ColecoVision

ADAM COLECOVISION - 1982-1984
(Also known as the Personal Arcade, DINA)
Motto: "ColecoVision: The Arcade Quality Video Game System"

System History

In the summer of 1982, Coleco released the ColecoVision, a new $175 videogame system with graphics and sound superior to both the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. What really "made" the ColecoVision, however, was its pack-in game: the mega-popular Donkey Kong. In any event, Coleco's console went on to become one of the most popular game machines among 1980s players.

Coleco Telstar

Coleco got into the videogame business with the Telstar (which was basically a Pong clone) in 1976. Ralph Baer, the engineer who designed the first-ever home videogame system, helped get Telstar off the ground. The full story is available here. Telstar started out strong, but production problems, a dock strike, and the move towards more flexible systems caused Coleco to eventually lose $22.3 million. This was somewhat offset by sales of hand-held videogames, of which Coleco sold about $20 million worth.

In 1982, while Atari and Mattel were busy trashing each other's products, Coleco released the superior ColecoVision with Donkey Kong as the pack-in. It was an immediate success. After untangling itself from a few legal snags (Coleco and Nintendo were threatened with lawsuits from Universal Studios who claimed Donkey Kong was an infringement on King Kong), Coleco sold out its first one million systems almost immediately. By 1983 the ColecoVision was beating out both Atari and Mattel in sales.

The ColecoVision not only had better graphics and sound than its competitors, but it also had more expandability. Accessories included a steering wheel (with gas pedal) and a 2600 adapter that let you play Atari 2600 games on your ColecoVision. Atari sued Coleco over the adapter, but Coleco won (later, Coleco sold its own standalone 2600 clone, the Gemini). Most Coleco games were solid arcade ports, usually almost indistinguishable from the real thing, and ColecoVision quickly became the hardcore videogamers' system of choice.

ColecoVision was also marketed in Europe by CBS Electronics and sold under the CBS name.