1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:08,920 Friends, you thought it never existed. You thought it never materialised. BUT HERE, in 2 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:15,520 the flesh is a Konix MultiSystem. The legendary yet bizarre looking console from the 80s that 3 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:21,490 promised to be so much to so many, but failed to ever materialise. But before we look closer 4 00:00:21,490 --> 00:00:28,160 at this device. We need to dive deep into the history of this remarkable console; 5 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:36,969 Konix. A Welsh company which 80s UK computer owners will almost certainly be familiar with, 6 00:00:36,969 --> 00:00:42,909 mainly because they made incredible joysticks. Who can forget handheld delights such as the 7 00:00:42,909 --> 00:00:49,730 Konix Speedking and Konix Navigator. These chunky appendaged items might seem clunky 8 00:00:49,730 --> 00:00:55,469 today, but when all you had was this... One of these could really enhance your gaming 9 00:00:55,469 --> 00:00:59,859 experience, especially if you didn't have a table to balance a joystick on. 10 00:00:59,859 --> 00:01:05,691 But Konix didn't want to be known as an accessory manufacturer forever, they had grander ambitions, 11 00:01:05,691 --> 00:01:10,579 and it was this drive, combined with their existing technical knowledge that led them 12 00:01:10,579 --> 00:01:22,119 to create one of the greatest game consoles that could have been... 13 00:01:22,119 --> 00:01:28,039 Look at this place... Looks bleak doesn't it? Corrugated metal, brick, concrete, you 14 00:01:28,039 --> 00:01:34,010 could almost be forgiven for thinking this was soviet Russia. But here, on the 3rd of 15 00:01:34,010 --> 00:01:40,340 March 1986, in Cherry Hinton, just outside Cambridge, and underneath that sheet metal, 16 00:01:40,340 --> 00:01:46,840 is where the heart of Konix's new console began. To be precise, this is where Flare 17 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:52,770 Technology began. Made up of three ex-Sinclair employees, Martin Brennan, Ben Cheese and 18 00:01:52,770 --> 00:01:58,130 John Mathieson; Flare Technology was to be their vessel for a project they strived to 19 00:01:58,130 --> 00:02:05,020 create at Sinclair research, and which would have become the Spectrum 128K successor, but 20 00:02:05,020 --> 00:02:11,120 was eaten up by Amstrad's acquisition of the Sinclair brand and IP. The project was called 21 00:02:11,120 --> 00:02:17,890 Loki, and these design sketches by Rick Dickinson show a design that looks almost like a PS3 22 00:02:17,890 --> 00:02:24,140 fused with an industrial warehouse, outlandish to say the least. But Amstrad wasn't the place 23 00:02:24,140 --> 00:02:31,050 for early outlandish ideas, and nor was it the place for most of Sinclair's employees. 24 00:02:31,050 --> 00:02:38,920 So, this then, would be their place, taking the basis of their idea with them. 25 00:02:38,920 --> 00:02:44,830 And that idea remained simple: Combine the best components available, to create the greatest 26 00:02:44,830 --> 00:02:52,100 entertainment orientated computer that could exist at the time for around £200. Just now, 27 00:02:52,100 --> 00:03:01,450 without any of the ROM IP now owned by Amstrad. Of course, being a new company, Flare would 28 00:03:01,450 --> 00:03:07,740 have to create an income stream before embarking on such a colossal project, and so calling 29 00:03:07,740 --> 00:03:13,870 on their existing knowledge, worked with RAM Electronics to create the "RAM Music Machine" 30 00:03:13,870 --> 00:03:20,710 for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. Released in 1986, this is a hardware accessory that 31 00:03:20,710 --> 00:03:26,640 could play samples, drum patterns and even connect to synthesisers via MIDI. At £50 32 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:32,680 it actually turned the Spectrum into a viable music creation system. Flare also created 33 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:38,240 a ZX Spectrum clone for a Spanish company, which annoyed Alan Sugar, but actually also 34 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:45,730 led to them creating a fax machine and hard disk controllers for Sugar's PC1512 range. 35 00:03:45,730 --> 00:03:50,820 All of this got Flare off to a good start, allowing them to now shift focus back to their 36 00:03:50,820 --> 00:03:56,710 computer project. Documents show that the plan for this machine 37 00:03:56,710 --> 00:04:04,180 was originally to be MSX2 like, but now with a bit more added "Flare", if you will. This 38 00:04:04,180 --> 00:04:09,530 of course, meant full colour graphics, a floppy disk drive, MIDI capability and to be based 39 00:04:09,530 --> 00:04:16,220 around a powerful set of processors. This included an 8 bit Blitter processor for rapid 40 00:04:16,220 --> 00:04:22,840 data shifting and a 6MHz Digital Signal Processor that would do algorithmic processing, both 41 00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:31,710 taking load off the 7MHz Z80 CPU. It was john Mathieson who designed the chipset ((#1)), 42 00:04:31,710 --> 00:04:37,780 and in an unpublished Retro Gamer interview with the prolific Craig Vaughan, he stated; 43 00:04:37,780 --> 00:04:43,330 "The key to the technology was twofold: a blitter that could move pixels around, being 44 00:04:43,330 --> 00:04:49,790 limited only by how fast the memory ran, and a DSP to generate synthesized sounds of previously 45 00:04:49,790 --> 00:04:56,100 unheard quality. The blitter idea was not new, but ours was far more flexible and game-orientated 46 00:04:56,100 --> 00:05:02,390 than earlier blitters." In line with other computer manufacturer conventions, 47 00:05:02,390 --> 00:05:08,190 the name for this machine was to be the Flare One, and through simplified engineering it 48 00:05:08,190 --> 00:05:14,200 was intended to, if not beat, at least go head to head with the Amiga, at less than 49 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:21,220 half the cost. Outlandish was apparently, still flavour of the day. 50 00:05:21,220 --> 00:05:27,510 By the first quarter of 1988, Flare had completed their hardware prototypes, the only problem 51 00:05:27,510 --> 00:05:32,160 was, they weren't geared up for production. Just like their earlier projects, their business 52 00:05:32,160 --> 00:05:38,110 was in designing hardware, not shipping it. So they decided to talk to the press, and 53 00:05:38,110 --> 00:05:43,040 it was ACE magazine who picked up their story with the most interest; a magazine that liked 54 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:47,430 to focus on hardware much more than their rivals. 