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Coleco (a contraction of COnneticut LEather COmpany) was the first company to introduce a "dedicated chip" home video game system, with the Telstar Arcade in 1976. (The Magnavox Odyssey, based on Analog technology, was the first home video game system overall, debuting in 1973.) Trying to build upon the enormous initial success of the unit, Coleco decided to bring out nine different Telstar models. But within a year, 75 other manufacturers had introduced similar units, and combined with with production snags, a shortage of chips, and a push towards hand held games, Coleco skirted with disaster. While Coleco sold over $20 million of hand held games, it had to dump over a million Telstar units, and the company lost $22.3 million in 1978. With the introduction of units with games stored on interchangeable cartridges, Fairchild and then Atari had eliminated any remaining market for the simple pong  games.

The systems I own

Coleco Telstar, Model 6040, Released in 1976.
Pong system that containd 3 games.

Coleco Telstar Classic, Model 6041, Released in 1976.

Tabletop Pac-Man game, Released in 1982.

Unfortunaly, I don't have a system yet, but, here is the carts I own.

Related links

* I'd like to thank the Classic Video Game (and Harry Reimer) for their permission to use thier pictures and content in this web site.

Last updated on: November 1, 1999