ColecoVision Flashback System

[ColecoDan]

Problem is that I'm in Europe. So not sure what all my options are at the moment.

Time to take a vacation in October and bring them back as carry on.

[bkrownd]

Sometimes you just have to import. See if any online retailers ship internationally. You'll get better deals that way than going through the Amazon/eBay reseller route.

 

Probably not. Big "online retailers" usually overcharge for shipping overseas (which includes many parts of the United States). I looked at the Toys-R-Us preorder and they wanted to add an absurd $30 shipping charge for the Flashback. Amazon would ship it for free, and you can often cut a better deal with someone on eBay.

Edited August 15, 2014 by bkrownd

[HkryCrkStudio]

 

Probably not. Big "online retailers" usually overcharge for shipping overseas (which includes many parts of the United States). I looked at the Toys-R-Us preorder and they wanted to add an absurd $30 shipping charge for the Flashback. Amazon would ship it for free, and you can often cut a better deal with someone on eBay.

 

The American Toys 'R' Us will not even ship outside the US... I would gladly have pre-ordered it through them if they did. I actually don't have a problem at all paying for international shipping, I've purchased loads of stuff from the US as most of the time I've had no choice, that's where it's all at

[+nanochess]

It's not just you. I just checked with their chat agent. The person told me that it's possible that pre-order stock has been sold out. The item would be re-listed on the website when it is available to purchase.

 

I think it can only be a good thing for them to have sold out of their pre-orders for the Coleco, Intellivision, and Sega units. I guess a lingering question would be, "how large was that allocation?" but since we will never know, let's just pretend it's awesome news!

 

I'm glad I ordered mine already. :-)

 

I think you're right.

 

I had a copy of the URL for the Colecovision Flashback and just came to my attention it is redirected to a URL including a text saying "oos=yes", I'm supposing OOS means Out-Of-Stock

 

This gets interesting

[Flojomojo]

Hope so. Of course it's also out of stock because it hasn't arrived yet. I'm irrationally excited and interested about this recreation of a crude 30yo thing...but that's what Atari Age is all about.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I cancelled my TRU preorder because I decided I didn't want the Intellivision (too many sports games) and to get the exclusive game from the Dollar General down the street. I'm kinda glad they sold out although I don't anticipate the flashbacks flying off the shelves at Dollar General so I should be able to just walk in and buy one. I may even ride my bike down there instead of drive; it's that close to me.

Edited August 16, 2014 by stardust4ever

[thevnaguy]

If any of you are going to CGE, I will have a ColecoVision Flashback set up in the console area along with some other Coleco games to play Coleco Holdings LLC is sending me a ColecoVision flashback for the show, hopefully the CEO Mr. Thomann will be able to come as well. His site is http://www.coleco.vision. I have a interview with him comming up on the next episode of The ColecoVisions Podcast, along with a special guest host Ferg from the Atari 2600 game by game podcast Should be out later this month.

[Manoau2002]

If any of you are going to CGE, I will have a ColecoVision Flashback set up in the console area along with some other Coleco games to play Coleco Holdings LLC is sending me a ColecoVision flashback for the show, hopefully the CEO Mr. Thomann will be able to come as well. His site is http://www.coleco.vision. I have a interview with him comming up on the next episode of The ColecoVisions Podcast, along with a special guest host Ferg from the Atari 2600 game by game podcast Should be out later this month.

I might have to go to GCE next year. (Out of vacation time this year) I could go there and stay for a week for less then the price of the flight to go to the Portland or Seattle expos. (Which are closer to my home)

[atarilovesyou]

Soooo...these things aren't gonna get released in Walmart?...that's where I've found just about every other retro bundle system like this. I'm in Canada as well, and none of this stuff is really worth the shipping. Still, if I happen upon a CV or Inty, I'll pick em' up.

[Bill Loguidice]

Soooo...these things aren't gonna get released in Walmart?...that's where I've found just about every other retro bundle system like this. I'm in Canada as well, and none of this stuff is really worth the shipping. Still, if I happen upon a CV or Inty, I'll pick em' up.

