ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision .
80-483: The console offered a closer experience to more powerful arcade video games compared to competitors such as the Atari 2600 and Intellivision . The initial catalog of twelve games on ROM cartridge included the first home version of Nintendo 's Donkey Kong as the pack-in game. Approximately 136 games were published between 1982 and 1984, including Sega's Zaxxon and some ports of lesser known arcade games that found
160-508: A golden age of arcade video games , the exact dates of which are debated but range from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. This golden age includes Space Invaders , Pac-Man , and Donkey Kong . The arcade industry had a resurgence from the early 1990s to mid-2000s, including Street Fighter II , Mortal Kombat , and Dance Dance Revolution , but ultimately declined in the Western world as competing home video game consoles such as
240-421: A "technological renaissance" driven by "audio-visual" EM novelty games, establishing the arcades as a suitable environment for the introduction of commercial video games in the early 1970s. In the late 1960s, college student Nolan Bushnell had a part-time job at an arcade where he became familiar with EM games such as Chicago Coin 's racing game Speedway (1969), watching customers play and helping to maintain
320-432: A 5200 program can be developed and almost entirely debugged [on an Atari 8-bit computer] before testing on a 5200". John J. Anderson of Creative Computing alluded to the incompatibility being intentional, caused by Atari's console division removing 8-bit compatibility to not lose control to the rival computer division. Besides the 5200's lack of a keyboard, the differences are: In 1987, Atari Corporation released
400-707: A ColecoVision clone called the Dina , which was sold in the United States by Telegames as the Telegames Personal Arcade. IGN named the ColecoVision their 12th-best video-game console out of their list of 25, citing "its incredible accuracy in bringing current-generation arcade hits home". In 1996, the first homebrew ColecoVision game was released: a Tetris clone titled Kevtris . In 1997, Telegames released Personal Arcade Vol. 1 ,
480-477: A collection of ColecoVision games for Microsoft Windows , and a 1998 follow-up, Colecovision Hits Volume One . In 2012, Opcode Games released their own Super Game Module expansion, which increases RAM from 1 KB to 32 KB and adds four additional sound channels. This expansion brings the ColecoVision close to the MSX architecture standard, allowing MSX software to be more easily ported. In 2014, AtGames began producing
560-517: A combination of angled monitor positioning, one-way mirrors , and clear overlays to simulate colors and other graphics onto the gameplay field. Coin-operated arcade video games from the 1990s to the 2000s generally use custom hardware often with multiple CPUs , highly specialized sound and graphics chips , and the latest in expensive computer graphics display technology. This allows more complex graphics and sound than contemporary video game consoles or personal computers . Many arcade games since
640-510: A fixture in popular culture . Across North America and Japan, dedicated video-game arcades appeared and arcade-game cabinets appeared in many smaller storefronts. By 1981, the arcade video-game industry was worth US$ 8 billion in the US. The novelty of arcade games waned sharply after 1982 due to several factors, including market saturation of arcades and arcade games, a moral panic over video games (similar to fears raised over pinball machines in
720-431: A formal contract from Nintendo on his return. By the time of that year's Consumer Electronics Show , which Yamauchi was attending, Bromley found out from Yamauchi's daughter and translator that he had apparently given the rights to Atari. With Yamauchi's daughter's help, Bromley was able to commit Yamauchi to sign a formal contract to affirm the rights to Coleco. Coleco's announcement that they would bundle Donkey Kong with
800-412: A home video game console. According to Eric Bromley, who led the engineering for the ColecoVision, Greenberg had wanted to get into the programmable home console market with arcade-quality games, but the cost of components had been a limiting factor. As early as 1979, Bromley had drawn out specifications for a system using a Texas Instruments video and a General Instrument audio chip, but could not get
880-470: A lack of available data for coin drop earnings which typically account for the majority of a hit arcade game's gross revenue. This list only includes arcade games that either sold more than 10,000 hardware units or generated a revenue of more than $ 10 million . Most of the games listed were released between the golden age of arcade video games (1978–1984) and the 1990s. These are the combined hardware sales of at least two or more arcade games that are part of
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#1732790317809960-426: A lack of funding, with Atari continuing to develop most of its games for the saturated 2600 market. Many of the 5200's games appeared simply as updated versions of 2600 titles, which failed to excite consumers. Its pack-in game, Super Breakout , was criticized for not doing enough to demonstrate the system's capabilities. This gave the ColecoVision a significant advantage as its pack-in, Donkey Kong , delivered
