Significance of the Study
The Adam has several interfaces for communications and expansion. Power for the system comes from the printer, which uses a single cable to send power to and receive printer signals from the main console, making it difficult to tap into that signal to use a different printer. Next to the printer/power plug on the left side is a standard modular telephone plug marked “Adamnet”; the plug is to be used for an optional modem. Another telephone plug on the front of the console is used to connect the keyboard. On the right side of the system console are two standard nine-pin joystick connectors and a Colecovision expansion interface for attaching Coleco’s add-on modules for its advanced games. Under an easily removable top are three expansion slots, next to the connectors for the installed tape drive and for an optional second drive (see photo 3). Also on top is the Colecovision game-cartridge slot. On either side of that slot are two reset switches: one resets the machine as a computer, the other resets it as a game. The Adam’s peripherals are connected to the main console via a network called Adamnet; each peripheral contains its own 6801 microprocessor. The main system microprocessor is a Zilog Z80A. Four 6801s are used: one as the Adamnet controller and one each in the printer, the keyboard, and the tape drive. Although Coleco has touted the system’s resultant multitasking capabilities, systems delivered to date support only the most rudimentary form of multitasking: while a user plays the Buck Rogers game, the tape drive loads the next video screen. The system cannot work on a separate task while the printer is printing, however.
A personal computer stores its display screen in a section of memory, which is used by a video processor (in this case, the Texas Instruments 9928) to generate a TV image. In most computers, this memory can can be ad dressed by the main processor, and it can be changed using machine language or POKE statements to put the appropriate values into memory locations. In the Adam, however, the 16K-byte video memory is not addressable from the Z80A microprocessor. The 9928 has its own operating-system software to store video information, which can be used either by the Z80A or the 9928, but Coleco provides technical information on this only to licensed software developers. Because this memory is not directly accessible by the system’s main processor, PEEK or POKE commands cannot be used to locate screen information, and screens cannot be transferred using BLOAD or BSAVE commands. Thus, aithough Coleco’s SmartBASIC is partly compatible with Applesoft, programs that use POKE or BLOAD to insert information directly into either the text or high-resolution screen won’t run on the Adam. Because the screen memory in the Adam is not memory mapped as in the Apple, programmers will need more technical information to achieve faster high-resolution graphics action than is possible using BASIC. Coleco said a technical reference manual will be available by early summer. High-Speed Tape
High-Speed Tape System One of the technical breakthroughs that can be seen in the Adam is its low-cost, high-speed digital tape system. Although most hobbyists snobbishly turn up their noses at the mere mention of tape storage, Coleco has done an impressive job on the Adam’s tape drive. To begin with, everything is automatic and transparent to the user. In fact, the tape commands are virtually identical to the disk commands used in Apple’s DOS 3.3, with a few exceptions. One change I dislike is the elimination of the powerful DOS 3.3 EXEC command, which enables ASCII (American National Standard Code for Information Interchange) files to be read in and appended to program files. Because programs are stored in ASCII format, the differences between the LOAD command and the EXЕС command may have seemed to Coleco small enough to abandon the latter. The manual suggests no way to combine two ASCII program files, which is what the EXEC command was used for. Storing programs as ASCII files means they can be easily edited by the word processor, but it also means they require considerably more space on the tape and take longer to load than tokenized programs. The Adam tape drive operates at two speeds: fast and faster. It reads and writes to the tape at a speed of 19,200 bits per second (bps), or 20 inches per second (ips), according to Coleco. In search mode, it scans the tape at 80 ips. “Blank” tapes are preformatted with information that tells the tape drive where the head is currently located, much as information on a floppy disk tells the disk drive at which track and sector the head is located. A catalog stored on the tape indicates where each file is kept. The drive switches to its high-speed search mode to properly position the tape and uses its low-speed mode to read data from the tape.
Although the Adam’s tape drive is uncomfortably slow compared with floppy-disk drives, it operates much faster than any standard cassette-tape drive. The 20-ips speed is far faster than a normal cassette speed of about 1% ips and even faster than the 15-ips speed used for professional recordings. The tape used in the Adam system, although similar in appearance to ordinary cassette tape, differs significantly from it. Several modifications have been made to the plastic cassette shell so that it is not possible to use a standard audiocassette in the Adam computer or place an Adam digital data pack into an ordinary cassette recorder. Changes were also made to the tape media, according to Coleco. When using the Adam data packs, you must take care to be sure they are properly seated in the drive. There is no built-in guiding mechanism to help do this.
