Coleco Telstar series
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The Coleco Telstar is a series of dedicated first-generation home video game consoles produced, released and marketed by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Coleco Telstar's Pong clone-based video game console on General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Coleco Telstar series. About one million units of the first model, called Coleco Telstar, were sold.
Coleco sold over a million units at the price of $50 in 1976. Coleco was unaffected by a chip shortage that year, as their early orders meant it was entirely supplied. The large product lineup and the impending fading out of the Pong machines led Coleco to face near-bankruptcy in 1980. The first Telstar system included single control knobs for each player. It was sold as a bundle that contained the three internal ping pong style games Tennis, Hockey and Handball.
Model comparison
| Console | Model and chip | Release date | Integrated games | Description | Size (height x wide x depth) | Cite | Picture |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coleco Telstar | No.6040, AY-3-8500 | 1976 | hockey handball tennis | Two fixed paddles. Games are Pong variants. | Unknown | ||
| Coleco Telstar Classic | No.6045, AY-3-8500 | 1976 | hockey handball tennis | Two fixed paddles. Deluxe wood case. | Unknown | [citation needed] | |
| Coleco Telstar Deluxe (a.k.a. "Video World of Sports") | model number unknown, AY-3-8500 | 1977 | hockey handballs tennis ball | Two fixed paddles. Brown stand case with wood panel. Made for Canadian market with French and English text. | Unknown | [citation needed] | No picture available |
| Coleco Telstar Ranger | No.6046, AY-3-8500 | 1977 | hockey handball tennis jai alai target skeet | Black and white plastic case, includes Colt 45-style light gun and separate paddle controllers. Four ball games, two target games. Special features of the four ball games include automatic serve and variable paddle and speed control for three experience levels (beginner, intermediate, and professional). Uses six C batteries or an optional AC adapter, light gun requires one nine-volt battery. | 4 lb. 17.5×6×8 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Alpha | No.6030, AY-3-8500 | 1977 | hockey handball tennis squash | Black and white plastic case, fixed paddles. The games feature an automatic serve function and variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and pro). Uses six C batteries or optional 9 volt AC adapter. | 2.5 lb. 13.5×3.5×7.5 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Colormatic | No.6130, AY-3-8500 Texas Instruments SN76499N (color) | 1977 | hockey handball tennis jai alai | Black and white plastic case, detached wired paddles. Color graphics - each game is a different color. The games feature an automatic serve function and variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and professional). Uses six C batteries. | 2.5 lb. 13×6.5×7.5 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Regent | No.6036, AY-3-8500 | 1977 | hockey handball tennis jai alai | Black and white plastic case, detached wired paddles. The games feature an automatic serve function and variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and professional). Uses six C batteries. | 2.5 lb. 13.5×4×8 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Sportsman | model number unknown, AY-3-8500 | 1978 | Black and white plastic case, detached wired paddles, and light gun. | Unknown | [citation needed] | No picture available | |
| Coleco Telstar Combat! | No.6065, General Instrument AY-3-8700 Tank chip | 1977 | Combat Night Battle Robot Battle Camouflage Combat | Four fixed joysticks (two per player). Games are variations on Kee Games' Tank. Uses six C batteries or an optional AC adapter. | 5.5 lb. 15×8×10.5 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Colortron | No.6135, AY-3-8510 | 1978 | Tennis Hockey Handball Jai-alai | In color, built in sound, fixed paddles. Games are Pong variants and feature variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and pro). Uses two nine-volt batteries or an optional AC adapter. | 1 lb. 2×11.25×4 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Marksman | No.6136, AY-3-8512 | 1978 | Tennis Hockey Handball Jai-alai Skeet Target | In color, larger light gun with removable stock, fixed paddles. Four Pong variants and two gun games. Uses two nine-volt batteries or an optional AC adapter. | 1 lb. 2×11.25×5 in. | ||
| Coleco Telstar Galaxy | model number unknown, AY-3-8600 (games) AY-3-8615 (color encoder) | 1977 | 48 variations of: Tennis Hockey Handball Soccer Basketball Foosball | Separate joysticks and fixed paddles | Unknown | [citation needed] | No picture available |
| Coleco Telstar Gemini | model number unknown, MOS Technology MPS 7600-004 | 1977 | Four pinball games Two light-gun games | In color, light gun, two flipper buttons on left and right sides of case, pinball launch button and field adjustment sliders on top, light gun. | Unknown | [citation needed] | No picture available |
| Coleco Telstar Arcade | model number 6175, MOS Technology MPS-7600 (each cart) | 1977 | Pack-in game (Tennis, road racing, quick draw) OthersEight-game ball and target cartridge Five-game pinball and shooting cartridge Battle game cartridge Twenty-five game driving maze cartridge Fifteen game action cartridge (including Break Thru) | Cartridge-based, triangular case includes light gun, steering wheel with gear shift, and paddles, one on each side. | 4 lb. 7.5×18×16 in. |
Works cited
- Wolf, Mark, ed. (2012). Before the Crash: Early Video Game History. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814337226.
External links
- on the history of Telstar and Coleco
- 21 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine
- by ADAM JAMES at SVG.com