1040-463: A larger audience on the console, such as Lady Bug , Cosmic Avenger , and Venture . Coleco released a series of hardware add-ons and special controllers to expand the capabilities of the console. "Expansion Module #1" allowed the system to play Atari 2600 cartridges. A later module converted ColecoVision into the Adam home computer. ColecoVision was discontinued in 1985 when Coleco withdrew from
1120-580: A meal with Yamauchi during one day, Bromley excused himself to the restroom and happened upon one of the first Donkey Kong cabinets, which had yet to be released to Western countries. Knowing this game would likely be a hit, Bromley arranged a meeting the following day with Yamauchi and requested the exclusive rights to Donkey Kong ; Yamauchi offered them if only they could provide $ 200,000 upfront by that day and gave them $ 2 per unit sold. Greenberg agreed, though as in Japanese custom, Bromley did not have
1200-446: A more authentic arcade experience than any previous game cartridge. In its list of the top 25 game consoles of all time, IGN claimed that the main reason for the 5200's market failure was the technological superiority of its competitor, while other sources maintain that the two consoles are roughly equivalent in power. The 5200 received much criticism for the "sloppy" design of its non-centering analog controllers. Anderson described
1280-457: A new renaissance in the arcades. Another factor was realism, including the "3D Revolution" from 2D and pseudo-3D graphics to "true" real-time 3D polygon graphics . This was largely driven by a technological arms-race between Sega and Namco . During the early 1990s games such as Sega's Virtua Racing and Virtua Fighter popularized 3D-polygon technology in arcades. 3D graphics later became popular in console and computer games by
1360-535: A pack-in game for the ColecoVision to challenge the VCS. Arcade conversions typically had to make concessions for the lower computational power and capabilities of the home console, such as limited graphics or alterations in gameplay. Such conversions had mixed results. The Atari VCS conversion of Space Invaders was considered the VCS's killer application , helping to quadruple the VCS sales in 1980. In contrast,
1440-512: A press conference at which the Atari 7800 was introduced, company executives revealed that the 5200 had been discontinued after less than two years on the market. Total sales of the system were reportedly in excess of 1 million units, far short of its predecessor's sales of over 30 million. Following the release of the Video Computer System in 1977, Atari began developing hardware for a next generation game console. Instead, it
1520-656: A simplified physics engine , and short learning time when compared with more realistic racing simulations . Cars can turn sharply without braking or understeer, and the AI rivals are sometimes programmed so they are always near the player with a rubberband effect . Other types of arcade-style games include music games (particularly rhythm games ), and mobile and casual games with intuitive controls and short sessions. The term "arcade game" can refer to an action video game designed to play similarly to an arcade game with frantic, addictive gameplay. The focus of arcade action games
1600-567: A special power connector that is not compatible with Expansion Module #3 (the Adam computer). Coleco mailed an adapter to owners of both units who complained. The other cartridge programmed to use the roller controller is Victory . A joystick mode switch on the roller controller allows it to be used with all cartridges including WarGames , Omega Race , and Atarisoft's Centipede . The Super Action Controller Set , available in September 1983,
1680-484: A stand-alone clone of the 2600. Expansion Module #2 is a driving controller ( steering wheel / gas pedal) that comes packaged with the cartridge Turbo . The gas pedal is merely a simple on/off switch. Although Coleco called the driving controller an expansion module, it actually plugs into the controller port, not the Expansion Module Interface . The driving controller is also compatible with
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#17327903178091760-545: A successful arcade video game is "easy to learn, difficult to master" along with a "multiple life , progressively difficult level " paradigm. This is due to the environment of the arcade, where the player is essentially renting the game for as long as their in-game avatar can stay alive or until they run out of tokens . Games on consoles or PCs can be referred to as "arcade games" if they share these qualities, or are direct ports of arcade games. Arcade racing games often have sophisticated motion simulator arcade cabinets ,
1840-524: Is a set of two handheld joystick controllers that comes packaged with the cartridge Super Action Baseball . Each controller has a ball-top joystick, four finger triggered action buttons, a 12-button numeric keypad, and a "speed roller". The cartridges Super Action Football , Rocky Super Action Boxing , and a conversion of the arcade game Front Line are also designed to be used with the Super Action Controller . Expansion Module #3