55 00:05:47,430 --> 00:05:54,910 ACE issue 10, published in June 1988 ran a two page article entitled PLAYPOWER, giving 56 00:05:54,910 --> 00:06:03,280 us a tantalising glimpse of this new hardware. "The Flare One is a 1MB machine with 128K 57 00:06:03,280 --> 00:06:11,960 of ROM, 128K of video RAM and 768K of system RAM.... if it reaches the market place it 58 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:18,770 will certainly give both the Amiga and ST a run for their money... the Flare draws its 59 00:06:18,770 --> 00:06:24,770 power from four custom chips designed by the company with the specific intention of providing 60 00:06:24,770 --> 00:06:29,620 some very powerful graphics" Now before this point, it would have been 61 00:06:29,620 --> 00:06:35,770 incredibly expensive for a company to create these custom chips, but a new electron gun 62 00:06:35,770 --> 00:06:41,440 pattern cutting technique pioneered by Cambridge firm called Qudos, meant each design cost 63 00:06:41,440 --> 00:06:49,060 10% of it's usual price; just £2,000 ((#2)). This process was so impressive that the Department 64 00:06:49,060 --> 00:06:54,650 of Trade and Industry got involved, like they did, to encourage more manufacturers to use 65 00:06:54,650 --> 00:07:04,410 custom silicon as a way of increasing efficiency. And as it happens, here I've got those very 66 00:07:04,410 --> 00:07:10,610 chips. In fact, I've got what's known as the Flare AVP Chipset, which is a spin off of 67 00:07:10,610 --> 00:07:16,780 the prototype board you can see in that issue of ACE magazine. You see Flare weren't stupid, 68 00:07:16,780 --> 00:07:21,360 they still needed cashflow, and had actually tied up a deal with Bellfruit, manufacturers 69 00:07:21,360 --> 00:07:26,919 of arcade machines, to integrate this hardware with their cabinets. You can see the four 70 00:07:26,919 --> 00:07:34,300 custom chips here, they're actually each Texas Instrument ASICs in an 84pin PLCC package, 71 00:07:34,300 --> 00:07:40,340 and all controlled by a Z80 processor over there; now if that kind of setup sounds familiar 72 00:07:40,340 --> 00:07:46,300 to you, you'll understand why later. But, one of the machines you'd find this AVP hardware 73 00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:51,320 in was Question of Sport; a gambling machine where the player answers questions based on 74 00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:58,860 visual and audible queues. Now I don't have an entire machine, but I do have an engineers 75 00:07:58,860 --> 00:08:04,360 manual for one. This was important, because this was brand new hardware, running a brand 76 00:08:04,360 --> 00:08:10,490 new game, and it needed to be brand new, because the graphics and sound on these machines were 77 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:15,699 impressive; designed to pull in the punter, and therefore, an early indication of how 78 00:08:15,699 --> 00:08:21,970 potent this hardware could be. But Flare still needed to realise their dream 79 00:08:21,970 --> 00:08:26,900 of a stand alone system, and therefore, it was handy that the ACE magazine feature also 80 00:08:26,900 --> 00:08:32,080 mentioned the following; "The company has spent 2 years developing 81 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:37,499 Flare One, and they're now ready to go into production - but there's just one problem: 82 00:08:37,499 --> 00:08:43,249 so far, no major company has signed on the dotted line, despite keen interest from at 83 00:08:43,249 --> 00:08:48,410 least two major players in the home computer market" 84 00:08:48,410 --> 00:08:57,360 Those two major players were Atari and Amstrad, although a deal was anything but firm. But 85 00:08:57,360 --> 00:09:02,379 it was this very article which caught the eye of a certain Wyn Holloway, the founder 86 00:09:02,379 --> 00:09:09,850 and chairman of Konix. In an interview with Mark from konimxmultisystem.co.uk he said; 87 00:09:09,850 --> 00:09:14,860 "I read Ace magazine and the Flare one was in it and I thought Hmmm. I always believed 88 00:09:14,860 --> 00:09:18,470 if you had a clever enough brain and a good enough engineer you could design specific 89 00:09:18,470 --> 00:09:22,459 chips for graphics, you know make the game better, and when I saw the Flare one I was 90 00:09:22,459 --> 00:09:26,870 pretty impressed. I thought that's good, and Atari was going to use their technology for 91 00:09:26,870 --> 00:09:30,990 their next machine.... So I got in touch with him, he came down, we were talking, he loved 92 00:09:30,990 --> 00:09:35,490 the idea of the chair. So we then sat down and decided on a Flare two, we designed the 93 00:09:35,490 --> 00:09:41,519 next generation" Wait... chair? What chair?..... "This is a 94 00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:48,361 chair" Well, actually it's this chair. But we'll come back to that in a second. Because 95 00:09:48,361 --> 00:09:51,879 before the chair came a controller; 96 00:09:51,879 --> 00:09:58,339 ....and before a controller, came sponsor Readly. Now, magazines are referenced a lot 97 00:09:58,339 --> 00:10:02,990 in this video, and that's because they're an essential part of our history. They hold 98 00:10:02,990 --> 00:10:08,300 stories & information that could otherwise be lost to time, and that's exactly why I 99 00:10:08,300 --> 00:10:12,040 love Readly. Readly allows you to browse and read hundreds 100 00:10:12,040 --> 00:10:17,470 of titles. From newspapers, to international titles, to subjects you might have a passing 101 00:10:17,470 --> 00:10:23,209 interest in, and of course, your favourite magazines.... and I have quite a few of those. 102 00:10:23,209 --> 00:10:29,509 Retro Gamer, for example is an essential source of stories from the past, and through Readly 103 00:10:29,509 --> 00:10:36,730 you can access years of back issues too, and even special editions.... mmmm,look at all 104 00:10:36,730 --> 00:10:42,970 that hardware. HOW CAN YOU RESIST IT. You, and your family can each setup bookmarks 105 00:10:42,970 --> 00:10:48,300 or favourite lists to include all the titles you want to regularly read, and then access 106 00:10:48,300 --> 00:10:53,210 them from anywhere, through your TV, tablet, phone, or through your PC's browser, even 107 00:10:53,210 --> 00:10:59,279 without WiFi, and the quality is absolutely sensational, both in the content on offer, 108 00:10:59,279 --> 00:11:08,170 and well, look, with one click you can zoom in and it's pixel perfect. 