Telstar (game console)

Telstar

Manufacturer	Coleco
Type	Dedicated console
Generation	First generation
Retail availability	1976-1978
Successor	ColecoVision (1982-1984)

The Telstar is a series of video game consoles produced by Coleco from 1976 to 1978. Starting with Telstar Pong clone based on General Instrument's AY-3-8500 chip in 1976, there were 14 consoles released in the Telstar branded series. One million Telstar units were sold.^[1]

The large product lineup and the impending fading out of the Pong machines led Coleco to face near-bankruptcy in 1980.

Models

Telstar models

Unit name	Model and chip	Release date	Games	Description	Size	Cite
Telstar	No.6040 AY-3-8500	1976	hockey handball tennis	Two fixed paddles. Games are Pong variants.		[2]
Telstar Classic	No.6045 AY-3-8500	1976	hockey handball tennis	Two fixed paddles. Deluxe wood case.
Telstar Deluxe (a.k.a. "Video World Of Sports")	AY-3-8500	1977	hockey handball tennis	Two fixed paddles. Brown pedestal case with wood panel. Made for Canadian market with French and English text.
Telstar Ranger	No.6046 AY-3-8500	1977	hockey handball tennis jai alai target skeet	Black and white plastic case, includes Colt 45-style light gun and separate paddle controllers. Four ball games, two target games. Special features of the four ball games include automatic serve and variable paddle and speed control for three experience levels (beginner, intermediate, and professional). Uses six C batteries or an optional AC adapter, light gun requires one nine-volt battery.	4 lb. 17.5×6×8 in.	[3]^:22 [4]^:35
Telstar Alpha	No.6030 AY-3-8500	1977	hockey handball tennis jai alai	Black and white plastic case, fixed paddles. The games feature an automatic serve function and variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and pro). Uses six C batteries.	2.5 lb. 13.5×3.5×7.5 in.	[3]^:17 [4]^:34
Telstar Colormatic	No.6130 AY-3-8500 Texas Instruments SN76499N (color)	1977	hockey handball tennis jai alai	Black and white plastic case, detached wired paddles. Color graphics - each game is a different color. The games feature an automatic serve function and variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and professional). Uses six C batteries.	2.5 lb. 13×6.5×7.5 in.	[3]^:18
Telstar Regent	No.6036 AY-3-8500	1977	hockey handball tennis jai alai	Black and white plastic case, detached wired paddles. The games feature an automatic serve function and variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and professional). Uses six C batteries.	2.5 lb. 13.5×4×8 in.	[3]^:18
Telstar Sportsman	AY-3-8500	1978		Black and white plastic case, detached wired paddles, and light gun.
Telstar Combat!	No.6065 General Instrument AY-3-8700 Tank chip	1977	Combat Night Battle Robot Battle Camouflage Combat	Four fixed joysticks (two per player). Games are variations on Kee Games' Tank. Uses six C batteries or an optional AC adapter.	5.5 lb. 15×8×10.5 in.	[3]^:23 [4]^:37
Telstar Colortron	No.6135 AY-3-8510	1978	Tennis Hockey Handball Jai-alai	In color, built in sound, fixed paddles. Games are Pong variants and feature variable settings for three skill levels (beginner, intermediate, and pro). Uses two nine-volt batteries or an optional AC adapter.	1 lb. 2×11.25×4 in.	[4]^:34
Telstar Marksman	No.6136 AY-3-8512	1978	Tennis Hockey Handball Jai-alai Skeet Target	In color, larger light gun with removable stock, fixed paddles. Four Pong variants and two gun games. Uses two nine-volt batteries or an optional AC adapter.	1 lb. 2×11.25×5 in.	[4]^:36
Telstar Galaxy	AY-3-8600 (games) AY-3-8615 (color encoder)	1977		Separate joysticks and fixed paddles
Telstar Gemini	MOS Technology MPS 7600-004	1977	Four pinball games Two light-gun games	In color, light gun, two flipper buttons on left and right sides of case, pinball launch button and field adjustment sliders on top, light gun.
Telstar Arcade	MOS Technology MPS-7600 (each cart)	1977	Pack-in game (Tennis, road racing, quick draw)   Others Eight-game ball and target cartridge Five-game pinball and shooting cartridge Battle game cartridge Twenty-five game driving maze cartridge Fifteen game action cartridge (including Break Thru)	Cartridge-based, triangular case includes light gun, steering wheel with gear shift, and paddles, one on each side.	4 lb. 7.5×18×16 in.	[3]^:28 [4]^:37–38

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  Telstar Alpha

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  Telstar Colormatic

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  Telstar Colortron

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  Telstar Marksman

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  Telstar Arcade with cartridge n.1 on top

References

1. Herman, Leonard (1997). Phoenix: the fall & rise of videogames (2nd ed.). Union, NJ: Rolenta Press. p. 20. ISBN 0-9643848-2-5. Retrieved 16 February 2012. Like Pong, Telstar could only play video tennis but it retailed at an inexpensive $50 that made it attractive to most families that were on a budget. Coleco managed to sell over a million units that year.
2. http://colecomuseum.com/colecotelstar.php
3. Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1978). "The Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide) (Reese Communications) 1 (1): 17–30. ISSN 0147-8907.
4. Kaplan, Deeny, ed. (Winter 1979). "Video Games". Video (Buyer's Guide) (Reese Communications) 2 (1): 33–42. ISSN 0147-8907.

External links

• The ColecoVision, with 1982 TV commercial
• Pong-Story: All Coleco Telstar systems, with photos
• Telstar and other systems
• The Dot Eaters entry on the history of Telstar and Coleco
• The COLECO Story by Ralph H. Baer