The standard Adam comes with one tape drive and room for a second one. But even if you have two drives, it isn’t any easier to make backups, because the operating system does not have a COPY or a BACKUP command.
This can be a serious problem, particularly because SmartBASIC resides on tape and Coleco provides only one copy of it. If humans and computers were perfect, one copy would be sufficient. Because neither is, the inevitable is bound to happen: an important program, or even SmartBASIC, could be lost. Twice, the SmartBASIC file on my tape was somehow damaged. Coleco suggested that it may have been my fault and that the tape may have been damaged by the machine’s magnetic field (see “Two Tales of Adam” on page 212). I think not, but in any case it took several phone calls and a week and a half to get a replacement. It’s apparently a new version. The BASIC filename no longer appears in the catalog, but it loads properly. When benchmark programs were run to see how long it would take to write and read a 64K-byte file to tape, three different data packs caused the Write program to terminate with an I/O (input/output) error (see “Benchmarking SmartBASIC” page 214). A fourth data pack permitted the 64K-byte file to be written to tape, but the file could not be read due to more I/O errors; this problem is most disturbing because there is no warning that the data written out to tape is unreadable.
The ADAM Family Computer System consists of three major components: the memory console, the keyboard, and the printer. The consumer provides his own TV or monitor. Other equipment provided with the system are two “joystick” game controllers, various cords and cables to connect the components, and an antenna switch box. The memory console houses the main memory and CPU of the system, and one data pack drive. Space and connectors are provided for another drive. Two printed circuit boards contain 64K RAM, 16K video RAM, an expansion port, two AdarnNet ports, three card connectors and a cartridge slot. Two additonal printed circuit boards control the drives. The system reads from and stores on digital data packs. Digital data packs are a reel to reel magnetic tape encased in a Lexan™ cassette. Each data pack can store up to 256K bytes. The keyboard has 75 full travel keys, including ten command keys and six programmable function keys. A “power on 11 LED indicator on the right side of the keyboard shows when the system is on. The keyboard contains one printed circuit board. The printer is a letter-quality, bi-directional, daisy wheel printer. Paper feeds into the printer through a frictionfeed mechanism that accommodates single sheets of paper up to 91/2 inches wide. With the addition of an optional tractorfeed mechanism, the printer also accommodates continuous, “fan-fold” paper. Pitch is 10 characters to the inch, and printing speed is 10 characters per second. The printer contains two printed circuit boards, one for the printer and one for the power supply
Software Overview ADAM’s hardware components are linked together by a 62.5K bps, half-duplex, shared serial bus, known as AdamNet. EDS (Elementary Operating System) is a collection of service routines that provides input and output facilities to peripheral devices, in such a way that application programs need not address the physical characteristics of the peripherals or the operation of AdamNet. EDS also provides file management for manipulating data on mass storage devices. OS 7 is a run-time user’s library of software modules that controls graphics, sound, timing, etc. EOS contains many modules equivalent to OS 7 modules, but some have different inputs and outputs. – ADAM contains a ROM-based electric typewriter/word processor/editor called SmartWRITER. SmartBASIC and the Buck Rogers Planet Of Zoom Super Game are included with Adam on data packs.
The ColecoVision, released by Coleco Industries in August 1982, represents a fascinating chapter in video game history, marking both the pinnacle of the second generation of video game consoles and a bridge to the third generation. This analysis will explore the console’s development, technical specifications, market impact, game library, and lasting influence on the gaming industry.
The early 1980s marked a crucial period in video game history, with the market dominated by the Atari 2600 and Mattel’s Intellivision. Coleco Industries, previously known for their successful electronic handheld games and their earlier Telstar consoles, saw an opportunity to enter the home video game market with a technologically superior system. The company’s president, Arnold Greenberg, recognized that the market was ready for a more sophisticated gaming experience that could more closely replicate arcade games at home.
The development of the ColecoVision was led by Eric Bromley, who had previously worked on Coleco’s handheld electronic games. The team’s primary goal was to create a console that could deliver arcade-quality graphics and gameplay, setting it apart from existing systems. This ambition was reflected in Coleco’s strategic decision to secure the rights to Nintendo’s Donkey Kong as a pack-in game, which proved to be a crucial factor in the console’s initial success.