109 00:11:08,170 --> 00:11:12,269 Setting an account up with Readly is easy, and by clicking the link in the description 110 00:11:12,269 --> 00:11:18,389 box today, you'll receive 1 month for free and then it's only £7.99 a month, for all 111 00:11:18,389 --> 00:11:25,319 this content. Plus you can cancel whenever you wish. 112 00:11:25,319 --> 00:11:33,180 "At the time, all the joysticks up until then were just stuck on the table, nobody had any 113 00:11:33,180 --> 00:11:36,779 tactile feedback, it was just a "There it is, get on with it" type of thing, do you 114 00:11:36,779 --> 00:11:40,300 know what I mean? It was the same with light guns, they were just rubbish. They expected 115 00:11:40,300 --> 00:11:44,119 the player to use their imagination too much. I felt that any peripheral should stimulate 116 00:11:44,119 --> 00:11:48,089 the imagination, and that's where the whole idea came from" 117 00:11:48,089 --> 00:11:53,459 Wyn envisaged a controller that could start out a steering wheel, but easily convert into 118 00:11:53,459 --> 00:11:58,550 bike handlebars and even a flight yolk. So began mocking something up through Konix's 119 00:11:58,550 --> 00:12:04,739 R&D branch, Creative Devices Research Ltd... the same Creative Devices Research who had 120 00:12:04,739 --> 00:12:11,839 helped Hasbro with their doomed Control Vision control. But this was Konix's strength, peripherals, 121 00:12:11,839 --> 00:12:17,490 and Wyn had concluded that the next logical accessory for a home computer should be a 122 00:12:17,490 --> 00:12:23,740 simulator setup.. which kinda made sense. He had read an article stating that arcade 123 00:12:23,740 --> 00:12:29,879 simulators, such a driving or flying, were now accounting for 60% of the market, which 124 00:12:29,879 --> 00:12:35,010 sounds highly probable. It was around this time when cabinets like Hard Drivin', After 125 00:12:35,010 --> 00:12:41,129 Burner and Outrun were dominating arcades, so why not make a home version? 126 00:12:41,129 --> 00:12:46,759 So that's what they did. These are the initial concepts by Level Six Designers (later called 127 00:12:46,759 --> 00:12:52,300 Product Partners) of the then called, Slipstream controller. You can tell they've taken the 128 00:12:52,300 --> 00:12:58,680 lead from sci-fi films, such as Alien, Star Wars, even Star Trek. These all look pretty 129 00:12:58,680 --> 00:13:05,300 cool and futuristic, but clearly were deemed to be a step too far to manufacture, and so 130 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:13,420 this original patent is the design they settled upon. 131 00:13:13,420 --> 00:13:18,690 And here it is in the flesh. This is.... the SlipStream controller, and it's actually a 132 00:13:18,690 --> 00:13:23,769 pretty nifty device. You start off with this steering wheel configuration, with everything 133 00:13:23,769 --> 00:13:29,709 locked in place. But using this clutch release knob, you can unlock the centre column, pop 134 00:13:29,709 --> 00:13:36,990 the steering wheel off, and suddenly transform into a flight yoke. Then if you lock it in 135 00:13:36,990 --> 00:13:46,709 the down position, and twist these handgrips, you've got a 136 00:13:46,709 --> 00:13:52,410 handlebar for motorbike games. There was even supposed to be another accessory which then 137 00:13:52,410 --> 00:13:59,170 sat on top, giving you helicopter controls. We've got built in fire triggers, select & start 138 00:13:59,170 --> 00:14:06,740 buttons, and even a gear or throttle stick to the side. Plus this stick has a built in 139 00:14:06,740 --> 00:14:12,829 "judder-er" to provide tactile feedback. Pretty much every eventuality is catered for. Of 140 00:14:12,829 --> 00:14:17,910 course we also get pedals as well, which change in function depending on what you're playing. 141 00:14:17,910 --> 00:14:23,089 But it's this versatility to switch between control types that was deemed revolutionary, 142 00:14:23,089 --> 00:14:27,619 and really the foundations for the Konix Arcade System. 143 00:14:27,619 --> 00:14:31,399 *pan* And it was whilst sitting at this desk, messing 144 00:14:31,399 --> 00:14:37,130 around with this controller, that Wyn realised the chair he was sitting in, a bog standard 145 00:14:37,130 --> 00:14:43,769 office chair, was taking up about 3 foot square, and thought "You can get a chair to operate 146 00:14:43,769 --> 00:14:47,990 in that space... I could get roll, pitch and yaw. You look at the swivel chair and it's 147 00:14:47,990 --> 00:14:51,439 pivoted on a 1 inch bar. No matter what the weight was, they know at what point they can 148 00:14:51,439 --> 00:14:56,559 move in the seat to get it to tilt back on them, it's all around a pivot point" and so 149 00:14:56,559 --> 00:15:01,189 began the development of an accompanying chair as well. 150 00:15:01,189 --> 00:15:06,190 Aongside Creative Devices engineer Robert Kent, Wyn once again began development in 151 00:15:06,190 --> 00:15:11,850 his garage. But this was eventually assisted by designers Steve Gallichan and Paul Neal, 152 00:15:11,850 --> 00:15:17,119 who were contracted in, again, from Level Six Design Consultants. This is actual footage 153 00:15:17,119 --> 00:15:24,149 of its build. Instead of advanced hydraulics you'd find in the arcade, the core original 154 00:15:24,149 --> 00:15:30,999 components here were electric motors from Bosch electric drills. Facilitating a cheap 155 00:15:30,999 --> 00:15:36,329 and cheerful version of the full simulator experience. In initial testing, they put a 156 00:15:36,329 --> 00:15:41,819 5 degree tilt on it, but this was enough to apparently terrify people, feeling like they 157 00:15:41,819 --> 00:15:47,420 were falling onto the floor, so it was lowered to 3 degrees, with plans to incorporate a 158 00:15:47,420 --> 00:15:54,620 seatbelt for safety, and a control pad to tweak its settings. It was also discussed 159 00:15:54,620 --> 00:16:01,939 as a means of allowing for more advanced simulation inputs. 