New Coleco/Sega handheld

[c0ldb33r]

Uggh, triple post (sorry!)

I answered my own question about the review. There's one at atariage.

Hardware: The build quality of this device is well above average, definitely better than the VGPocket games, and at least on par with the GP2X. The case is glossy black plastic with a subtle marble/sparkle finish. The whole thing looks nice in person, despite the nasty red COLECO logo. It feels substantial in the hand, but definitely smooth and pocketable. It's larger than the GB Micro, about the size and thickness of a largish cell phone, but very light. It doesn't make any noise when you twist it. There are two speakers on the front of the device, probably dual mono output. The screen is large and bright, with excellent color saturation and contrast. The buttons have a nice springy feel to them. The two buttons above the D-pad on the left are volume + and -, which come in handy since the device doesn't remember your volume setting when you switch it off. The buttons over the A and B action buttons on the right are RESET (to the game select menu) and START. There are no shoulder buttons or volume wheels on the device, just a small slot for a wrist strap. A headphone jack on the bottom of the unit is intelligently placed and doesn't get in the way.

Hackability?: The unit takes 3 AAA batteries and you need a small screwdriver to open the battery compartment. The device is held together by 4 small screws so it looks like it would be easy for Ben Heckendorn and friends to get inside easily. I didn't open mine -- I want to play some games for my fifty bucks, first. There's a jack for an external power adapter (DC 5V), as well as a standard mini-AV jack for audio/video output (included) should you want to play on the big screen. I'm happy with the built-in games for now, but it would be neat to expand this device. It almost feels like there's enough room in the case to do something like that.

Software: I don't know if this is a "SMS-on-a-chip," but it feels like the real thing to me, rather than emulation. Sounds are loud and accurate, and video is displayed in the game's original aspect ratio. Since different video systems are present on the software in this device, some games are upscaled to fill the whole screen, while others are displayed in a window. Text is readable in all modes and motion blur is minimal -- on par with GBA Micro and MUCH better than the original Game Gear. It's nice to have Sonic Triple Trouble on the run in my pocket, and having Snail Maze without a TV-based console. The game selection was done by someone who knows the Sega library, as there are no issues like those you sometimes see with pirate multicarts, such as duplicates, unplayable dogs, or titles that need the lightgun or 3D glasses. These are OLD games, but unlike some of the recent "new" games that were created for plug and play devices, most of these have a measure of professional polish. In other words, I'd rather play great games from the late 80s than crappy games from last week.

Game list: (they're displayed in this order in the software menu)
Sonic Drift 2
Sonic Triple Trouble
Alex Kidd in High Tech World
Alex Kidd in Miracle World
Altered Beast
Assault City
Astro Warrior
Aztec Adventure
Bomber Raid
Columns
Ecco II: The Tides of Time
Fantasy Zone
Fantasy Zone: The Maze
Global Defense
Kung Fu Kid
The Ninja
Penguin Land
Quartet
Snail Maze
Super Columns

They also have a pic comparing it to the GBMicro found on this page: [link]

[Bratwurst]

Found these online. Don't know enough to know if I'm looking at anything useful or not.

Ugh, a gloptop. Doesn't look very conducive to hacking.

[GizmoGC]

I'll be buying one today and have a full review up as well. Will be posted here, at CAG, and I had a request to post it at Sega Nerrds.

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

The gloptop is probably just the SMS-on-a-chip architecture. The games are most likely stored on the chip on the back side of the PCB, i.e. the one that's covered by a sticker in the first two shots and is too blurry to make out a part number in the third shot, but which is almost certainly a flash memory chip.

This is the same configuration used by the VG Pocket systems mentioned earlier. A gloptop NES-on-a-chip architecture with games stored on a surface-mounted flash chip.

If someone desoldered and dumped the memory chip from one of these sorts of systems, we'd probably be able to figure out how the games are stored. It probably wouldn't just be a bunch of ROMs tossed on there since they all have to be integrated into the menu system (though in the case of the VG pocket systems, JungleTac seems to be able to switch around the game listings on different systems without too much trouble), but creating an image with whichever games you wanted probbaly wouldn't be too hard. Then it would just be a matter of writing that image to a compatible chip and soldering it back to the board. A slot with interchangeable chips doesn't seem like it would be feasible because of static issues and space limitations.

I've also seen people suggesting the idea of adding some sort of SD card interface. I have no idea how or if that could work since it involves all sorts of more complicated stuff like microcontrollers and whatnot, but it would certainly be nice if it were possible.

I recently bought a OneStation system which is from the same people that make the VG Pocket systems, except it takes cartridges and plays not only their original games but also NES games and Genesis games and in the future possibly more because of the way it's designed. However, once you include the shipping, I've now payed about $200 for the system and a collection of 11 carts (which each contain 4 to 99 games), so it really would have made more sense to just buy a GP2X or even just a GP32.


