---
title: 'Coleco Telstar Alpha - Model #6030'
categories:
- Pongs
origins:
- U.S.A.
years:
- '1977'
cpus:
- GI AY-3-8500
params:
  name: 'Telstar Alpha - Model #6030'
  image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar_alpha.jpg
  company: /companies/coleco
  company_name: Coleco
  specs:
  - label: NAME
    value: 'Telstar Alpha - Model #6030'
  - label: MANUFACTURER
    value: Coleco
  - label: ORIGIN
    value: U.S.A.
  - label: YEAR
    value: '1977'
  - label: BUILT IN LANGUAGE
    value: |-
      1 - Tennis (2 players)\
      2 - Hockey (2 players)\
      3 - Handball (1 players)\
      4 - Jai-Alai (2 player)
  - label: KEYBOARD
    value: 2 paddles built-in the console
  - label: CPU
    value: GI AY-3-8500
  - label: SPEED
    value: Reset
  - label: CO-PROCESSOR
    value: ON/OFF, Difficulty Beginner/Intermediate/Pro
  - label: RAM
    value: On screen
  - label: COLORS
    value: Black & white
  - label: SOUND
    value: Built-in beeper, 3 different sounds
  - label: I/O PORTS
    value: TV RF video output
  - label: OS
    value: '6'
  - label: POWER SUPPLY
    value: 9v DC
  - label: PERIPHERALS
    value: 'No'
  tabs:
  - photos
  - emulators
  - links
  photos:
  - title: COLECO TELSTAR ALPHA
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar_alpha_2.jpg
  - title: REAR
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar_alpha_rear.jpg
  - title: UPSIDE DOWN
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar_alpha_under.jpg
  - title: BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar_alpha_box.jpg
  - title: 'BOX #2'
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar_alpha_box_2.jpg
  - title: BACK OF THE BOX
    subtitle: ''
    text: ''
    image: /media/museum/photos/coleco_telstar-alpha_box-back_2.jpg
  emulators:
  - title: www.pong-story.com
    url: http://www.pong-story.com/pcpong.htm
    platform: Multiplatform
    text: Several pong emulators (simulators) presented here
  links:
  - title: Web Wiz CAPTCHA
    url: http://www.webwizcaptcha.com
    text: ''
  comments:
  - author: Edward Jackson (Missouri, USA)
    date: Thursday 17th April 2014
    text: Heh! I got one of these for a Christmas present. It worked fine, but got real boring, real quick.
  - author: hiroshi (memphis, tn)
    date: Friday 16th July 2004
    text: |-
      I think you are confused about the 3 difficulty switches... you stated "beginner : slow ball, big paddles / advanced : fast ball, big paddles / expert : fast ball, small paddles"

      however it's really:\
      (beginner : slow ball, big paddles / INTERMEDIATE : SLOW BALL, SMALL PADDLES / PRO : fast ball, BIG PADDLES)

      this is what I get from my Telstar Alpha unit.

      the unit I have I've hacked so that it's directly connected via RF (as opposed to using a metal sliding switch box). I soldered a slightly modified NES RF box. I recommend doing this on your unit, as it gets much better video results (crystal clear!).

      I wonder if RCA jacks can be made from it.. it would be more convenient\
      http://www.pong-story.com/pics/gi/ay38500.gif
  related:
  - /museum/a10-telespiel-9010
  - /museum/alex-video-spiel-tg-621
  - /museum/apf-match
  - /museum/apf-tv-fun-model-401
  - /museum/audiosonic-pp-800
  - /museum/bentley-compu-vision
  - /museum/blaupunkt-tv-action
  - /museum/conic-tv-sports-tg-621
  - /museum/conic-tvg-209
  - /museum/dms-telesports-mini
  - /museum/grandstand-t-v-game-model-3000
  - /museum/hanimex-666
  - /museum/hanimex-7771
  - /museum/hanimex-t-338
  - /museum/intel-germany-super-tele-sport-d-688-36
  - /museum/interton-video-2400
  - /museum/jostykit-multi-tv-game-hf-344
  - /museum/magiclick-teleclick
  - /museum/match-sd-01c
  - /museum/mbo-tele-ball
  - /museum/mbo-tele-ball-ii
  - /museum/mbo-tele-ball-iii
  - /museum/mentor-sport-tg-20
  - /museum/novoton-tj-141
  - /museum/novoton-video-sports
  - /museum/playtech-telesport
  - /museum/polistil-v-g-2
  - /museum/r-f-t-bss-01-bildschirmspiel-01
  - /museum/radofin-electronics-limited-tele-sports
  - /museum/riva-t-800c
  - /museum/roberts-paddle-iv
  - /museum/roberts-rally-iv
  - /museum/sands-3000
  - /museum/societe-occitane-d-electronique-oc-4
  - /museum/sonolor-telematch
  - /museum/sportron-101u
  - /museum/superlectron-tv-challenger-series-3000-tvc-3000
  - /museum/tele-flip-paris-video-sport-fy-707
  - /museum/thomson-jv1t
  - /museum/ultrasound-tele-sports
  - /museum/ultrasound-tv-9010
  - /museum/universum-tv-multi-spiel-handheld
  - /museum/universum-tv-spiel-1004
  oc_id: 666
  source:
    url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230613001109/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=666
    date: '2023-06-13'
---

After the release of the Telstar (the first "dedicated-chip" pong system) in 1976 which was a big success, Coleco conceived a whole range of pongs for release at Christmas 1977. The Telstar Alpha is one of the simplest system of the range. It offers only four games and has built-in controllers. That's cool if you want to play 2 players games alone ! The only difference between the original Telstar and the alpha is that there is one more game on the Alpha (Jai-Alai).

There's a 3 positions switch that controls difficulty (BEGINNER : slow ball, big paddles / INTERMEDIATE : slow ball, small paddles / PRO : fast ball, big paddles). If this is common to the first Telstars, this is quite different from most of the other pong systems which offer individual settings.