The Telegames Personal Arcade was the US version of Bit Corporation

Bit Corporation

Bit Corporation was a Taiwanese game developer and console manufacturer.-Games:Bit Corporation was one of the few Taiwanese companies to produce original software for the Atari 2600 rather than simply pirating the works of others, which it released worldwide under both its own name and the Puzzy...

's DINA 2-in-1

Dina (video game console)

The Dina is a video game console originally manufactured by Bit Corporation, later sold in the United States by Telegames as the Telegames Personal Arcade. It is a clone of the ColecoVision and the Sega SG-1000 consoles, with one cartridge slot for each platform...

. This slim console could play both ColecoVision

ColecoVision

The ColecoVision is Coleco Industries' second generation home video game console which was released in August 1982. The ColecoVision offered arcade-quality graphics and gaming style, and the means to expand the system's basic hardware...

 and Sega

Sega

, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

 SG-1000

SG-1000

The SC-3000 was the computer equivalent of the SG-1000.The SC-3000 sold for ¥29,800 in 1983 and was marketed as a computer for beginners...

 cartridges. It came equipped with Nintendo

Nintendo

is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

 NES

Nes

-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...

 styled control pads, and even had a built in game called "Meteoric Shower". Since the DINA control pads did not contain the numeric keypad of the actual ColecoVision controller, they were mounted on the unit itself. It also sported a "pause" button that could be used for SG-1000 games.

History

The videogame crash of 1983 affected Coleco. Texas-based company Telegames

Telegames

Telegames, Inc. is a North American video game company based in Gun Barrel City, Texas, with a sister operation based in England.Telegames was well known for supporting not just modern game systems but also classic game systems, after they've been abandoned by its manufacturer. Effective September...

eventually purchased the rights to the ColecoVision console, and bought most of Coleco's stock. Rather than selling Coleco's bulky unit, Telegames began manufacturing and distributing the Bit Corporation designed DINA 2-in-1. In 1988 the renamed DINA became the Telegames Personal Arcade. The unit was sold via mail order catalogs. The unit was sold through Telegames, Inc. via mail order for only $40USD.

Compatibility

The console is not compatible with all ColecoVision cartridges, partly from its lack of a second numeric keypad. Expansion modules for the ColecoVision are also incompatible, given the position of the Personal Arcade's power and RF connectors. Some units possess a manufacturer's defect that causes the system to draw too much power into the motherboard, causing damage after long-term play.

The Telegames Personal Arcade was advertised as an alternative to the ColecoVision, leaving the function of the Sega SG-1000 cartridge port unexplained; whether Telegames disabled this additional port is not known.