ColecoVision
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Coleco Chameleon will resurrect your favorite Atari 2600 games (update)
The Coleco Chameleon from Retro Video Game Systems won't land on Kickstarter until the end of the month. However, it did hit Toy Fair earlier this week to give the public a little taste of its retro-gaming goodness and score a few deals. And score it did, landing the rights to the Atari 2600 library. That's over 300 games, as well an option for the company to develop new games based on all that classic IP. (Update: We've gotten in touch with Atari; see comments at the end of this post.)
Internet Archive uploads retro games to play online for free
The Internet Archive has launched a beta version of the Console Living Room, a new initiative that makes hundreds of classic video games available for free, in-browser play. Part of the Internet Archive's preservation-focused Historical Software Collection, the Console Living Room uses the JSMESS emulator to reproduce games for the Atari 2600, Atari 7800, the Magnavox Odyssey 2, the Colecovision, and the Bally Astrocade. The collection features many cartridges that defined the golden age of gaming, including Atari 2600 classics like Yars' Revenge, H.E.R.O. and River Raid. The Colecovision sees its share of representation with standouts like BC's Quest for Tires and a prototype port of the arcade hit Burgertime, while history buffs can judge for themselves if the Odyssey 2's K.C. Munchkin rightfully earned a 1982 lawsuit over its similarities to Pac-Man.
Internet Archive starts preserving classic game consoles on the web
Many gamers won't load a console emulator for much more than a brief nostalgia kick. The Internet Archive has loftier goals, however. It's expanding its Historical Software Collection to include the free-to-play Console Living Room beta, which recreates classic '70s and '80s systems on the web for the sake of the historical record. The initial library includes hundreds of games for the Astrocade, Atari 2600, Atari 7800, ColecoVision and Magnavox Odyssey. There are gaps in the catalog, and sound isn't working; the CLR isn't yet a match for a conventional software emulator, let alone the real thing. The Internet Archive promises to address both problems in the near future, though, and it shouldn't be long before its collection delivers a complete vintage gaming experience... minus the old-fashioned tube TV.
Vectrex Regeneration devs creating ColecoVision app, includes 19 games
An iOS app replicating the 1982 ColecoVision console recently found its way to Kickstarter. Developer Rantmedia Games, the makers of the official Vectrex Regeneration app, is seeking $250,000 on the crowdfunding platform by November 8 to fund the iOS app. It is also targeting Android, PC, Mac and "even hardware like PS Vita" as future platforms. Rantmedia Games said it envisions a living room-like menu within the app, allowing players to swipe across the screen to select a game, check out its original box art and manual, then drop the cartridge into the virtual console. The developer plans to include a trophy case on the side of the family room menu, which fills up as players rack up high scores in games and earn achievements. The ColecoVision app will include global leaderboards and options to send challenges to friends. Rantmedia Games has the rights to 19 games, a list of which can be found after the break, and said it hopes to add more to the app, including support for homebrew games.
ColecoVision to be resurrected in app form, but you need to Kickstart it first
The iPhone 5s can produce graphics on par with many current generation game consoles, but having a retro flashback to the games of yesteryear is often just as enjoyable -- and it doesn't get much more "retro" than the ColecoVision. Rantmedia Games has just launched a Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of resurrecting the classic game console on the App Store, complete with a virtual living room where your system will live alongside a trophy cabinet and maybe even some shag carpeting. Rantmedia has already done a lot of the legwork in terms of securing the rights to make the app happen, including snagging the rights to both the official ColecoVision brand as well as a sizeable list of the system's most popular titles. The funding campaign has a goal of $250,000, but that's a rather modest goal considering the scope of what Rantmedia hopes to deliver. If this all sounds somewhat familiar, that might be because Rantmedia has already completed an app like this for the classic Vectrex system, which we've featured before. Because of this, we already know that the company is capable of creating quality retro gaming experiences, so here's to the ColecoVision scoring a second life via iOS.
ColecoVision project promises officially licensed gaming nostalgia (video)
Rantmedia Games has a knack for rekindling childhood gaming memories -- see its uncannily accurate Vectrex Regeneration as proof. We're glad to hear, then, that the developer wants to revive our nostalgia once more with its upcoming ColecoVision app. The crowdfunded project has all the necessary licensing to recreate both Coleco's system and 20-plus classic games, promising as authentic a Zaxxon experience as you'll get without the hardware in hand. Rantmedia also hopes to foster a competitive streak with leaderboards, achievements and player challenges. Should the company reach its $250,000 funding goal, it expects to release an iOS version of the software by March. The firm also wants to target Android, the PlayStation Vita and desktops, although additional OS support will depend on feedback. Whatever platforms the ColecoVision app supports, it's clear that anyone with a soft spot for Choplifter will want to chip in $10 or more at the source link.
'Project Unity' is 15 fully-functional consoles in one giant box
Constructed by evil genius/mad scientist/hardware hacker Bacteria, Project Unity is a single, unified gaming console that can play Sega Master System, Neo Geo MVS, GameCube, Dreamcast, Saturn, Intellivision, Colecovision, Atari 7800, Turbografx 16, PS1/PS2, Mega Drive, NES, Super NES, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo 64 and Amstrad GX4000 games.Project Unity's most impressive feature, besides the fact that it works, is that it was constructed entirely out of authentic hardware and does not make use of emulators or combo units like the FC Twin. It also manages to use a single power supply, video output and custom-built controller, regardless of the system selected.Jump to 09:30 in the video above for a demonstration of this behemoth in action, including the repurposed NES cartridges that contain different circuit boards for each controller type, or start from the beginning for some deliciously chaotic wiring shots.
