Fashion is cyclical, and apparently, so is gaming. Coleco, the long-lost video game pioneer and creator of the ColecoVision, is putting out its first console in nearly three decades.
The Coleco Chameleon is just as retro in function as Coleco is in name, as it's going to play games exclusively on cartridges, a format that's been abandoned in favor of disks on game consoles.
Coleco appears to have made its console a reality after a team-up with Retro Video Game Systems. Retro VGS recently launched an Indiegogo campaign to fund making a modern console of its own, and while the original pitch fell short of its monetary goals, it seemed to attract Coleco's attention.
Coleco plans to try crowdfunding for the retro console again, according to Retro Gamer, hoping that moving to Kickstarter and a rebranded household name will be the necessary shots in the arm to get the machine off the ground.
Coleco claims the the Chamelon will "accurately play compilations of favorite games from the past," as well as new games that released in an 8-, 16-, and 32-bit style. The Chameleon seems to also commit to the Retro VGS' prior goal of creating a modern console that, without internet connectivity, isn't subject to updates, piecemeal downloadable content, or have the risk of becoming unplayable in the future.
Coleco plans to debut the Chameleon at the New York Toy Fair in February. Seeing the name 'Coleco' return alongside plastic game cartridges in 2016 is sure to turn some heads, if not convince some that they've gotten stuck in a time loop.
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