160 00:16:01,939 --> 00:16:05,819 At this point, we're clearly talking about a product that's somewhat difficult to ship 161 00:16:05,819 --> 00:16:12,519 as a peripheral. I mean, pitching a revolutionary controller is a hard sell, let alone an entire 162 00:16:12,519 --> 00:16:17,839 chair, especially without a bespoke game library to back them up. Can you imagine pitching 163 00:16:17,839 --> 00:16:24,139 that to a school kid using his pocket money to buy budget £1.99 games? Plus, we're talking 164 00:16:24,139 --> 00:16:30,170 multiple systems, meaning bespoke connections and integrations for each.......gaahhh, not 165 00:16:30,170 --> 00:16:35,179 gonna happen.... No, this needed to be it's own platform, and it needed to have it's own 166 00:16:35,179 --> 00:16:40,619 customer base.... And, having had an initial phone call, we return to our conversation 167 00:16:40,619 --> 00:16:45,970 between Wyn and Flare Technologies. John Mathieson: "Our first meeting with Wyn 168 00:16:45,970 --> 00:16:52,019 Holloway of Konix was at the Sheraton Skyline in Heathrow, during August of 1988. He wanted 169 00:16:52,019 --> 00:16:56,050 our technology to go into a project he had nicknamed 'Slipstream' - the famous games 170 00:16:56,050 --> 00:17:01,009 controller that looked revolutionary. The plan was to launch it in January of 1989. 171 00:17:01,009 --> 00:17:07,250 We had to combine the four simple ASICS of 'Flare One' into one LSI Logic chip, change 172 00:17:07,250 --> 00:17:15,559 from an 8-bit Z80 CPU to 8/16-bit 8088, and have all this ready to ship in 5 months! The 173 00:17:15,559 --> 00:17:20,439 excitement was tremendous. Wyn said that he would pay us a royalty of about a pound on 174 00:17:20,439 --> 00:17:25,610 every unit sold, and talked about sales in the tens of millions. He would pay us cash 175 00:17:25,610 --> 00:17:30,970 up front to start development, and could not wait to get started. Wyn is a great salesman 176 00:17:30,970 --> 00:17:36,679 and had us sold on the whole idea. His credibility was strong - Konix had a great name in the 177 00:17:36,679 --> 00:17:41,799 joystick business and it seemed like they could pull it off. We put our heads down and 178 00:17:41,799 --> 00:17:46,600 got to work." Konix were determined to enter the market 179 00:17:46,600 --> 00:17:51,059 strong, with a system that could challenge anything that was about to arrive, and even 180 00:17:51,059 --> 00:17:58,039 though ACE issue 11 promisingly reported "The Flare One is an 8 bit micro. Yes, it can move 181 00:17:58,039 --> 00:18:06,010 sprites and block graphics faster than an ST, and in 256 colours at that. True, it can 182 00:18:06,010 --> 00:18:11,899 draw lines three times faster than an Amiga. Sure enough, it can handle the maths of 3D 183 00:18:11,899 --> 00:18:18,330 structures faster even than the ultra speedy Archimedes can", Konix wanted to move away 184 00:18:18,330 --> 00:18:24,690 from the stigma of an 8-bit processor ((#7)), so had asked Flare to replace the Z80 with 185 00:18:24,690 --> 00:18:31,540 a 16 bit processor... after all bits were the buzzword back then. So with ex-ICL engineer 186 00:18:31,540 --> 00:18:37,120 Chris Green managing the integration between Konix and Flare, an initial prototype model 187 00:18:37,120 --> 00:18:44,630 was produced with an Intel 8088, but would be swapped out for a faster 6MHz 8086 before 188 00:18:44,630 --> 00:18:46,770 production. John Mathieson: "'The Flare One' design was 189 00:18:46,770 --> 00:18:52,420 tweaked a little based on our experience, and some data paths widened to 16bits. By 190 00:18:52,420 --> 00:18:59,830 December we had working silicon, but it wasn't fast enough. We did another spin to move up 191 00:18:59,830 --> 00:19:05,700 to a full 16-bit 8086 and to integrate a floppy disk controller. By using a custom disk format 192 00:19:05,700 --> 00:19:11,909 we even managed to get 880K on a normal 720K floppy disk". 193 00:19:11,909 --> 00:19:19,000 January 1989 had arrived, but as yet, no final physical product was in sight. But that certainly 194 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:24,789 didn't stop the press from getting excited. Published in early February, this is March 195 00:19:24,789 --> 00:19:31,240 1989's edition of Advanced Computer Entertainment, and as you can see it's on the front cover; 196 00:19:31,240 --> 00:19:36,730 "What looks better than an Amiga, costs less than an ST and has more Rock and Roll than 197 00:19:36,730 --> 00:19:41,990 Afterburner?"... the Konix Arcade System, of course, now rebranded as the somewhat less 198 00:19:41,990 --> 00:19:49,010 exciting "Konix MultiSystem". But at it's heart it was still a machine designed for 199 00:19:49,010 --> 00:19:53,010 fun. Here was a system then that wasn't built in 200 00:19:53,010 --> 00:19:58,919 any way for business applications. It couldn't even manage an 80 column text screen. In fact 201 00:19:58,919 --> 00:20:04,269 it was trimmed down in other ways too, the MIDI ports were gone, the RAM was reduced. 202 00:20:04,269 --> 00:20:09,889 But it could still belt out 10 channel stereo sound with FM synthesis. It could display 203 00:20:09,889 --> 00:20:21,649 256 on screen colours at 256x200 (with a maximum of 512x200) from a palette of 4,096. It could 204 00:20:21,649 --> 00:20:27,280 chuck sprites about too, and it could certainly draw vectors, far quicker than even the Acorn 205 00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:33,590 Archimedes, and throw them about too. This was thanks to the upgraded 12MHz RISC based 206 00:20:33,590 --> 00:20:41,190 DSP -which could multiply at 50 times faster than an Amiga's 68000- working in conjunction 207 00:20:41,190 --> 00:20:47,889 with the now 16-bit blitter which could shift data at 5MB a second and even handle hardware 208 00:20:47,889 --> 00:20:53,549 collision detection. It was that blitter combined with the 1 byte per pixel screen which meant 209 00:20:53,549 --> 00:20:59,950 two entire screens could be drawn in the 128K video RAM ((#4)) at one time, with the video 210 00:20:59,950 --> 00:21:04,960 chip drawing the first, whilst the blitter took care of the second, and allowing them 211 00:21:04,960 --> 00:21:12,090 to rapidly be swapped back and forth to create full screen fluid movement. This was an absolute 212 00:21:12,090 --> 00:21:18,960 war horse, and given the machine now had 2 separate 16 bit data paths, it also led some 213 00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:26,169 overly keen types to argue it was 32-bit, another story that might sound familiar to 214 00:21:26,169 --> 00:21:36,860 you. Either way, this was a system, built for gaming that was well ahead of the 3D curve. 215 00:21:36,860 --> 00:21:43,759 But surely there's a problem. If we compare the size of this board to the Multisystem, 216 00:21:43,759 --> 00:21:50,120 how in the world of holy hell were they supposed so fit all that into this tiny plastic space?? 