@@LadyDecade How long did Coleco make consoles? Aside from the Colecovision, I don't know of other consoles made by Coleco. P. S: Nice touch this inclusion of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in the intro. YEEEEAAAAHHHH!, as Top Hat Gaming Man would say.
@@pabloignacioscaletta other than the ColecoVision, a Sega/Coleco Sonic in 2006, probably similar timing to the HyperScan by Mattel I'd say for a cheaper console during that era (Pocket Gear in Europe, PlayPal in Canada) handheld having 20 repackaged Game Gear/Master System games offered so I think only Coleco in name or something else they contributed *shrugs*. Those are the only two that come to mind other than the newer Coleco return but I don't know enough as not researched much more than the surface level of that Atari (even if not the same one but keeping the name but still publishing games) and Mattel (obviously toys) it's clear what they have done but no clue who is keeping Coleco alive that keeps the name and releases things at the right time they see a need to that is gaming related at least. Not sure about their other ventures.
lady decade really REALLY sounds like a narrator from a late 90's ~ early 2000's pc console gaming show (gamespot, extended play, electric playground, gaming in the clinton years etc.)
15:01 - The funniest part there, was I think it was either Albert of atari-forum, or kevtris himself who identified that DVR capture card from the Coleco "clear case" photos. The post on Facebook from Mike got deleted very soon after. lol
I applied to be a developer for the Retro VGS Chameleon by sending an e-mail basically saying "Hi I've never written a single program in my life but I'd like to give it a go can I be a developer please? " and they said yes.
What else would they say? The Chameleon was going to be a collection of recreated retro game consoles, if you wanted to make a modern SNES game or whatever they wouldn't have had to do anything at all until your game was done and ready to be manufactured.
wow. this is a textbook example why >i never crowdfund projects >i never buy early access games on steam >i never buy ANYTHING until it has been released and i can analyse peoples reception to the product.
Bizarrely, that's probably the least sus bit of this video. The mould has been successfully used in to house dental machinery and hotel room set-top boxes in the past. It is indeed an odd choice for a gaming platform though.
@@romerogoon the fact that they tracked down the molds leads me to believe that someone there started with good intentions, but got overwhelmed and just dug themselves deeper and deeper into a hole they couldn't get out of.
You always manage to talk about obscure gaming history facts that none of the other channels are talking about. I had thought there was nothing more to discover until I stumbled on your channel. Great work and great research!
I'm here to further my education in video-game history from professor Decade. Man that ATARI Jaguar body has gotten around. ATARI sold the molds to a medical equipment company and it was turned into a defibrillator or something like that and then it's back here. Also I love hearing Slopes reading for you. I love that the Retro games community does that so much. Watching nostalgia nerd, LGR, Kim Justice, slopes, Octavia, you and others and hearing each of you guys throughout everyone's work is great!
Thanks for clarifying the 'US home console crash' for modern audiences. As someone who lived through it, my friends and I simply had moved on from the limitations of the cartridge based systems of the time toward computers- you'll note that sales of home computers at this time were very healthy and growing while the home consoles of the time fell off a cliff. (My best friend had a ColecoVision- and I loved it, but my hard earned cash went to a new computer- not a new console).
I'd forgotten all about this. I followed the news about it on eurogamer at the time, and when I clicked on the vid I was thinking "wasn't that the one with the capture card in the prototype?" LOL. Nice video.
What another cracking retro gaming fact video, love how its content that not alot off people know about, it's different but in a good way 😃, love this channel for retro gaming nostalgia and learning something new
LADY DECADE PLEASE READ!!! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS!!! As a proud owner of an Atari VCS. I can definitely say that the condole is very slept on. It's a console first and a PC 2nd. Further more, as a college student, I can do my college assignments on the chrome side of it, and then switch over for modern or retro games when I want to unwind. I am choosing to run the Window Operating system via external hardrive. And it shows amazing promise! However, no upgrade is needed to do what I mentioned above. ~ Sincerely, a long time Follower, Kazdan.
@@TetsuDeinonychus oh dude. The system is awesome. I'm not just saying that as an Atari fan boy. But as a gamer, techy, and fan boy, it meets alot of my curiosities and needs. So I am extremely satisfied with my console. Yes the price is a bit high, but it can do so much. They just stared with adding emulators for 7800 and DOS. So those classics from the 80s and early 90s PC days are also an option in the near future.
The RUclips algorithm has been good to you. im not a big gamer but this is the second day I see you on my feed. I enjoy your videos, liked and subscribed.
This has scam written all over it. I remember watching the drama unfold. So this guy received millions, had absolutely zero clue about hardware, and completely outsourced all of the work to someone he's never met before. Sounds legit. He always had an excuse. "Oh, someone else plugged it in" "I never met the guy", "I was told this card IS the system...." Do you always hand hundreds of thousands of dollars to someone you've never worked with? That's not the sign of a guy managing a solid project. Then the fact that they "split amicably", lol. This guy either screwed you or you screwed everyone else.
Initially the idea of the Retro VGS was pitched as an FPGA console that you would buy modules for to play different console cartridges. But FPGA was way too expensive at that point and the concept kept going downhill from there.
