• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

PR: COLECO to release Chameleon, console that focuses on new cartridge games

No, back in the day Coleco developed an add-on for the ColecoVision called Expansion Module #1. It was basically an attachment that allowed people to play Atari 2600 games on a ColecoVision. It was made without any consent from Atari and Atari tried to take them to court over it. But they lost because the add-on didn't infringe on any of the patented hardware within the 2600.

This deal is a little different as Coleco was bought out by some other company in 2005. Now they have partnered up with a group of people that have been trying to get this Retro VGS machine made. Read the thread on that.

Coleco Expansion Module #1 was just an Atari 2600 clone that plug into the expansion slot and Coleco settle the lawsuit (Coleco also made an Atari 2600 clone) and paid Atari licensing fee. I remember getting into so much trouble with my guardian because I sold the 2600 to a friend and bought the Expansion Module with the money.
 
Please, please read through the older threads linked in posts above newcomer folks---this is not something to get your hopes up high in terms of competence on. Keep your wallet out of hand as your money almost certainly has a more worthy destination than the likes of this!

This project doesn't really have "nay sayers" so much as people that have an even basic grasp of logic, history, reasoning, understanding, and being flat out right coming out extremely doubtful on it from all appreciable angles because this lot greatly muddies the waters and/or pisses in the communal well for prospective legitimate projects to come in the land of exotic/alt hardware---there ARE an inscrutable amount of folks with irrational, if not suspicious, and unfounded hopes/hype for it in spite of everything though.
 

gcubed

Member
I still have my original colecovision and a bunch of games... Real coleco is dead, don't sully their name!

I played the shit out of beamrider
 

eso76

Member
I actually love the vision behind this.

Cartridges with color manuals...yeah I love the sound of that.

But even appealing to die hard retro fans, this thing has no chance in hell. Unfortunately.
 

clem84

Gold Member
I was on board the retroVGS, given that some major modifications would be made to it, so I'm looking forward to this. If it can play retro games along with new 8/16/32 bit games and be priced at no more than 200$, there's a good chance I'll pick one up.
 
This could ONLY work if it were super cheap and targeted towards children. There the cartridge makes sense in order to hold up under the abuse they'd receive. I could see buying one as a gift for a very young future gamer.
 

Pokemaniac

Member
Props to them for using the correct ABXY layout, at least.

That said, I'd be pretty shocked if this manages to do significantly better than the Ouya. I'm not particularly convinced that this thing really has a big enough potential audience to really take off in any meaningful way. At least, not without a big name developer or two getting behind it.
 

Lothars

Member
The Jaguar mold has made its rounds before...
It sounds like that's where they got the mold from. I hope it succeeds but the price was really a big deterant last time.

Please, please read through the older threads linked in posts above newcomer folks---this is not something to get your hopes up high in terms of competence on. Keep your wallet out of hand as your money almost certainly has a more worthy destination than the likes of this!

This project doesn't really have "nay sayers" so much as people that have an even basic grasp of logic, history, reasoning, understanding, and being flat out right coming out extremely doubtful on it from all appreciable angles because this lot greatly muddies the waters and/or pisses in the communal well for prospective legitimate projects to come in the land of exotic/alt hardware---there ARE an inscrutable amount of folks with irrational, if not suspicious, and unfounded hopes/hype for it in spite of everything though.
It has alot of nay sayers that are against it for no good reason.

I think the premise of this is sound especially if they do have a prototype, I am skeptical of the size of the audience this has but I want for it to succeed and do well because I like the premise of it.
 
Props to them for using the correct ABXY layout, at least.

That said, I'd be pretty shocked if this manages to do significantly better than the Ouya. I'm not particularly convinced that this thing really has a big enough potential audience to really take off in any meaningful way. At least, not without a big name developer or two getting behind it.

I'd be shocked if it did half as well as the Ouya, nevermind better than. Ouya at least had price going for it, one of the main reasons that the Retro VGS kickstarter flopped was because the thing was going to encroach on the price of the current consoles.
 

emb

Member
Why, though? You can already play those on your PS4 or whatever. How would this be any better? Is it just because "oooh, cartridges"?
VVVVVV's not available as a physical game is it? Same for Towerfall? I agree on Shovel Knight, but I wouldn't really count digital as being the same thing as physical.