1920-425: Is almost identical to that of the Atari 8-bit computers , although software is not directly compatible between them. The 5200's controllers have an analog joystick and a numeric keypad along with start, pause, and reset buttons. The 360-degree non-centering joystick was touted as offering more control than the eight-way Atari CX40 joystick of the 2600, but was a focal point for criticism. On May 21, 1984, during
2000-641: Is an application that translates foreign software onto a modern system, in real-time. Emulated games appeared legally and commercially on the Macintosh in 1994 with Williams floppy disks, Sony PlayStation in 1996, and Sega Saturn in 1997 with CD-ROM compilations such as Williams Arcade's Greatest Hits and Arcade's Greatest Hits: The Atari Collection 1 , and on the PlayStation 2 and GameCube with DVD-ROM compilations such as Midway Arcade Treasures . Arcade games are downloaded and emulated through
2080-477: Is at least as good as many other controllers", and wondered why Super Breakout was the pack-in game when it did not use the 5200's improved graphics. Critical to the plot of the 1984 film Cloak & Dagger is an Atari 5200 game cartridge called Cloak & Dagger . The arcade version appears in the movie. In actuality the Atari 5200 version was started but never completed. The game was under development with
2160-616: Is expanded by the popularity of conversions of arcade games for home-based platforms. In 1997, WMS Industries (parent company of Midway Games ) reported that if more than 5,000 arcade units are sold, at least 100,000 home version units will be sold. The American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) is a trade association established in 1981 that represents the American coin-operated amusement machine industry, including 120 arcade game distributors and manufacturers. The Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association (JAMMA) represents
2240-761: Is on the user's reflexes, and many feature very little puzzle-solving, complex thinking, or strategy skills. These include fighting games often played with an arcade controller , beat 'em up games including fast-paced hack and slash games, and light gun rail shooters and " bullet hell " shooters with intuitive controls and rapidly increasing difficulty. Many arcade combat flight simulation games have sophisticated hydraulic motion simulator cabinets, and simplified physics and handling. Arcade flight games are meant to have an easy learning curve , in order to preserve their action component. Increasing numbers of console flight video games, such as Crimson Skies , Ace Combat , and Secret Weapons Over Normandy indicate
2320-448: Is usually judged by either the number of arcade hardware units sold to operators, or the amount of revenue generated. The revenue can include the coin drop earnings from coins (such as quarters , dollars , or 100 yen coins ) inserted into machines, and/or the earnings from hardware sales with each unit costing thousands of dollars. Most of the revenue figures listed below are incomplete as they only include hardware sales revenue, due to
2400-575: The Adam , which was a home computer expansion for ColecoVision. By mid-1985, Coleco planned to withdraw from the video game market, and the ColecoVision was officially discontinued by October. Total sales are uncertain, but were ultimately in excess of 2 million consoles, with the console continuing to sell modestly up until its discontinuation. In 1983, Spectravideo announced the SV-603 ColecoVision Video Game Adapter for its SV-318 computer. The company stated that
2480-429: The Atari 2600 adapter released that year. While the adapter was only made to work on the two-port version, modifications can be made to the four-port to make it line-compatible. In fact, towards the end of the four-port model's production run, there were a limited number of consoles produced which included these modifications. These consoles can be identified by an asterisk in their serial numbers. At one point following
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2560-470: The BIOS to 3.3 seconds for their PAL and SECAM ColecoVision consoles. From its introduction, Coleco touted the ColecoVision's hardware expandability by highlighting the Expansion Module Interface on the front of the unit. These hardware expansion modules and accessories were sold separately. Expansion Module #1 makes the ColecoVision compatible with Atari 2600 cartridges and controllers. It leveraged
2640-612: The Nintendo Wii Virtual Console service starting in 2009. Using emulation, companies like Arcade1Up have produced at-scale or reduced-scale recreations of arcade cabinets using modern technology, such as LCD monitors and lightweight construction. These cabinets are typically designed to resemble the original arcade game cabinets, but may also support multiple related games. These cabinets can be offered in diverse and miniaturized styles, such as table-mounted and wall-mounted versions. For arcade games, success
2720-462: The RCA Studio II 's. A single cable coming out of the 5200 plugged into the switch box and carried both electricity and the television signal. The 1983 revision of the Atari 5200 has two controller ports instead of four, and a change back to the more conventional separate power supply and standard non-autoswitching RF switch. It also has changes in the cartridge port address lines to allow for