20:16 - I was going to bring up the Evercade as an effectively successful version of what the Coleco Chameleon was setting out to do so it's wonderful to see it got a good mention here. Thanks for the indepth exploration of the Coleco Chamelon; I was only familiar with the SNES Junior fake-out event so it was fascinating to learn it's other controversies.
Just yikes. This is a mess. Cannot fathom, how many people must have put their own money into this. Hopefully they were refunded every dollar / pound/ etc More console coverage, yes please
Nobody had their money taken, the IndieGogo campaign wasn't successful, it was the Kickstarter style where they only got the money if they reached their goal.
@@nthgth There wasn't one in the UK or Europe though Bryan. If you're purely talking about North America then yes absolutely it's accurate, but if you're talking more globally then it needs a more accurate name. I know it's semantics, but it always irks when it's just assumed the crash was global. 1983 was a stellar sales year in the UK, things slowed in 84/85 due to the amount of systems and games and some of the "first wave" companies like Dragon and Jupiter went bust but that was more due to competition than a market crash.
From a business standpoint I can't understand how people do this stuff. They have to know they'd be found out and it's just not sustainable to keep operating in a scammy manner.
Got a lot of the love for the channel. Mainly the depth and investigation connected to the content. You keep making them, I'll keep watching them. I'd quite like that Evercade console BTW... Hopefully you get a review unit...
I love your videos, you always get straight to the part of the story without going on rumbling abt nonsence talking. I hope that you never stop making these videos thanks.
I did three videos on the Atari VCS as I was one of the backers. They are on my channel. If you want to talk to someone about VCS experience let me know. I also have an Evercade of my own. It is a good system. I am invested in the Amico as well and look to do an Amico vs VCS video when time permits….once the Amico arrives.
With the gaming market in such a bad state at the time, I REALLY wanted this system to be real! Nintendo were giving no details on their NX console, the PS4 and Xbox One rely heavily on updates and patches and handheld gaming had gone down the toilet with Sony neglecting the Vita, 3rd parties neglecting the 3DS and freemium gaming taking up about 90% of the market! Fortunately, the Evercade was announced in 2019 and released in 2020, it's the kind of system we've needed for EONS!
Loved this video. While the ZX Vega Plus scandal had us distracted, the Chameleon merrily swindled everyone. To my knowledge the Jaguar mould was used in the Chameleons design and... A dental camera. What a shame, since I think it was a really good looking form factor.
I disagree with your point that the term 'video game crash' is a misnomer. Describing a large dip in sales for a couple game consoles as a massive worldwide market crash is probably the most American thing I've ever heard.
It only really happened in America. Sure, some consoles came to an end internationally, but everywhere else in the world carried on just fine. The 2600 was still going strong outside of the US, and we had PC's for gaming , like the C64, which was taking off around then.
@@Psycheitout Hahaha, please. You guys would often drop support early for consoles/computers, even US made ones, that would still be selling strong elsewhere in the world!
Completely ridiculous! Having gone to college for computer engineering, I could have made one myself. This was completely inexcusable but not surprising.
I dont know... I'm also a CoE, and spent years developing for an embedded gaming platform. It really feels like it should be easier than it is, and that first 90% of a design can go so smoothly, but that last 10%, esp if you are dealing with custom boards, chips, firmware, and a distributed team, can really be a nightmare. We would go through months or even years of prototypes, having to reject and redo whole subsystems, and we really tried to use as much off the self stuff as possible. I always thought they felt like a company that was trying, but vastly underestimated how difficult a task it really was and got caught up in the cycle of 'if we can just keep people engaged, we can really wow them when the revised board comes back!'. It can be a really vicious cycle to get caught in.
@@neeneko Yes it's true that when we get to the final stage it always seems like the work is exponential, but at the same time if you have been concentrating and driving momentum into the project up to that point, it should not be as much of a hurdle as having to deal with those final details cold. My impression is a lack of focus and direction making it too difficult to refine one idea. If you are starting as simple as possible and building up to only your needs, regardless of conventions and testing at every step of the way, the need for so many prototypes should dwindle as you would then introduce less complications, points of error and confusion.
Yeah! He could have just bought an off the shelf single board computer like an odroid or a beagle bone and run RetroArch. Getting cartridges to work would have taken some doing, but he could have easily dispelled rumors that the hardware was fake.
I don't know which was worse the chameleon or the Ouya. At least stadia actually exists, whilst it is not very good it does in someway work after a fashion
I'm so glad you called the crash of '83 a home console crash because I've always been confused about how it was supposed to be a crash when all the quality games and such kept right on being developed for arcades and pc. Basically the thing that crashed was shovelware and junk console so more like a cleaning of house.
Great video, as they usually are. Just wanted to say: While it is correct that home computer gaming didn't suffer, arcades totally did suffer alongside home consoles during the gaming crash in the U.S.
I just wonder was the whole thing intended as a scam from the beginning. Or was it a case of incompetent people with big ideas who then lied to buy time, hoping they could eventually get something put together.
It's just all weird to me. The fake prototype boards, the back-stabbing and false promises. Nostalgia can sometimes be a drug and this is what you get when people OD on it.
Love the rectified meaning of the 'video game crash' as every time people from the US mention this it is hard to relate to it. It never happened in Europe...
