The Story of the Coleco Gemini - When Coleco STOLE from Atari - Video Game Retrospective 

We have a couple really cool videos planned for you guys but we really want to know which system YOU want to see us cover next!

I remember this whole story. Even my 14-year-old mind at the time wondered if there was ANYONE in Coleco's legal department that said, "Uh, hey, you might want to check into copyright and patent infringement laws and all that before you put this expansion module out?" It blew my mind that they even considered doing it. But given that Coleco agreed to paying royalties to Atari for it, maybe that was the plan all along.

Insanity is buying the Gemini to play Atari Donkey Kong on the COLECOVISION

I loved the Gemini joystick. It was a lot more comfortable to use than Atari's. I even used it for my Commodore 64.

I had the ColecoVision with the expansion module. That was a game changer back then. It was also great that you could use Atari joysticks. I didn't hate the Coleco controllers like most seem to, but using the Atari ones gave it a more authentic experience.

I was in my early teen years when the Gemini was released. While I was vaguely aware of it, most of my friends either had Colecovision with the expansion, or had the Atari VCS. At that point, most people who had simply the Atari were curious about how good the Atari 5200 was, and hoping it could compete with or surpass the Colecovision in terms of graphics and sound. As we all now know, the 5200 fell flat, and a lot of people like me ended up getting a Commodore 64 instead of waiting for another game system to come out. My buddies and I were all buttering up our parents (as we we either freshmen in high school or were about to be) to get us a computer so we could do papers in high school, and have a system that would replace the old Atari. Because of people like my friends and I, alot of business went to Commodore, not Atari, or Coleco. Other kids ended up going towards Apple with their families as well. This huge migration though was a big part of the perception of the video gaming crash. I can tell you, none of us quit gaming at all, we had just switched to a better system, and it happened to fall under the "computer" category.

I completely forgot this existed. I remember my family had one when I was a kid... quite literally, a memory I haven't thunk of in 35 years, it's a bizarre feeling. Thanks for posting this!

I owned a Gemini as my first system, before we got the Atari 7800 and then you couldn't find games for them anywhere. Those Gemini controllers were really neat, but very hard on the thumbs over a day of gaming.

These things made it all the way to Australia. We got a Gemini as a 'shared' Christmas present. I believe it came with Wizard of Wor as the packaged game.

I had completely forgotten about the Gemini... but still have the Coleco I got for Christmas in 1983. Also still have the Turbo expansion and the expansion 1.

I had a Gemini when I was a kid... my parents won it as a door prize, the rest is history! Canadian version! Loved the controller!

Still have my original Colecovison with ALL the expansion modules in full working order...

My sister and I used to own the Gemini Video Game System video game home console system back in the proverbial day, as we got it for Christmas back in the mid-1980's (along with _Donkey Kong_ as the pack-in video game title). My parents couldn't afford the NES, or even (apparently) the Atari 2600 or the ColecoVision video game home console systems at the time. I still have a Gemini Video Game System video game home console system and some Atari 2600 video games to this very day that my aunt and uncle bought in the 1980's but hardly ever used and later (very early 2000's) gave to me, as the original one that I had there no longer worked there (although most of the *_original_* Atari 2600 video game cartridges that my sister and I got over the years still worked in the Gemini Video Game System that my aunt and uncle gave to me, so I actually have duplicate video game titles for many of the Atari 2600 video games in my collection).

Great video, shame you didn't show the insides of the gemini, show what was different between it and the expansion module! But still enjoyed the video!!! Kudos!

Loving these retro vids... Keep em coming brings me back to my childhood...

Back then we just set up all of our consoles and uses a radio shack switch to choose which one would be displayed. We had three, Sears Tele-games Video Arcade, Sears Tele-games Super Video Arcade and the ColecoVision. Damn I miss those days.

The Gemini was my childhood gaming console. I truly loved it. I had the Canadian Version with Moustrap included. It was just a Pac-Man clone, but it remains one of my favorite games with all its quirks. I finally parted with it about 20 years ago. This video really brought out the nostalgia for me. Almost NO ONE remembers the Gemini. But I will always remember it fondly. Thank you for bringing this memory back for me.

I had a Columbia House branded Atari when I was growing up. I actually liked getting games through the mail that way.

At this time, Brazil was Full of Atari Legal clones manufacture locally

Love your channel bud. Found it yesterday and it’s all I’ve watched in my little spare time. Gaming history is my favorite part of gaming and I look forward to more

Just came across your channel! I love it! I've subscribed. Keep them coming! Hello from Las Vegas NV!

