Coleco Gemini

Coleco's return to the gaming market after the Telstar was a shaky one. The introduction of cartridge systems forced the company to dump over a million obsolete Telstar machines at a loss of 22.3 million dollars. It's no wonder they gambled on copying the Atari 2600 which was the most successful console of it's time.
So the Coleco Gemini was created in 1982. It was an exact clone of the 2600 system, which Atari could do nothing about (Since the court ruled that the Atari technology contained no patented material, was made up of all "off-the-shelf" hardware, and no copyrighted software). So Coleco marketed the Gemini slightly cheaper then the Atari 2600, and capitalized on the Atari success.


ColecoVision

After nearly bankrupting itself in 1978 with overstocked Telstar units, Coleco once again entered the console market looking to de-throne Atari 2600 and Intellivision the current kings of the hill.
Colecovision was released in 1982 and boasted amazing specs for it's time which showed in it's arcade conversions. To secure their success Coleco reached out to a Japanese based company called "Nintendo", and paid $250,000 for the rights to a super popular arcade game called Donkey Kong. Donkey Kong became a pack in game with the console.


Emerson Arcadia 2001

Emerson Arcadia 2001 was supposed to be the Atar 2600 killer. A great console with great games. Unfortunately they fell prey to complete lack of third party development, and the lack of Arcade game titles. Similar to other consoles before it, they were forced to release arcade clones.
The system didn't grasp much attention, and soon found it's way to the bargain bin at the cost of $99. The release of the Colecovision months later sealed the Arcadia's fate. The Emerson Arcadia 2001 died after only a year and a half with 35 game releases. Most never recall it existed. Many clones of it (such as the Leonardo were released across the world though. It was also licensed and distributed in Japan by Bandai for 19,800 yen



Vectrex

The Vectrex was released in November 1982 by General Consumer Electronics (GCE). It wasn't just your average game console. To this day there has never been a videogame system quite like it.
The legendary GCE/Milton Bradley Vectrex is the world's only standalone vector graphic home video game system. The console was cartridge based like all other consoles, but the unit came with a 9-inch monochrome monitor, an attached joystick, and even a built in game called Mine Storm.





SG-1000 Mark I / SG-1000 II Mark II


Sega's SG-1000 (Sega Game 1000) (a.k.a Mark I) was the company's first attempt at home consoles. It was initially test-marketed in 1981, and finally released to Japanese consumers in June of 1983. It was a pretty advanced system for its time, and featured impressive technical specifications . The system would be sold in Japan until 1985, and did make it in two overseas markets, Australia & New Zealand.
In 1984, Sega released an updated version of the console called the SG-1000 Mark II. This remodeled version used gamepads instead of the original joysticks, and had mounts to store them on each side. It also featured a slot which allowed a keyboard attachment called SK-1100 , and was compatible with software from the Sega SC-3000 computer.





Famicom Disk System

To understand the reason for the Famicom Disk System's existence, you need to look back to 1985. While video game consoles were dead in the US, the Famicom boom was taking hold of Japan's populous. However, the game's time honored ROM cart manufacturing was expensive. Even the simplest games retailed for over 5000 yen, bringing them beyond the reach of most children's allowances. Nintendo's answer? Release games on disks, which are much cheaper than cartridges to make. A disk's contents can also be changed easily and at low cost to the buyer. And so the Famicom Disk System was born


Sharp Twin Famicom
The Twin Famicom from Sharp was released around 1986 in Japan as a product licensed by Nintendo. It was basically a combination Famicom (NES) and Famicom Disk System in one 70's looking unit (in pinks, reds, and blues). Sharp also released a black version of the system shown above, for those looking for something more manly (haha).






Amstrad GX4000


Amstrad's GX4000 was the second UK-developed console to be released on the market. The console retailed at £99, and came with a main adapter, TV lead, two paddle control units and a game called "Burnin' Rubber". It featured a unique case design that looked like a space ship. It was even demonstrated as such on the packaging. Does this mean it was Space Age? Well, no, not really.Amstrad, seeing the ever increasing money to be made in console video game market, followed in the same footsteps as many other computer companies had. The GX4000 was actually a modified CPC6128+ computer. This allowed The GX4000 to be compatible with a majority of CPC+ computer line software.


Sega Mark III / Master System

To compete with the Nintendo Famicom in Japan, Sega released the successor to the Mark I/II and called it Sega Mark III in 1984.
The Mark III could produce great 8 bit graphics with specs superior to the Famicom. The console had two game formats which were cartridges and a Sega "Game Card" format. The cards held only 256K of data (cartridges held over 4 times that amount), but the advantage to both Sega and the consumer was the fact that the cards were cheaper to manufacture, and sold for less then the carts did. Sega also introduced 3D glasses that could be used in some of their games. The Mark III was also backwards compatible with SG-1000 / Mark I & II software.

Atari 7800

The Atari 7800 Pro System was originally designed around 1983 and 1984, but was never released during that time frame because of the "Great Videogame Crash of 1984". Around 1985 Nintendo had revitalized the videogame industry with it's release of the NES. This prompted then Atari CEO Jack Tramiel to try at the console market once again in 1986.






Turbografx 16 / PC Engine


On October 30, 1987 the first 16-Bit home videogame console was released in Japan by NEC. The PC Engine was clearly a "next generation" system with it's amazing specs, and wallet sized card games called "HuCards".
The PC Engine was immensely popular in Japan, outselling the Famicom by a significant margin. Two years after its Japanese introduction, NEC announced plans to bring the PC Engine overseas. NEC dubbed the US release Turbografx-16, and prepared to dominate both Nintendo and Sega as they did in Japan.