Konix Multi-System articles

That was the issue that I was interviewed in for their Dreamcast anniversary article, so I've got that one. I have the magazine, as well as the disc with a bunch of videos of Jeff Minter's prototype games for the system.

If you are still interested in that stuff, I can scan and/or upload the videos for you.

 

If you don't mind waiting, This is part of what I'm doing for my website, It would be a shame to waste effort us both doing it. I have got permission from Jon Dean who shot and owns the video's who worked with Wyn Holloway (the guy that designed the multi-system) to use them on my site. I have also interviewd Wyn recently which has lead to a 17 page MS Word document!

Again, if I could ask you please not to post the images just yet, I will let you know when the websites ready and you can get the fullest possible picture of the whole Multi-system story.

I've not been asleep since this thread started, I've been beavering away reasearching and talking to peple and buying old mags and scanning them to build the best possible resource of Multisystem info. It may look like I forgot about it, but I've been doing nothing but this!

I believe I have every single image ever taken of the unit, it's hardware, the games and the people involved. There are some very interesting facts that most people won't have heard or known either waiting to be revealed...

It'll be another couple of months before it's ready for release....

Best Regards,
Mqark.

 

No problem, I was just going to do it because I had the magazine. If you're doing an entire site feature, I don't want to stand in your way.

I can't wait to read what else you've dug up about the machine.

 

Thanks MetaFox - it should be worth it. The interview with Wyn was very interesting (I talked to him for nearly 2 hours - that's a lot of bloody typing for a two finger typist!).

I've also arranged a face to face interview with Martin Brennan of Flare technology who was involved in developing the Atari Panther and Jaguar as well as the multi-system that should be even more interesting for the technically minded.

I'll let everyone know when the site goes live - but as I say, this is a spare time project fitted in-between work so it'll take longer than it really ought to.

Ta,
Mqark.

 

Now that I'd like to see, I always wanted to know more about the background to Flare. They sounded like a really interesting company.

 

Mark - here is the other Konix article that I mentioned to you a few weeks back;





it's from EGM Number 6, January 1990, page 24.

 

Thanks Gigadrive, It'll be a useful addition to the site.

 

np Mark, hope all goes well with that website.

 

I'm dying to see this site ! Come on Mqrk, get a move on !!:dance:

Yakumo

 

Yakumo,

Sorry mate, it's not likely to happen for at least another couple of months.
I keep getting sent all over the sodding world to work, the last thing I want do do after a hard days work abroad is work on a website. There's normally a beer or 3 with my name on them sitting in the hotel bar waiting for me to get back.

As for a progress report, I've managed to establish contact with Simon N Goodwin who has kindly given me a FULL technical assessment of the Multisystem (he wrote a lot of the deep background info about the Multisystem for ACE magazine). This is painfully technical stuff he’s given me which should keep some people happy!

Martin Brennan of Flare has literally just contacted me today to finalize when we're going to meet up and chat about his role in the Multisystem (and no-doubt I can get him to chat about his part in designing the Jaguar and get possibly get some info about the Loki and Panther too).

I'm still waiting on a couple of interviews to come back from the developers of the Multisystem versions of Hammerfist and Starray.

It's all happening in the background, I think I'm going to put a halt to researching and just knuckle down and get it done. I don't want to produce a quick page or two with a few pictures stuck on it. I'd like to do the machine justice and get the whole story. There are some interesting things on the way - rest assured

Cheers,
Mqark.

BTW, any idea who does the pixel art for the Post Icons? There's no Multisystem.

 

I wonder if Atari's Midsummer/Jaguar2 with the Oberon & Puck
or Oberon & Theseus / Thesus chips, somehow belongs to the technology family that includes the Flare One, MultiSystem, or not. Project X / Nuon apparently is part of that family but, I've no idea about Midsummer.

 

Don't know for sure about Jag2 but I can certainly ask Martin for you.

As for the Nuon, it's not strictly got anything to do with the Flare family tree.
The connections it has are through John Mathieson (one of the founders of Flare - who is now working for Nvidia), who was responsible for the audio side of the Nuon (and I guess knowing John, he'd be heavily involved in helping with the other stuff too. And the fact that Jeff Minter was involved in producing some software libaries and such. However Jeff seems to become involved in anything technically interesting to him like the Multisystem, Jaguar and the Nuon, and fair game to him.

I've read that there are common opcodes in the Jag 3D chip and the Nvidia 3D chip in the Xbox1 - apparently John had a hand in both designs.

Jeff has developed for nearly every machine under the sun. (Even Xbox 360!). I believe he is working on a project for live arcade at this moment.

Have a look here for the Nuon link (if you haven't already seen it before...)

http://www.vmlabs.de/team.htm

It's all a big interconnected tangle of clever and talented people this games industry...

Mqark.

 

thanks for all of that information Mark!

 

Yes, Jeff Minter was responsible for the visualization software in the Xbox 360.

-hl718

 

Whoa! Richard Miller, what's with the hair? Not that it matters when you're successful at what you do, right?

 

For those interested,

I've not long come back from interviewing Martin Brennan (formerly of Flare technology who designed the Konix multisystem and Atari Jaguar) today for my Konix website.ray:

Of course it was very interesting and he was very kind to give up his time for me. (I did buy him lunch - but I don't think that's enough compensation!)

He kindly signed my Jaguar for me, and he also showed me a white spectrum 48K which he owns from his time working at Sinclair research. Note - it's not sprayed white, it's moulded from white plastic. It's apparently one of only 5 that were ever made. How much do you think that's worth to a collector? h:

Here's a couple of pictures of Martin and my Jaguar and his White 48k.










I really think I've got pretty much as much information as I'm going to get before I publish this and other information starts coming in. So I'll be concentrating on producing the site now rather than researching.

I'm a bit peeved as the new retro gamer mag has a konix letter from someone who’s missed the RG#8 issue and it looks like retro gamer may be trying to produce a new article. I hope they don't get the scoop on my work.

Cheers,
Mqark.

 

I spent many, many years playing on my Speccy.

That white one is amazing.

 

I hoped Martin might donate it to the "make Mqark rich fund" - but alas, he's not daft and is quite aware that being only one of 5 ever made and having the best possible provenance (i.e. owned by a former employe of Sinclair reaserch) it's going to be worth something

Mqark.

 

hi Mqark, what's up ^__^ it's been quite awhile.

Today (Sunday May 27, 2007!) I just started reading your outstanding website dedicated to the Konix MultiSystem.

I had not been keeping up with things, but today while researching Sinclair's Loki project, I happened to find http://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/ - I thought, hey, that must be the website the guy on Assemblergames.com said he was going to make last year. I find it very informative.

you show true dedication. I'm very impressed.

regards
-Gigadrive

 

Hi GigaDrive,

Yep - that's me, the sites still not finished yet (life huh?) but I am going for the final push as we speak, I've been proof reading for the last couple of weeks on and off so it WILL get finished soonish.

I think I've found out as much as I can through digging around and it's been fantastic being able to interview the actual people involved.
Hopefully more will come out when the site properly gets launched.

Thanks for the kind comments - it's been a labour of love, but it's taken soooo long it's almost untrue.

Cheers,
Mqark.