...word is bondage...

[c0ldb33r]

I'll be buying one today and have a full review up as well. Will be posted here, at CAG, and I had a request to post it at Sega Nerrds.

Great, I'm looking forward to it. I'm especially looking forward to hearing about the battery life.

I checked my local Toys R Us and didn't find one there. Any word where they would be outside of a Target store? We don't have Targets here.

[Gapporin]

There were better SMS games than 3/4s of the titles on it now, that's for sure.

QFT. Although I'm all for a new SMS product, I can't justify paying $50 for only a handful of quality games on there, especially with the fact that I already have the original games/console.

Although I do wonder how this compares to, say, a Game Gear w/ Master Gear Convertor.

[MegaDrive20XX]

$50? no...$20? hell yeah

[c0ldb33r]

Although I do wonder how this compares to, say, a Game Gear w/ Master Gear Convertor.

Well the screen looks much sharper. I find on my GG I can't see what the hell's going on half the time. And hopefully the batteries last longer than the GG too

[bangtango]

I would have thought the Master System versions of Double Dragon, California Games and Golden Axe would have been a natural for this type of toy.

Kind of easy to understand why Phantasy Star is missing, since I'm sure somebody didn't want to "give it away" (their logic) when they could pad the number of games included by using a couple of lesser titles instead.

[jonjandran]

The gloptop is probably just the SMS-on-a-chip architecture. The games are most likely stored on the chip on the back side of the PCB, i.e. the one that's covered by a sticker in the first two shots and is too blurry to make out a part number in the third shot, but which is almost certainly a flash memory chip.

Is that better ?

[Sweater Fish Deluxe]

Not really.

However, now that I look at the chip more closely I can make out enough to know that it's in the same series as the flash chips present in the JungleTac systems (hell, this system could be made by JungleTac, too, for all we know), which means it's made by Mitsubishi. By skimming through a Mitsubishi flash chip part list I was able to find what must be the right part number: M5M29GT320VP-80. Search that in Google and you'll come up with a datasheet.

That's about all I can contribute. I don't really know anything about writing flash chips and I sure as hell wouldn't want try desoldering and resoldering one of those things myself.


...word is bondage...

[Schenley]

I'll be buying one today and have a full review up as well. Will be posted here, at CAG, and I had a request to post it at Sega Nerrds.

Did you get a chance to do that review yet?

[Damaramu]

I'm kicking myself for not grabbing one on Black Friday when they were $29. Ah well. I'm sure sooner or later, we'll see a price drop.

[exit]

Alex Kidd in Hightech World? Why on earth would they put that travesty on anything, I hope they changed the Sega ad of an ending.

[j_factor]

I hope the design is such that the modding community will be able to attach a Game Gear cart slot. I've been wanting a smaller version of the GG with a better screen and a/v output for like 15 years.

I'll probably get one regardless. Sonic Triple Trouble playable on a TV? Sold.

edit: Did anyone else find it highly amusing that Coleco is making this? COLECO makes its triumphant return... with a new Z80 device!

[EmOneGarand]

Curt Vandel mentioned that his company had designed a GameGear handheld similar to what Coleco is selling, would be interesting to find out what the deal is.. but he states that it does in fact has SMS-on-a-Chip in it so a cartridge mod is possiple. So thats some incentive to buy one.

[EmOneGarand]

I hope the design is such that the modding community will be able to attach a Game Gear cart slot. I've been wanting a smaller version of the GG with a better screen and a/v output for like 15 years.

I'll probably get one regardless. Sonic Triple Trouble playable on a TV? Sold.

edit: Did anyone else find it highly amusing that Coleco is making this? COLECO makes its triumphant return... with a new Z80 device!

The new Coleco is a joke.. they have nothing to do with the original company and only wish to cash in on the name. Alot of their products up until this Game Gear clone have been rather cruddy and outsourced to Technosource. Fun.

[Damaramu]

Personally, I hate that huge Coleco logo on the system. I'd probably paint over it or sand it off or something and stick a SEGA logo on in it's place.

[cyberfluxor]

I decided not to get one simply because they seem so frail. Also it just seems better off sticking with other handhelds I own instead of paying another $50 for this. I might buy it later down the road for $5 at a pawn shop though.

[Lady Jaye]

I'm boggled as to the fact no one has pointed out that Coleco made a device that plays Sega Master System games - yet they probably could've designed a better ColecoVision handheld that includes every CV game ever made, and still keep it under $50.

I'm still getting one.

And how would you do that? There's one problem that keeps the CV from getting a retro-revival like all the other consoles: most of the CV library consists in licensed games, and said licenses have all, I'm sure, expired years ago. Definitely feasible hardware-wise, but there wouldn't be much to be, game-wise, unless they'd strike a deal with the publishers/developers of the selected CV games AND the copyright holders of the original game (since many were arcade ports or ports from other systems).