Sears: Even better than the real thing?

[BassGuitari]

Back in the day when Sears sold rebranded video game consoles, they were often dismissed as knockoffs by people who had the genuine articles from the likes of Atari and Mattel. Even today, Sears consoles are typically filed under "clone systems" without a second thought. While several Sears models like the Video Arcade and original Pong were simply rebranded cosmetic variations of licensed hardware, quite a few others had a little something extra.

 

Super Pong: More than merely an Atari Super Pong with a Tele-Games badge and woodgrain grill, the Sears unit features handheld controllers and a speed switch, a combination of features that wouldn't be seen on an Atari unit until the Super Pong Pro-Am Ten, a year later.

 

Super Pong IV: Analogous to Atari's Super Pong Ten, the Sears console not only predates it by several months, but leapfrogs it with four handheld controllers (two hardwired + two plug-in, versus two console-mounted + two plug-in) and a speed switch. It's actually more functionally equivalent to Atari's ultimate Super Pong system, the Pro Am Ten, and the standard game start switch actually makes it slightly more elegant than even that, which requires games to be started/reset by turning the system off and on. (Note: The Super Pong IV wasn't a "sequel" to the Super Pong, but a concurrent deluxe model.)

 

Speedway IV: Not really a "clone" so much as an Atari design based around a game chip licensed from Universal Research Labs stuffed into a Super Pong IV case, Speedway IV does offer a substantial quality-of-life improvement over URL's original dedicated race car game (that being the Video Action Indy 500): handheld controllers--with generous cord lengths. If that sounds trivial, consider that the Indy 500, a four-player console, had all of its control dials mounted to its enormous case. (Sears did also previously release an actual clone of the Indy 500, licensed and built by URL: the original Speedway. But this one actually removed the Tennis game, playing only the Hockey and Race games, and oddly making it one of the few "Pong consoles" that doesn't actually play Pong.)

 

Motocross Sports Center IV: Essentially two game systems in one, the Sears version of Atari's Stunt Cycle console not only boasts every Evel Knievallian feature of its name-brand cousin, but also stuffs in the entire 16-game lineup of the Pong Sports systems (or Ultra Pong, for Atari purists)--minus only the trippy gradient backgrounds--complete with four detachable handheld paddle controllers. Not a bad deal!

 

Super Video Arcade: One criticism of the original Intellivision system that persists to this day--apart from the controllers themselves--is that the controllers are tethered to the console by fairly short coiled cords and cannot be removed from the console. The Super Video Arcade rectified that by straightening/lengthening the cords and attaching them via common 9-pin jacks, and is often sought out specifically for that reason.

Edited May 31, 2021 by BassGuitari

[Reaperman]

Heck, I'm a fan of the cosmetic stuff too. I always liked the woodgrain on my 6-switch telegames video arcade more than its Atari equivalent--but maybe that's just me. Ummm, "burlwood." I also wasn't aware there was a thought that these were 'clones.' Maybe that's more a dedicated-system thing.

 

I don't think Sears actually made any of their branded products during my lifetime. Even though their tools, for example, were made by Stanley, Black & Decker, etc, they were rarely straight rebadges, being somewhat designed (for better or worse) for the department store crowd. 

Edited May 31, 2021 by Reaperman

[BassGuitari]

On 5/31/2021 at 1:03 PM, Reaperman said:

Heck, I'm a fan of the cosmetic stuff too. I always liked the woodgrain on my 6-switch telegames video arcade more than its Atari equivalent--but maybe that's just me. Ummm, "burlwood." I also wasn't aware there was a thought that these were 'clones.' Maybe that's more a dedicated-system thing.

Eh, I'm using the definition loosely. Essentially just "not the real thing."

 

I don't know if I like the Video Arcade more than the Video Computer System...but I like it at least as much. ?

[+sramirez2008]

I’ll always like the VCS a tad more, but the Video Arcade has a special place in my heart as it’s the first “Atari” I ever saw and played. My cousins had one (heavy sixer). We spent countless hours playing that thing and its why I own one today.