217 00:21:50,120 --> 00:21:55,080 Well, as John Mathieson mentioned earlier, the solution was to integrate all these custom 218 00:21:55,080 --> 00:22:01,020 chips into one single ASIC unit, using ultra large scale integration techniques to mesh 219 00:22:01,020 --> 00:22:06,769 them together. Software could then be loaded through an external 3.5" disk drive plugged 220 00:22:06,769 --> 00:22:12,190 into the expansion port at the rear. A video out would be placed on the right hand side, 221 00:22:12,190 --> 00:22:18,990 and a din socket on the left hand side allowing peripherals such this Konix navigator to be 222 00:22:18,990 --> 00:22:24,460 connected up for more traditional games, as well as any extras the customer wanted, including 223 00:22:24,460 --> 00:22:30,480 a light gun, the mighty moving chair and even another Multisystem ((#4)), allowing for multiplayer 224 00:22:30,480 --> 00:22:37,970 scenarios. This really was intended to be an all-in-one system. 225 00:22:37,970 --> 00:22:42,710 Just look at some of these light gun designs too. Straight out of Captain Kirk's accessory 226 00:22:42,710 --> 00:22:47,840 bag. The physical prototype ended up being this blue affair, which is really quite nice, 227 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:55,140 and even featured real recoil action like Operation Wolf. There are a few images of 228 00:22:55,140 --> 00:23:00,250 it in use with the £200 chair accessory, including this one with Llamasoft founder 229 00:23:00,250 --> 00:23:06,019 and superlative game developer Jeff Minter (can you imagine the health and safety implications 230 00:23:06,019 --> 00:23:14,120 of that TV stand). Because, of course, this system needed games from the go, not just 231 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:20,070 peripherals. By March '89 Konix promised "the freebie game that comes as part of the package 232 00:23:20,070 --> 00:23:27,690 is a major licence" ((#3)) and had reportedly agreed deals with 35 software houses, including 233 00:23:27,690 --> 00:23:35,259 big names like Gremlin, Ocean and US Gold. Not only that, orders were coming in for their 234 00:23:35,259 --> 00:23:41,210 systems too; Rushware, in Germany, had apparently already put an order in for 100,000 units, 235 00:23:41,210 --> 00:23:49,409 and a revised launch date of August 1989 had been set. Even LucasArts were interested, 236 00:23:49,409 --> 00:23:54,951 and tried to cut a deal to sell the Multisystem in America with Star Wars branding, however 237 00:23:54,951 --> 00:24:00,220 because they declined to put any money up front, Wyn backed out of the deal. In fact, 238 00:24:00,220 --> 00:24:04,720 it's claimed there were several potential investors and partners who simply wanted to 239 00:24:04,720 --> 00:24:12,450 take away too much, but Wyn was determined that this would be a British success story. 240 00:24:12,450 --> 00:24:16,789 Konix needed something to show the public, and it down to project manager John Dean to 241 00:24:16,789 --> 00:24:22,419 make that happen. He decided to bring on board a new software house, Attention to Detail, 242 00:24:22,419 --> 00:24:26,950 and they had created the software development kit for the Programmers Development Systems. 243 00:24:26,950 --> 00:24:31,440 Apparently, they were the right team for the job, because they also created some pretty 244 00:24:31,440 --> 00:24:38,690 impressive demos, including a 17fps 4 sided rotating cube, which had text and games running 245 00:24:38,690 --> 00:24:45,519 on each side. But the SDK ensured there was also a raft of new software in the works, 246 00:24:45,519 --> 00:24:51,460 including the much anticipated Logotron's StarRay ((#5)) and Last Ninja 2 by System 247 00:24:51,460 --> 00:24:58,860 3. But were these titles, and indeed the system going to be a victim of their own hype? 248 00:24:58,860 --> 00:25:04,389 "In amongst the My Little Ponies and cuddly toys of the Earl's Court Toy Fair, Konix unveiled 249 00:25:04,389 --> 00:25:08,779 their Multi System console. The occasion was also the first public showing of the rock 250 00:25:08,779 --> 00:25:13,159 and roll arcade chair that will be available as an add on. Obviously it was not the final 251 00:25:13,159 --> 00:25:18,150 production version but a rather noisy prototype that drew the crowds to the Konix stand" 252 00:25:18,150 --> 00:25:23,881 In late January 1989, among eager crowds and captivated children, the Konix Multisystem 253 00:25:23,881 --> 00:25:29,570 made it's first public appearance at the British Toy and Hobby Fair in London; the same one 254 00:25:29,570 --> 00:25:35,040 that the Lion safety mark was promoted, heavily. The problem was, the hardware was nowhere 255 00:25:35,040 --> 00:25:41,679 near ready, and the chair was somewhat dangerous. Fred Gill, co-founder of Attention to Detail 256 00:25:41,679 --> 00:25:48,220 reported in issue 8 of Retro Gamer Magazine; "The hardware wasn't ready. In fact we didn't 257 00:25:48,220 --> 00:25:54,820 have any to create demos with. Finally, at 6pm the day before the show, a small number 258 00:25:54,820 --> 00:26:00,280 of hand built systems appeared in London. We spent until 4am integrating them with the 259 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,340 code, and then we spent another two hours hiding the Flare One units away in cupboards, 260 00:26:05,340 --> 00:26:10,070 so nobody could move them and discover they weren't the real final hardware" 261 00:26:10,070 --> 00:26:15,519 What's worse is that 5 minutes into a demonstration, sparks began flying out of the Power Chair, 262 00:26:15,519 --> 00:26:20,730 and it had to be turned off. The main attraction was now dead weight, and nothing more than 263 00:26:20,730 --> 00:26:25,389 a fancy butt parking device. One which wasn't going to be getting the Lion 264 00:26:25,389 --> 00:26:32,639 safety mark anytime soon... However, this apparently didn't dull expectations 265 00:26:32,639 --> 00:26:39,880 or excitement, and game development continued chugging forward. In fact, in September 1989 266 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:45,070 Konix announced their own Software Publishing Division, Creative Design Software, specifically 267 00:26:45,070 --> 00:26:51,070 to publish games for their new system, including "Revenge of Starglider" by Argonaut Software 268 00:26:51,070 --> 00:26:57,630 and "ROTOX" by Binary Design. The press released also announced the bundled game would be called 269 00:26:57,630 --> 00:27:12,570 "Bikers"... perhaps not the major licenced game we were promised. 