2800-579: The Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox increased in their graphics and gameplay capability and decreased in cost. Nevertheless, Japan, China, and South Korea retain a strong arcade industry in the present day. Games of skill were popular amusement-park midway attractions from the 19th century on. With the introduction of electricity and coin-operated machines, they facilitated a viable business . When pinball machines with electric lights and displays were introduced in 1933 (but without
2880-499: The XE Game System console, which is a repackaged 65XE (from 1985) with a detachable keyboard that can run home computer titles directly, unlike the 5200. Anderson wrote in 1984 that Atari could have released a console compatible with computer software in 1981. The Atari 5200 did not fare well commercially compared to its predecessor, the Atari 2600. While it touted superior graphics to the 2600 and Mattel's Intellivision ,
2960-463: The analog joystick , which used a weak rubber boot rather than springs to provide centering, proved to be ungainly and unreliable. They quickly became the Achilles' heel of the system due to the combination of an overly complex mechanical design and a very low-cost internal flex circuit system. Another major flaw of the controllers was that the design did not translate into a linear acceleration from
3040-595: The $ 70 product allowed users to "enjoy the entire library of exciting ColecoVision video-game cartridges". ColecoVision is based around the Zilog Z80 CPU and a variant of the Texas Instruments TMS9918 video chip that was introduced in 1979. On NTSC ColecoVision consoles, all first-party cartridges and most third-party software titles feature a 12.7 second pause before presenting the game select screen. CBS Electronics reduced this pause in
3120-482: The 16 KB or 32 KB ROM cartridges of the day. Super Donkey Kong , with all screens and animations, Super Donkey Kong Jr , and Super Smurf Rescue were demonstrated with the Super Game Module. The Adam computer expansion with its 256 KB tape drive and 64 KB RAM fulfilled the specifications promised by the Super Game Module. Masayuki Uemura , head of Famicom development, stated that the ColecoVision set
3200-953: The 2000s run on modified video game console hardware (such as the Sega NAOMI or Triforce) or gaming PC components (such as the Taito Type X ). Many arcade games have more immersive and realistic game controls than PC or console games . This includes specialized ambiance or control accessories such as fully enclosed dynamic cabinets with force feedback controls, dedicated lightguns , rear-projection displays, reproductions of automobile or airplane cockpits, motorcycle or horse-shaped controllers, or highly dedicated controllers such as dancing mats and fishing rods . These accessories are usually too bulky, expensive, and specialized to be used with typical home PCs and consoles. Arcade makers experiment with virtual reality technology. Arcades have progressed from using coins as credits to smart cards that hold
3280-430: The 5200's release, Atari planned a smaller, cost-reduced version of the Atari 5200, which removed the controller storage bin. Code-named the "Atari 5100" (a.k.a. "Atari 5200 Jr."), only a few fully working prototype 5100s were made before the project was canceled. The controller prototypes used in the electrical development lab employed a yoke-and-gimbal mechanism that came from an RC airplane controller kit. The design of
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3360-459: The Atari 5200 as "a 400 computer in disguise". Its internal design is similar to that of Atari 8-bit computers using the ANTIC , POKEY , and GTIA coprocessors. Software designed for one does not run on the other, but source code can be mechanically converted unless it uses computer-specific features. Antic magazine reported in 1984 that "the similarities grossly outweigh the differences, so that
3440-619: The ColecoVision Flashback console that includes 60 games, but not the original pack-in game, Donkey Kong . Arcade video game An arcade video game is an arcade game that takes player input from its controls, processes it through electrical or computerized components, and displays output to an electronic monitor or similar display. All arcade video games are coin-operated or accept other means of payment, housed in an arcade cabinet , and located in amusement arcades alongside other kinds of arcade games . Until
3520-426: The Japanese arcade industry. Arcade machines may have standardized connectors or interfaces such as JAMMA, or JVS, that help with quick replacement of game systems or boards in arcade cabinets. The game boards or arcade boards may themselves allow for games to be replaced via game cartridges or discs. Prior to the 2000s, successful video games were often converted to a home video game console or home computer. Many of
3600-510: The United States, arcades have become niche markets as they compete with the home-console market, and they have adapted other business models, such as providing other entertainment options or adding prize redemptions. In Japan, where arcades continue to flourish, games like Dance Dance Revolution and The House of the Dead aim to deliver tailored experiences that players cannot easily have at home. Virtually all modern arcade games (other than
