Classic gaming fans rejoice! Coleco is making a return to cartridge-based gaming via a partnership with Retro Video Game Systems with the Coleco Chameleon.
The Coleco Chameleon has an interesting history. The console originally began as the “Retro VGS”, a concept system of similar design being funded on Indiegogo. With a goal of just under $2 million, the project sadly gained little more than $80,000. Coleco stepped in to offer a partnership with Retro Video Game Systems, developers of the Retro VGS, to breathe new life into the console. Retro Gamer reports that the Coleco Chameleon will be put up for crowdfunding on Kickstarter though there is no mention of financial goals.
According to Coleco, the console will “accurately play compilations of favorite games from the past” with new games being playable in 8, 16 and 32 bit formats. There have been no announcement of specific titles, nor mention of backwards compatibility with previous titles found on the company’s older ColecoVision.
The most notable aspect of the Chameleon is its use of cartridges, a technology not seen in the gaming industry since the Nintendo 64. Coleco reports, “All game cartridges will include high quality, plastic clam shell cases with illustrated instruction manuals and game developer liner notes.”
Mike Kennedy, president of Retro Video Game Systems, praised the Chameleon because it “is a love-letter to all the classic cartridge based gaming systems that came before it.” Interestingly, the ColecoVision was first released in 1982.
There is no clear idea of what gamers can expect of pricing, though developers have tweeted that:
https://twitter.com/RETROVGS/status/677632041656131585
The Coleco Chameleon has a tentative release date in early 2016; those who live in New York can get an early glimpse when the system appears at the Toy Fair New York in February.