270 00:27:12,570 --> 00:27:17,850 In September's ACE magazine, Chris Walsh from Argonaught said; "Polygon based games like 271 00:27:17,850 --> 00:27:22,049 Starglider II are going to be easy to program. The machine is geared up to rotating masses 272 00:27:22,049 --> 00:27:26,230 of vertices and incredible rates. It's as though the designers of the machine were obsessed 273 00:27:26,230 --> 00:27:31,220 with producing something that could shift polygons quickly". **Starglider II would actually 274 00:27:31,220 --> 00:27:36,210 go on to be the foundation for StarFox on the Super Nintendo.** 275 00:27:36,210 --> 00:27:42,090 Nick Speakman of Binary Design commented "There's no question that the custom chips are very 276 00:27:42,090 --> 00:27:47,150 powerful, but they require a lot of programming talent to get anything out of then. The screen 277 00:27:47,150 --> 00:27:52,220 handling isn't as fast as we anticipated it to be. But then when something is hyped out 278 00:27:52,220 --> 00:27:57,720 of all proportion it never is as good as you expect it to be - take Batman, for example" 279 00:27:57,720 --> 00:28:03,820 Well, I'm not sure about his verdict on Batman; it's an exceptional movie, but it does perhaps 280 00:28:03,820 --> 00:28:09,210 cast a foreboding shadow on the reality of a system, where everything was managed in 281 00:28:09,210 --> 00:28:15,279 one single ASIC package. Sure the specs individually are incredible, but working together, perhaps 282 00:28:15,279 --> 00:28:21,360 the Multisystem would start to buckle under the strain. There were also claims its novel 283 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:26,460 architecture tricky to develop for, or at least, quite different to what programmers 284 00:28:26,460 --> 00:28:31,549 were used to. At least Konix were listening to those developers however, and decided to 285 00:28:31,549 --> 00:28:36,600 ask Flare to double the system RAM, cutting profit margins, but giving software more room 286 00:28:36,600 --> 00:28:42,549 to flex and putting it closer to the original Flare One specs. 287 00:28:42,549 --> 00:28:46,460 But with the video footage we have of the system, combined with this demonstration of 288 00:28:46,460 --> 00:28:52,450 Jeff Minter's Attack of the Mutant Camels 1989; one of of the games poised to launch 289 00:28:52,450 --> 00:28:57,450 with the console, you can see it could certainly handle itself. This is actually running on 290 00:28:57,450 --> 00:29:04,559 an emulator created by Savoury SnaX who worked backwards from game source code... a remarkable 291 00:29:04,559 --> 00:29:10,370 feat, but you can see we've got incredibly smooth motion, an array of eye grabbing colours, 292 00:29:10,370 --> 00:29:17,629 and that parallax scrolling is top notch. In a Computer & Video Games issue 94 preview 293 00:29:17,629 --> 00:29:22,639 they said "Onlookers gasped at the speed and abundance of the sprites and the riot of sound 294 00:29:22,639 --> 00:29:26,789 that was issuing from Jeff's Hi-fi speakers, he nonchalantly commented that the machine 295 00:29:26,789 --> 00:29:32,019 was capable of much better.. the blitter's hardly sweating here". These games, whether 296 00:29:32,019 --> 00:29:37,779 from the ropey VHS video footage or emulation provide a mouth watering glimpse of what we 297 00:29:37,779 --> 00:29:42,269 could have expected. In that same magazine, ACE magazine announced 298 00:29:42,269 --> 00:29:49,559 "The Konix console is here. Is this the ultimate games machine we've all been waiting for?" 299 00:29:49,559 --> 00:29:55,289 Well they certainly hoped so, and they had a few screenshots to back up their opinions. 300 00:29:55,289 --> 00:29:59,929 Apparently the retail price was now going to be slightly over £200, but for what you 301 00:29:59,929 --> 00:30:07,399 got, surely that was still an absolute bargain. "The Konix is British, superbly designed, 302 00:30:07,399 --> 00:30:13,440 and extremely powerful. Provided the software base shapes up, we have no hesitation in recommending 303 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:19,039 it. The company expect demand to outstrip supply before Christmas, so if you see one 304 00:30:19,039 --> 00:30:23,720 on the shelf, think twice before passing it by" 305 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:28,390 KONIX---- In the search for the definitive simulator 306 00:30:28,390 --> 00:30:39,269 game. One name is clearly emerging.... KONIX, Multisystem. Experience, the reality. "Get 307 00:30:39,269 --> 00:30:50,840 behind the wheel of the new Konix Multisystem and you'll really appreciate the power of 308 00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:57,410 that custom 32-bit processor! This is real state of the art graphic performance, and 309 00:30:57,410 --> 00:31:07,309 even at these speeds, it handles beautifully"..... (posh RAF) "and this is a display of a lifetime, 310 00:31:07,309 --> 00:31:12,070 perfect control over every manoeuvre, and with over 4,000 different colours to choose 311 00:31:12,070 --> 00:31:14,386 from, we're looking at a dazzling graphic display.".... "Well, have you ever seen anything 312 00:31:14,386 --> 00:31:19,610 quite like this. What a powerful machine this is. We're getting the ultimate performance 313 00:31:19,610 --> 00:31:33,200 from that 16 bit processor, and just listen to that. There's CD quality sound from the 314 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:39,450 Konix Multisystem... unbeatable!"..... Seeing and hearing the Konix Multisystem is one thing, 315 00:31:39,450 --> 00:31:47,809 feeling it is another. The control unit gives full tactile feedback, so you can feel it 316 00:31:47,809 --> 00:31:56,759 as you drive. Feel the wind as you pull back on the controls. Sense the fight of the tyres 317 00:31:56,759 --> 00:32:05,760 as you corner left into that sharp left hander. The Knox Multisystem, it's car, it's a plane, 318 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:11,440 it's a bike, in one system. Not only that, but there's a gearstick mounted on the side 319 00:32:11,440 --> 00:32:20,970 of the unit., and unique dual foot pedals are really responsive for maximum realism. 320 00:32:20,970 --> 00:32:26,539 For other combat games there are fire buttons places in just the the right position... we 321 00:32:26,539 --> 00:32:32,720 even include a free Konix Navigator joystick with every Multisystem, and all games are 322 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:47,909 on standard 3.5" disk drive for full cost effectiveness. Experience the reality today" 323 00:32:47,909 --> 00:32:53,929 The problem was, no one was seeing it on any shelves, in ANY stores. In publishing this 324 00:32:53,929 --> 00:32:58,419 story, ACE had presumed that the slightly delayed launch at London's PCW Show from the 325 00:32:58,419 --> 00:33:04,080 27th to 29th September had gone without a hitch. But Konix's positive front was hiding 326 00:33:04,080 --> 00:33:10,960 some serious issues. All this refinement, all this development. It was bloody expensive, 327 00:33:10,960 --> 00:33:16,869 and for the Welsh peripheral manufacturer, funds were getting pretty tight. 