Project Unity stuffs 20 classic consoles into one: if you can't play it, it's probably too new (video)
Most gamer who want to play with more than one or two vintage console platforms often turn to software-based emulators that may or may not be above-board. How about stuffing all of the authentic hardware into one controller and one base unit? Modders at Bacteria's forums have developed Project Unity, an attempt to natively address 20 consoles across 17 actual platforms folded into a single device. The gamepad, arguably the centerpiece, includes two each of analog sticks and directional pads, along with multiple shoulder buttons and a central button grid that can either be used to steer an Intellivision or fill in for otherwise missing controls. Stuffing the unique controller hardware into one gamepad obviously presents problems with board sizes and the laws of physics, so much of the relevant circuitry sits in modified NES cartridges. Our only dismays are the lack of original Xbox support and the slightly imposing challenge of aggregating and modifying that much classic gaming componentry in one place -- if you're more concerned about convenience in your retro gaming than preserving the original feel of that Sega Master System or SNK NeoGeo, though, you've just found Utopia.
iam8bit's American Icons gallery features portraits of toys and old consoles
Jason Brockert is traditionally a landscape painter, but one day he noticed a Star Wars Stormtrooper figurine sitting on his shelf, and decided to try painting it. "The first one came out terrible," he says. "A week later, I was like I'll try again. The second one, I was like oh, that's kind of cool. And it was a lot of fun, too. I had more fun doing that then I'd had in six months." He finished the Stormtrooper painting a little while after that, and then decided to do more figures, and then old game consoles and cartridges, collecting them on eBay and then painting them in his elaborate, almost idealistic way. "Those were the two things I loved as a kid," says Brockert, "and the things I wanted to recollect, that my mother had thrown away I don't know how long ago." Brockert's work is currently on display in a show called "American Icons" at the iam8bit gallery in Los Angeles' Echo Park. All of his works and prints are available for purchase, and the Exhibition (most of which you can see below) runs through December 18. %Gallery-139927%
'George Plimpton's Video Falconry' captured on video [now playable!]
During a recent Judge John Hodgman podcast about the fairness of strategy guides, reference was made to George Plimpton's Video Falconry, a ColecoVision game from an alternate universe in which the writer was not an Intellivision advocate. Newgrounds reached into an interdimensional portal (that had some kind of trans-reality FTP connection, or something) and retrieved footage of the lost ColecoVision classic. And the only hurdle you have to breach in order to see it for yourself is the one at the bottom of this post. [Update: Oh God, it's real.]
MMOrigins: Dissection of a gamer
The Misty Mountains You are on a steep rocky slope and just above lies the remnants of an ancient rock slide. Far below you can see the Redhorn pass through breaks in tree canopy as well as the winding Anduin River. The sky is overcast, with a strong northerly wind raining down icy lances. The air is thin, making it difficult to breathe. *Labero the Black Numenorean* is here riding a pack horse tending his wounds. o S W C Move: Tired> Backstab $target You begin to silently move behind your victim... Oh the memories! That text-based multi-user dungeon (MUD) experience may have been the most influential on my gaming career, but it certainly wasn't the first. No, for that we'd have to travel back in time several more years; the day I unwrapped my first gaming console. It was a Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the year was 1989. Follow me as I take a trip down memory lane and recount the main influencers on my MMO timeline.
Mini ColecoVision hits eBay, finds a special place in our hearts
Call us biased, but we still prefer Ben Heckendorn's portable ColecoVision over this one, but that's not to say we don't deeply respect the immense amount of work that went into the mini ColecoVision. The seller of the unit stripped a ColecoVision PCB from an original casing and got to modding; when all was said and done, the miniaturized version still operated fine and required a lot less floor space. 'Tis a shame the bidding just ended -- now you're stuck with Atarimax's oh-so-similar (but not nearly as satisfying) MulitCart as you embarrassingly attempt to relive the past. [Via technabob]
Emulating the gaming world on DS
One of the first things homebrewers do when they gain the ability to run unsigned code on a game console is to see what other console's games they can get running. Although the use of commercial ROMs varies from legally ambiguous (in the case of backup copies of your own software) to unambiguously illegal (in the case of just downloading stuff), emulator programs are perfectly legal -- and capable of running legal homebrew software designed for the consoles. We don't really want to get into the legal and ethical issues. We think that programs designed to run like old hardware are just cool.Just like every other console, the advent of DS flash cards has brought with it a booming emulation scene. And since homebrew is so easy to run on the DS, and MicroSD cards so copious, it's easy to turn the humble DS into a classic gaming Swiss Army System.We've outlined some of the most important DS-based console emulators below, along with a ton of lower-profile emulators.
Console evolution in pictures
By Knuttz's count, it's taken 70 steps, including many retreads, to get from Odyssey to Wii. You can view each of these steps -- all 71 consoles -- in this scrolling gallery. (Note: handhelds have been omitted.)
Top 10 custom-built consoles
TechEBlog has assembled a list of the "Top 10 Strangest Custom Gaming Systems." It should come as no surprise that more than one of their selections was created by console hacker-extraordinaire Ben Heckendorn. In addition to variants of popular consoles like the NES and Genesis, the list includes portable versions of famous flops like Atari's Jaguar, and Sega's Genesis add-on, the SegaCD. We're hoping these aren't ranked in order 'cause that portable Colecovision totally houses that NESPlusSega monolith![Via VH1's new game blog, Game Break]
