Konix Multi-System articles

OK guys - want to see some NEVER BEFORE SEEN video of the Konix multisystem Power chair prototype being built?

http://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=konix_chair

There's loads more info to come from the guy who provided these including design sketches, photos and such.

Also, I've been talking to alot of guys who worked on the Multisystem 2 project - so much more information to come about all that - including a previously unknow console based on the Multisystem 2 jointly designed for and with IBM called the Popcorn project.

 

Thanks for the updates!
Any word on the dev kit progress?

 

Well, I’ve had to buy an oscilloscope and I have managed to track down a PDS PC interface card. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a desktop or tower PC though so I don’t have any parts to throw together a PC that is actually old enough to happily run an ISA card in dos with no troubles.
So – next step, find an old 486 or Pentium ½ PC and get this card in it – then maybe I’ll start seeing something happening.
Also, while I’m here – I’ve been talking to a lot of the guys that worked for the company that rose from the ashes of the Konix system – I know a lot about the Multisystem 2 and other developments.
It transpires that they were working with IBM to make a cartridge based console for preschoolers codenamed “the popcorn project†based on a later version of the slipstream chipset.
Also, it appears that the multisystem 2 did go into production and was sold for some period in Radioshack/Tandy.
It’s a little unclear if this was the TXC Txe Multisystem, the Yanion VCD / karaoke player with games capability or the Newstar CD/VCD player.
It’s getting very difficult to find information about commercially unsuccessful low-end CD/VCD player brands. Any ideas where I can look? Any forums that would know this sort of stuff? I’ve trawled through eBay – buy that’s a struggle and get mostly modern DVD VCD players.

 

Damn this is one kickass thread =P i hope to see this thing running someday ! that dev unit looks good condition considering where it was found does it still work ?

 

Maybe try the avs forums?
Lots of knowledgeable folks over there.

 

Lots of updates:

1) An actual Power chair has been found! Yes, there is a real one in the wild. I have seen a picture - and it's true. I'm awaiting a few more pictures from the guy that owns it.
2) I am appearing in a feature in Retrogamer magazine this month talking about the Konix Multisystem and the dev-kit Issue 108 on sale on the 11th.
3) The company that produced the Power chair prototype for Konix (product partners) has a FANTASTIC collection of their concept art that they will be showing on their blog to coincide with the magazine article (which has a handful of their images). Keep an eye on their blog - these pictures are awesome! http://www.productpartners.co.uk/blogs/blog6.php

 

Awesome, look forward to seeing more soon! Thanks for all your hard work so far.

 

Oh man, a real chair still exists! I can't wait to see that.

 

Wow!
Excellent news! I was wondering about your Konix developments, so I'm glad to see these updates!
Super excited to hear about the power chair!

 

I've just noticed that the blog post with the never before seen concept drawings of the gun, chair and console is now up. I strongly advise taking a look - they are pretty cool.

http://www.productpartners.co.uk/blogs/blog6.php

before this, I didn't even know that this company were asked to draw/design anything other than the chair. these ar great 50's B movie style images.

 

Wow interesting blog.
I also got a kick out of that 5 minute "the making of the power chair" video...kind of neat seeing the efforts first hand of those involved in the project.

 

Cool huh?

And doesn't the power-drill make the most terrible noise imaginable?

Obviously this was a prototype thrown together in a short period. The one in the video is aparently MK1, the one with Ed Semrad riding it (in other pictures) that looks less sleek is MK1a - Mk 2 was going to be using proper motors fit for purpose that wouldn't burn out after 10 mins.

These are the fruits of my labour spending hours/days/weeks/months investigating following up leads and being persistant and persuasive. It gives me great satisfaction to be able to open up and share a source of material that people were sitting on and didn't realise was of interest to anyone else.

I'm thinking more and more of putting this all into a book - but I think it's going to be such a niche that unless I can write it in an entertaining way that it would flop (Oh, and I'm totally not an author!).

 

Anyone fancy a Konix Emulator?

There's one being worked on now - no idea when we will have something that can run a full game (like the version of Konix Robocod that we have), however there is real progress being made on test programs that came from the Robocod archive.

 

:O

 

It has happened - we have found and emulated a Konix game (and not just any game, AMC'89):



It will be released before the end of the year with Jeff Minters blessing!

 

Oh wow, congratulations! Did the actual game come from Jeff himself?

 

Holy Cow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And ironically enough, I actually just read the Konix article in RETRO GAMER magazine today (yes, we're a bit behind here in the US)
What finally made Jeff Minter give up the goods??

 

What a great news.

 

It didn't come from Jeff, it comes through a surprise discovery by an anonymous benefactor amongst a few disks that had some other stuff on them. We switched immediately from emulating Robocod to emulating this once it was passed on to us.

It's only been about a week or so ago that we got the disk - the emulation was very quickly put together and once something was produced that was playable then we told Jeff. To say he is excited is an understatement. He tweeted about 2 nano seconds after being contacted by us. He has given us his blessing to release the game (not sure about the source code - we'll check that).

Given that the emu programmer had to write an assembler to get a binary image created (we only had source and graphics) there is now the possibility to easily modify the game / add levels etc. (if Jeff is so inclined).