Coleco Telstar series

Coleco Telstar series
	A Coleco Telstar Colortron. A later model in the series.
Manufacturer	Coleco
Type	Series of dedicated home video game consoles
Generation	First
Released	c. June 1976
Lifespan	1976-1978
Units sold	> 1 million (Coleco Telstar model only)
Successor	ColecoVision

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 unveiled the first model at the National Sporting Goods Show in Chicago in early February 1976. Later that month, Coleco attended the Toy Fair in New York along with at least four other companies introducing dedicated home consoles, including Magnavox with the Odyssey 100 and 200. Coleco planned to start delivering product in April. In March, the FCC announced a variety of dedicated consoles, including the Telstar, had failed to meet its radio frequency interference standards. Coleco received FCC approval for its first two Telstar models, the Telstar and Telstar Classic, in May 1976. Both models began shipping to retailers soon afterwords.

Coleco initially sold the Telstar at $70 ($80 for the Telstar Classic model). Due to oversupply, it began selling for around $50 by August 1976. It sold over a million units in that year. Coleco was unaffected by a chip shortage that year, as their early orders meant it was entirely supplied. Coleco continued to release models into 1978, even as the dedicated home console market stalled and was replaced by handheld electronics. Coleco's revenue from the series fell by over 90% that year. By the end of the year, they had abandoned the product line. 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

Telstar models
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 handball tennis	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.	^: 22 ^: 35
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.	^: 17 ^: 34
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.	^: 18
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.	^: 18
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.	^: 23 ^: 37
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.	^: 34
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.	^: 36
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)	August 1977	Pack-in game (Tennis, road racing, quick draw) Others Eight-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.	^: 28 ^: 37–38

References

↑ "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Coleco". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 31.
↑ Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames (2nd ed.). Union, NJ: Rolenta Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-9643848-2-5. Retrieved February 16, 2012. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.
↑ "Toy Industry Marching into Video Games". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 3. January 19, 1976. p. 9. ISSN 9127-1592.
↑ "Video Games Sweeping Toy Field". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 8. February 23, 1976. p. 9. ISSN 9127-1592.
↑ "FCC Gets Tougher on Games". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 11. March 15, 1976. p. 10. ISSN 9127-1592.
↑ "Game Specs – FCC Gets Tough". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 20. May 17, 1976. p. 11. ISSN 9127-1592.
1 2 "Directory of Video Games". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 23. June 7, 1976. ISSN 9127-1592. Updated to June 3, 1976. Coleco. Telstar & Telstar Classic. FCC Status: Approved. Delivery: Immediate.
1 2 Wolf 2012, p. 57.
↑ "Fall Games Market – Plenty of Ifs". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 34. August 23, 1976. p. 10. ISSN 9127-1592.
↑ Smith 2019, p. 414.
↑ Wardyga, Brian (2019). The Video Games Textbook. p. 15. ISBN 9781032972596.
↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1978). "The Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide). Vol. 1, no. 1. Reese Communications. pp. 17–30. ISSN 0147-8907.
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1979). "Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide). Vol. 2, no. 1. Reese Communications. pp. 33–42. ISSN 0147-8907.
↑ "Coleco Telstar". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 17, no. 35. August 29, 1977. p. 10. ISSN 9127-1592. Coleco Telstar Arcade became 3rd programmable to hit retail sales floor (after Fairchild & RCA), showing up in Korvettes & Alexander's (N.Y.) at full $99.99 list.

Works cited

Smith, Alexander (2019). They Create Worlds: The Story of the People and Companies That Shaped the Video Game Industry, Vol. I: 1971-1982. CRC Press. p. 414-417, 459-460, 466-469. ISBN 9781138389908.
Wolf, Mark, ed. (2012). Before the Crash: Early Video Game History. Wayne State University Press. ISBN 9780814337226.

External links

The ColecoVision, with 1982 TV commercial
Pong-Story: All Coleco Telstar systems, with photos
Telstar and other systems
The Dot Eaters entry on the history of Telstar and Coleco
The COLECO Story by Ralph H. Baer Archived 21 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine
Feature titled "THE MOST BIZARRE CONSOLE FLOPS IN GAMING HISTORY" by ADAM JAMES at SVG.com

[1] "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Coleco". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 31.

[2] Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames (2nd ed.). Union, NJ: Rolenta Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-9643848-2-5. Retrieved February 16, 2012. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.

[tvdigest1603-3] "Toy Industry Marching into Video Games". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 3. January 19, 1976. p. 9. ISSN 9127-1592.

[tvdigest1608-4] "Video Games Sweeping Toy Field". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 8. February 23, 1976. p. 9. ISSN 9127-1592.

[tvdigest1611-5] "FCC Gets Tougher on Games". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 11. March 15, 1976. p. 10. ISSN 9127-1592.

[tvdigest1620-6] "Game Specs – FCC Gets Tough". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 20. May 17, 1976. p. 11. ISSN 9127-1592.

[tvdigest1623-7] 1 2 "Directory of Video Games". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 23. June 7, 1976. ISSN 9127-1592. Updated to June 3, 1976. Coleco. Telstar & Telstar Classic. FCC Status: Approved. Delivery: Immediate.

[FOOTNOTEWolf201257-8] 1 2 Wolf 2012, p. 57.

[tvdigest1634-9] "Fall Games Market – Plenty of Ifs". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 16, no. 34. August 23, 1976. p. 10. ISSN 9127-1592.

[FOOTNOTESmith2019414-10] Smith 2019, p. 414.

[11] Wardyga, Brian (2019). The Video Games Textbook. p. 15. ISBN 9781032972596.

[12] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[kaplan78-13] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1978). "The Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide). Vol. 1, no. 1. Reese Communications. pp. 17–30. ISSN 0147-8907.

[kaplan79-14] 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1979). "Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide). Vol. 2, no. 1. Reese Communications. pp. 33–42. ISSN 0147-8907.

[tvdigest1735-15] "Coleco Telstar". Weekly Television Digest. Vol. 17, no. 35. August 29, 1977. p. 10. ISSN 9127-1592. Coleco Telstar Arcade became 3rd programmable to hit retail sales floor (after Fairchild & RCA), showing up in Korvettes & Alexander's (N.Y.) at full $99.99 list.