Coleco Chameleon // Coleco General

[Anonymous No.2860762]

Having owned and loved a colecovision [favorite games were Nova Blast and Pepper 2] I am super stoked about Chameleon, not only for the collections and new games, but weirdly enough-- it's going to have cartridges.

[Anonymous No.2860764]

>>2860762
Does it actually look like an Atari Jaguar with a Wii U Pro Controller? wtf is that?

[Anonymous No.2860770]

>>2860764
more detail
http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/17/10428976/coleco-chameleon-console-game-cartridges

[Anonymous No.2860776]

>oy vey, so many shekels to be made with retro games

[Anonymous No.2860785]

>>2860776
Fuck off.

I'm definitely going to support this. I hope there's enough of a market for it to make it worthwhile for the company.

[Anonymous No.2860818]

>>2860762
>The Chameloen appears to be a rebranded version of the Retro VGS, a similar console concept that attempted to raise nearly $2 million on Indiegogo this year, but ended the campaign with just over $80,000. The Retro VGS was also going to use game cartridges, and wouldn't require an internet connection or software updates, unlike modern machines. According to Retro Gamer, the new Coleco version will also attempt a crowdfunding campaign, this time on Kickstarter, though it's unclear how much the campaign will aim to raise.
It failed once I doubt it'll work this time, they're going to need to add a lot more to it to even have people think about funding this.

[Anonymous No.2860831]

>>2860818
>change names
>change funding sites

No, that's not suspicious in the least.

[Anonymous No.2860864]

>The combination of the purchase of Selchow & Righter, the disastrous Adam computer, and the public's waning infatuation with Cabbage Patch dolls all contributed to Coleco's financial decline. In 1988, the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
This isn't any more Coleco than Infogrames is Atari.

[Anonymous No.2860921]

>>2860785
Oh look a company shill

[Anonymous No.2860942]

>>2860762
>It's a "Retro VGS" guys try to scam people again episode.

It's a shit idea.
It will fail again.
And anyone with a shred of intelligence will be happy when it fails again.

[Anonymous No.2861067]

>>2860762
>having shilled this failed shit before I'll shill it again
Good luck failing again dingus

[Anonymous No.2861072]

>>2860762
>called the Chameleon
>it's just a cleverly disguised machine for dentists

[Anonymous No.2861250]

Yes thanks for the thread OP

I came to /vr/ to see what you guys thought of it, I just now heard of it

[Anonymous No.2861282]

Cartridges are crazy expensive to make nowadays. Have you guys seen NGDEVTeams AES and MVS releases? They're like 600 dollars or so?

I dont really get this console, no updates or anything in a gaming world like todays just isnt going to cut it. They arent going to have the money or time to do some real hardcore bug-testing.

And the fact that it's in an Atari Jaguar case and has a recolored cheap ripoff WiiU gamepad is really bringing it down further for me. It looks like a scam to me, even if it's not really one.

It's really hard to be optimistic about this, sorry OP.

[Anonymous No.2861286]

Eh, I like physical media (don't really care for optical discs, though), but I'd much rather see standard SD cards or something instead of weird proprietary cartridges.

They better at least have programmable cartridges so indie devs can do digital releases, because I guarantee you they won't be getting AAA game studios investing their money and time in a niche console like that.

[Anonymous No.2861287]

>>2861250
1. It's not retro for the purpose of this board beyond using Jaguar shells and a dead brand name
2. It's a rerun of a failed campaign
3. It's a shitty idea

[Anonymous No.2861291]

>>2861287
>>2861282
I really want cartridges to make a comeback

>no updates or anything
They're doing that for piracy, if you can flash firmware by a method of just downloading a file and flashing it, people can make custom firmware eventually

But you're right, they're going to have to really do some hardcore debugging to make sure there are few errors

[Anonymous No.2861293]

>>2861282
>Cartridges are crazy expensive to make nowadays.

Haha, no. It's a plastic molded case, a small PCB, an EEPROM, and a simple microcontroller. Depending on the quality, maybe $10 dollars for a small batch? A fraction of that if you were doing mass production like back in the day.

