The ColecoVision Controller

Ah, the ColecoVision - the system that was set to conquer the world, until the bottom dropped out of the video game market.

Although the controller looks like it's modelled directly after the Intellivision controller, it actually feels very different. The controller itself has a much more solid feel to it, with real push-buttons on the sides (both act as the same button) and instead of a control disc, it has a short joystick with a circular knob on top. Although generally considered to be an improvement over the Intellivision's disc, the controls were still somewhat klunky.

Like the Intellivision, games also came with overlay cards that could be inserted over the keypad to label extra button functions.

The biggest innovation with the ColecoVision may not be with this controller itself, but that a wide variety of other types of controllers were also made available to better reproduce an arcade-like experience on a home console. Other controllers included a track ball, a pistol-grip controller with a joystick and a spinner, and a steering wheel complete with seperate pedal.