I think the approach Limited Run Games is taking is much better than the route that VGS/Chameleon is approaching from though. Making a new system just isn't something that I can really see ever working out.
 
I haven't read through the entire thread, so apologies if this has been addressed, but...

What games is this launching with? It's a neat concept, but obviously they need a solid launch lineup to keep this from being dead in the water.

For that matter, what's the box art and cartridge design like?
 

Easy_D

never left the stone age
Gex triumphant return is at hand. Launch title perhaps?

Edit: Wait, fuck he's a gecko, not a chameleon. Kid Chameleon then?
 
It uses Atari Jaguar casings, hahaha!

Aside from that I am honestly surprised that Coleco still exists AND that they're going back into the video game business.
 
For that matter, what's the box art and cartridge design like?

Back when it was Retro VGS, this was the cartridge design - it's probably not changing, since they already have the Jaguar cartridge and console molds:

1GCEXXE.pnghttp:
 

Mupod

Member
Weird. But I gotta admit I'd be interested if it got the right kinds of games.

I do think the big game companies are sleeping on the desire for retro consoles. If Nintendo started making the SNES again with the real hardware (not some emulator shit) and some carts to go with it, people would buy them. SNES game prices are nuts now.
 

woopWOOP

Member
Console looks nice atleast. I like the colours of the name.

I might even get one if it were hella cheap, has good controls, functional hardware and a decent size of supported (oldschool) software.

I probably won't get one.
 

nakedeyes

Banned
I don't understand why someone is making this or how there could be a market for it, but if anyone actually makes games for this thing, I'm in. Games need to come first though.

Edit: Imagine if this thing could run Shovel Knight, Towerfall, and VVVVVV. I would LOVE this system if that happened. But I don't see how it could.

Do they have any games lined up for this thing?

If this is the same RetroVGS system, they did use Shovel Knight over and over again as an example of what they wanted on this system. Not sure if it was confirmed as ever in development though.

If I remember correctly: the cartridges are able to kinda set up the consoles programmable processor however they want. So you could set it up like a NES proc the game could be a super close NES recreation game ( or potentially, an actual NES rom ), or you could set it up like a SNES and do the same, or you could use kind of a default processor mode and do PC ports. They are shooting to run "modern" retro games on it.
 

Katori

Member
If this gets a few good games, I might pick one up.

Are they still going with the dual-type processor approach? Are they still disallowing patches?

Allow games to get patches and extra content and I'm in, day 1.
 
I also don't get some of the insane posts on here saying this is DOA, when the Atari Flashback has 6 consoles and only one sold well. I mean remember, this is for NEW coart game, and all they would need is marginal advertising.
 
I still have my original colecovision and a bunch of games... Real coleco is dead, don't sully their name!

I played the shit out of beamrider

Demon Attack and that game where you manage Ski resource for me. Oh and I love Turbo and Duke of Hazzard with that wheel. That system was way ahead of its time not to mention the Adam computer module.
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
I also don't get some of the insane posts on here saying this is DOA, when the Atari Flashback has 6 consoles and only one sold well. I mean remember, this is for NEW coart game, and all they would need is marginal advertising.

It's DOA if they insist on the same pricing as the Retro VGS. They need to cut out features if they want to lower the price.

Also, I need receipts for that Atari Flashback claim.
 

AgeEighty

Member
The first video game console I ever owned was a Coleco Telstar Colortron:

colrtrnb.jpg

I was about six, and I pronounced Jai Alai as "jie-a-lie".

It would be fun to have Coleco back as even a fringe name in gaming, but not as a kind of cynical second pass at a failed crowdfunding endeavour.
 
First system I had was also one of the Telstars, plus ColecoVision was a great system back when (I used to use have a Coleco avatar based on an old sticker promoting Sega's Turbo). I remember also wanting a Coleco Adam computer when that was first making the rounds but then there was this thing called a Commodore 64. Let the Coleco name rest with some dignity.
 
Top Bottom