[Anonymous No.2861294]

>>2861287
read the article Junior Mod-- it's supposed to be centered around collections of classics.
BUT GOOD EYE, YOU HAPPY WARRIOR

[Anonymous No.2861297]

>>2860762
It'll never come out. Cartridges aren't viable any more.

[Anonymous No.2861304]

>>2861291
I don't think piracy would be a big issue for a console like this that's not going to attract big developers in the first place. If anything, being able to patch security issues would help prevent piracy.

There's no reason you can't have cartridges, optional internet connection, and updates for games/firmware these days. It'd actually being interesting because you'd literally be patching the ROM on the cartridge rather than an installation on the machine.

[Anonymous No.2861314]

>>2861294
>it's supposed to be centered around collections of classics.
It's supposed to be a lot of things. For now it's nothing but hot air.
Even if they bundle it with CV games it wouldn't be any more retro than the Wii U or whatever system that offers ports or emulation or retro games.

[Anonymous No.2861318]

>>2861291
>I really want cartridges to make a comeback

I dunno man. I kinda know how you feel because I like records, but I dont think they will make a comeback like records have. For one, you dont have to buy a whole new turntable to play new releases.

If its anything like records, it'll be way more expensive, inconvenient, but I doubt with the same kinda quality. It seems like it's going to be just as cheap and low budget as it looks.

[Anonymous No.2861512]

>>2860762
The tooling for the Jaguar molds must be superfuckingcheap and the people behind it must be either fucking clueless or fucking based to take on the taint of Jaguar.

And I say this as a person who likes his Jaguar.

[Anonymous No.2861546]

It's hard to see this making it out of the crowd funding stage.

I don't see what makes this unique or what would draw in sales. What do they even intend to put on the cartridges?

[Anonymous No.2861570]

Oh boy, more ways to play games I already own

And this one will have new games made by fucking nobodies because all the good 32-bit devs moved onto to modern projects

Gee willikers I'm so excited

[Anonymous No.2861605]

>>2860762
>console shilled excessively
>everyone with half a brain avoids it like the fucking plague
>indiegogo campaign falls incredibly short
>realize your failure
>rebrand it and attempt again under a new name and crowdfunding

Why continue to push it?

Enthusiasts already have access to a massive library of retro games on home consoles. Your SNES and NES probably still work, and people still do homebrew and indie games for them so why not just stick with one of those?

The whole argument of "just plug in and play" is so fucking stupid. I don't think Bloodborne had anything over 10 minutes as a patch, at launch.

I have 50mb/s. Its fast, but not even close to as fast as it could be. I can download movies and games in minutes. So the whole "never needs updates" thing is so fucking retarded I can't believe they thought it was a selling point.

I just don't understand why these guys want to push this so bad. Carts are cool, and I have a lot of cart consoles (nes, snes, n64, virtual boy, gb, gbc, gba, neo-geo mvs, sega genesis, master system, atari 2600, 5800, coleco and intellivision, a fucking vectrex), but carts are dead. CD's are way cheaper to mass produce, and the entire industry is moving towards digital only to further reduce distribution costs (I mostly disagree with this because it doesn't inherently make it cheaper for you as a consumer, AC: Syndicate was 79.99 CAD when I looked about 20 minutes ago on PSN) so clinging to carts is stupid. Especially like I said, you can do homebrew for older consoles and people have,.

[Anonymous No.2861625]

>>2861512
There was some idiot that INSISTED this thing was going to be Jaguar compatible and was intentionally made that way to bring in the Jaguar market. I thought he was trolling but he seemed quite sincerely stupid.

You're right though Atari publicly sold off the injection molds that's why there's that Hot Shot dental cam era using them and now this - assuming the guys even HAVE the molds.

[Anonymous No.2861636]

>>2861605
1) Physical copies will continue to have meaning so long as copyright law remains in its current form.
2) Opitcal-drive systems break down much more quickly than cartridge systems

You may not personally care about those things, but it's not hard to understand.

[Anonymous No.2861837]

>>2861282
>Cartridges are crazy expensive to make nowadays.
NDS says you're a tard

[Anonymous No.2862230]

>>2861282
Carts are cheaper to make now than they ever were back in the day. Just because some guys sell them for a lot to neogeofags doesn't mean they cost a lot to make. Just that neo geo collectors are crazy.

