In the early 1980s, the ColecoVision briefly outsold the mighty Atari 2600 before the catastrophic video game crash cut its ascent short. Despite its rapid demise, the ColecoVision pushed console innovation ahead and paved the way for the NES resurrection.
Overview: A Console That Pointed to the Future
For a flickering moment in the early 1980s, the ColecoVision ruled the home video game market. Thanks to visionary hardware design and red-hot titles like Donkey Kong, Coleco‘s slick console swiftly seized the sales crown from industry pioneer Atari.
At its peak, the ColecoVision hinted at a future decades ahead of competitors. With technological firsts like hardware expandability and computing functionality, it echoes elements that became standard in later console generations.
Of course, the catastrophic 1983 game crash killed ColecoVision‘s momentum dead. And the console sank into obscurity as quickly as it had exploded onto the scene.
Yet the ColecoVision represented an unrealized path for the games industry – one focused on innovation, quality arcade conversions, and open ecosystem competition. By the mid-90s, these attributes shaped gaming in the post-crash rebirth.
So while its influence faded over time, Coleco‘s pioneering console laid important groundwork. Its legacy deserves remembrance as the 1983 king-that-almost-was.
Part I: The Boom Before the Bust
Telstar Troubles: Coleco‘s First Console Foray
Coleco‘s initial 1976 Telstar console sparked early mainstream gaming interest. The ping-pong platform marked accessible home gaming‘s public debut beyond niche computer circles. Telstar sold over a million Pong clones in its first year [1]. Coleco seemed poised to dominate this nascent market.
Yet by 1977, hordes of Telstar copycats had flooded shelves and crashed through consumers‘ limited interest. Burdened with $22 million in unsold Telstar inventory, Coleco withdrew from the console space in defeat [2].
Surviving the Setback
Despite this harsh lesson, Coleco itself survived thanks to diversity. Successful product lines like Cabbage Patch Kids dolls and lucrative licensing deals in emerging segments like tabletop mini-arcades kept cash rolling in [3]. These earnings funded the R&D to take another, wiser run at video gaming.
Planning the Comeback
With Atari 2600‘s 1979 debut, Coleco executives agreed the time was right to revisit home consoles. Under engineer Eric Bromley, Coleco built their comeback console – codenamed the "ColecoVision" – in 1981 [4].
But what games would fuel sales? Seeking to avoid mediocrity (and bankruptcy), Coleco negotiated arcade headliner titles. The biggest coup? Securing Nintendo‘s white-hot arcade phenomenon, Donkey Kong, as a pack-in title [5].
Scorching the Competition
This masterstroke paired with polished hardware led to the ColecoVision‘s sizzling August 1982 launch. 500,000 retail units flew off shelves by Christmas [6]. Offering Donkey Kong itself – not some weak imitation – made ColecoVision a no-brainer purchase for gamers.
By Spring 1983, sales topped one million consoles in North America alone [6]. European branding deals as the CBS ColecoVision accelerated uptake across the Atlantic [7]. For a brief, shining era, the ColecoVision swiftly crushed the pioneering Atari 2600‘s market lead.
Part II: Crash and Burn
But Coleco‘s joyride screeched to a halt in late 1983 as the game industry crashed violently. Consumerinterest in video games withered almost overnight. Industry sales plunged by a cataclysmic 97% over the next two years [8].
ColecoVision sales data tells the stark tale:
| Year | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 |
| Total Sales | 1+ million | 500,000 | 200,000 | 50,000 |
The ColecoVision crashed back down as swiftly as it had soared. Coleco limped along 18 more months before withdrawing from the flaming console wreckage. They had moved over 2 million ColecoVision units – but it could have been far more without the crisis [9].
Part III: Pushing 80s Console Limits
Though the ColecoVision didn‘t survive the crash, its hardware innovations predated later advancements by years.
Base Platform & Controls
The ColecoVision base unit and controllers delivered a step-up over the competition:
- Chic, efficient base hardware design
- Recessed cartridge slot & controller ports for ease-of-use
- Number pad controller with side buttons & joystick
- Customizable thin controller overlays to optimize controls for each title
This controller flexibility foreshadowed accessories like the Nintendo 64 and Xbox controllers with swappable thumbstick heights.
Visionary Expansion Packs
But the ColecoVision‘s most forward-thinking component was its radical expandability. Unique accessories allowed playing major competitors‘ full game libraries decades before cross-platform support became standard!
These trailblazing expansions included:
Atari 2600 Expansion
A plug-in module granting full Atari 2600 backwards compatibility [10]. Gamers could enjoy both Atari and Coleco game libraries on one system – with zero voiding of warranties or platform blocking. This inter-compatibility spirit (eventually codified in offers like Xbox One backwards compatibility) was remarkably open-minded for fierce 80s competitors.
Driving Controller
Bundled with racing game Turbo, this controller consisted of a separate steering wheel and gas pedal for enhanced realism [11]. This expandability echoes peripherals accompanying early Wii titles, or Xbox Kinect bundles driving fitness game sales.
Roller Controller
A trackball input device – bundled with titles like Victory and Slither – mirroring arcade cabinet controls [12]. This foreshadowed mouse/trackball compatibility that later became standard across computer and console genres like real-time strategy games.
Adam Computer Expansion
Most remarkably, an entire computer system called Adam that attached to the ColecoVision. This ambitious 80s vision included a keyboard, printer, productivity programs, and a modem for online access decades before internet connectivity permeated console ecosystems [13].
As a unified gaming-computing machine in 1983, Adam‘s raw concept predated future industry staples like:
- Sega NetLink modem (1996) for playing Phantasy Star Online
- Nintendo 64‘s 64DD disk drive add-ons
- Xbox One integrating television entertainment ecosystems under one box
While these ColecoVision innovations went mostly unrealized at their time, history suggests they weren‘t far off from the future of home gaming.
Part IV: Legacy – Clearing the Path for a Savior
Despite fizzling out rapidly, the ColecoVision changed console gaming‘s trajectory in subtle but important ways:
Quality & Competition
For its brief cultural moment, ColecoVision emphasized polish and compelling content over its competitors. Direct ports of red-hot arcade titles like Donkey Kong, Mr. Do!, and Zaxxon replicated authentic coin-op action in the living room. This set a new bar of quality that endured.
And remarkably for vicious 80‘s rivalries, interoperability innovations echoed an openness towards building the gaming pie bigger, rather than guarding wafer-thin market share slivers.
Clearing the Path
When the ColecoVision rapidly exited the 1983 market crash, it cleared crucial space. This open runway let an unproven upstart called the Nintendo Entertainment System revive and expand console gaming in 1985. Perhaps without Coleco sinking first, Nintendo may never have seen opportunity amidst industry pessimism.
So honor the ColecoVision as an important pioneer whose contributions faded too quickly after lighting a short-lived fire under a fledgling games business. Its spark blazed brightly in potential before being tragically extinguished. Yet we still enjoy the fruits of its vision over thirty years later.
Data compiled from over a dozen subject matter experts and historians at History-Computer.com. The author extends thanks for preserving knowledge of important innovations that built the foundation of gaming today.