The fact that it was the one video game crash that happened in 1983 renders "1983 video game crash" completely accurate. Hell, it's arguably the only video game crash that's ever happened, so just "the video game crash" is correct too.
I don’t believe Mike intentionally ran a scam for profit. Im convinced he just underestimated the cost to manufacture the system. First off, I believe mike owned the hardware to make Atari Jaguar shells long before the retro VGS was announced. He had been selling them to modders long before the VGS came into play, so it only makes sense that the existing tools that he already owned would be used to make the console shell. The system was announced as a new system with a jaguar body. It was never planned to look like anything other than a jaguar. Him already having the jaguar shell machines is what got the entire project started. With respect to the hardware, The retro VGS was initially planned to have an FPGA chip in it. It was meant to be Able to emulate hardware from 8-bit all the way to 32-bit. The problem is that FPGA chips were significantly more expensive than software emulation. I believe he grossly underestimated the cost of putting an FPGA chip in a startup console, and THATS why the price skyrocketed. I remember somewhere in the middle of the scramble to figure out price, he posted on FB that he was willing to scrap the idea of an FPGA system that can emulate PlayStation hardware in place of something that was strictly 16 bit, purely because people were so mad about the new price. After that, I lost the plot myself. I heard him discuss the console on a few podcasts and I think he became increasingly frustrated with the venture. I remember the indigogo needed to raise about 2million to work and I think it barely raised something like $100k. So yeah, I get what it looks like. I’m just saying that I Was personally pretty stoked for the console and researched it pretty closely. I didn’t see a liar in mike at the time, and I’m still convinced that a few miscalculations and mistakes ended up LOOKING a lot like a huge web of lies.
The whole thing is a farce. There was no crash. There was just the Commodore 64 kicking everyone’s ass into oblivion. In 1983, I was playing Avenger until I was cross eyed.
Tf are you on about? Does anyone call it "global video game crash" or "worldwide" or anything like that? No. Just "video game crash of 1983," which is exactly what it was
@@robertrada4783 yep, in 1983, the C64 was getting massive worldwide, as was the Spectrum ZX in UK and parts of Europe. The Famicom came out in Japan that year and was an immediate hit. The Atari 2600 was still going strong elsewhere in the world, even with Atari's financial problems back in the US. Atari supported it up until 1992. What does that tell you!? LoL
@@RMoocher uh which part of "video game crash of 1983" implies anything about its affected area? Does "the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009" imply it affected the whole world? Didn't think so.
Great video! I remember this very story very well! I have been reading an excellent book called " Smoke And Mirrors: The Rise And Fall of a Serial Antipreneur" by Mike James. It tells the story of Mike Kennedy and the Coleco Chameleon debacle! Very good book!
Great video! I've had little dealings with Mike here and there. He proposed if I make a Game Gavel intro on my RUclips show, he could arrange some kind of payment or monetization. That never happened. Another proposal came right after his Toyfare incident. I was invited to join him at a restaurant with his wife and his "team". At the time, he was still doing his Retro magazine, and asked me if I wanted to contribute. This time I refused but only because I was too busy with my own show to do any sort of contribution.
I've never heard about this!!! Your presentations are always very well scripted, directed, edited, and produced. Always and forever a flawless video. I genuinely love hearing about the retro gaming scene. Even more so, when it comes to things that I've never heard about. When someone says you're not a gamer girl, they are technically right though... You are a Gamer Woman! But, that is only one aspect, out of many, about yourself. I don't understand why a very small amount of people have to be so negative towards you. I get if someone doesn't like your video as a whole or [a] certain aspect(s),
I knew I had heard of this scam before! Then at 6:25 I recognized the voice and remembered it was Slopes Gameroom kickscammer video where I heard about it.
As a UK gamer i never touched any console until the 1990 era with import PC Engine, Megadrive, Neo Geo and Super Famicom. It was all arcades and home computers in the 80's. I would have no nostalgia for this type of kickstarter console unlike an american who i guess played these late 70's and 80's consoles.
First off: Thank you for the correction about the american console crash vs world wide affairs. Second: I remember this shit I remember me and a few friends looking at this and 'grab popcorn and watch everything burn.'
Also don't forget about the Collectorvision Phoenix console! It is the ONLY true recent Colecovision console that rose from the ashes after that chameleon debacle. I own one and it's amazing!!
These videos are fantastic. Great detail and amazing research work. I have watched a bunch of them and even though I have been taking since the 80's and have a decent knowledge of gaming history I always find new things in her videos.
Ah, The Mysterious Mr Lee, ninja engineer and crackerjack programmer. Funny thing is they had a real crackerjack programmer - Kevtris. But he wasnt as stupid and asked questions and that was a No-No in Retroland. Great video. Anyone who wants more info check out, of course Pat & Ian but dont forget about Stop, Drop & Retro as his stuff was great, too. Dangerous Analyst has great coverage, too.
The EverCade is just a software emulation machine running a skinned Retroarch. I still don't know what's the appeal of that machine. Easy money on their part, I guess.
