ColecoVision Flashback System

[Flojomojo]

Rats well I can still dream what could have been

It certainly is a minor drag that the only home versions of DK we can play "officially" are the NES ports on the 3DS. The secret special one with the pie factory is pretty neat, and I'm glad I got it as a digital bonus a while back.

[+GoldenWheels]

I love these type of things and am sure I will get both this and the Intellivision one. Sure a cart slot would be wonderful but everything Bill says about why not makes perfect sense and I use these mostly just to have videogames in every room (cheaply) anyway. If I need the cart slot, downstairs to the basement to the real Coleco.

 

 

[ten-four]

We'll see something like an SD card slot long before we'll ever see a cartridge slot, and even an SD card slot is up to the good grace of the license holders.

 

So we'll have to switch over to the SD games instead of our good old cartridges.

[Vectorman]

 

 

I use these mostly just to have videogames in every room (cheaply) anyway.

 

Of course, in case of an emergency where you're severly injured and unable to crawl to another room that has a game console. Good idea!

[Greg2600]

The irony is that there's far less "piracy" (if you can call downloading 32 year old roms that with a straight face) with a cartridge slot than SD slot. At least with cartridge, you're mainly playing the original carts. But as Bill said, they are too expensive, complex, and could affect system durability/return rates.

[SoulBlazer]

I suspose AtGames could have done what Curt did for the Flashback 2 and included the connections to allow someone to solder in a cart port if they wanted to....but that would raise the cost to make it and really, not many people would bother. We have to keep in mind that this is being made for John Q Public, not the collectors on this site.

 

As for Nintendo -- yeah, I still don't get them. Almost every company with a large catalog has released collections of their games over the years -- Williams, Atari, Capcom, Konami, Namco, Activision, Taito, Sega.....Nintendo refuses to do this for some reason. They would sell a shitload if they ever did (release a collection on CD or cart or a Flashback like unit) but they don't.

[Flojomojo]

Sure they do...on their own hardware, which they control 100%. The minute Nintendo starts selling their software on other platforms, they devalue their own, and they lose control, which kills their profitability. Their recent trouble with the Wii U notwithstanding, I think they'd rather go out of business than go software only like Sega of 2000.

[Pixelboy]

As for Nintendo -- yeah, I still don't get them. Almost every company with a large catalog has released collections of their games over the years -- Williams, Atari, Capcom, Konami, Namco, Activision, Taito, Sega.....Nintendo refuses to do this for some reason. They would sell a shitload if they ever did (release a collection on CD or cart or a Flashback like unit) but they don't.

Nintendo could do a very nice Flashback device, but these people have their feet set in the present. They would rather use their library of older games to promote their current platform (via the Virtual Console) than offer these same old games in a stand-alone Flashback format.

[SoulBlazer]

Sure they do...on their own hardware, which they control 100%. The minute Nintendo starts selling their software on other platforms, they devalue their own, and they lose control, which kills their profitability. Their recent trouble with the Wii U notwithstanding, I think they'd rather go out of business than go software only like Sega of 2000.

Then release it on the Wii U or the DS. THOSE are Nintendo systems.

[Flojomojo]

Release what? The Colecovision version of Donkey Kong?

[SoulBlazer]

Release what? The Colecovision version of Donkey Kong?

A complete (all levels included) arcade version of Donkey Kong, not ported, just perfectly emulated. Include DK Junior, DK 3, and some other Donkey Kong games on there, and you'd have a multi-million seller. Plus, they could include both original and 'remake' versions of the arcade games, with upgraded graphics and music.

[+GoldenWheels]

 

Of course, in case of an emergency where you're severly injured and unable to crawl to another room that has a game console. Good idea!

If I'm headed to the big high score board in the sky, I'm definitely getting in one more game of Gorf.

[Flojomojo]

Yeah, I would buy that.

 

Til then, we have this, which is fun and apparently tolerated by Nintendo.

 

http://www.bruneras.com/games_donkeyme.php

[Manoau2002]

I suspose AtGames could have done what Curt did for the Flashback 2 and included the connections to allow someone to solder in a cart port if they wanted to....but that would raise the cost to make it and really, not many people would bother. We have to keep in mind that this is being made for John Q Public, not the collectors on this site.

 

As for Nintendo -- yeah, I still don't get them. Almost every company with a large catalog has released collections of their games over the years -- Williams, Atari, Capcom, Konami, Namco, Activision, Taito, Sega.....Nintendo refuses to do this for some reason. They would sell a shitload if they ever did (release a collection on CD or cart or a Flashback like unit) but they don't.

It will be interesting to see what the next 5 years or so hold for Nintendo. I think Google is about to make a huge play at the gamer handheld market (and possibly the console market as well) which is where Nintendo is currently making its money. It will be very hard to compete with Google and its partners resources.

[Greg2600]

Nintendo could do a very nice Flashback device, but these people have their feet set in the present. They would rather use their library of older games to promote their current platform (via the Virtual Console) than offer these same old games in a stand-alone Flashback format.