3680-417: The VCS conversion of Pac-Man in 1982 was highly criticized for technical flaws due to VCS limitations such as flickering ghosts and simplified gameplay. Though Pac-Man was the best-selling game on the VCS, it eroded consumer confidence in Atari's games and partially contributed to the 1983 crash. The need for arcade conversions began to wane as arcade game manufacturers like Nintendo, Sega, and SNK entered
3760-468: The advent of Space Invaders and the golden era, microprocessor-based games became typical. Early arcade games were also designed around raster graphics displayed on a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. Many games of the late 1970s and early 1980s use special displays that rendered vector graphics , though these waned by the mid-1980s as display technology on CRTs improved. Prior to the availability of color CRT or vector displays, some arcade cabinets have
3840-539: The bar that influenced how he approached the creation of the Famicom. During the creation of the Nintendo Entertainment System , Takao Sawano, chief manager of the project, brought a ColecoVision home to his family, who were impressed by the system's capability to produce smooth graphics, which contrasted with the flickering commonly seen on Atari 2600 games. In 1986, Bit Corporation produced
3920-407: The cartridges Destructor , Bump 'n' Jump , Pitstop , and The Dukes of Hazzard . Expansion Module #3 converts the ColecoVision into the Adam computer, complete with keyboard, digital data pack (DDP) cassette drive, 64 KB RAM, and printer. The Roller Controller is a trackball that comes packaged with the cartridge Slither , a conversion of the arcade game. The roller controller uses
4000-486: The center through the arc of the stick travel. The controllers did, however, include a pause button, a unique feature at the time. Various third-party replacement joysticks were also released, including those made by Wico. Atari Inc. released the Pro-Line Trak-Ball controller, which is used for games such as Centipede and Missile Command . A paddle controller and an updated self-centering version of
4080-554: The console was initially met with surprise and skepticism, with journalists and retailers questioning why they would give away their most anticipated home video game with the console. The ColecoVision was released in August 1982. By Christmas 1982, Coleco had sold more than 500,000 units, in part on the strength of Donkey Kong as the bundled game. ColecoVision's main competitor was the less commercially successful Atari 5200 . Sales quickly passed 1 million in early 1983. The ColecoVision
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#17327903178094160-453: The controller, and game function keys for Start, Pause, and Reset. The 5200 also featured the innovation of the first automatic TV switchbox, allowing it to automatically switch from regular TV viewing to the game system signal when the system was activated. Previous RF adapters required the user to slide a switch on the adapter by hand. The RF box was also where the power supply connected in a unique dual power/television signal setup similar to
4240-474: The controllers as "absolutely atrocious". David H. Ahl of Creative Computing Video & Arcade Games said in 1983 that the "Atari 5200 is, dare I say it, Atari's answer to Intellivision, Colecovision, and the Astrocade ", describing the console as a "true mass market" version of the Atari 8-bit computers despite the software incompatibility. He criticized the joystick's imprecise control but said that "it
4320-403: The current market leader, Mattel . The company also developed a line of miniaturized tabletop arcade video games with licensed rights from arcade game makers including Sega , Bally , Midway , and Nintendo . Coleco was able to survive on sales of their electronic games through to 1982, but that market itself began to wane, and Coleco president Arnold Greenberg was still interested in producing
4400-448: The decades prior), and the 1983 video game crash as the home-console market impacted arcades. The arcade market had recovered by 1986, with the help of software-conversion kits, the arrival of popular beat 'em up games (such as Kung-Fu Master (1984) and Renegade (1986-1987)), and advanced motion simulator games (such as Sega's "taikan" games including Hang-On (1985), Space Harrier (1985), and Out Run (1986)). However,
4480-420: The early 2000s, arcade video games were the largest and most technologically advanced segment of the video game industry . Early prototypical entries Galaxy Game and Computer Space in 1971 established the principle operations for arcade games, and Atari 's Pong in 1972 is recognized as the first successful commercial arcade video game. Improvements in computer technology and gameplay design led to
4560-456: The fact that the 2600 used largely off-the-shelf components and was effectively a complete set of 2600 electronics, including a reverse-engineered equivalent of the 2600's sole custom chip, the TIA . The ColecoVision console did not do any translation or processing of the game code on the 2600 cartridges; it only provided power and clock input to and audio/video output from the expansion module, which