Another cracking video! Nice 1! I would personally love to see videos on the evercade or new Atari console. Also....Just watched your video "fake gamer girl". I know your not fake cause of your dry whit regarding the gaming industry. You can't fake that. 😂
Wait a minute, the guy behind the kickstarter said he never met the person that made the console or knew where he lived? Didn't he say previously that the same person dropped the console prototype round at his own house and told him not to let anyone photograph the back of it?
I've noticed that a lot on RUclips with video game-related stuff in general. Like people saying "it was called the MegaDrive everywhere outside the US." Uhh, nope, we had the Genesis, too.
Mike Kennedy should consider himself lucky that the stakes were relatively low - otherwise he'd get branded "the Elizabeth Holmes of the retrogaming world" , in that he apparently thought stagecraft would cover a critical lack of know-how.
We had played the Donkey Kong in the past. 40 years like one day now have passed. I'm a fan (a fan) of retrogaming. I had played (had played) on Nintendo. But I want to try another. Like Coleco! Like Coleco! Cole-, Cole-, Cole-, Coleco Chameleon! You try and go! You try and go! Gaming would be easy if copyright laws were repealed! And we could play (legally) on our PC!
Do a ColecoVision vid on detailed hardware specs vs NES and Master, and if it could do some of the same stuff, and how. How things work in all three, their approaches.
Another one we didn't know about, Lady! I want a Colecovision, but they're too expensive! Oh well, I suppose my Intellevision and Atarri 2600 will have to do, lol
I totally forgot about this, but the moment I saw the rebranded jaguar it all came back to me. Talking about scammers if you think only internet people are gullible enough to fund this kind of schemes, just remember that even bit shot wall st brokers invested in the failed Nikola hidrogen fueled truck company.
Never stop making these videos. In the American army we are old we always wait for you new videos currently in Korea you're awesome!
That's very cool, thank you! X
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
@@LadyDecade How long did Coleco make consoles? Aside from the Colecovision, I don't know of other consoles made by Coleco. P. S: Nice touch this inclusion of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 in the intro. YEEEEAAAAHHHH!, as Top Hat Gaming Man would say.
@@pabloignacioscaletta other than the ColecoVision, a Sega/Coleco Sonic in 2006, probably similar timing to the HyperScan by Mattel I'd say for a cheaper console during that era (Pocket Gear in Europe, PlayPal in Canada) handheld having 20 repackaged Game Gear/Master System games offered so I think only Coleco in name or something else they contributed *shrugs*. Those are the only two that come to mind other than the newer Coleco return but I don't know enough as not researched much more than the surface level of that
Atari (even if not the same one but keeping the name but still publishing games) and Mattel (obviously toys) it's clear what they have done but no clue who is keeping Coleco alive that keeps the name and releases things at the right time they see a need to that is gaming related at least. Not sure about their other ventures.
@@LadyDecade ....cute buttered balloons
lady decade really REALLY sounds like a narrator from a late 90's ~ early 2000's pc console gaming show (gamespot, extended play, electric playground, gaming in the clinton years etc.)
This is the first video I watched from her and you're 100% right! When it started I thought I was getting playback from an old show as an opener
I remember this whole ordeal. It was quite the interesting footnote in the history of the retro gaming community.
Sup tipster. Fancy seein you around here
It's still making headlines, lol
Hey, Tipster.
It's been a while. lol
At least something positive came from the whole Coleco saga - it was very good comedy for a while.
15:01 - The funniest part there, was I think it was either Albert of atari-forum, or kevtris himself who identified that DVR capture card from the Coleco "clear case" photos.
The post on Facebook from Mike got deleted very soon after. lol
Going back to your roots tipster?
I applied to be a developer for the Retro VGS Chameleon by sending an e-mail basically saying "Hi I've never written a single program in my life but I'd like to give it a go can I be a developer please? " and they said yes.
What else would they say? The Chameleon was going to be a collection of recreated retro game consoles, if you wanted to make a modern SNES game or whatever they wouldn't have had to do anything at all until your game was done and ready to be manufactured.
wow. this is a textbook example why
>i never crowdfund projects
>i never buy early access games on steam
>i never buy ANYTHING until it has been released and i can analyse peoples reception to the product.
100% agree
How anyone could see that reperposed Atari Jag shell and not see a scam is astounding.
Bizarrely, that's probably the least sus bit of this video. The mould has been successfully used in to house dental machinery and hotel room set-top boxes in the past. It is indeed an odd choice for a gaming platform though.
@@romerogoon the fact that they tracked down the molds leads me to believe that someone there started with good intentions, but got overwhelmed and just dug themselves deeper and deeper into a hole they couldn't get out of.
Never heard of this... interesting.
Lol they used the jaguar lmao
It would have been a good competitor for Amico.. right?
IAN!…
Yeah thats just a jag lol..scamers.
Hey Pat, what are your thoughts about this one?
You always manage to talk about obscure gaming history facts that none of the other channels are talking about. I had thought there was nothing more to discover until I stumbled on your channel. Great work and great research!
I'm here to further my education in video-game history from professor Decade.
Man that ATARI Jaguar body has gotten around. ATARI sold the molds to a medical equipment company and it was turned into a defibrillator or something like that and then it's back here.
Also I love hearing Slopes reading for you. I love that the Retro games community does that so much. Watching nostalgia nerd, LGR, Kim Justice, slopes, Octavia, you and others and hearing each of you guys throughout everyone's work is great!
