The Dina, also known in Taiwan as the Chuang Zao Zhe 50(Chinese:創造者 50), is a

home video game console A home video game console is a video game console that is designed to be connected to a display device, such as a television, and an external power source as to play video games. Home consoles are generally less powerful and customizable than ...

of the

third generation Third generation may refer to: * ''Third Generation'' (album), a 1982 album by Hiroshima * ''The Third Generation'' (1920 film), an American drama film directed by Henry Kolker * ''The Third Generation'' (1979 film), a West German black comedy b ...

originally manufactured by

Bit Corporation Bit Corporation () was a Taiwanese game developer and console manufacturer. Games Bit Corporation produced original software for the Atari 2600 and ColecoVision, which it released worldwide under both its own name and the Puzzy brand, as well a ...

, later sold in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

Telegames Telegames, Inc. is an American video game company based in Mabank, Texas, with a sister operation based in England. Telegames was known for supporting not just modern game systems but also classic game systems, after they had been abandoned by ...

as the Telegames Personal Arcade. It is a clone of both the

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer expe ...

and

Sega SG-1000 The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakay ...

consoles, with one cartridge slot for each platform, and came bundled with the game ''Meteoric Shower'', which was built into the system. Telegames never advertised its compatibility with the SG-1000.

Hardware

The Dina's controllers are modeled after the

D-pad A D-pad (short for directional pad or digital pad; officially referred to by Nintendo as a +Control Pad) is a flat, usually thumb-operated, often digital, four-way directional control with one button on each point, found on nearly all modern vid ...

style made famous by the

Nintendo Entertainment System The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in America ...

. Since the controllers are too small to possess numeric keypads, a single numeric keypad is present on the console itself. The console is not compatible with all ColecoVision cartridges, partly from its lack of a second numeric keypad; any ColecoVision game that requires two keypads cannot be used. A difference in the Dina's controller wiring prevents use of Coleco's Roller Controller and Super Action Controllers and games dependent on either one. Expansion modules for the ColecoVision are also incompatible, as the expansion port uses the pin configuration of the SG-1000. Subsequently, ColecoVision games that rely on expansion modules cannot be used, but the machine is compatible with the SG-1000 keyboard. The Telegames Personal Arcade was advertised as an alternative to the ColecoVision, leaving the function of the Sega SG-1000 cartridge port unexplained. Despite this, SG-1000 games are completely functional. The console does not have a port for the Sega My Card games, but the "Sega Card Catcher" peripheral is compatible and allows for Sega My Card games to be played.

Software

The Dina came with the game ''Meteoric Shower'' built into the unit. The ColecoVision's boot screen is replaced with Japanese writing and the words "1986 BIT CORPORATION" on a green background.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Database entry
at The Video Game Kraken (Accurately compiled website) Third-generation video game consoles Products introduced in 1986 Z80-based video game consoles