New Colecovision console on the way
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Nov 4th 2005 at 9:45AM }
Look out, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo! Coleco, the company behind the
Colecovision console of yesteryear, have promised that
they're working on a new version of the console. No other details are available, so for now, don't get too excited.
It's probably not what you think it is.
The Colecovision brand is now owned by Chicago-based River West Brands LLC, a company started in 2001 by former Kraft executive Paul Earle Jr. The company's business model is to revive dormant brands that still have a significant amount of mindshare. For instance, the company purchased the Nupriin name then released a new over-the-counter painkiller bearing the Nupriin name. That's what the company plans to do with the Colecovision relaunch.
In the words of the company's founder, "'Old' has become 'classic,' and classic has become cool. Unless hundreds of different marketers are all wrong, the conclusion must be that brand revival works" (source).
That means that we're not likely to see any major technical feat with the new Colecovision, whenever it comes out. It'll be a low-tech retro relaunch that appeals to fans of the original Colecovision. It may very well offer an authentic Colecovision experience, but don't expect a next-generation or HD experience and you won't be disappointed.
[Thanks, Dom Pezzuto]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
retro @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
its probably going to be something like the atari flashback thing
Dr. Funbags @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I had a Coleco Adam, could play both Colecovision carts and Adam game tapes - that bad boy was badass.
Rabiddog @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Does anybody remember the Super Controller, or Steering Wheel System for their racing games. I believe they had at one time a trackball for Centipede.
jc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The super action controller was awesome. I still have that and the baseball game it came with. My friend had the steering wheel and turbo.
haha, now that I think of it... there were fanboys even back then. ColecoVision vs Intellivision.
DG @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Wow, what a stupid idea. Unless, however, it's in the $20-40 range like the Atari thing, I guess. I was under the (apparently false) presumption that the whole plug n play TV games fad was over.
Really, why would I want to play Madden 95 for Sega Genesis? And pay $20 to do so? Silly.
I think the only company that could come in a make a real killing with this is Nintendo, for pretty obvious reasons. I guess they're waiting for the Revolution. Stand-alone mini-SNESes would be terrific.
Hugh Jass @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The problem with the Colecovision is that NEARLY ALL of its good games are licensed from someone else. Without Nintendo (Donkey Kong, DK Jr.), Universal (Cosmic Avenger, Ladybug, Mr. Do!), Exidy (Pepper II, Venture, Mousetrap), Sega (Star Trek, Zaxxon, Buck Rogers, Sub-Roc), the Smurf license, the B.C. license, the Activision games, the Parker Brothers arcade, film, and TV licenses, and so on, there's NOT MUCH LEFT to play. Many of the Coleco hits were "arcade sleepers" that have since been done better elsewhere or have been left alone because there's no easy way to license them again.
The Atari Flashback wouldn't have done well at all if there weren't some hot Atari arcade licenses on that machine. As it is, everyone still wonders why it doesn't include Pac-Man or Space Invaders.
Without good software, nobody wants Colecovision back. I'll eat an uncomfortably mushroom-shaped controller if I'm proven wrong and this P.O.S. sells well. Click my name above to see a list of all released Colecovision games and you'll see that it's licensing, licensing, licensing.
tpp @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Burgertime!!!!!
Hugh Jass @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
tpp, Burgertime is a registered trademark of Data East. Even Midway Games, which originally put the game in one of their collections since they manufactured it in the 80's, no longer has rights to that game.
Thanks for playing. Colecovision without the licensed games is like a date with a supermodel in a room with no air.
HARRY @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I HAVE A WORKING COLECOVISION SYSTEM WITH AROUND 50 GAMES..I HAVE PLAYSTATION AND X BOX..OVERALL I PREFER COLECOVISION. COLECOVISION HAD GAMES THAT WERE MORE JUST FUN THAN TODAYS SYSTEMS. I WISH SONY OR MICROSOFT WOULD COME OUT WITH A CD WITH THOSE GAMES ON IT. ZAXXON,MOUSETRAP,PEPPER,LADYBUG,DONLEYKONG,JUMPMAN JR ETC ETC.
Steven @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I'm interested in the New Colevision, if it can play all the games I have saved from the original, to place them in it and use them, something to use that is smaller and nice controller, like the smaller Super Nintendo.