328 00:33:16,869 --> 00:33:21,370 In August, the month the system was originally due to launch, Konix had distributed this 329 00:33:21,370 --> 00:33:27,470 paper to potential investors, in an attempt to get more funding, as quickly as possible. 330 00:33:27,470 --> 00:33:32,619 It details how the Multisystem is a revolution in gaming, how a slew of peripherals will 331 00:33:32,619 --> 00:33:39,289 be available, and how it could dominate the competition. But investors weren't so sure. 332 00:33:39,289 --> 00:33:43,601 Wyn states "When they don't want it, they don't want it. Our bankers just all of a sudden 333 00:33:43,601 --> 00:33:47,840 said "No we can't support you any more" [even though] we had letters of credit and guaranteed 334 00:33:47,840 --> 00:33:51,020 money... Toys'r'us in the UK wanted 50 thousand units." 335 00:33:51,020 --> 00:33:54,850 "[But] what you've got to remember is that the Japanese were very powerful. One of the 336 00:33:54,850 --> 00:33:59,430 top banking groups were bought out by a large Japanese company so they disappeared. Another 337 00:33:59,430 --> 00:34:04,369 backer was going to be Ferranti. We met and he said "Sorry Wyn I'm going to have to withdraw, 338 00:34:04,369 --> 00:34:09,909 we have too many Japanese customers" It seems that, according to Wyn, the threat 339 00:34:09,909 --> 00:34:17,820 of the Multisystem to Japanese consoles such as the Mega Drive and SNES was too great, 340 00:34:17,820 --> 00:34:24,280 and that, in part was behind their funding drying up. It's unclear how much validity 341 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:29,890 resides here, but what was clear is outside of the company, no-one was really aware of 342 00:34:29,890 --> 00:34:35,540 any problems, and so, both reporters and the public queued up outside the Earl's Court 343 00:34:35,540 --> 00:34:40,950 1989 Personal Computer show, hoping to get a glimpse of the retail ready Multisystem..... 344 00:34:40,950 --> 00:34:46,550 However, when they got inside, Konix's stand was empty. Rumours quickly circulated that 345 00:34:46,550 --> 00:34:50,860 they had been delayed by high winds on the Severn Bridge and they they would definitely 346 00:34:50,860 --> 00:34:56,040 be there the next day. ((#5)) But the 28th came, and again Konix's stand 347 00:34:56,040 --> 00:35:00,390 was largely vacant. By the 29th, there was a glimmer of hope as 348 00:35:00,390 --> 00:35:06,180 Konix arrived, but still only occupying half of their stand. This technology report from 349 00:35:06,180 --> 00:35:11,940 the Swedish show Bit by Bit managed to get a glimpse when they arrived, but it was clear 350 00:35:11,940 --> 00:35:27,490 there were issues. The Guardian reported; "Konix did show its innovative 8086-based 351 00:35:27,490 --> 00:35:33,130 console running several games; Hammerfist, Star-ray and Llamasoft's Mutant Camels 89. 352 00:35:33,130 --> 00:35:37,770 The even more innovative powered chair was on display though not in use when I was around. 353 00:35:37,770 --> 00:35:41,240 The trade and press launch is not now expected until the end of November." 354 00:35:41,240 --> 00:35:48,950 John Mathieson recalls "We were paid for our development work, but Konix ran out of money. 355 00:35:48,950 --> 00:35:52,320 When they failed to turn up at the trade show they were supposed to be launching the system 356 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:59,120 at we knew the project had died. Although matters fizzled on for a while, nothing of 357 00:35:59,120 --> 00:36:06,650 substance ever happened - very much a case of so near and yet so far." 358 00:36:06,650 --> 00:36:13,070 The number 1 Christmas gift for 1989 was now just a fantasy. Promises of a console continued 359 00:36:13,070 --> 00:37:05,050 through the early 90s, but sadly, it never materialised. ((#6)) 360 00:37:05,050 --> 00:37:09,590 Konix would shortly after sell their joystick range to Spectravideo, and the once great 361 00:37:09,590 --> 00:37:16,330 peripheral company as we knew it ceased to exist. So then, how did I end up with this? 362 00:37:16,330 --> 00:37:21,750 I mean, this is to all intents and purposes the Konix Multisystem right? It even says 363 00:37:21,750 --> 00:37:27,110 it on the steering wheel. Well, yes, and no. It's the remnants of the Multisystem, but 364 00:37:27,110 --> 00:37:32,790 it's not a console. There is no Flare technology within this. This is simply a controller for 365 00:37:32,790 --> 00:37:38,480 IBM PC Compatibles, and although it's quite rare, it's nowhere near as rare as a true 366 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:44,500 Multisystem prototype might be. This then, is the full circle evolution of a system that 367 00:37:44,500 --> 00:37:50,500 promised so much, generated so much excitement and then disappeared almost without a trace. 368 00:37:50,500 --> 00:37:56,380 The Konix Multisystem was so very close to launching. So close, but ended just like it 369 00:37:56,380 --> 00:38:09,060 had started, as a peripheral for other systems, rather than an iconic system in its own right. 370 00:38:09,060 --> 00:38:22,290 A company called Multi System China rose up specifically to rejig and sell off the MultiSystem 371 00:38:22,290 --> 00:38:28,850 shells as the Super MS-200E, mainly throughout America. As you can see from this publicity 372 00:38:28,850 --> 00:38:33,301 shot of the packaging behind Jeff Minter, not only is the controller the same, they 373 00:38:33,301 --> 00:38:39,130 even used practically the same box design that had been intended for the Multisystem. 