4640-802: The falling of manual-heavy flight sim popularity in favor of instant arcade flight action. A modern subgenre of action games called " hack and slash " or "character action games" represent an evolution of traditional arcade action games, and are sometimes considered a subgenre of beat 'em up brawlers. This subgenre of games was largely defined by Hideki Kamiya , creator of the Devil May Cry and Bayonetta franchises. Arcade games are found in restaurants, bowling alleys, college campuses, video rental shops, dormitories, laundromats, movie theaters, supermarkets, shopping malls, airports, and other retail environments. They are popular in public places where people are likely to have free time. Their profitability
4720-484: The go-ahead due to the cost of RAM . Around 1981, Bromley saw an article in The Wall Street Journal that asserted the price of RAM had fallen and, after working the cost numbers, Bromley found the system cost fell within their cost margins. Within ten minutes of reporting this to Greenberg, they had established the working name "ColecoVision" for the console as they began a more thorough design, which
4800-498: The growth of home video-game systems such as the Nintendo Entertainment System led to another brief arcade decline toward the end of the 1980s. Arcade games continued to improve with the development of technology and of gameplay. In the early 1990s, the release of Capcom 's Street Fighter II established the modern style of fighting games and led to a number of similar games such as Mortal Kombat , Fatal Fury , Killer Instinct , Virtua Fighter , and Tekken , creating
4880-576: The home console market and used similar technology within their home consoles as found at the arcade, negating the need to simplify the game. Concessions still may be made for a home release; notably, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System conversion of Mortal Kombat removed much of the gore from the arcade version to meet Nintendo's quality control standards. Exact copies of arcade video games can be run through emulators such as MAME on modern devices. An emulator
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#17327903178094960-468: The initial Atari VCS games, for example, were conversions of Atari's success arcade games. Arcade game manufacturers that were not in the home console or computer business found licensing of their games to console manufacturers to be a successful business model, as console manufacturer competitors would vie for rights to more popular games. Coleco famously bested Atari to secure the rights to convert Nintendo's Donkey Kong , which it subsequently included as
5040-541: The machinery, while learning the game business. The early mainframe game Spacewar! (1962) inspired the first commercial arcade video game, Computer Space (1971), created by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney and released by Nutting Associates . It was demonstrated at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) show in October 1971. Another Spacewar -inspired coin-operated video game, Galaxy Game ,
5120-533: The marketing department never was able to surpass. Coleco recognized that licensed conversion of arcade games had worked for Atari in selling the Atari VCS , so they had approached Nintendo around 1981 for potential access to their arcade titles. Bromley described a tense set of meetings with Nintendo's president Hiroshi Yamauchi under typical Japanese customs where he sought to negotiate for game rights, though Yamauchi only offered seemingly obscure titles. After
5200-443: The mid-1970s, starting with Gun Fight in 1975. The arcade industry entered a "Golden Age" in 1978 with the release of Taito 's Space Invaders , which introduced many novel gameplay features - including a scoreboard . From 1978 to 1982, several other major arcade-games from Namco, Atari, Williams Electronics, Stern Electronics, and Nintendo were all considered blockbusters , particularly Namco's Pac-Man (1980), which became
5280-483: The mid-1990s, though arcade systems such as the Sega Model 3 remained considerably more advanced than home systems in the late 1990s. Until about 1996, arcade video-games had remained the largest segment of the global video-game industry . Arcades declined in the late 1990s, surpassed by the console market for the first time around 1997–1998. Since the 2000s, arcade games have taken different routes globally. In
5360-533: The original controller were also in development, but never made it to market. Games were shipped with plastic card overlays that snapped in over the keypad. The card would indicate which game functions, such as changing the view or vehicle speed, were assigned to each key. The primary controller was ranked the 10th worst video game controller by IGN editor Craig Harris. An editor for Next Generation said that their non-centering joysticks "rendered many games nearly unplayable". David H. Ahl in 1983 described
5440-402: The same franchise. This list only includes franchises that have sold at least 5,000 hardware units or grossed at least $ 10 million revenues. Atari 5200 The Atari 5200 SuperSystem or simply Atari 5200 is a home video game console introduced in 1982 by Atari, Inc. as a higher-end complement for the popular Atari Video Computer System . The VCS was renamed to Atari 2600 at
