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Telstar Colortron

After the release of the Telstar (the first "dedicated-chip" pong system) in 1976 which was a big success, Coleco conceived a whole range of pongs.

This pong have the same caracteristics as the Telstar Colormatic (4 games) but the case is different. It is quite small and the controllers (dials) are built-in the console. It also has a digital pushbutton game selector, color (thanks to the AY-3-8510 chipset), and a special piezzo electric beeper (which requires an additional battery).

There's a 3 positions switch that controls difficulty (beginner : slow ball, big paddles / advanced : fast ball, big paddles / expert : fast ball, small paddles). If this is common to the first Telstars, this is quite different from most of the other pong systems which offer individual settings.

Promotional text says:
"Telestar Colortron, a sellout in '79 and still going strong! Telstar Colortron features four exciting sports games - Tennis, Hockey, Handball and Jai Alai - all in brillant color! On-screen digital display scoring, realistic electronic sound effects. Variable skill control for beginner, intermediate and pro players. The GX-10, a custom chip made for Coleco, makes it all possible at an incredibly low price! Operates on two 9 volt batteries (not included). Full color packaging.

- Four exciting sports: Tennis, Hockey, Handball, Jai alai
- Brilliant color (plays B&W on B&W TV sets)
- On-screen digital display scoring
- Electronic sound effects
- Variable skill control
- Requires two 9 volt batteries or Coleco battery eliminator / AC adapter
- FCC approved
- Full color packaging
- Ages 8 to adult"