ColecoVision

The ColecoVision was a second-generation console made by Coleco that competed with the likes of the Atari 2600 and Intellivision, first released in 1982. It was short-lived, only lasting until 1985.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) The ColecoVision's sound is very good for 1982 standards, surpassing its competitors.
 * 2) The hardware allowed for smooth, nearly arcade-perfect graphics for the time.
 * 3) Lots of good conversions of arcade games, like Zaxxon and Donkey Kong, the latter of which was a pack-in game for the system.
 * 4) As with the Intellivision, some games came with overlays for the controllers that allowed you to see what each button did for each game.
 * 5) Games more focused on getting high scores, adding tons of replay value and a competitive aspect.
 * 6) The ColecoVision had several expansion modules, one of which added the ability to play Atari 2600 games on it. Yes, there was a game console with an official add-on that allowed users to play games from its competitor!
 * 7) The ColecoVision influenced the creation of the Nintendo Entertainment System.
 * 8) Despite the short number of games in its library, in the 2000s-present, several homebrew devolpers, Opcode Games, CollectorVision, and Team PixelBoy, made more games for the system, with MSX & SG-1000 conversions, and even games like Space Invaders Collection, Pac-Man Collection, Mecha 8 and 9, Rip Cord, Sydney Hunter & The Sacred Tribe, Digger, Frostbite, Mario Bros, etc.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) The ColecoVision is nowhere near as durable as the Atari 2600 or the Intellivision, meaning that finding a functional unit at an affordable price can prove difficult.
 * 2) Smaller selection of games compared to the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision, with only 145 games. However, as previously mentioned, Atari 2600 games can be played with an expansion module, expanding the game library.
 * 3) The system was released shortly before the North American Video Game Crash of 1983, which played a part in ColecoVision's demise.
 * 4) As with the Intellivision, the controller is not very comfortable to use, even with it having a joystick instead of a disc. Thankfully, unlike the first Intellivision model, the ColecoVision controller can be unplugged and swapped with another 9-pin input controller, like the Atari or Sega Genesis controller.
 * 5) The system's AC adapter is very large even by consoles' AC adaptors at the time, it's so large that it's impossible to plug it without removing everything next to it.

Video
m0-mqPpGSgc