The ColecoVision’s hardware was impressive for its time, featuring:
- CPU: Zilog Z80A running at 3.58 MHz
- Video Display Processor: Texas Instruments TMS9928A
- RAM: 1KB work RAM, 16KB video RAM
- ROM: 8KB built-in ROM
- Resolution: 256 x 192 pixels
- Color Palette: 16 colors
- Sprite Capabilities: 32 hardware sprites
- Sound: Texas Instruments SN76489A PSG
- Storage: ROM cartridges up to 32KB
These specifications put the ColecoVision significantly ahead of its primary competitors. The Z80A processor was more powerful than the MOS 6507 used in the Atari 2600, and the dedicated video processor allowed for more sophisticated graphics. The system could display up to 32 sprites simultaneously, enabling more complex and detailed game designs than were possible on other contemporary consoles.
The ColecoVision launched with a retail price of $175, positioning it as a premium console option. The inclusion of Donkey Kong as a pack-in game proved to be a masterstroke, as it was one of the most popular arcade games at the time and gave consumers immediate access to a high-quality arcade conversion. The console sold approximately 2 million units in its first year, an impressive figure that demonstrated strong market acceptance.
By the end of its commercial life in 1985, the ColecoVision had sold approximately 6 million units worldwide. While this fell short of the Atari 2600’s numbers, it was a significant achievement for a console with a relatively short market presence. The system’s success was particularly notable given that it launched during a period of increasing market saturation and just before the video game crash of 1983.
The ColecoVision’s game library consisted of approximately 125 officially released titles, with additional games released by third-party developers. The quality of the software library was generally high, with many games being faithful arcade conversions. Notable titles included:
Donkey Kong – The pack-in game that showcased the system’s arcade-quality capabilities Zaxxon – A technically impressive isometric shooter that demonstrated the console’s advanced graphics Venture – An innovative dungeon exploration game Pepper II – A unique maze game with impressive animation Mouse Trap – A Pac-Man-style game with unique mechanics Turbo – A revolutionary racing game with pseudo-3D graphics
The system’s ability to accurately reproduce arcade games was its primary selling point, and many of its titles were regarded as the best home versions available at the time. The console also supported expansion modules, including:
- Expansion Module #1: Allowed playing Atari 2600 games
- Expansion Module #2: Driving controller for racing games
- Expansion Module #3: ADAM computer expansion
The ColecoVision’s physical design was notable for its time. The console featured a wedge-shaped profile that was both aesthetically pleasing and functional, allowing for adequate ventilation. The controllers were innovative but controversial, featuring a numeric keypad and short, mushroom-styled joystick. While these controllers allowed for more complex input options, some users found them uncomfortable during extended play sessions.
The system’s expansion capabilities were forward-thinking, particularly the ability to play Atari 2600 games through an expansion module. This feature showed Coleco’s understanding of the importance of backward compatibility and software libraries, a concept that would become increasingly important in future console generations.
Despite its advanced specifications, the ColecoVision had several technical limitations:
- The controllers were prone to failure and could be uncomfortable during long gaming sessions
- The power supply was internal, making heat dissipation a concern
- The cartridge slot design could sometimes lead to connection issues
- The system lacked dedicated pause functionality in most games
- Memory limitations still restricted game size and complexity
The ColecoVision competed directly with the Atari 2600, Intellivision, and later the Atari 5200. Its technical superiority over the Atari 2600 was clear, but this advantage came at a higher price point. The system’s positioning as a premium console with arcade-quality graphics helped justify its cost to consumers who wanted the best possible home gaming experience.
The video game crash of 1983 significantly impacted the ColecoVision’s market presence. While the console’s quality helped it weather the initial stages of the crash better than some competitors, Coleco’s financial difficulties and the overall market collapse led to the system’s discontinuation in 1985. The company’s focus on the ADAM computer expansion also diverted resources and attention from the gaming console.
The ColecoVision’s influence on the gaming industry extends beyond its commercial lifespan:
Technical Innovation: The system demonstrated the importance of powerful dedicated graphics hardware in console design, a principle that would become standard in future generations.
Arcade Conversion Quality: It set new standards for arcade-to-home translations, showing that faithful conversions were possible with the right hardware.