374 00:38:39,130 --> 00:38:44,930 It even has the stamp "European Design" to indicate its origins, and it follows the same 375 00:38:44,930 --> 00:38:51,930 concepts as the original Konix device. But there are differences, the most obvious is 376 00:38:51,930 --> 00:39:00,040 the change from light grey to black, and with it, a change to cheaper, creaky plastic. Where 377 00:39:00,040 --> 00:39:04,730 there was once an edge connector at the rear, and expansion ports, there's now a blank board 378 00:39:04,730 --> 00:39:09,180 and some switches. Where the floppy drive would fit at the front - a feature absent 379 00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:14,500 from original prototypes but incorporated into the final moulds - there are rudder and 380 00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:19,910 trim controls. The front also features a joystick pass through port, rather than the expansion 381 00:39:19,910 --> 00:39:25,670 socket of the original. But it's still literally cast from the same mould, and it still shares 382 00:39:25,670 --> 00:39:32,620 the design principles of the original Multisystem. What it doesn't share is any of the joy.... 383 00:39:32,620 --> 00:39:38,570 The bundled game, Race Car, is like Lotus Turbo Challenge after 19 pints and falling 384 00:39:38,570 --> 00:39:51,590 into the gutter. Absolutely unplayable. You also get a setup utility on the disk, and 385 00:39:51,590 --> 00:39:58,100 that's about it. The included manual suggests some games you *could* play, including Doom 386 00:39:58,100 --> 00:40:06,130 apparently, which is as god awful as you can imagine. This incredible console simply ended 387 00:40:06,130 --> 00:40:11,750 up as a controller that didn't even have any worthy games developed for it, which really, 388 00:40:11,750 --> 00:40:17,590 was Konix's original fear had they released it as a simple peripheral. It's adaptability 389 00:40:17,590 --> 00:40:23,170 is made useless, impotent, and a complete waste of in intriguing idea. 390 00:40:23,170 --> 00:40:27,980 It's a bit of a sad fate really, this could have been an incredible, if slightly odd console 391 00:40:27,980 --> 00:40:37,580 produced out of Britain, which just ended up as a piece of gaming tat. 392 00:40:37,580 --> 00:40:42,060 Having raised funds with the sell off of the shell, Wyn and the remainder of Konix did 393 00:40:42,060 --> 00:40:47,861 actually try to continue the project through a new company called Multi System UK, based 394 00:40:47,861 --> 00:40:53,500 around the single chip Flare hardware. This ended up in a machine owned by Taiwanese company 395 00:40:53,500 --> 00:41:01,270 TXC called the TXE Multi-System, which could play Video CDs, games and run interactive 396 00:41:01,270 --> 00:41:08,971 programs such as Karaoke, but fell flat on its face especially in Western regions. However 397 00:41:08,971 --> 00:41:14,670 this did lead some of the team, such as John Mathieson, Richard Miller and Jeff Minter 398 00:41:14,670 --> 00:41:20,790 to work on the Nuon system; an enhanced DVD game system which I hope to cover in the near 399 00:41:20,790 --> 00:41:25,580 future. and my mind continually drifts back to a comment 400 00:41:25,580 --> 00:41:32,040 Wyn made in ACE magazine issue 18 "It's a new concept, we're not even competing with 401 00:41:32,040 --> 00:41:36,650 Sega and Nintendo - the concept goes right through to the peripherals. The whole system 402 00:41:36,650 --> 00:41:41,010 is designed for fun and realism. What we're trying to do is make a family machine that 403 00:41:41,010 --> 00:41:44,920 offers realistic simulations but has still got joystick ports so that you can load up 404 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:49,332 standard arcade games. If computer users are prepared to queue up for hours for a four 405 00:41:49,332 --> 00:41:52,580 minute go on a flight sim, it doesn't take genius to work out that everyone would have 406 00:41:52,580 --> 00:41:57,010 a go on it if they only had to wait 5 minutes. There's talk of a possible exercise bike, 407 00:41:57,010 --> 00:42:04,270 or maybe other exercise based add-ons which could allow people to have fun working out" 408 00:42:04,270 --> 00:42:09,510 This was the original Nintendo Wii. Just 16 years too early, and without the financial 409 00:42:09,510 --> 00:42:15,100 backing that it perhaps deserved. Projects like the Multisystem really remind me what 410 00:42:15,100 --> 00:42:20,281 an innovative and exciting era this was.... But it wasn't the end of the tale, and in 411 00:42:20,281 --> 00:42:24,950 fact the Flare One, which remained the property of Flare Technology would actually evolve 412 00:42:24,950 --> 00:42:31,850 into a console you may have heard of; You see Atari's interest didn't stop when 413 00:42:31,850 --> 00:42:38,160 Konix got involved, and in fact Flare helped Atari work on (and name) their Atari Panther 414 00:42:38,160 --> 00:42:43,330 console, before it was abandoned, thanks in part to Martin Brennan's insistence that 3D 415 00:42:43,330 --> 00:42:49,420 was the future, for a more capable console; the Atari Jaguar. It was this console, the 416 00:42:49,420 --> 00:42:55,240 Jaguar that is a descendant of the Flare One hardware. In fact, it's technically the Flare 417 00:42:55,240 --> 00:43:00,750 Two. If you noticed the similarities earlier, with a Z80 chip managing a host of custom 418 00:43:00,750 --> 00:43:07,480 chips and a DSP, then you were 100% correct. The Flare Two was schematically very similar 419 00:43:07,480 --> 00:43:12,770 to the Flare One, but clearly more powerful and with the Z80 swapped out for a Motorola 420 00:43:12,770 --> 00:43:18,930 68000. Here was a machine with almost as much hype as the Multisystem, it was also a machine 421 00:43:18,930 --> 00:43:23,790 dogged with the same complaints of having a steep learning curve to develop for, and 422 00:43:23,790 --> 00:43:30,790 the whole palaver about whether it was truly 64 bit or not, due to its split data paths. 423 00:43:30,790 --> 00:43:38,280 Gahhhhh. We're not going to delve into that here of 424 00:43:38,280 --> 00:43:46,110 course. But just think about that. This hardware was close to the Jaguar hardware, but 4 years 425 00:43:46,110 --> 00:43:51,900 earlier. This machine could have blown the 16 bit era out of the water, before it even 426 00:43:51,900 --> 00:43:58,210 began. All you have to do is squint at the Tunnels of Doom footage shown this ATD video 427 00:43:58,210 --> 00:44:03,930 to see it's potential.... No wonder the Japanese were scared of it, even though it does look 428 00:44:03,930 --> 00:44:09,800 a bit like a Fisher Price toy. But it's worth noting that without the Konix Multisystem, 429 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:15,080 without their investment in Flare, it's unlikely that the Atari Jaguar would have existed as 430 00:44:15,080 --> 00:44:22,340 we knew it at all. And if that's not a legacy. I don't know what 431 00:44:22,340 --> 00:44:27,010 is. club 432 00:44:27,010 --> 00:44:38,420 No, come on, it is actually a good console. DESPITE some of the games made for it. 433 00:44:38,420 --> 00:44:52,010 avp That's better. 434 00:44:52,010 --> 00:44:59,670 Until next time, I've been Nostalgia Nerd. Toodleoo.