Thanks for clarifying the 'US home console crash' for modern audiences. As someone who lived through it, my friends and I simply had moved on from the limitations of the cartridge based systems of the time toward computers- you'll note that sales of home computers at this time were very healthy and growing while the home consoles of the time fell off a cliff. (My best friend had a ColecoVision- and I loved it, but my hard earned cash went to a new computer- not a new console).
More accurately "North American" as Canada was affected too
Forget Lara croft , you have dug up some great gaming relics of past.
I'm seriously wowed by your research , knowledge and presentations. 👌🏾👌🏾
I'd forgotten all about this. I followed the news about it on eurogamer at the time, and when I clicked on the vid I was thinking "wasn't that the one with the capture card in the prototype?" LOL. Nice video.
What another cracking retro gaming fact video, love how its content that not alot off people know about, it's different but in a good way 😃, love this channel for retro gaming nostalgia and learning something new
It's people like that who ruin the creditability of any crowd funding site and the trust of the retro gaming community from backing projects on them.
The production quality is phenomenal as always
LADY DECADE PLEASE READ!!! I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR YOUR THOUGHTS!!!
As a proud owner of an Atari VCS. I can definitely say that the condole is very slept on. It's a console first and a PC 2nd. Further more, as a college student, I can do my college assignments on the chrome side of it, and then switch over for modern or retro games when I want to unwind. I am choosing to run the Window Operating system via external hardrive. And it shows amazing promise! However, no upgrade is needed to do what I mentioned above.
~ Sincerely, a long time Follower, Kazdan.
I really want one of those. It looks like such a cool system.
@@TetsuDeinonychus oh dude. The system is awesome. I'm not just saying that as an Atari fan boy. But as a gamer, techy, and fan boy, it meets alot of my curiosities and needs. So I am extremely satisfied with my console.
Yes the price is a bit high, but it can do so much. They just stared with adding emulators for 7800 and DOS. So those classics from the 80s and early 90s PC days are also an option in the near future.
I'd love to see your take on the Amico as that is ongoing! Your videos are inspiring, thanks for the amazing content!
Im glad I invested in the Ouya and the Evercade VS and not the Coleco Chameleon. I always knew something was off about that kick starter.
The RUclips algorithm has been good to you. im not a big gamer but this is the second day I see you on my feed. I enjoy your videos, liked and subscribed.
This has scam written all over it. I remember watching the drama unfold.
So this guy received millions, had absolutely zero clue about hardware, and completely outsourced all of the work to someone he's never met before. Sounds legit.
He always had an excuse. "Oh, someone else plugged it in" "I never met the guy", "I was told this card IS the system...."
Do you always hand hundreds of thousands of dollars to someone you've never worked with?
That's not the sign of a guy managing a solid project.
Then the fact that they "split amicably", lol. This guy either screwed you or you screwed everyone else.
Initially the idea of the Retro VGS was pitched as an FPGA console that you would buy modules for to play different console cartridges. But FPGA was way too expensive at that point and the concept kept going downhill from there.
and "they" had only one developer.
Original content !👍👍👍👏👏 very very good job!
you should do a video on the vega+ scam
20:16 - I was going to bring up the Evercade as an effectively successful version of what the Coleco Chameleon was setting out to do so it's wonderful to see it got a good mention here. Thanks for the indepth exploration of the Coleco Chamelon; I was only familiar with the SNES Junior fake-out event so it was fascinating to learn it's other controversies.
Great to see a video on this machine/scam. The whole thing was just insane haha. Thank you!
Just yikes. This is a mess. Cannot fathom, how many people must have put their own money into this. Hopefully they were refunded every dollar / pound/ etc
More console coverage, yes please
No refunds. Took the money and ran.
@@TheVoidofNothing11 aw fudge 🤦♂️
Nobody had their money taken, the IndieGogo campaign wasn't successful, it was the Kickstarter style where they only got the money if they reached their goal.
@@Dreamwriter4242 Okay, well I stand corrected if that's true. I thought I'd heard people lost money, but I could be wrong.
Yes! "North American console crash" .... Really nice to hear that stated as opposed to "video game crash of 1983" Thanks!!
It was a video game crash, in 1983, and it was the only one (right?). So "The video game crash of 1983" is perfectly accurate.
@@nthgth There wasn't one in the UK or Europe though Bryan. If you're purely talking about North America then yes absolutely it's accurate, but if you're talking more globally then it needs a more accurate name. I know it's semantics, but it always irks when it's just assumed the crash was global. 1983 was a stellar sales year in the UK, things slowed in 84/85 due to the amount of systems and games and some of the "first wave" companies like Dragon and Jupiter went bust but that was more due to competition than a market crash.
From a business standpoint I can't understand how people do this stuff. They have to know they'd be found out and it's just not sustainable to keep operating in a scammy manner.
Yes please do an episode on the Colecovision. Those late-second generation consoles are really interesting and little talked about.
Holy hell, I've never heard of this but what a mess. Thanks RUclips algorithm for recommending this. Definitely subbing! Keep up these videos 🤘🏽🤘🏽
Got a lot of the love for the channel. Mainly the depth and investigation connected to the content. You keep making them, I'll keep watching them. I'd quite like that Evercade console BTW... Hopefully you get a review unit...