I love these videos. I was putting in long hours that year and missed all these shenanigan's

I want an Atari but my mom show up with a Gemini instead back in 1983 with Donkey Kong and Mouse Trap included.

This was literally the very first video game console that I ever owned (I had played the Atari 2600 before at a cousin's house before but never actually owned one). My parents got one for me for my 10th birthday. It came with the Donkey Kong and Mouse Trap pack-in cartridges. I even remember the cheesy commercials they used to show on tv with the greasy biker doo-wopp dudes comparing the 2600 to the Gemini. Good times.....goood times......

Subbed. Really like the way you explain things and you have a calming voice; your knowledge of the subject shows through.

The Gemini was our first "Atari" console. It was the Canadian version and it came with Donkey Kong and Mouse Trap. The thing I remember the most about it is the control stick ripping up my hands while playing Decathalon. The system didn't last very long though, I'm guessing the cheaper price was reflected in the build quality as it died after only 2-3 years, and we replaced it with a 2600 Jr.

funny thing is when the coleco beat atari in court the decision was quoted verbatim in court 10 years later by galoob for the game genie when Nintendo sued them

I remember my father bringing this home after work one day when I was a kid! I wanted an Atari and ended up with this. Being 6 years old, it took me a bit to figure out it basically was an Atari and once that sunk in, I was so psyched!

Very well done and informative video. Really enjoyed your presentation. You have a new subscriber

Very nice video, keep up the good work!

Really awesome video, excellent production value, interesting content. I am old enough to remember the Colecovision and the legal battle with Atari so it brings back a lot of memories of me as a kid wanting a Colecovision.

As well as using the ColecoVision for power and video output, I believe the expansion module #1 also used the crystal in the ColecoVision to drive its clock.

I had one of the original Atari adapters, got it along with the ColecoVision console as a replacement for my Atari, which I then sold to a friend. Kept some of my favourite 2600 games and simply played them on my Coleco. Good times.

I lived through those times and had an Atari 8 bit home computer rather than a console. I vaguely remember that Coleco had an adapter to play 2600 games. This was a fun video. Thanks.

I had a chance to buy a Gemini for about $80 several years ago at an "antique store" in Arkansas. It was the only booth focused on games with lots of Famicom and other not-common-in-the-US stuff. There was a Gemini and I almost bought it. I also got a Colecovision off a classmate in the late 90s including the expansion. And at one point got a Vectrex from another classmate. Ugh, if only I'd known what these would be worth one day...

Columbia version of Gemini new to me- thanks for the heads up! Assuming the only difference are the stickers, ie circuit boards and chips are identical, I have no big desire to get one, other than if found at yard sale/thrift. The Gemini and Atari consoles of the post crash 80s highlight the doldrums of the 80s video game market in North America. Yes, the NES made its debut and owned the video game market after 1985, coupled with a few others like the Sega Master System, but all Atari did in the video game space was constantly milk the 2600 with more console redesigns, and repackage their 70s 8 bit computer into the XE Game System, and constantly re-release the same titles ported to mediocre consoles like the 7800. It took until the 90s for the Jaguar and Lynx to hit the market (yes Lynx technically in 1989) which were both groundbreaking tech-wise, but never got big market share. 1985 through the early 90s was ruled by 16 bit computers like the Amiga and Atari ST, or for lower incomes, leftover 8 bit machines like the C64 or Atari bit, Tandy or early PC clone 8088 machines. All these had lots of games that could be copied for cost conscious consumers (Legalities aside), plus the idea of having a "real" computer to do at least word processing.

My brother and I we receive this console game from our grand parent back in time

I remember seeing all of this happen but I was a kid so I didn't really understand what was going on. Excellent explanation!!

You’re on fire buddy! Got something great to watch after work. Keep this golden stuff rolling! Thanks brother!

Wow, I never knew aything about this curious system, good work dude!

I still have a Gemini complete in box Cool combo paddle+joystick controllers Nice retro gaming piece to have in a collection

Loved the gemini joystick/paddle. Best joystick of the systems at that time. I used to plug it into my master system later on

What is so interesting to your top left that you keep staring at? If it's cue cards, they're in the wrong spot, brother.

I had this when I was 14, thinking of getting one again, just for nostalgia, great video

Didn't have the Expansion Module for my Coleco back in the day but I grabbed one on Ebay close to 10 years ago when they were even cheaper. Was more for the interesting novelty of it all, I'd still rather hook up my VCS to play those games.

I had one of these when I go was a kid. Good looking design. The controller is the best of it's generation. I use it for anything from Atari, Coleco vision, commador 64, ect ect.