 

It's certainly possible, but Wal-Mart was not one of the retailers I discussed with AtGames. I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if we saw at least some of these show up at other retailers, though. I'll try to remember to ask for a more complete list (assuming there is one) once I get the review units. I'll have to make a list of other questions to remember to ask as well.

[Greg2600]

Interesting that according to that website, Coleco Holdings also holds the rights to Zaxxon, not SEGA.

[akator]

Interesting that according to that website, Coleco Holdings also holds the rights to Zaxxon, not SEGA.

 

I saw that on their site as well. Personally, I find it questionable for multiple reasons.

 

• Zaxxon and other Zaxxon titles have been included in multiple Sega compilations released in the last decade.
• Sega released several additional Zaxxon games up to the 90s, so they still owned it then as well.
• Even though it is over 30 years old, Zaxxon is still a relatively well known classic game. Had Sega sold that IP anytime recently, it would have made headlines on any one of the many tech and gaming sites.
• It simply doesn't make sense that Sega would sell such a valuable IP.

[Bill Loguidice]

I think Coleco Holdings is purposely non-specific about what aspect of the rights they actually hold.

[H.E.R.O.]

 

 

I saw that on their site as well. Personally, I find it questionable for multiple reasons.

 

• Zaxxon and other Zaxxon titles have been included in multiple Sega compilations released in the last decade.
• Sega released several additional Zaxxon games up to the 90s, so they still owned it then as well.
• Even though it is over 30 years old, Zaxxon is still a relatively well known classic game. Had Sega sold that IP anytime recently, it would have made headlines on any one of the many tech and gaming sites.
• It simply doesn't make sense that Sega would sell such a valuable IP.

Sega has an Android game out so I doubt the license is fully Coleco holdings. Perhaps it's only for the Colecvision version rights.

Edited August 19, 2014 by H.E.R.O.

[Atariboy]

I saw that on their site as well. Personally, I find it questionable for multiple reasons.

• Zaxxon and other Zaxxon titles have been included in multiple Sega compilations released in the last decade.
• Sega released several additional Zaxxon games up to the 90s, so they still owned it then as well.
• Even though it is over 30 years old, Zaxxon is still a relatively well known classic game. Had Sega sold that IP anytime recently, it would have made headlines on any one of the many tech and gaming sites.
• It simply doesn't make sense that Sega would sell such a valuable IP.

Plus, it's on the Wii Virtual Console and Super Zaxxon is part of Sega Genesis Collection for the PSP. Both remain available on their respective download services.

[Andromeda Stardust]

^^This is true. I DL'ed GaPlus and Zaxxon to my Wii-U (Wii mode) the other week.

[+evg2000]

Soooo...these things aren't gonna get released in Walmart?...that's where I've found just about every other retro bundle system like this. I'm in Canada as well, and none of this stuff is really worth the shipping. Still, if I happen upon a CV or Inty, I'll pick em' up.

walmart-> sams club

[ataridave]

Is this system based on the original Colecovision hardware, or is it NOAC?

[Bill Loguidice]

Is this system based on the original Colecovision hardware, or is it NOAC?

 

AtGames has never used a NOAC in any of their products. They use custom chips with a software emulation layer. This is neither a recreation of original hardware nor a generic NOAC-based system (in fact, I think most companies stopped using those many years ago). The only system-on-a-chip AtGames has is for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

AtGames has never used a NOAC in any of their products. They use custom chips with a software emulation layer. This is neither a recreation of original hardware nor a generic NOAC-based system (in fact, I think most companies stopped using those many years ago). The only system-on-a-chip AtGames has is for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

Because outside of the ever popular NES, SNES, Genesis, and GBA, no readily accessible system-on-a-chip solution exists for classic consoles. Well there was the Atari-on-a-chip in Flashback 2 and 2+, but it was all done in house and not distributed to clone manufacturers.

Edited August 20, 2014 by stardust4ever

[gavvv]

 

 

I saw that on their site as well. Personally, I find it questionable for multiple reasons.