[Anonymous No.2862242]

>>2860762
In order for it to be super successful:

>support third-party accessories like Logitech F310 controllers on Launch
>have tons of splitscreen or local multiplayer stuff

[Anonymous No.2862249]

>>2860762
Soo, what are the specs for this thing? Will it be powerful enough to run emulators if someone manages to hack it?

[Anonymous No.2862274]

>>2860762
So... who is the console for? What is their market going to be for? Because, if it's not going to have Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto to get buyers then it's going to be pretty damn niche. Anybody who develops a game for it could make the same game for pc and save their time making more money from sales there.

And really, this has already failed once. Hell the Ouya actually made it through kickstarter and look where that ended up.

[Anonymous No.2862658]

>>2860762
Yes OP, yesterday while I was getting a cavity cured my dentist said the same thing, he can't wait for the Chameleon.

Now before making witty remarks, we both go way back and I was the one who suggested him to buy a Retron V when he was on bad terms with his wife, so I can tell you he isn't biased, at all.

He obviously isn't one who needs to buy a lot of console, the Retron V already gives both him and his wife quality retro gaming, but if he told me the Chameleon is gonna be good I believe him, he knows what quality is.

[Anonymous No.2862702]

>>2860762
It's going to be OUYA all over again, now isnt it?

[Anonymous No.2863602]

>>2860921
Who do you think started the thread?

[Anonymous No.2863693]

>>2862658
the retron/wife is a really strange meme.

[Anonymous No.2863721]

>>2860785
This is literally a re-branded Retro VGS. All they did was change the brand name.

[Anonymous No.2863728]

>>2862702
>It's going to be OUYA all over again, now isnt it?
I think so.
I'll probably still port my game to it though... seems cool.

According to a tweet, the Colecovision merger thing will bring the cost of the system way down.

[Anonymous No.2864037]

>>2863693
It kinda makes sense, it's supposed to speak to people who were kids during the 80s and 90s and paints the retron in a "relive the glory days of your childhood even though you're a responsible adult now" light.

[Anonymous No.2864073]

>>2863721
This seems it could be true after it died on Kickstarter but can't find anything on it

[Anonymous No.2864076]

>>2861605
Because now you can make money off of it you dumb fuck

[Anonymous No.2864178]

I just wish they could adjust the mold for the case so that it doesn't have the horrible toilet-looking crater in the top designed for the Jaguar CD add-on.

Unless...

Brace yourself for the imminent announcement of the Coleco Chameleon CD.

[Anonymous No.2864181]

Badly written paragraph from the Coleco Wikipedia page suggests that it's gone through a complete redesign since Coleco came in:

>In December of 2015, Coleco announced the development of the Coleco Chameleon, a new cartridge-based video game system (in actuality, a completely different rebuild design internally of the controversial Retro VGS console, whose Indiegogo campaign failed to secure funding in early November (so the went back to the drawing board and got funding from Coleco who required the system to be scraped and redesigned internally), with only $63,546 raised of its $1.95 million goal). In the press release, it was established that the system would be able to play new and classic games in the 8, 16, and 32-bit styles. The release for the system has been announced to be sometime in early 2016, as well as a demonstration at Toy Fair New York in February.

[Anonymous No.2864227]

>>2864073
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/retro-vgs#/

It's literally owned by the same company and uses the same system shells.

retrovgs.com

[Anonymous No.2864230]

>>2864181
That's essentially saying that it's a Raspberry Pi 2. That's not a selling point.

[Anonymous No.2864312]

>River West Brands, a Chicago-based brand revitalization company
My wife works there.

[Anonymous No.2864351]

>>2861636
>2) Opitcal-drive systems break down much more quickly than cartridge systems
At least ten years is enough to work for the optical drive. Moreover, everyone's moving on digital.

[Anonymous No.2864354]

>>2864351
It's all digital.

[Anonymous No.2864364]

At best this comes out, gets some launch games, gets a small batch of games 8-12 months after release, then dies completely.

I'd guess that half the people who would buy the system and the games are investors who'd buy up large portions of the print runs and immediately try to flip them on ebay.

