This will be a forum series where I'll talk about the history and my experience with the gaming consoles and today I'm reviewing the big and bulky Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer.
Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer
History:The original TRS-80 was a home computer released in 1977, in 1980 the Tandy Color Computer or Radio Shack TRS-80 Color Computer was released to replace the older TRS-80 models. Now with color graphics and game cartridges. Now it was a computer gaming console. Fans gave it the Loving Nickname CoCo. (Sorry Conan, the TRS-80 was called CoCo before you)
How did it do?Pretty well, It was mainly sold in Radio Shack stores and was on the market in different variations til 1991.
Graphics: They are okay for it's time, but they lack compared to Atari and Commodore computers.
Is this system still fun to play?It's okay, I only have a few games to play on it and nothing I own really makes me want to play this system a whole lot.
What games are worth playing? Of the games I personally own, Space Assault is a ugly Space Invaders, Popcorn is a slow version of Ka-Boom, Poltergeist which is just terrible and my personal favorite Mega-Bug a Pac-Man clone with a slight twist, where you can only see a small portion of the maze at one time. Many moments of quick thinking as you turn a corner and an enemy is right there.
How many versions are there?There was several models in the 10 years it was made, the main ones people know is the big fat silver color computer (CoCo1) and the white color computer 2. (CoCo2)
What do I need to know if I start collecting this system? The system is large and heavy, about the size of the Atari 5200. It will work on most any TV, I had it hooked up to my 720 HDTV and it ran fine. Finding one of these today in the wild is pretty rare to be honest. I've seen more Atari 400/800 and Commodores then TRS-80's. The system is built like a tank, very thick outer plastic shell, you could kill someone if you hit them with it. Lol I could stand on it with all my weight and it wouldn't even dent or crack the shell. The carts are about the size of an Super Nintendo cartridge, and fit real tight in the console. Not as bad as the VIC-20 but still tough to put in and pull out. The Plug is hardwired in the console, but it does need a special cable to hook it up to a TV. (similar to the Genesis model 1 AV cable)
My Experience with the ConsoleI picked up my TRS-80 Color Computer some fifteen years ago out of someones trash. I was riding on my bike and spotted this thing in a box with several games in the garbage. It was pretty beat up, almost left it behind, but something made me want to take it. I had a hard time on my bike getting this heavy thing home. But when I got it home I didn't have the cable needed to hook it up to a TV. Some years later I finally got a cable and got it running, but didn't like using the keyboard so I ordered a pair of joysticks. After much delay I was finally playing this monster of a console and thought it was just okay. I rarely hook it up, but every time I do the only game I end up playing is Mega-Bug.
Final ThoughtsThis is a console for the collector / old computer lover. While there are some decent games for it most are clones if other games you can play on classic consoles of it's time. But if you stumble upon one in the wild cheap, it might be fun messing around with it. But it's not a system that's worth a gaming on.
Let me know what you think, I'm planning on continuing the reviews in a somewhat order of when they came out.
There might not be another My 8-Bits for a while. Just bought a house and will be busy moving.
Leave reply's on your experience with the TRS-80 Color Computer. I would love to hear them.
By the Numbers: At the time of this article only 6 people own a CoCo1 and 6 own a CoCo2.
Past Reviews:
Commodore VIC-20
MB Microvision
Atari 400/800
Mattel Intellivision
Magnavox Odyssey 2
Interton VC 4000
APF MP1000
Bally Astrocade
Atari 2600
Coleco Telstar Arcade
RCA Studio II
Fairchild Channel F
PC-50X
Pong Consoles
Magnavox Odyssey