 

• Zaxxon and other Zaxxon titles have been included in multiple Sega compilations released in the last decade.
• Sega released several additional Zaxxon games up to the 90s, so they still owned it then as well.
• Even though it is over 30 years old, Zaxxon is still a relatively well known classic game. Had Sega sold that IP anytime recently, it would have made headlines on any one of the many tech and gaming sites.
• It simply doesn't make sense that Sega would sell such a valuable IP.

 

 

There is also another distinct possibility. There are many instances of early 80s and prior contracts with Japanese companies where the contracts were written with more vague language and terms, in some cases where there were no terms of length involved. In 'fandom' terms, the most well-known & controversial one is that of the Macross anime television series, where the original license contract had no expiration date, and the licensee has held those rights since.

 

Now i'm a bit more dubious about this case, since even in the day it was a much larger deal, and the questionable 'chain of custody' of the coleco corporate holdings makes it seem a bit less kosher

 

gavv

[akator]

Maybe Coleco had some kind of perpetual "non-exclusive" license to use Zaxxon for electronic games and the consoles of the time. Wasn't Zaxxon only published by Coleco on consoles and the tabletop game? I recall it being from different publishers on computers -- in the US, Zaxxon was was still Sega on the VIC-20, Sega and Datasoft on the A8, etc.

 

Even if Sega sold Coleco a perpetual license it must have been for certain consoles because Zaxxon titles were on SMS, 32X, and compilations for PS2, PSP, and PS3. Even if it seems strange that Sega would have granted a perpetual license back then with one of their biggest properties, the conditions may have been so specific that Sega wasn't worried about the long term. After all, by 83-84 they were developing their own consoles...

[Bill Loguidice]

Maybe Coleco had some kind of perpetual "non-exclusive" license to use Zaxxon for electronic games and the consoles of the time. Wasn't Zaxxon only published by Coleco on consoles and the tabletop game? I recall it being from different publishers on computers -- in the US, Zaxxon was was still Sega on the VIC-20, Sega and Datasoft on the A8, etc.

 

Even if Sega sold Coleco a perpetual license it must have been for certain consoles because Zaxxon titles were on SMS, 32X, and compilations for PS2, PSP, and PS3. Even if it seems strange that Sega would have granted a perpetual license back then with one of their biggest properties, the conditions may have been so specific that Sega wasn't worried about the long term. After all, by 83-84 they were developing their own consoles...

 

Zaxxon was on the Atari 5200 from Sega. I really think only Coleco Holdings can answer the specifics, and I don't believe they ever would publicly. My own opinion is that they're not necessarily as careful as they should be with what they can and can't do and what they actually have rights to. That's for them to worry about in the end, though.

[ataridave]

 

AtGames has never used a NOAC in any of their products. They use custom chips with a software emulation layer. This is neither a recreation of original hardware nor a generic NOAC-based system (in fact, I think most companies stopped using those many years ago). The only system-on-a-chip AtGames has is for the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive.

 

OK, thanks Bill! That's good to know! I'm confused by the whole Coleco Holdings name-didn't Coleco go bankrupt in 1988?

[Bill Loguidice]

 

OK, thanks Bill! That's good to know! I'm confused by the whole Coleco Holdings name-didn't Coleco go bankrupt in 1988?

 

Coleco as we knew them (or at least what little remained) went away in 1988, with their remaining assets either already sold off or taken over by another entity. Riverwest, aka Coleco Holdings, is a holding company that eventually got the rights well after this period to some of the Coleco-related videogame stuff. They're no more Coleco than the present day Atari is Atari. They just own the rights to certain properties. That's pretty much standard practice though with these classic company names/IPs, i.e., eventually company X buys the rights to Y and calls themselves Y, even though they're not really Y, they're just leveraging the name. The hope is of course that the casual observer doesn't dig too deep and is "fooled" into thinking it's the original company back from the dead, like what happened with, for example, Commodore USA a few years back. It's obviously not the same, though.