[Anonymous No.2864409]

>>2860762
>Chameleon
HOLY SHIT LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL BABY!!!!!!!!!

[Anonymous No.2864423]

coleco has no brand value anymore. they'll put their name on anything
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOwZKjWM-Yg

[Anonymous No.2865503]

>>2860762
Coleco announces theyre coming back 30plus years later. Shit changed since the 80s. How will they compete with the big 3?

[Anonymous No.2865547]

>>2865503
They won't, but it doesn't sound like they're trying to. This thing is for an incredibly niche market.

There's two ways this thing will go. It will either be embraced by its target audience and enjoy success among a small community of people who are dedicated to it and its dead format, or it will completely flop on its face and die an embarrassing death of obscurity like the ouya.

My money is on the latter, if it even gets off the ground in the first place.

[Anonymous No.2865714]

>>2860785
I definitely like this idea. My only concern is how much developer support it will get. Either way I'll buy it if it gets enough funding and ends up releasing

[Anonymous No.2865721]

>>2864312
So, this basically means that Coleco is almost literally nothing more than a name with no real game company to back it up, right?

[Anonymous No.2865725]

so is it just going to be this + emulators + android?

[Anonymous No.2865738]

>>2865725
Look at the control device. It doesn't seem suited to playing CV games.

[Anonymous No.2866043]

Other then adding a Cortex A12 with a Mail-880, 2 Cortex M3s (1 for I/O and 1 for sound), 2GB of 2400MHz DDR3 ram with 512MB of GDDR5 ram so that devs can use C++ and ect this was always planed out by the guys who made the Super Game Module.

http://www.colecovision.dk/cv2.htm

They did update the 8-bit hardware however.

B CPU:Z80, 3.58MHz and 14MHz in CV2 mode.
Main RAM:512KB, up from 32KB.
Video C:V9958 required for the vertical scroll.
Video B:V9990 16-bits quality graphics.
Video Out:HDMI, RGB, VGA, Component, S-Video and Composite.
Stereo Sounds: SN76489A, AY-3-8910 + Yamaha YMF278B aka OPL4/Moonsound.

Nothing changed other then Opcode buying the rights to the RES and shoved it in their Colecovision 2 that was already planed.

[Anonymous No.2866047]

avgn coleco chameleon episode when?

[Anonymous No.2866048]

>>2865721
Yes, the "real one" closed in 1989.

[Anonymous No.2866339]

This is going to flop harder than the Ouya.

[Anonymous No.2866347]

Why do they call it the chameleon?

because it's invisible to the consumer

[Anonymous No.2866379]

>>2860762
thx my wife loves it

[Anonymous No.2866567]

>>2866048
what the fuck is this

[Anonymous No.2867294]

>>2866567
That sir, is the Commodore phone.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/07/14/commodore-phone/

[Anonymous No.2867297]

>>2867294
so its just some stock android smartphone with commodore emulators?

[Anonymous No.2867302]

>>2867297
Yup. It's just a midrange chinkphone with Commodore branding / emu.

[Anonymous No.2867338]

>>2867297
>>2867302
it also has a really nice jaguar emulator with some sick crt shaders

[Anonymous No.2867519]

>>2861837

Correct me if this comes off as stupid or wrong but doesn't the nds/3ds games act more as a sd card in its proportions and as a format for games? And isn't way cheaper to produce than using an outdated versions of carts?

[Anonymous No.2868124]

So it looks like an Atari Jaguar, it has a 3rd party Wii U style controller and it's using the Coleco name. It's a clusterfuck of things from different places. As much as I like the idea of a classic cartridge based system you just know this thing will flop and it won't get any support from developers.

[Anonymous No.2868131]

>>2861512
It's a rebranding of a console that already failed called the Retro VGS, They think buying the Coleco name will save them, it won't.

[Anonymous No.2868139]

>>2865714
>how much developer support it will get
0.

Maybe some homebrew shit like a Tetris rip-off.

[Anonymous No.2868142]

>>2865503
it's not even Coleco, it's some fucks that have been trying to push their retarded concept for a "retro" cartridge based system for a couple of years now that bought the brand name because it was cheap and they thought it would save their idiotic idea.