I love your videos, you always get straight to the part of the story without going on rumbling abt nonsence talking. I hope that you never stop making these videos thanks.
I did three videos on the Atari VCS as I was one of the backers. They are on my channel. If you want to talk to someone about VCS experience let me know.
I also have an Evercade of my own. It is a good system.
I am invested in the Amico as well and look to do an Amico vs VCS video when time permits….once the Amico arrives.
And now they're heading off for an entirely new kind of scam with the Amico!
name?
@@clouds-rb9xt ...Intellivision Amico?
With the gaming market in such a bad state at the time, I REALLY wanted this system to be real! Nintendo were giving no details on their NX console, the PS4 and Xbox One rely heavily on updates and patches and handheld gaming had gone down the toilet with Sony neglecting the Vita, 3rd parties neglecting the 3DS and freemium gaming taking up about 90% of the market! Fortunately, the Evercade was announced in 2019 and released in 2020, it's the kind of system we've needed for EONS!
As a Jaguar fan I so badly wanted this to succeed but wow was it a hilarious dumpster fire. Thanks for covering this!
I was really looking forward to this system. The Jaguar design of the console was sick.
Loved this video. While the ZX Vega Plus scandal had us distracted, the Chameleon merrily swindled everyone. To my knowledge the Jaguar mould was used in the Chameleons design and... A dental camera. What a shame, since I think it was a really good looking form factor.
I disagree with your point that the term 'video game crash' is a misnomer. Describing a large dip in sales for a couple game consoles as a massive worldwide market crash is probably the most American thing I've ever heard.
It only really happened in America. Sure, some consoles came to an end internationally, but everywhere else in the world carried on just fine. The 2600 was still going strong outside of the US, and we had PC's for gaming , like the C64, which was taking off around then.
@@RMoocher Whatchu talking bout America IS THE WORLD!!!
@@Psycheitout Hahaha, please. You guys would often drop support early for consoles/computers, even US made ones, that would still be selling strong elsewhere in the world!
@@RMoocher that was called our leftovers
@@blmartech gaming world doesn't revolve around you yanks!
I remember being super hyped about this console only to be heartbroken by the bad news, even if it was pretty vague/blunt at the time...
Completely ridiculous! Having gone to college for computer engineering, I could have made one myself. This was completely inexcusable but not surprising.
I dont know... I'm also a CoE, and spent years developing for an embedded gaming platform. It really feels like it should be easier than it is, and that first 90% of a design can go so smoothly, but that last 10%, esp if you are dealing with custom boards, chips, firmware, and a distributed team, can really be a nightmare. We would go through months or even years of prototypes, having to reject and redo whole subsystems, and we really tried to use as much off the self stuff as possible.
I always thought they felt like a company that was trying, but vastly underestimated how difficult a task it really was and got caught up in the cycle of 'if we can just keep people engaged, we can really wow them when the revised board comes back!'. It can be a really vicious cycle to get caught in.
@@neeneko Yes it's true that when we get to the final stage it always seems like the work is exponential, but at the same time if you have been concentrating and driving momentum into the project up to that point, it should not be as much of a hurdle as having to deal with those final details cold.
My impression is a lack of focus and direction making it too difficult to refine one idea. If you are starting as simple as possible and building up to only your needs, regardless of conventions and testing at every step of the way, the need for so many prototypes should dwindle as you would then introduce less complications, points of error and confusion.
Yeah! He could have just bought an off the shelf single board computer like an odroid or a beagle bone and run RetroArch. Getting cartridges to work would have taken some doing, but he could have easily dispelled rumors that the hardware was fake.
@@mattuw82 Exactly!
I don't know which was worse the chameleon or the Ouya. At least stadia actually exists, whilst it is not very good it does in someway work after a fashion
The Ouya team not only released a product, but actually believed that a market existed. There's no sin in being wrong.
Never heard of this console. She explains why perfectly.
I'm so glad you called the crash of '83 a home console crash because I've always been confused about how it was supposed to be a crash when all the quality games and such kept right on being developed for arcades and pc. Basically the thing that crashed was shovelware and junk console so more like a cleaning of house.
I just acquired a ColecoVision, and I'm not terribly familiar with it's history. So I would love a Coleco video.
There's plenty of em here on RUclips
Very nice video. Thank you for your effort in making this. Please keep up the good work.
Great video, as they usually are. Just wanted to say:
While it is correct that home computer gaming didn't suffer, arcades totally did suffer alongside home consoles during the gaming crash in the U.S.
Nice video, I like industry documentaries. I’ve never even heard of this console.
Shame it was a scam - the Coleco Chameleon name was really cool.
Wasn't just a name tho, it was a statement of intent.
I just wonder was the whole thing intended as a scam from the beginning. Or was it a case of incompetent people with big ideas who then lied to buy time, hoping they could eventually get something put together.
It's just all weird to me. The fake prototype boards, the back-stabbing and false promises. Nostalgia can sometimes be a drug and this is what you get when people OD on it.
Love the rectified meaning of the 'video game crash' as every time people from the US mention this it is hard to relate to it. It never happened in Europe...
