Hand Controller (Black)

The ColecoVision's standard controller, and the one two of which came in every console box. It is a rectangular black handset held upright rather than a stick on a base.

What is on it

• A short stick at the top, and two firebuttons on the sides.
• A twelve-key numeric keypad, which is how a game takes menu choices and options.

The keypad is why ColecoVision games ask you to press a number to choose a skill level, and why an ordinary Atari-style joystick cannot replace the controller outright - hence the third-party keypad adapters also in this catalogue.

The controller's reputation is poor: the plastic centring ring inside wears, and the result is the loose, mushy stick most surviving units have. It is the single most commonly repaired ColecoVision part.