[Anonymous No.2868619]

I really like the idea of some of the best 2D games on PC getting released on a dedicated cartridge system but I'm concerned about cost. Seeing how this is aimed at a very small group of people and considering manufacturing costs of cartridges, is it really worth it to pay what's probably going to be 40-60 bucks for a game that's 10 bucks or less on steam?

[Anonymous No.2868693]

>>2868142
I'm really reminded of a kid insisting that his fish is just sleeping at the top of the fishbowl.

They need to just let this thing go. They mahbe had something going as a niche console to let people buy cartridges of certain indie/homebrew games but as soon as they tried to present it as some sort of rival to modern consoles along with a high price they killed it. I wonder if they just hoped to ride the 80s/90s retro wave and thought that collectors/investors would gladly hop on board with wallets agape, no questions asked.

[Anonymous No.2868731]

Just keep in mind that this is a rebranded RetroVGS.

Since the IndieGoGo campaign was a bust they realized purchasing the rights to the Jaguar shell wasn't enough, so they went ahead and bought the Coleco name.

This is literally the Jewish equivalent to the Ouya.

[Anonymous No.2868753]

>console that would have to rely on indie devs and small time "studios" to create a userbase
>requires cartridges

Does not compute.

I'm all for cartridges in some form, but it's really something that's only viable on a mainstream console where developers have the money to manufacture and distribute cartridges. The best case scenario here is a repeat of the 1980s PC scene where individuals and small teams make games, then have to virtually sell all rights to the game to a publisher to realistically release the game.

[Anonymous No.2868770]

>>2868753
Wasn't the RetroVGS team themselves going to make the carts for the developers or something? In any event, the chance of this having more than a small number of exclusives was next to none. Why grant exclusivity to this when you can make more money with presumably less hassle by selling on Steam and the like? And, given their "no update" policy (which is surely a good goal), I'd imagine that most devs would be reluctant to have their game sold on a RetroVGS cart at release and would likely wind up waiting for several months or a year before they felt comfortable enough to declare it done enough for a physical release. So, it would probably be for people who like to collect and (if they are very eager for the titles) like to pay for games twice. Yeah, it would be cool to have full boxed releases of interesting digital-only games (I'd love to have MM9 and MM10 carts, but no way would those have made it to the RVGS), but at anything more than novelty prices it probably would have been at best a console + 2 game purchase for many gamers.

[Anonymous No.2868778]

>>2868770
>Wasn't the RetroVGS team themselves going to make the carts for the developers or something?

Unless RetroVGS is going to manufacture and distribute the cartridges for developers with no upfront cash, like taking a percentage of every sale, it's still going to exclude a lot of developers. Even if they did, I'd imagine the "percentage" they would take would be pretty significant compared to digital distribution, to make up for manufacturing and shipping costs. They'd also have to manufacture each cartridge to order, or have some very intense screening process (which would end up excluding some perfect decent games) to make sure they're not wasting time batch manufacturing shitware.

[Anonymous No.2868813]

OP is a shill.
RetroVGS (or call it whatever you want) is overpriced garbage.
/thread

[Anonymous No.2869186]

If they wanted to make a console for the retro croud, they should have made something to compete with Hyperkin. They would have a better chance of actually selling it.

[Anonymous No.2869309]

Seriously, just make a legitimate emulation box with an SD card slot. If people want to make their own games, it's not like all the documentation for retro consoles isn't leaked.

[Anonymous No.2869327]

>>2868778

I believe it was that you basically order your games from them, much like how a lot of low batch vinyl record and cassette production is done today.

You're absolutely right that the costs will be greater than on steam (30%).

The issue with this system is that it will be a hobby thing for developers as well as consumers.
Doing 50 or 100 count run of a vinyl record with kooky colors is very common in the small punk scenes the litter the US, but most of them don't make any money of those records because they can't and won't want to charge the $20 that Radiohead or whoever the fuck can charge for their LPs.

The issue is that I don't think the gamedev community has the same spirit as the punk community, we're too motivated by money and building a name. Also, a record can be recorded and mixed in a weekend, while a decent game can take years to make.

So it will only be ports and homebrew-level stuff imo.

