Steel76 Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) For over 30 years now, I wanted to get my hands on a ColecoVision. Remember getting a catalog, with ColecoVision games for sale, including screenshots, showing how much better the graphics was, compared to my 2600. Nobody among my friends had one, as they had the 2600, Vectrex or Intellivision. So I never got the chance to try it out, back in the day. I have been keeping an eye out, on Ebay etc. But I never got my thumb out of my ass, and bought one. As I stuck with collecting for my 2600 and Vectrex instead. Today, I got one, for FREE! It was dismantled, as the previous owner had tried to make a composite mod, but never got around to it. So I put it back together, put in Mouse Trap (that was included), and turned it on. It works!! Since this is the first time, that I have played on a ColecoVision, I have a question about the controllers. They both work fine, but when moving the control stick, it kinda crackles, like the spring was busted. Opened them up, and everything looked like it was brand new, except for dust. Couldn't notice anything wrong with the springs either. But when I put them back together, it still sounds and feels like it's at times getting stuck on something. Is this normal? Can't wait to add some games to my collection. Never played Mouse Trap in the arcade, but I got the 2600 version. The 2600 version is butchered in comparison I also got the Steering Wheel, with a Turbo cart. Sadly the gas pedal was missing. But it was free, so I can't complain So...where to begin with my new collection? "Frenzy" perhaps? Edited August 14, 2016 by Steel76 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digress Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 yes frenzy... wait you actually don't have a donkey kong cart??? so get smurf & donkey kong right away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmack36 Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 First pickup should be Atarimax ultimate SD loader . http://www.atarimax.com/colecosd/documentation/index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 (edited) Yep, will get those as well, digress Making a list at the moment. Space Fury and Cosmic Avenger is going on that list. ...and Lady Bug...and...Venture.... So many games that I want now! Edited August 14, 2016 by Steel76 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retroillucid Posted August 14, 2016 Share Posted August 14, 2016 Welcome aboard! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 14, 2016 Author Share Posted August 14, 2016 Welcome aboard! Thank you! Been hooked on Mouse Trap all night long Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jinks Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Amazing a working coleco!! Rare find indeed! Hope the ram, controller ics, power switch, etc. holds up on you. I have bid on a dozen or so and found claimed working ones always go for 150usd on ebay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiddlepaddle Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Pepper II is required. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIAD Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 The controller "crackles" isn't uncommon and you can rotate the top disc counter clockwise and clockwise to see if that will find a sweat spot that stops the "crackles". This usually does the trick for me... for some reason. Get yourself the AtariMax Ultimate SD MultiCart and you can load it up with 100s of rom files for immediate play instead of trying to track all the actual carts down and paying a lot of shipping fees. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flojomojo Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 I remember Colecovision joysticks always feeling stiff and creaky. That's one reason I liked the Colecovision flashback so much -- the less-than-completely-faithful controller actually felt better than the real thing to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 Get yourself the AtariMax Ultimate SD MultiCart and you can load it up with 100s of rom files for immediate play instead of trying to track all the actual carts down and paying a lot of shipping fees. I prefer owning the real carts though, and they are dirt cheap over here. Around 5 to 10 dollars. But would be nice to get one of those SD carts later on, to try out homebrews, and play games that I don't need to own on real carts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 That's one reason I liked the Colecovision flashback so much -- the less-than-completely-faithful controller actually felt better than the real thing to me. Too bad they don't work on the original machines Though, I have an MSX gamepad, that seems to work fine, for the games that don't require the keypad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Yep, will get those as well, digress Making a list at the moment. Space Fury and Cosmic Avenger is going on that list. ...and Lady Bug...and...Venture.... So many games that I want now! I prefer owning the real carts though, and they are dirt cheap over here. Around 5 to 10 dollars. But would be nice to get one of those SD carts later on, to try out homebrews, and play games that I don't need to own on real carts You're going to spend more on individual carts than the AtariMax Ultimate SD cartridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 You're going to spend more on individual carts than the AtariMax Ultimate SD cartridge Well, the SD cart costs $129 + shipping to Sweden. I just made a nice deal, and bought 18 carts, locally at a retro store, for about $95. And that's including all the games I wanted for the ColecoVision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VectorGamer Posted August 15, 2016 Share Posted August 15, 2016 Well, the SD cart costs $129 + shipping to Sweden. I just made a nice deal, and bought 18 carts, locally at a retro store, for about $95. And that's including all the games I wanted for the ColecoVision And for $34 more + the cost of shipping you could've had the entire CV library plus homebrew games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 15, 2016 Author Share Posted August 15, 2016 Yes, but as I mentioned before, I want to own the real cartridges of the games I wanna play, as I love building my own collection 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motonerve Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I'd recommend getting a Super Action Controller for it too. I just recently got one and it has thoroughly increased my enjoyment of the system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess Ragan Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 I prefer owning the real carts though, and they are dirt cheap over here. Around 5 to 10 dollars. But would be nice to get one of those SD carts later on, to try out homebrews, and play games that I don't need to own on real carts Then you're doing really bloody well, because the last time they were that common for me was back in the 1990s. They still pop up; just not terribly often. Get yourself a better controller if at all possible. You can nudge about three quarters of the ColecoVision library into working with a six button Sega Genesis controller, which is by any objective standard better than the CV pack-in. You won't have access to the numeric keypad, but the arcade games generally don't make much use of those. Just fiddle around with the D-pad when you get to the light blue options screen and you'll be off to the races. People have made custom ColecoVision controllers, but they're expensive, due in large part to the fact that the schematic for a CV controller looks like a pachinko machine. Look at this crap! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannibalCat Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 And for $34 more + the cost of shipping you could've had the entire CV library plus homebrew games. Some people (including myself) prefer to have original carts, not SD carts (I've had them, and it's not the same to me). Let him get real carts, no need for a SD cart. He would be better off using that money to buy a SGM or something. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CannibalCat Posted August 17, 2016 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Yes, but as I mentioned before, I want to own the real cartridges of the games I wanna play, as I love building my own collection I concur! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Yeah, I've been looking it up on youtube reviews, and I'm thinking about getting one soon I'd recommend getting a Super Action Controller for it too. I just recently got one and it has thoroughly increased my enjoyment of the system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 Then you're doing really bloody well, because the last time they were that common for me was back in the 1990s. They still pop up; just not terribly often. Get yourself a better controller if at all possible. You can nudge about three quarters of the ColecoVision library into working with a six button Sega Genesis controller, which is by any objective standard better than the CV pack-in. You won't have access to the numeric keypad, but the arcade games generally don't make much use of those. Just fiddle around with the D-pad when you get to the light blue options screen and you'll be off to the races. People have made custom ColecoVision controllers, but they're expensive, due in large part to the fact that the schematic for a CV controller looks like a pachinko machine. Look at this crap! The machines themselves, are pretty hard to find at times, at least over here in Sweden, but there are a lot of carts floating around I have a "Hudson Joycard" gamepad, for my MSX computer, that works perfectly with the CV. But I'm also gonna try my Genesis controller again. It made the doors freak out in Mouse Trap, when I last tried it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 17, 2016 Author Share Posted August 17, 2016 He would be better off using that money to buy a SGM or something. Yep, that's what I'm saving up for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Phruby Posted August 19, 2016 Share Posted August 19, 2016 Get Smurf Rescue. There is nothing like getting punched out by a topless Smurf. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steel76 Posted August 19, 2016 Author Share Posted August 19, 2016 Yeah, I just found a youtube video, showing the topless trick 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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