I never heard of a Gemini system back then. Of course I was a young kid back then. Never heard of a video game crash until over 30 years later. However, when my Atari controllers bit the dust, we did buy the Gemini joysticks to use on it.

Interesting video, but can I suggest lowering the music volume or changing the music so it's not the same 10-second loop throughout?

I'm glad to see you are doing well

My family had a Columbia Home Arcade. I had no idea it was so rare.

My family owned a Colecovision and had owned a 2600 before that, before someone stole it. We didn't fully appreciate how great the Coleco was at that time. NOW I understand and feel proud to have owned one. But the Gemini confused the hell out of us back in the day. We could not understand what it was. Sure they said it played 2600 games but the idea of a totally different console playing those games just made no sense. We didn't get it at all. I laugh at it now, because of course it's really doing exactly what it says it is doing and we would have figured it out if we read the darn box or something. I dunno. Stupid truth: we eventually sold the Coleco and got a new console: the updated look sleek 2600 Atari released in the 80s. Like I said, we didn't appreciate the Colecovision when we had it.

I love learning new things about old systems. I never heard of the Gemini. What a riot! "pun intended, the riot chip"

Now I want to search my parents house for my coloeco vision and expansion module. The expansion module was a big selling point for the Vision but I had did my homework and knew what that console offered so I was super excited for it. I got it as soon as it came out and played the hell out of it.

yep I had one. That was my first game console and yes the price made my mother get it. It was 50 bucks at Zayre while the Atari was 150-250 bucks with NO PADDLES. I'm looking to get another one but the prices for this system on ebay are outrageous and its not even a collector's item. The Columbia House version is the collector's item, RIP Coleco, Columbia House, Zayre and Sears

Lol, I had the Atari adaptor which was great since I went from Odyssey 2 to Colecovision.

Coleco stole from Atari as like you said, it is like the Playstation having an X Box expansion slot.

I've got a Columbia Home Arcade . I paid $60 for it on ebay a few years ago . I also picked up three or four Coleco Geminis for like $20 a piece because nobody wanted them a couple of years ago . A lot of them have broken solder joints now and are sold as untested or for parts so if you're looking to buy one , I would only look at fully tested consoles unless it's super cheap and you're willing to fix it .

There are some RU-vid tutorials on how to make your own teleprompter with a cheap android tablet, some pieces of wood, mirrored glass, black cloth, and a few other ingredients. I built one myself. That way you could read from your script without having to look off to the side.

I actually had a Gemini system, because my brothers Atari broke or something,..I forgot what happened. nut I had one!

When vampires get RU-vid channels.

coleco machines all looked like 8-track players, which was so "in" for mid 80s, lol

That brings back memories, the Gemini was our console back in the day....

Thank you for bringing me back to my youth!

Gemini was my first video game system, got Donkey Kong & Mouse Trap included.

Great vid. Although I never owned a Coleco Gemini “back in the day”, I bought one on EBAY a few years ago. I prefer it to the “original” Atari VCS. It is compact, and has a clear video signal. The controllers are iffy, but it will take any VCS controller. I later acquired one with composite video output as well. The Gemini is a very viable “retro” way to play 2600 games. If you are a Colecovision fan, it’s a no-brainer. Expansion Module 1 was also a no-brainer if you owned a Colecovision and wanted to play 2600 games. It is slightly less viable a means nowadays due to the relative shortage of “working” Colecovision consoles.

The way I remember it the expansion module #1 was not really that big a deal. I got one eventually but the 2600 games sucked at that point when the module came out. The Colecovision, intellivision, Commodore 64 and Atari 800 series of games were WAY better so the only reason we got the expansion module is so you could play some of the activision games, your buddies old games and the games you could pick up for a dollar in the bargain bins at toys R us etc. But, it was pretty insane that they got away with it! I remember scratching my head on how they were allowed to pull that off when I was a kid 😆

Nice vid

Very cheeky of Coleco to call their legally distinct clone console “gemini” as in “twin”

I remember seeing the ad for the Gemini back then in the sears catalog, and I had the Atari 2600, but the picture showed it having an actual Colecovision cartridge in the slot, so I thought at 98 dollars it was a cheap version of the Colecovision , and that I had a chance to actually get it for christmas and play actual colecovision games because I knew the actual system was expensive. well, now I know for sure it was a clone , thank you for putting that misconception to rest for me. great video.

All of these consoles fell short in one way or another, but the 2600 was the one I had and played the most of other then the magnavox odessey 2, Have you done a video on that one? I'd sure watch it

This lawsuit was going on almost concurrently with apple vs. frankin which was filed in may of 1982 while atari vs. coleco was filed in december of that same year.

