#ColecoVision Expansion Module №1

[mrmixelplik]

I'm also in the second generation.

My first console was a ColecoVision. Additionally, I had the very innocuously named "ColecoVision Expansion Module №1." Gather round, children, and let me tell you about this interesting little bit of kit.

ColecoVision Expansion Module №1 was a small black box about the size of a hotel bible, constructed of the same black faux-leather plastic as the ColecoVision, with a slight downward slope to it. It slotted into the front of the ColecoVision, giving the entire console this awkward L shape when fully connected. On the top were a couple of switches and a cartridge port, and it had two standard 9-pin joystick ports on the front. ColecoVision Expansion Module №1 had but one purpose: it allowed you to plug in and play Atari 2600 cartridges.

Can you imagine it, young person of today? Can you imagine if there was a little dongle that you could plug into your PlayStation 5 that would let you play Nintendo Switch games?

So how did they get away with it? It's not like Coleco was quiet about it: they even blatantly advertised that "you can play all Atari 2600 games on a ColecoVision, but you can't play ColecoVision games on Atari!" Well, the fact is that the Atari 2600, also known as the VCS, was built entirely with off-the-shelf parts; there was nothing custom but the wood paneling. There was no proprietary operating system, either: a VCS just hard-booted to whatever software instructions were on the cartridge chip. As such, a company with the right resources could easily construct their own VCS clones, with their own components... and a few did, including major retailers of the time like Sears and Radio Shack. ColecoVision Expansion Module №1 was, in essence, an entire Atari 2600 clone in a tiny package, with the power supply and TV connection hardware removed and provided by the ColecoVision host (they would eventually release a full VCS "twin" called the Gemini). Oh, sure, there was a lawsuit, and a counter-suit on anti-trust claims, and it was all settled for royalties... in fact, the two companies eventually settled into a quiet partnership and released some of their own exclusives on each others' systems.

So when people ask me if I ever owned an Atari 2600, I have to be honest that I did own and play many Atari 2600 games, but I never had an Atari myself. I had this little marvel of a device, impossible today, a throwback to the wild times before the crash of '83 when there were no patents, no operating systems, no standards (technologically or artistically), when forgiveness was asked instead of permission, and when a rival could take your entire console, shrink it down, and glom it onto their own.

This Wikipedia article has a more comprehensive list

[duckyfruitbat]

When Coleco Just Built Their Own Atari

Oh god this is the second time I wrote about something like this FROM THE SAME DECADE! Oh hello reader, I didn't smell you there! So here's a familiar story, it's the 1980's and a video game company doesn't like how one company is sitting high and pretty. This time, instead of Nintendo and Tengen, it's Coleco and Atari!

Picture it, it's 1982 and Coleco is struggling with their console the ColecoVision against the Atari 2600. So what are you to do? Make your own adapter that allows your customers to play your competitors games on your system of course. It's the obvious answer.

Thar she is, the ColecoVision Expansion Module 1. It was essentially just an Atari that relied on the Coleco for power and video output. There was an issue with the more out there cartridges needing an adapter, but beyond that anything goes.

Coleco was of course sued for this, but they did settle out of court with Coleco paying royalties for the expansion module, and for their own stand alone Atari clone.

The strangest thing I've found is how common these things are. Looking on Ebay the expansions are more common than the ColecoVision and for some reason cheaper than the Atari 2600, while also coming with the box. So if you want a fun conversation piece have at it.

Another thing I need to note is the lack of comprehensive sources beyond the court documents. I could only find one or two paragraph posts that just told me the basics, including a newspaper article from NYT at the time. Even the Wikipedia page is light on the subject. I seem to have a memory of Atari losing their patent on the 2600 over this but I'm not finding that anywhere. If that isn't the case, I am very sorry for spreading that around.

Oh and of course I piracy is a crime and I don't condone, always keep your anti viral software up to date, and visit your grandma!

[high-tech-news]

Xbox One is blazing a trail for multi-generational backward compatibility - VentureBeat

https://ift.tt/2Hdorsi

VentureBeat

Xbox One is blazing a trail for multi-generational backward compatibility VentureBeat Backward compatibility is not new. ColecoVision's 1982 Expansion Module 1 and Sega's 1989 Power Base Converter set the stage for new consoles to play older models' games. But it's not a mandatory feature, either. Nintendo famously infuriated parents by ... Don't expect the next PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo console anytime soonBusiness Insider Xbox's E3 2018 Plans And Fan Events Further DetailedGameSpot Sr. Electrical Engineer - DRAM Memory Lead - XBOX in Redmond, Washington, United States | Hardware Engineering ...Microsoft jobs Xbox Live's Major Nelson all 37 news articles »

high-tech-news.tumblr.com

[jollypainterstrawberry-d7e52e17]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[buuqye-ziiqpu]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[mieygi-qealyu]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[toadgo-soawya]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[zeextu-zuiyva]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[cuumvi-naeczu]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[coikse-kaerze]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[laodra-sienhe]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[ziotji-foinpu]

Colecovision expansion module 1 and games cib http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?ff3=2&toolid=10044&campid=5337506718&customid=&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&item=201957983865

[stlgamer75]

Expansion Module #2 - Steering Wheel with Turbo

Expansion Module #2 – Steering Wheel with Turbo

The Colecovision offered a number of peripherals and “expansion modules” despite the short life span of the console. Expansion module #1 is the infamous Atari adapter, allowing Colecovision owners to play Atari 2600 games. Expansion module #3 was Coleco’s foray into home computing, the Adam. Both #1 & #3 actually utilized the expansion module port on the front of the console. Expansion module #2,…