This is their second attempt at bringing a console to market. The first was the same product renders but with the name "RETRO Video Game System" plastered on it.
Without games fans won't support this and right now, they are more focused on what is going inside it. That is not a good sign. I hope they get things turned around fast.
Considering this is not the original Coleco company don't hold your breath on support for the original Colecovision. They have mentioned in the past (when this was the RETRO Video Game System) that there would be hardware cartridge adapters available, for a nominal fee of course, that would allow playing old systems on this. Colecovision could be one of them but it would have to include a controller port as the current controller that the Chameleon has would not suffice.
Yes, that is why I made sure to mention in the opening paragraph there that this was NOT the crowdfunding site of similar name. It is quite a similar name and one that is definitely going to cause confusion.
I have an interview lined up with them soon if anyone has any questions they would like asked.
What is your favorite text adventure? I am partial to the Sorcerer or something- the name escapes me now. It was like a darker Zork.
That would be a good article to do. One detailing the history of animations like that and possibly finding the source of it.
Sadly, no this is not a joke. They are serious and this is the SECOND time they have tried this with the same console and most of the same people running things at a "corporate" level. Previously it was known as the RETRO Video Game System. They experienced a bad IndieGoGo campaign and took a hell of a beating from that. Now, it is apparently the Coleco Chameleon and will apparently hit Kickstarter at some point (previous statements by the founder put it hitting Kickstarter in D...
Everyone that thinks this is the original Coleco, the ones behind the ColecoVision, please read this-
http://retrogamingmagazine....
Um, no, they are not still around-
http://retrogamingmagazine....
Not with that controller it won't. Sure, there may be an adapter or something (probably at a premium price point) to use original Coleco controllers (or the ones from the Flashback console).
This is not the Coleco you are thinking it is-
http://retrogamingmagazine....
It doesn't have Coleco's backing, they simply licensed the Coleco name from River West Brands. If there is ANY backing of any kind it is going the wrong way in the form of licensing fees to use a 20+ year old name of a defunct company.
http://retrogamingmagazine....
The controllers are licensed products from a third party so there is no lawsuit to worry about there. Mike Kennedy purchased the molds for the Atari Jaguar and removed the "Atari" name from the molds. Again no lawsuit to worry about.
Though, there is possible concern from him selling some shells with the Atari name still on them (in multiple colors) over on AtariAge a while back.
While a new console the Coleco Chameleon will use FPGA cores to trick the console into thinking it is many other platforms (SNES, Genesis, etc) so that programmers can easily port their games, make new ones within those confines, etc.
Covered here when it was the RETRO VGS-
http://retrogamingmagazine....
You do realize this is not the Coleco that made the Colecovision right?
http://retrogamingmagazine....
Unless it is using a brand new design over the original RETRO VGS model then it is indeed Android based. The original used an Android CPU with an FPGA "daughter" board.
http://retrogamingmagazine....
Actually, no they are quite real. On some of the Asian websites you can purchase these games complete with box, label and sometimes a manual (depending on where you get it from).
Of the bunch, only one is a "rom hack" and that is the one that apparently takes the regular NES rom for SMB and converts the graphics on the fly. This results in a much cleaner looking SMB but horrible sound.
The rest are Russian/Korean creations- not rom hacks.
@Divine Not even a year after closing down Working Designs, Victor Ireland announced he was starting Gaijinworks (mentioned at the end of the article) and has pretty much continued on a similar road as that which he paved with Working Designs (though nothing super memorable has been released as far as I am concerned).
Because this is a memorial article celebrating the day they announced they were closing their doors, immediately. It would be a different article if it was celebrating the day they opened in the late 80's (I believe 1988).
For most people, at $150 to $200 they can just grab an Android tablet with physical controls (such as the Yinlips series or JXD ones). There are some damn good tablets with controls for under $80 now (running Android) and there are plenty of HDMI Android sticks that would work too.
As Stwert mentioned, games are probably going to be the same ones that are on other consoles. So far, the only game I can confirm as coming to the Chameleon is Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of De...