+Sauron Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Within the last couple of years I've whittled my gaming collection down to pretty much only my Atari systems (not counting my modern consoles). However, there's one system that I've always wanted to own but never have...the ColecoVision. Lately I've been getting the itch to buy a system and start discovering its gems. So, can anyone tell me what I need to know about it? How much do the systems generally go for? Any particular models to avoid? What games should I look into getting for it right away? Any information on where to start collecting for this system (including purchasing the system itself) would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmel_andrews Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 If i recall correctly There was only one released version, the standard Coleco vision There were plans to upgrade the colecovision for using higher data storage devices (similar to sinclair's waferdrive disks) the system was going to be called 'the super game module' ,the system was scrapped in favour of the coleco Adam (basically a coleco, with computer keyboard and the super game module upgrade) There was an attempt by a British company (Palan Electronics) to re-release the system in the late 80's...I don't know how successful that was An interesting footnote is that CBS electronics (one of the main 3rd party colecovision games publishers) had the european and UK sales & marketing rights to the colecovison hardware apparently Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theking21083 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I love the Colecovision. Some people dislike the controllers but I think they are awesome. You can always use an Atari joystick for games that only require one button and then use the second player controller for the # buttons. One issue that comes up with Colecovisions is the power supply connection. Sometimes it becomes bad and will give you a realy fuzzy picture. I cleaned off the traces on the motherboard and re-soldered the connections on mine and now the picture is crystal clear. The wall wart is huge but that's not a big deal. If you like Arcade games then the Colecovision has plenty of good ones to choose from. Some awesome games to get right away would be Lady Bug, Frenzy, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong JR, Pepper II, Defender, Mr. Do!, Centipede, Slither, Gyrus, Frogger, Popeye, H.E.R.O., Jumpman Jr, Mousetrap, Galaxian (If you don't mind spending about $30), and many many more. I also recomend getting the roller controller to play Centipede & Slither with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari5200 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 I am one of those people that dislike the controller, other than that, I really don't have anything negative to say about the Colecovision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vic George 2K3 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 The ColecoVision is one of my favorite classic early 1980s systems. It had some arcade game translations that I only discovered playing in places where obscure arcade games were the norm, like the long-defunct Cheap Skates/Chateau Complex rollerskating rink in Swansea, MA -- Ladybug being the primary one. It also had Smurf: Rescue In Gargamel's Castle, which was a pretty good game for that system that I felt should have been made into an arcade game, it's THAT good. It's got a pair of controllers with a rather stiff control knob that makes playing arcade/action games a chore, though it's less of a headache than the Atari 5200 controller's control stick, and besides you can hook up Atari 2600 controllers to its controller ports and play games using them (mostly games that use just a single action button and no keypad input). It's got expansion modules like the one that you can play Atari 2600 games through the ColecoVision, and the Adam Family Computer System module somebody else had already mentioned. The only thing it didn't have was a long market life -- the Video Game Crash of 1984 helped kill it after about two years, not to mention Coleco's failure with the Adam Family Computer System and the runaway "success" of the Cabbage Patch Kids. Nonetheless, I still enjoy playing what it has to offer, though nowadays I can only play ColecoVision games through a system emulator (like Cologne for the GBA) because I ended up throwing out my unused and decrepit Adam computer after 22 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 If you have a 5200 and Colecovision, you have the top-of-the-line pre-crash systems. Their libraries do a great job covering the classic arcade era (as well-done home translations). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmel_andrews Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 If memory recall's Hasbro bought out Coleco and promptly dumped the adam/coleco vision etc...Just after buying out M&B (the peeps that marketed the vectrex) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 The negative to me with Colecovision collecting is that you need to make some decisions if you are a completist. One can affordably collect the entire 5200 library over time (excluding BBSB). This is not the case with the Colecovision (you have some rare/obscure/expensive ones) and there are carts which in my opinion are not as desirable; for example, all the education carts, the double-enders (NTSC but not released in the U.S. I believe), and all the Telegames releases (ugly carts and manuals from a re-seller company). Also, I don't like the Super Action sticks - they are way too bulky and overly-complicated. However, all in all, the Colecovision is a really good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Sauron Posted July 23, 2008 Author Share Posted July 23, 2008 Thanks for the feedback, guys. Anyone know what the console typically goes for, or any online retailers that might have systems in stock? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TwinChargers Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 You could always look here- Multiple Colecovisions for sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theking21083 Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Atari2600.com has one for $60. You will usually pay a little more but with that you get quality and a 90 day warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerG Posted July 23, 2008 Share Posted July 23, 2008 Az has one over at DP (and it's a/v modded). It's $75 which is a great price considering a mod is almost $40. Look in the marketplace and his username is something like oxxoxx. Good guy. If it's still there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DamonicFury Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 One small caveat about the Colecovision... while it was a great system in the day, it can feel a little redundant now in the post-MAME era, as almost all of it's games are arcade ports. There are a very few exception, like Smurf and WarGames, but the CV library has far fewer original games than other classic consoles. So while it was a great machine for 'bringing the arcade home' in the 80's, you may not feel a need for it now if you play a lot of MAME. Having said that, it's worth noting that very few of the arcade games that were ported to the CV have been included in the legal arcade compilations. If you want to play a legal version of Mousetrap, Cosmic Avenger, Looping, Frenzy, Pepper II, etc. without having an actual arcade machine, the ColecoVision is still an excellent choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Helmet Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 I'd also PM Doubledown here on AA. He mods colecovisions with better power switches (a common problem), and s video etc. He may even have a console to sell you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickO2 Posted July 24, 2008 Share Posted July 24, 2008 $75 for a modded CV is an excellent price. I paid more than that for my un-modded system and then paid even more to get the darn thing fixed and later modded. I LOVE my CV but the joysticks are not the best. The Super Action Controllers are nice but only work on certain games. The Roller Controller is a must for Centipede and Slither and the driving module is great for Turbo (one of my all-time Arcade fave's). Collecting for the system can get pricey but you can still get some good deals from time to time. Most of the really fun games are still affordable. It also has an active HomeBrew following but I haven't purchased any of those yet. I've been collecting the CV for about 2 years and I have half of the collection (US). If I weren't so cheap I could have probably completed it by now. I think I have seen every available game on ebay at one time or another over the past two years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julianbaischir Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Az has one over at DP (and it's a/v modded). It's $75 which is a great price considering a mod is almost $40. Look in the marketplace and his username is something like oxxoxx. Good guy. If it's still there. Hi there. I'm new here (n00b!!!) so please forgive me. What's DP? Just bought an A/V modded ColecoVision for $65 off of the evilBay yesterday. Hoping to snag some games before long. De Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cephallus Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 (edited) One small caveat about the Colecovision... while it was a great system in the day, it can feel a little redundant now in the post-MAME era, as almost all of it's games are arcade ports. There are a very few exception, like Smurf and WarGames, but the CV library has far fewer original games than other classic consoles. So while it was a great machine for 'bringing the arcade home' in the 80's, you may not feel a need for it now if you play a lot of MAME. Having said that, it's worth noting that very few of the arcade games that were ported to the CV have been included in the legal arcade compilations. If you want to play a legal version of Mousetrap, Cosmic Avenger, Looping, Frenzy, Pepper II, etc. without having an actual arcade machine, the ColecoVision is still an excellent choice. And baseball! Don't forget baseball, with the little spinner wheel on the controller...wheeeeeeee! Oh, how I loved that game. Edited July 25, 2008 by cephallus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixelboy Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 Hi there. I'm new here (n00b!!!) so please forgive me. What's DP? Digital Press Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangeraaron Posted July 25, 2008 Share Posted July 25, 2008 I love the Colecovision. Some people dislike the controllers but I think they are awesome. You can always use an Atari joystick for games that only require one button and then use the second player controller for the # buttons. One issue that comes up with Colecovisions is the power supply connection. Sometimes it becomes bad and will give you a realy fuzzy picture. I cleaned off the traces on the motherboard and re-soldered the connections on mine and now the picture is crystal clear. The wall wart is huge but that's not a big deal. If you like Arcade games then the Colecovision has plenty of good ones to choose from. Some awesome games to get right away would be Lady Bug, Frenzy, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong JR, Pepper II, Defender, Mr. Do!, Centipede, Slither, Gyrus, Frogger, Popeye, H.E.R.O., Jumpman Jr, Mousetrap, Galaxian (If you don't mind spending about $30), and many many more. I also recomend getting the roller controller to play Centipede & Slither with. You could also use a Sega Genesis Controller!! XD ~Aaron http://www.datamuncher.webs.com/ ^^Classic Nintendo Reviews^^ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rik Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 (edited) Cant go wrong with the ColecoVision.I love its sound,very close to arcade,some dead on.I have 5 CV's now,and all worked fine .The stock CV power supply's arent very reliable in my experience,out of 10 i find,2-3 would be good.And i've had a couple with cracked solder joints inside the rf modulator box inside the console where the rf cable plugs in the console,which ive easily fixed,that was the cause of fuzzy,breaking up picture,or screen going blank.Thats about it for me.Cant be too hard on the CV,i mean the thing is close to 30 years old,and it and other classic consoles have held up pretty damn good considering!Some have expressed problems with the power switch,i still have to encounter that one.The CV wasnt built rugged like say the atari consoles were,(were built pretty cheaply really)but still had great games,and is worth every penny.Gotta get Frogger,Burgertime,Jungle Hunt,Frenzy,H.E.R.O.,Popeye,Pepper 1&2,Dk,Dkjr,CV Dragonfire and Fathom are real eye candy,and whole bunch others are just great for the CV. Edited July 29, 2008 by Rik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christophero Sly Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 If you manage to pick up a CV without a copy of Donkey Kong, let me know, and I'll send you one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tremoloman2006 Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 I never had a CV back in the day but bought one a couple of months ago. Instead of collecting carts and spending hundreds of dollars doing so, I strongly recommend the ColecoVision 128-in-1 USB Flash Cartridge I bought one of these and never looked back - it works better than I could have expected and keeps wear and tear from switching carts a thing of the past! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 Must have games: Q*Bert Fortune BUilder Frenzy Frogger Jumpman Junior MOntezuma's Revenge Pepper II MOuse Trap War Games 2010: Graphic ACtion BC's Quest for TIres I have more, but IMHO those are the essentials. I dont mention Zaxxon because I have the ADAM version which is light years better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmel_andrews Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 The thing that get's me is, why did Coleco announce the 'super game module' when they knew that they were'nt going to release it...As i understand that it was being developed in tandem or at the same time as the Computer upgrade (The 'Adam') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inky Posted July 26, 2008 Share Posted July 26, 2008 The thing that get's me is, why did Coleco announce the 'super game module' when they knew that they were'nt going to release it...As i understand that it was being developed in tandem or at the same time as the Computer upgrade (The 'Adam') Firstly, Coleco announced a lot of things that never came about.. I recall word of an Intellivision module. And as far as I was aware, the super game module was scrapped because the tech wasnt that great, and plus they had to shift production to the ADAM because of a lawsuit rgarding it not being available (or am I confusing that with the Intellivision?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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