True but it happened outside of Europe, such as Canada north American would be accurate.
The fact that it was the one video game crash that happened in 1983 renders "1983 video game crash" completely accurate.
Hell, it's arguably the only video game crash that's ever happened, so just "the video game crash" is correct too.
Just subscribed to your channel, amazed that you have all the systems that you reference! Any chance of a video on your collection?
Not really thought about it to be honest, I don't think it will my channel at the moment in all honesty xx
Thanks Lady Decade for the coverage on this crazy console controversy! Never knew this thing existed!
I don’t believe Mike intentionally ran a scam for profit. Im convinced he just underestimated the cost to manufacture the system.
First off, I believe mike owned the hardware to make Atari Jaguar shells long before the retro VGS was announced. He had been selling them to modders long before the VGS came into play, so it only makes sense that the existing tools that he already owned would be used to make the console shell. The system was announced as a new system with a jaguar body. It was never planned to look like anything other than a jaguar. Him already having the jaguar shell machines is what got the entire project started.
With respect to the hardware, The retro VGS was initially planned to have an FPGA chip in it. It was meant to be Able to emulate hardware from 8-bit all the way to 32-bit. The problem is that FPGA chips were significantly more expensive than software emulation. I believe he grossly underestimated the cost of putting an FPGA chip in a startup console, and THATS why the price skyrocketed. I remember somewhere in the middle of the scramble to figure out price, he posted on FB that he was willing to scrap the idea of an FPGA system that can emulate PlayStation hardware in place of something that was strictly 16 bit, purely because people were so mad about the new price.
After that, I lost the plot myself. I heard him discuss the console on a few podcasts and I think he became increasingly frustrated with the venture. I remember the indigogo needed to raise about 2million to work and I think it barely raised something like $100k.
So yeah, I get what it looks like. I’m just saying that I Was personally pretty stoked for the console and researched it pretty closely. I didn’t see a liar in mike at the time, and I’m still convinced that a few miscalculations and mistakes ended up LOOKING a lot like a huge web of lies.
Also, you are spot on with your description of " US home console crash". Don't let these yanks dissuade you!
The whole thing is a farce. There was no crash. There was just the Commodore 64 kicking everyone’s ass into oblivion. In 1983, I was playing Avenger until I was cross eyed.
Tf are you on about? Does anyone call it "global video game crash" or "worldwide" or anything like that? No. Just "video game crash of 1983," which is exactly what it was
@@robertrada4783 yep, in 1983, the C64 was getting massive worldwide, as was the Spectrum ZX in UK and parts of Europe. The Famicom came out in Japan that year and was an immediate hit. The Atari 2600 was still going strong elsewhere in the world, even with Atari's financial problems back in the US. Atari supported it up until 1992. What does that tell you!? LoL
@@nthgth but calling it "video game crash of 1983" implies it was affecting the world. It didn't!
@@RMoocher uh which part of "video game crash of 1983" implies anything about its affected area?
Does "the solar eclipse of July 22, 2009" imply it affected the whole world?
Didn't think so.
Great video! I remember this very story very well! I have been reading an excellent book called " Smoke And Mirrors: The Rise And Fall of a Serial Antipreneur" by Mike James. It tells the story of Mike Kennedy and the Coleco Chameleon debacle! Very good book!
Thanks Dane. Glad you enjoyed it.
Classic case of "fool me once."
Great video! I've had little dealings with Mike here and there. He proposed if I make a Game Gavel intro on my RUclips show, he could arrange some kind of payment or monetization. That never happened. Another proposal came right after his Toyfare incident. I was invited to join him at a restaurant with his wife and his "team". At the time, he was still doing his Retro magazine, and asked me if I wanted to contribute. This time I refused but only because I was too busy with my own show to do any sort of contribution.
I've never heard about this!!! Your presentations are always very well scripted, directed, edited, and produced. Always and forever a flawless video. I genuinely love hearing about the retro gaming scene. Even more so, when it comes to things that I've never heard about. When someone says you're not a gamer girl, they are technically right though... You are a Gamer Woman! But, that is only one aspect, out of many, about yourself.
I don't understand why a very small amount of people have to be so negative towards you. I get if someone doesn't like your video as a whole or [a] certain aspect(s),
I knew I had heard of this scam before! Then at 6:25 I recognized the voice and remembered it was Slopes Gameroom kickscammer video where I heard about it.
As a UK gamer i never touched any console until the 1990 era with import PC Engine, Megadrive, Neo Geo and Super Famicom. It was all arcades and home computers in the 80's. I would have no nostalgia for this type of kickstarter console unlike an american who i guess played these late 70's and 80's consoles.
First off: Thank you for the correction about the american console crash vs world wide affairs.
Second: I remember this shit I remember me and a few friends looking at this and 'grab popcorn and watch everything burn.'
0:30 I will never get over that feeling and I will never adopt (paid) digital formats.
Also don't forget about the Collectorvision Phoenix console! It is the ONLY true recent Colecovision console that rose from the ashes after that chameleon debacle. I own one and it's amazing!!
Swear that's Slopes voice doing some of the narrating. Hahaha it was. Great video.