5520-474: The system was initially incompatible with the 2600's expansive library of games, and some market analysts have speculated that this hurt its sales, especially since an Atari 2600 cartridge adapter had been released for the Intellivision II . (A revised two-port model was released in 1983, along with a game adapter that allowed gamers to play all 2600 games.) This lack of new games was due in part to
5600-459: The time of the 5200's launch. Created to compete with Mattel 's Intellivision , the 5200 wound up a direct competitor of ColecoVision shortly after its release. While the Coleco system shipped with the first home version of Nintendo 's Donkey Kong , the 5200 included the 1978 arcade game Super Breakout , which had already appeared on previous Atari home platforms. The system architecture
5680-414: The user-controller flippers which would not be invented until 1947) these machines were seen as games of luck . Numerous states and cities treated them as amoral playthings for rebellious young people, and banned them into the 1960s and 1970s. Electro-mechanical games (EM games) appeared in arcades in the mid-20th century. Following Sega 's EM game Periscope (1966), the arcade industry experienced
5760-454: The very traditional fair midway ) make extensive use of solid state electronics , integrated circuits , and monitor screens, all installed inside an arcade cabinet . With the exception of Galaxy Game and Computer Space , which were built around small form-factor mainframe computers , the first arcade games are based on combinations of multiple discrete logic chips, such as transistor–transistor logic (TTL) chips. Designing an arcade game
5840-492: The video game market. Coleco had already contemplated shifting focus to their Cabbage Patch Kids success after the costly failure of their Adam computer. Coleco entered the video game market in 1976 during the dedicated-game home console period with their line of Telstar consoles . When that market became oversaturated over the next few years, the company nearly went bankrupt, but found a successful product through handheld electronic games , with products that beat out those of
5920-461: The virtual currency of credits. Modern arcade cabinets use flat panel displays instead of cathode-ray tubes. Internet services such as ALL.Net , NESiCAxLive , e-Amusement and NESYS , allow the cabinets to download updates or new games, do online multiplayer gameplay, save progress, unlock content, or earn credits. Many arcade games have short levels, simple and intuitive control schemes, and rapidly increasing difficulty . The classic formula for
6000-484: Was demonstrated at Stanford University in November 1971. Bushnell and Dabney followed their Computer Space success to create - with the help of Allan Alcorn - a table-tennis game, Pong , released in 1972. Pong became a commercial success, leading numerous other coin-op manufacturers to enter the market. The video game industry transitioned from discrete integrated circuitry to programmable microprocessors in
6080-685: Was distributed by CBS Electronics outside of North America and was branded the CBS ColecoVision. In Europe, the console was released in July 1983, nearly one year after the North American release. Sega Enterprises attempted a Japanese version of the console, but it was retooled into the SG-1000 before release. By the beginning of 1984, quarterly sales of the ColecoVision had dramatically decreased. In January 1985, Coleco discontinued
6160-435: Was more about the combination of these TTL chips and other electronic components to achieve the desired effect on screen. More complex gameplay required significantly more TTL components to achieve this result. By the mid-1970s, the first inexpensive programmable microprocessors had arrived on the market. The first microprocessor-based video game is Midway's Gun Fight in 1975 (a conversion of Taito's Western Gun ), and with
6240-502: Was originally the Super Game Module. It was advertised for an August 1983 release but was ultimately cancelled and replaced with the Adam computer expansion. The Super Game Module added a tape drive known as the Exatron Stringy Floppy with 128 KB capacity, and the additional RAM , said to be 30 KB, to load and execute programs from tape. Games could be distributed on tiny tapes, called wafers , and be much larger than
6320-417: Was otherwise entirely self-contained and could be thought of as the first Atari 2600 clone console. Functionally, this gave the ColecoVision the largest software library of any console of its day. The expansion module prompted legal action from Atari. Coleco and Atari settled out of court, with Coleco becoming licensed under Atari's patents. The royalty-based license also applied to Coleco's Gemini game system ,
6400-563: Was used as the basis for the Atari 400 and 800 home computers. Atari later decided to re-enter the console market using the same technology. Prototypes were called the "Atari Video System X – Advanced Video Computer System". Actual working Atari Video System X machines, whose hardware is 100% identical to the Atari 5200 do exist, but are extremely rare. The initial 1982 release of the system had four controller ports, compared to two in most other consoles. The controllers have an analog joystick , numeric keypad, two fire buttons on each side of
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