The Colour Cartridge (model VMV12) was
released in 1979 and was Videomaster's last PONG system. It is the only model which
uses game cartridges. Like the european SD-050 consoles and
others, the cartridges used General
Instruments chips, so the games were same from a system to another: 10 PONG games
cartridge, car race cartridge, motor-cycle race cartridge, submarine war cartridge,
tank battle cartridge, breakout cartridge. The system is therefore very simple
compared to others: the buttons have no specific role as each cartridge can use them
differently. Games are selected by a 10-position switch, and three PRO/AM swithes
allow changing the difficulty levels of the games (the chip included in the 10 PONG
games cartridge was designed to use 6 switches for setting game difficulties, so
only three of them were usable with this console). To finish, the cartridge connector
has a strange location on the console and has no protection like most other cartridge
systems. This was maybe due to the cheap asian manufacture of the system. The system
case was directly inspired from the Colour Score II.
Only one other system is known to have used the same cartridges: the Palson "Game
Cassette System", model CX 336 (Spain, circa 1978-79).
The box of the system. Note the empty console pictured: it is missing the cartridge connector !
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The system, with an unusual location of the cartridge connector.
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If the cartridges play the same games than those of the similar consoles, they use a smaller format. Like most other similar cartridges manufactued in Asia, their hand soldered circuit board show the poor quality of the soldering job.
Road Race, the car racing game Stunt Rider, an Atari Stunt Cycle clone Super Wipeout, an Atari Breakout clone Cartridges were boxed either with cardboard or styrofoam packing |
The 10 PONG games cartridge included with the console. It also existed with a blue label. A very poor quality printed circuit board ! |