Expansion Capabilities: The modular expansion system influenced future console designs and demonstrated the value of hardware expandability.
Controller Design: While controversial, the controller design showed the potential for more complex input methods in home gaming.
The ColecoVision has maintained a dedicated following among retro gaming enthusiasts. Original hardware and games are actively collected and preserved, with some titles commanding significant prices in the collector’s market. The system’s relatively small library makes it an attractive target for collectors attempting to acquire complete sets.
Several factors contribute to the console’s collectibility:
- High build quality means many units still function
- Limited production numbers for certain games create scarcity
- The system’s historical significance in gaming history
- The high quality of many games in the library
The ColecoVision has been well-served by the emulation community, with accurate emulators available on multiple platforms. This has helped preserve the console’s library and made it accessible to new generations of players. The relatively straightforward hardware architecture has made accurate emulation possible, though some aspects of the original hardware experience, such as the unique controller, are difficult to replicate perfectly.
Looking back, the ColecoVision represents a crucial transition point in console gaming history. It pushed the boundaries of what was possible in home video game hardware while maintaining a focus on arcade-quality experiences. The system’s commercial success, despite its relatively short lifespan, demonstrated that there was a market for more sophisticated gaming experiences at home.
The console’s emphasis on arcade ports was both a strength and a limitation – while it excelled at providing accurate conversions, it perhaps didn’t encourage enough original game development. However, this focus on arcade quality helped establish standards for home conversions that would influence future console generations.
The ColecoVision stands as a testament to technical innovation in early console gaming. Its brief but significant presence in the market helped establish numerous conventions that would become industry standards. While its commercial life was cut short by external market factors rather than any inherent flaws, its influence on console design, game conversion quality, and hardware expandability continued long after its discontinuation.
The system’s legacy is particularly visible in how it influenced the development of future consoles, especially regarding the importance of strong third-party support, technical capabilities for arcade-quality graphics, and the value of expandability. In many ways, the ColecoVision was ahead of its time, pointing toward a future of more sophisticated home gaming experiences that would eventually become the industry standard.
Because Coleco released it in 1982, historians consider Colecovision a second-generation console, along with the Atari 2600 and Intelivision. Yet the Sega Master System, a third-generation console, used the same CPU and Yamaha derivatives of the same video and sound chips that Coleco used.
In 1982, Colecovision promoted it as a third-generation console. It wasn’t just hype. Comparing it to third-generation consoles, it’s an even match for the Sega console. It had double the CPU speed of a Nintendo NES, but the NES’ 6502-derived CPU was twice as efficient. Effectively the NES and Colecovision had equal CPU power. The Colecovision could display up to 32 sprites to Nintendo’s 64, and 16 colors to Nintendo’s 64, though the NES couldn’t display all 64 colors at once.
So the NES was a slightly better console, but its major advantage was better marketing.
The key argument against the Colecovision as a true third-generation console was its cartridges. Its cartridges topped out at 32KB, where Nintendo and Sega both devised bank switching methods to store 1 megabyte on theirs. Coleco theoretically could have done the same, but left the market before it had reason to try.
Technical specifications
The Colecovision sported an 8-bit NEC D780 processor (compatible with the Zilog Z-80) running at 3.58 MHz and a Texas Instruments chipset: a TMS9928A graphics chip and SN76489A sound chip. The unsuccessful TI-99/4A computer used similar sound and video chips, but a different CPU. Its specifications stack up well against other 8-bit systems of the 1980s:
- 3.58 MHz clock speed
- 256×192 resolution graphics
- 16 colors
- 32 sprites
- 4 voice sound
Both the Colecovision and Sega Master System are very similar to Microsoft’s MSX standard for home computers. MSX used the same CPU and family of graphics chips, but used the General Instrument AY-3-8910 sound chip (the same as in the Atari ST and Mattel Intellivision) instead of a TI chip. Due to the similarities, Spectravideo produced a Colecovision compatibility module for its SV-318 MSX computer.
The Colecovision controllers consisted of a joystick with two buttons and a numeric keypad. But few games required the keypad.