I got one for Xmas '84. Donkey Kong Jr was the pack-in (a sticker covered the DK/Mouse Trap graphic on the box)

My memory is foggy on the Gemini, but I remember the controller being much easier and precise than a non worn-in Atari controller. That’s right - a new Atari joystick had to be broken in because they were stiff, difficult to use, and they hurt your hands with long play. Gemini made previously hard to play games a breeze.

Cool video I approve of your choice of the vader 2600

We had the sears telegames version. I would really like to have one of those again.

I put on my cub scout uniform, banged on doors after Christmas asking to remove Christmas Trees- which I just threw in this drainage ditch, made $100, bought the Atari expansion for my celecovision for $69, sold my old Atari with only combat for $20. Great times!

I never had a collecovision. But I remember it was so much more advanced than the 2600, at the time I didn't understand why anyone with a collecovision would even want to bother playing 2600 games.

Had a Coleco Gemini but swap it for my friend Commodore 64 Breadbin. That was around 1984 and still use it this day next with my ZX Spectrum 128K Toastrack. Would be great to use the Coleco Gemini with Wizard of Wor.

I wanted a Colecovision, but I got a Coleco Gemini for Christmas, with Donkey Kong and Mouse Trap, whatever year that was. My family wasn't poor, but very frugal when it came to toys and clothes for us kids. That said, those 2600 games were becoming bargain bin items, and I quickly built a fat library, mostly from Imagic, Mattel, and Activision.

I was just gifted a Gemini a few days ago I was curious about it so I found my way here

Atari threw stones from their glasshouse and then went bankrupt.

Good video, one of my favorite types of videos, video game history is fascinating and it's cool to hear others take on this subject. Heard the story a few times and you did good, giving information that i hadn't heard before. SUBSCRIBED You, PatmanQC and Friday Night Arcade are a few of the underground channels I've found this year. Keep it up

Young people these days don't know the pain of waiting to receive a video game. I remember ordering games on cassette for my Commodore 64 through the mail. It would take 4-6 weeks to get the game in my mailbox. Then it would be 10-15 minutes to load the game on a tape drive and half the time it would get an error and you would have to rewind the whole cassette and start over. Then after playing the game, you had to turn off your C-64, because if you didn't turn them off, they would fry the CPU because they got too hot. Get off my lawn!!!

Had a Canadian Gemini system, played it till around 2005. That controller didn't feel cheap to me. It may be the best paddle ever made, my friends and I still talk about it's spring action on the joystick. That thing never wore out.

I never knew that these even existed and I was born in 1973. Lots of my friends had Atari and coleco systems

So eventually coleco and atari did agree in that coleco will pay atari royalty’s for selling their expansion module and the germini console,so what was first iligal from coleco turned out to be later legalized later on🙏

I have to say that I am enjoying your content. I can see your subscriber count going up really fast. As some constructive criticism though, put your script behind the camera. That way it looks like your talking to the camera rather than someone off screen.

Why are you wearing mascara? Awesome video!

agreed they should have flipped the cart slot around.

I had one of these! Played Tac-Scan like a God on it! It was great!

Gemini marketing was confusing. It was made by Coleco but not a colecovision. The two systems would be on the same page in a catalog. I had the colecovision but not the expansion or the Gemini. Wanted them, but you couldn't pry the colecovision out of my cold dead hands.

The ColecoVision was the gift that would keep giving back then. As kid, the expansion port seemed as if it had infinite possibilities making the gaming system seem as if it would never become obsolete. Ah,....the mind of a child,....

the funny thing was the atari attachment for the coleco was really almost the same cost as the expansion unit and had issues, but lets face it dont know why they were upset they lost money on the consoles but made it on the cartridges so it helped them make money

Because of Gaming Historian’s video on the console, I used to think that this was legal at the time, but nope.

Dude: I love your videos, I love the content, Your voice and diction are great and I even love your set. But could you please move your monitor or teleprompter in front of you, so you don’t have to look to god knows where or what? It’s so distracting that it takes me out of the experience. Thanks.

Would you happen to know how many Gemini systems were made/sold? I have one with a very low serial number and it got me curious on how many were made.

They should had made another one too and make it compatible with not only 2600 and Colecovision games but also Intellivision games too. They could call it the Coleco Genesis.

I want to see the Adam video and the 5200 video.

Awesome

I had the Coleco Gemini growing up. I LOVED that system! Big thumbs up from me.