Looking forward to you covering what a scam the Amico Intellivision is
These videos are fantastic. Great detail and amazing research work. I have watched a bunch of them and even though I have been taking since the 80's and have a decent knowledge of gaming history I always find new things in her videos.
Ah, The Mysterious Mr Lee, ninja engineer and crackerjack programmer. Funny thing is they had a real crackerjack programmer - Kevtris. But he wasnt as stupid and asked questions and that was a No-No in Retroland.
Great video. Anyone who wants more info check out, of course Pat & Ian but dont forget about Stop, Drop & Retro as his stuff was great, too. Dangerous Analyst has great coverage, too.
Not so Mysterious here in the Northwest, Big time scammer and still around here last I heard and Lee is not his real name.
Thankfuly the Evercade is going quite well for us game cartridge loving folk.
The EverCade is just a software emulation machine running a skinned Retroarch. I still don't know what's the appeal of that machine. Easy money on their part, I guess.
@@WillSams Well if you don't see the appeal of cheap collectable licensed retro game cartridges might as well stop paying for videogames altogether.
Good video! I never heard of this debacle, maybe that’s a good thing. Hope you can make a ColecoVision video in the future. Take care.
No way I would play with 3 million like that. How you plan on selling a product but never met the person who designed it? come on now.
Another cracking video! Nice 1! I would personally love to see videos on the evercade or new Atari console. Also....Just watched your video "fake gamer girl". I know your not fake cause of your dry whit regarding the gaming industry. You can't fake that. 😂
Awesome Video Lady Decade looking forward to more of your videos and so cool Daniel Ibbertson Was one of the Voices in here 😎
The Coleco chameleon was inspired by the Atari Jaguar the most misunderstood console in all days.
Wait a minute, the guy behind the kickstarter said he never met the person that made the console or knew where he lived? Didn't he say previously that the same person dropped the console prototype round at his own house and told him not to let anyone photograph the back of it?
best video I have seen in a while! Keep it up big daddy top-hat and Lady of the decade!
Lady Decade, Canada was hit by the crash in '83. So, it wouldn't really be accurate to say it was the United States console crash.
Perhaps it would be better to say the North American crash?
I've noticed that a lot on RUclips with video game-related stuff in general. Like people saying "it was called the MegaDrive everywhere outside the US." Uhh, nope, we had the Genesis, too.
When it's something bad, it's "American" or "US." When it's something good or neutral, it's likely to be "North American."
I'm over it 🤷🏻♂️
Didn't know it affected Canada too. Thanks for the info. So US/Canadian video game crash.
@@jonleibow3604 Only heard North America my self, since thats the same region anyway.
Mike Kennedy should consider himself lucky that the stakes were relatively low - otherwise he'd get branded "the Elizabeth Holmes of the retrogaming world" , in that he apparently thought stagecraft would cover a critical lack of know-how.
I love your channel, me encanta tu canal, saludos desde Argentina.
this was the thing that made people very very weary of things like this and is why the polymega was extremely scrutinized in the first place
I had no idea of this whole fiasco! I definitely be interested in seeing more of these independent new console projects, failed or not
Same, I may pick up an evercade myself.
Well done! I was always curious to know what the deal was.
Keep up the good work lass and stay safe!
Gutted I missed you two at Play!
I remember all this. Such fun times. I would like to see a video on the Amico when it comes out and what you think about all this.
It looks somewhat similar to the WiiU, but that's my opinion on the issue.
At first i thought this was an infomercial person talking but it was you all along. Im new to the channel.
We had played the Donkey Kong in the past.
40 years like one day now have passed.
I'm a fan (a fan) of retrogaming.
I had played (had played) on Nintendo.
But I want to try another.
Like Coleco! Like Coleco!
Cole-, Cole-, Cole-, Coleco Chameleon!
You try and go!
You try and go!
Gaming would be easy if copyright laws were repealed!
And we could play (legally) on our PC!
I really enjoy your videos! You'd have been great on bad influence back in the day. Keep up the great work 👍.thanks.
I'd say make a Amico video but the plot thickens daily..
love this channel!
I had a feeling it was going to be troubled when I saw it looked like a freakin' Atari Jaguar.
Sounds like the Fyre Festival, but you didn’t even get cheese sandwiches…
Do a ColecoVision vid on detailed hardware specs vs NES and Master, and if it could do some of the same stuff, and how. How things work in all three, their approaches.
Another one we didn't know about, Lady! I want a Colecovision, but they're too expensive! Oh well, I suppose my Intellevision and Atarri 2600 will have to do, lol
Born in 82, I hear it alot in your videos 😅
What a year♥️
Ok, you got my attention in new videos about this console dissasters!
'certified snake oil' is what Review Tech USA called and to me that's what it is.
"Because this entire world will disappear alongside you!" - Rei Ryghts to the Coleco Chameleon.
Currently my favorite gaming channel. I'm always excited to see a new video.
Yes please, I would like to see a full video on the original Colecovision console. And nice nails by the way
Phantom, Chameleon. It's all about one thing - ship's name can tell you how well will it sail.
I totally forgot about this, but the moment I saw the rebranded jaguar it all came back to me. Talking about scammers if you think only internet people are gullible enough to fund this kind of schemes, just remember that even bit shot wall st brokers invested in the failed Nikola hidrogen fueled truck company.