 

Obviously I would buy it! It could sell very well I'd bet, although Nintendo would rather people spent the money on their standard hardware (3DS, Wii U). Secondly, beyond the Nintendo 1st party games, they too would be forced to license. Cannot imagine Mega-Man or Castlevania or Contra would be cheap, that plus Nintendo would never package games like the SMB's, Punch-Out, Zelda, Metroid, etc. cheaply either. They won't cheapen them. So then, would people buy an NES flashback for say $60? Perhaps more?

[Bill Loguidice]

 

Obviously I would buy it! It could sell very well I'd bet, although Nintendo would rather people spent the money on their standard hardware (3DS, Wii U). Secondly, beyond the Nintendo 1st party games, they too would be forced to license. Cannot imagine Mega-Man or Castlevania or Contra would be cheap, that plus Nintendo would never package games like the SMB's, Punch-Out, Zelda, Metroid, etc. cheaply either. They won't cheapen them. So then, would people buy an NES flashback for say $60? Perhaps more?

 

I think an authorized Nintendo Flashback would be the best selling such device ever. As you state, though, Nintendo has no interest in undermining their current platforms and their eshop initiative so it's highly unlikely to ever happen. What's unfortunate to me is that Nintendo still hasn't found a way to tie digital purchases to user accounts rather than systems, so it severely limits what I'll buy digitally on Nintendo platforms versus what I'll buy digitally without a second thought on PC, Microsoft, and Sony platforms. I think that's the area that Nintendo is leaving the most money on the table with, but they're doing well enough with digital sales that there's no real incentive to make the change.

[SoulBlazer]

 

I think an authorized Nintendo Flashback would be the best selling such device ever. As you state, though, Nintendo has no interest in undermining their current platforms and their eshop initiative so it's highly unlikely to ever happen. What's unfortunate to me is that Nintendo still hasn't found a way to tie digital purchases to user accounts rather than systems, so it severely limits what I'll buy digitally on Nintendo platforms versus what I'll buy digitally without a second thought on PC, Microsoft, and Sony platforms. I think that's the area that Nintendo is leaving the most money on the table with, but they're doing well enough with digital sales that there's no real incentive to make the change.

Bill, I agree with what you said regarding how Nintendo sees things, but take my example -- why won't they do something along the same lines of other companies and take the arcade versions of DK, DK Jr, and DK 3, offer them in both a orginal and 'remake' version, and sell it on either the DS or the Wii U (or both), similar to what they did with Super Mario All Stars back in the SNES days? It STILL would only be on their platforms and would sell very well, I suspect. They saw the value of remaking Mario and Zelda games in the past....why not the rest of their rich arcade catalog? I don't get it.

[Bill Loguidice]

Bill, I agree with what you said regarding how Nintendo sees things, but take my example -- why won't they do something along the same lines of other companies and take the arcade versions of DK, DK Jr, and DK 3, offer them in both a orginal and 'remake' version, and sell it on either the DS or the Wii U (or both), similar to what they did with Super Mario All Stars back in the SNES days? It STILL would only be on their platforms and would sell very well, I suspect. They saw the value of remaking Mario and Zelda games in the past....why not the rest of their rich arcade catalog? I don't get it.

 

I've regularly wondered why companies like Nintendo and Sega don't go that route more often. They recycle the same properties again and again and give us emulations of the same console stuff again and again, and usually ignore the arcade stuff, especially the further back you go. I really don't get it either.

[Falconhood]

 

So we'll have to switch over to the SD games instead of our good old cartridges.

But that would be cheaper, especially since those games take almost no memory.

[S1500]

Nintendo could do a very nice Flashback device, but these people have their feet set in the present. They would rather use their library of older games to promote their current platform (via the Virtual Console) than offer these same old games in a stand-alone Flashback format.

 

Numerous pirate companies have made their own Nintendo "Flashback"-like units, and often they are Famicom launch titles. They are as common as dirt.

[Greg2600]

 

Numerous pirate companies have made their own Nintendo "Flashback"-like units, and often they are Famicom launch titles. They are as common as dirt.

 

Not in the United States, and not legitimately I can assure you. Nintendo has never put NES games on a "flashback" unit.

 

PS: For those asking for SD slots, don't forget that Curt Vendel's "cart slot" option on the FB2 was also heavily nitpicked for the lack of compatibility with quite a number of games. So that could be another reason that AtGames could be hesitant over.

[SKELETOR68]

No matter what is has for built in games, (Crossing fingers for LadyBug and Pepper II) it comes with two new Controlers!

That alone is worth the 40 bucks!

[Nyuundere]

I want four CV Flashback. One for my bathroom, one for my bedroom, one for dinner room, and one for the garden... wait, i don't have a garden... just three :3

[5drew00]

I wish AtGames could make Sega Saturn and Dreamcast Flashback systems but since those were CD games it would require too much memory. I have the Xbox 360 Dreamcast Collection CD but that only has 4 games! Could have at least included 10 games!

[+LS650]

These Flashback systems are only viable for old tech systems that are easily emulated, and have game ROMs that are small in size, so the manufacturer can pack in a relatively large library of games.

 

You can probably pick up a Dreamcast or a Saturn from eBay for about $50-$60 bucks.

Edited June 1, 2014 by ls650