[Anonymous No.2869725]

I can go on Amazon right now and buy an individual SD card for $3-5. Buy in bulk from source and this price gets reduced significantly. Chameleon cartridges could be as simple as an SD card in a shell. Cartridges are becoming more viable than optical media now as disks reach the limit of capacity and SD keeps getting cheaper. Even the NX is slated to support cartridges.

Cost of cartridges doesn't need to be an issue.

[Anonymous No.2869796]

>>2869725
Being able to execute out if serial may become a serious option soon but for now a cart based system will have to be parallel, especially if it's 'retroish'.
Still not expensive though. Carts being expensive to make is a baby maymay.

[Anonymous No.2869819]

>>2869327

a punk song takes as long to write as it does to play it. developing a game on the other hand can take years... you don't just give away years of work for the hell of it (unless you're already well off and that was always the plan).

[Anonymous No.2870007]

Pumped about a "Coleco" when it's not an actual Coleco. Yeah. Sure.

[Anonymous No.2870378]

>>2860785
You will buy for your wife?

[Anonymous No.2870406]

>>2860785
>>2865714
>MFW people defending a android based emulator

[Anonymous No.2871115]

Don't you hate it when old brand names that used to mean something now get slapped onto shit that has nothing to do with the original company or their products?

[Anonymous No.2871143]

>>2871115
The coleco name is owned by a company that specializes in "brand revitilization" so basically doing exactly this. It's plainly obvious to anyone who is familiar with the retro VGS that the coleco name is just a desperate last gasp for crowdfundcash® by trying to monetize brand nostalgia in addition to trying to take advantage of the retro boom, but that's secondary to the fact that the amount of money they want is ridiculous.

That being said I'm all for an indie console that has physical releases of modern 2D games, and I'm gonna hold off final judgement until they at least put up their kickstarter page. I won't be backing it but if it actually comes out and is everything they promised, I'd buy one.

[Anonymous No.2871145]

>>2860762
this is the stupidest idea ever. why not just develop games for a retro console with an already huge install base.

[Anonymous No.2871468]

>>2871145

I thought this. The guys who made Pier Solar successfully released it on Megadrive in a beautiful package with a cartridge that absolutely looked the part. If they want games on cartridges, the Megadrive is the perfect option. No set up costs, probably tens of thousands of people who still own one, plus Sega doesn't give a shit about licensing; they've let indies produce new Dreamcast games for profit pretty much since the Dreamcast came out and still to this day. They don't mind one bit.

[Anonymous No.2871474]

>>2871143

Christ, you're not kidding:

>In 2005, River West Brands, a Chicago-based brand revitalization company, re-introduced Coleco to the marketplace. (Wikipedia)

Hey, if this campaign fails then maybe they can try releasing it as the Atari Cougar, and then when that doesn't work, I imagine we'll see them try to crowdfund the Fairchild Channel G, except the shell is exactly like a Panasonic M2. After that, who the fuck knows? Probably the Magnavox Iliad: reconditioned LaserActives with twelve Arduinos daisy-chained together inside, and an innovative new controller.

[Anonymous No.2871668]

I'm waiting on the coleco chameleon CD

[Anonymous No.2871672]

>>2871668
Waiting for Nintendo to make one?

[Anonymous No.2871691]

>>2871672
B-but I haven't even seen the games!

[Anonymous No.2872146]

I'd buy one it had KOF98-UM available on it as cartridge.

Sure I could play the 360/Steam/PS2 version, But i'd love to have a cart version of that and 2002UM and XI.

I'm weird like that.

>looking at you Coleco Chameleon shiller, you now know what I want.

[Anonymous No.2872412]

Not gonna happen. You'd need money to license that.
http://retrogamingmagazine.com/2015/12/23/more-trouble-with-coleco-chameleon-surfaces-revisionist-history-spotted/

[Anonymous No.2872630]

Didn't we all learn a lesson after Ouja?
No?

[Anonymous No.2872664]

>>2869819
>a punk song takes as long to write as it does to play it.
yeah thats what i said

>>2871468
Most indie devs don't have the skill to develop for something like Genesis. It's a whole different ballgame than shit like Unity that we're used to.