other planned SuperGame releases would have been more than enough to tide me over in the meantime, especially with all the added screens, intermissions, Hall of Fame saving and if Coleco could have had there way... additional levels added to the DK and DK Jr. SuperGames.

 

To me this point is proven out from my past experience in the ADAM Users Group. We sold hundreds of copies of the DK, DK Jr. and Zaxxon SuperGames in all their Arcade Cabinet box glory. Yes, I know, who's to say these people owned the CV cartridges, but we also bought 100's of systems from people over the years and the largest majority of these included CV carts and ADAM SuperGame data packs of DK, DK Jr. and Zaxxon. A little more telling is that a surprisingly large number of people had the CV Buck Rogers cart, odd considering the ADAM came with the Super Game version. Did people just go on a spending frenzy buying up everything that was available after Coleco announed they were dropping the ADAM? Perhaps.

 

BTW, Zaxxon - The SuperGame is a prime example of how different and improved these games were planned to be, what with all the additional asteroids that were added to the game that weren't even in the arcade version. SubRoc - The SuperGame is another excellent example with the underwater area added compared to only the surface and air in the CV cart. I personally feel that Coleco had a good plan in place to really give purchasers their monies worth with these enhanced versions of CV cartridges.

 

Today is a totally different story, we are all super hardcore enthusiasts here, the same logic doesn't apply.

Never underestimate the power of a child or young teen... especially around their birthday or Christmas. I know I played that card very well with my parents as well as doing a lot of hustling of my own to raise money by shoveling snow and mowing lawns.

 

The problem with something like the SGM or the FDS is that it is the same as having two platforms. Releasing the same game in both cartridge and magnetic media format just isn't smart because you would be spending twice as much to develop both versions but you surely wouldn't be selling twice as many copies, not everybody buys the same game twice, no matter what.

Indeed it is never very wise to spread yourself to thin.

 

Basically Coleco would have had all their bases covered: CV cart for those that were happy with just the CV, SGM wafer for those that wanted the improved games and BOTH versions for the super hardcore fan... especially if Coleco released the cart version first and delayed the SGM wafer for, say, at least 6 months. The hardcore fan wouldn't have the patience to wait and would buy the CV cart and then when the SGM was released, buy that as well and justify this purchase to themselves by saying that the SGM has all these added play elements, screens, Hall of Fame, etc.

 

Coleco needed exclusives for the SGM if they wanted it to succeed. Games like Dragon's Lair would be such exclusives, but they needed exclusives from day 1.

Exclusives would have been a luxury, but in my mind, not a necessity at the release of the SGM seeing as the lineup of games planned included some of the most popular titles of the time and the videogame magazines did an incredible job hyping the possibilities of the SGM... basically doing a lot of the leg work for Coleco.

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Did you ever seen Super Smurf?

Man! That one was going to be a SMASH IT !!

I've exactly 5 screens of the Super game and this was going to be huge

One of them is in Gargamel's Castle wich look A WAY DIFFERENT than the CV release

 

But.............................

 

When Coleco decided to drop the WAFER and goes for Cassettes (Digital Datapack DDP) , Coleco also decided to drop the entire SuperGame project and goes into their ADAM Computer

 

But............................

 

 

Coleco decided to move and planned to release a Laser Disc Expansion Module, The famous CED

The CED developement was complete (I've a photo of the prototype) .... then Coleco decided to pull out the plug on EVERY Colecovision project .... and a little bit later..... the ADAM....

 

 

Now, you can all understand why you can see some Unreleased SuperGame screenshots ,,,, and never stumble accross those damn protos :x

 

 

 

What if Coleco ever made this or that.....?

We'll never know, but we all know that the COLECOVISION DESERVE ALOT MORE RESPECT IN GAMING HISTORY

Cheers to that!

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