Back in the late 70s and the early 80s, Coleco was one of the big names in handheld electronics. Besides Coleco there was really only one competitor that I can remember and that is Mattel. Mattel had its own line of electronic LED based handhelds that were fun, portable and relatively cheap. As LCD screens became less expensive to produce and the graphics could be displayed in higher resolutions, the LED games that were once popular faded into non-existence.

However, there is a new audience for all these games–adults. So the audience isn’t really new–we just love our old games. Remember the games that didn’t take you 8 days to finish? Or how about the games that you didn’t have to have an online subscription to? This retro craze is bringing back all kinds of these games… and Coleco has been given a second chance. A company called Techno Source has acquired the rights to produce and sell original Coleco games as well as brand new ones. I don’t know if the new Electronic Quarterback handheld will look like the one I had in 1979, but if it does– I may be one of the suckers that will buy one.

Sadly, I already have an dreary update to my terribly optimistic post. The new “Electronic Quarterback” pales in comparison to the original. It’s an lcd version and doesn’t even have the same controls. *Le sigh*. It should legally have to carry a number 2 on the end of it’s name… and maybe that says something.

Lik-Sang recently reported on a third-party original NES adapter for the GameBoy Advance SP. Apaprently it was developed by a Taiwanese manufacturer and was featured recently at the Hong Kong Electronics Fair. The product is already being produced and we recently found it on eBay for under $50 including shipping.