Software library
The Colecovision had a library of about 145 titles produced between 1982 and 1984. This compares favorably with the 133 titles produced for Mattel’s Intellivision, though it’s much less than the 565 titles produced for the Atari 2600. In Coleco’s favor, the general quality of its titles was more consistent than Atari. Coleco produced the majority of the titles, but it did attract third party development from the major publishers of its day, including Activision, Parker Bros, Sierra, and even Atari.
Native Colecovision titles tended to be ports of early 1980s arcade games. Most were reasonably faithful to the original, including a port of Nintendo’s Donkey Kong that was much closer to the arcade version than the Atari version was. The Atari 2600 really struggled with 1982 arcade hits like Donkey Kong and Burger Time.
Coleco did produce an expansion module that made the Colecovision comaptible with Atari 2600 cartridges. Because the two systems used completely different and completely incompatible chipsets, the expansion module was a complete re-implementation of the Atari 2600 console that just used the Colecovision for power and display output. It was a very short step for Coleco to go from producing the expansion module to producing the Gemini console, an outright Atari clone. Atari sued Coleco for patent infringement and the two companies settled, with Coleco paying Atari a royalty on each unit sold.
The Atari lawsuit
Let’s correct a couple of misconceptions about the Atari lawsuit. The Atari 2600 did use off-the-shelf parts, but Atari’s TIA chip was proprietary. Coleco sourced the TIA from VTI, also known as VLSI Technology Inc. VLSI’s clone wasn’t a clean-room implementation like Compaq’s IBM PC clones were. By one account, VLSI simply sliced the chip into four quadrants and moved the quadrants around in its implementation.
Atari didn’t win the lawsuit. Coleco didn’t win either. The two companies settled, with Coleco agreeing to pay Atari a royalty.
Colecovision expansion options
Coleco promised early to deliver an option that it would be possible to expand the Colecovision into a full-blown home computer. They weren’t the first to do this. APF had done the same with its 1978 console, the MP1000. But the time seemed right to try that idea again as computer companies like Commodore targeted game systems, arguing a home computer was more versatile and therefore a smarter buy. And in 1982, critics panned Atari for not doing something similar with the Atari 5200. They seemed to forget APF failed with that approach in 1978-79, but maybe the market was ready for it in 1983.
Coleco’s execution, in the form of the Adam computer, could have been better. The Adam was certainly capable, but quality control issues torpedoed it. Coleco fumbled, but Atari didn’t even try. The idea of computers and game consoles coexisting in the same household was still a few years away.
Coleco also offered arcade-style joysticks, a trackball, and a steering wheel as additional controller options. This provided a more arcade-like experience.
The Colecovision was the first game console designed with significant expandability in mind. This played into its early success, but Coleco’s failed attempt in the computer market made the console lose its advantage.
What might have been with Colecovision
The Coleco Adam computer was supposed to provide insurance for the Colecovision by providing a direct upgrade path. But supply and reliability issues kept it from having much impact on the market.
Coleco’s marketing in 1982 was brilliant. Arcades were extremely popular at the time, and the console was powerful enough to play faithful recreations of most of that era’s arcade hits. The ability to expand into a full-blown computer was also a shrewd move. This provided insurance in case the market shifted away from consoles over to computers.
That’s exactly what happened in 1983, and Coleco wasn’t ready. By June 1983, retailers were saying they’d never seen a market collapse the way video games had. But the Adam computer wasn’t ready so eager consumers couldn’t buy one. Coleco finally released the Adam in September, but not in large quantities and the computer had a high rate of defects.
Had the Adam arrived on schedule and without the defects, Coleco might have weathered the storm. Being able to buy a game console one year and upgrade it to a full-blown home computer in the future would have been an attractive proposition. Maintaining profitability while Commodore cut its prices relentlessly may have been a problem, but Commodore lost a lot of money in 1985 so Coleco might have gotten a reprieve, if they’d been able to stay in the game.
Nintendo would have been another problem. One reason the NES sold so well initially was its Super Mario Bros. launch title, and Coleco didn’t have anything comparable. It’s hard to say whether Sega would have stayed out of the market and contented itself with licensing titles to Coleco, or if Sega would have also entered the US market in 1986. But it’s interesting to wonder what might have been.
1982 was a bad time to be getting into the console market, but Coleco wasn’t the only company to make that mistake. Milton Bradley spent millions to acquire the hot-selling Vectrex at the end of 1982, right before its sales cooled off, and even Emerson tried to get into the game with its Arcadia console.