--- title: Konix Multisystem categories: - Consoles params: name: Multisystem image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_1.jpg company: /companies/konix company_name: Konix tabs: - photos - software - links - videos photos: - title: AEROPLANE CONFIGURATION subtitle: '' text: Thanks to [Classic Computers & Videogames](http://home.wanadoo.nl/hessel.meun/) for this picture. image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_2.jpg - title: MOTORBIKE CONFIGURATION subtitle: '' text: Thanks to [Classic Computers & Videogames](http://home.wanadoo.nl/hessel.meun/) for this picture. image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_bike-mode_1.jpg - title: EARLY ARTIST IMPRESSION subtitle: '' text: This drawing was made at the very start of the marketing process, when no working prototype was available... image: /media/museum/photos/konix_artist-impression.jpg - title: AT THE PCS 1989... subtitle: '' text: This is a prototype shown at the Personal Computer Show (London) in 1989. The console was not running, it was only for display... image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_2b.jpg - title: AT THE PCS 1989... subtitle: '' text: This is a prototype shown at the Personal Computer Show (London) in 1989. The console was not running, it was only for display... image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_3.jpg - title: HYDRAULIC CHAIR subtitle: '' text: This is a prototype of the hydraulic chair shown at the Personal Computer Show (London) in 1989. It would connect to the Konix Multisystem console and would move according to what was happening on the screen ! wow ! image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_4.jpg - title: KONIX STAFF subtitle: '' text: Some people from Konix presenting an early prototype of the Konix Multisystem (not working) image: /media/museum/photos/konix_multisystem_people.jpg - title: PEARL MULTI-SPIELE-KONSOLE subtitle: '' text: This IBM PC controller sold in Germany used the same design as the Konix system. image: /media/museum/photos/pearl-multi-spiele-konsole.jpg - title: PEARL MULTI-SPIELE-KONSOLE subtitle: '' text: '... in Motorbike mode' image: /media/museum/photos/konix_pearl_moto.jpg - title: PEARL MULTI-SPIELE-KONSOLE subtitle: '' text: '... in airplane mode' image: /media/museum/photos/konix_pearl_plane.jpg - title: MSC MULTI SYSTEM subtitle: '' text: The MSC Multi System is a PC Joystick add-on based on design of KMS. It was marketed after the fall of the Konix. image: /media/museum/photos/msc-multi-system_1.jpg screenshots: - title: STAR RAY subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/konix_multisystem_star-ray_ss.jpg - title: BIKERS subtitle: '' text: '' image: /media/museum/software/konix_multisystem_bikers_ss.jpg links: - title: Konix Multisystem page url: http://home.wanadoo.nl/hessel.meun/konix/konix-menu.htm text: Quite complete web page - title: Retrogames - online magazine system url: http://www.retrogames.co.uk/RGonline/html/page_5-6.html text: Nice article about the Konix multisystem - title: 'Slipstream : The Konix Multisystem Archive' url: http://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk text: The most complete website dedicated to the system - title: www.grospixels.com url: http://www.grospixels.com/site/konix.php text: Interesting article with pictures (french) videos: - title: Konix Multisystem Trailer url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgkOLfcRWYA text: 'Length: 4:32' - title: Konix Multi System - Prototype Footage url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYpebHK4cEo text: 'Length: 10:32' comments: - author: mikiec (England) date: Thursday 8th May 2014 text: |- The Konix Multisystem and the moving chair was on display at the last Personal Computer World (PCW) show at Earls Court in 1989. I attended the first day of the show expecting to be able to see the seat in action, but it wasn''t working due to technical difficulties. I was told it would be working the next day, but I was only there for the day. I also bought a couple of the MCS controllers in the early 2000''s as it was a great design and it reminded me of this machine that never was. The Konix\ reminds me of the SAM (upgraded Spectrum clone) that never took off and the company went bust. :( - author: Jeice1990 date: Saturday 4th December 2010 text: Video taped footage of some unfinished games for this unreleased system survives. Could have been a great system judging by the footage. - author: Daniel Saner (Switzerland) date: Tuesday 24th June 2008 text: I actually had one of those MCS controller-only devices. It might be weird but I remember that it came with a obscure, rather bland racing game on a diskette. I would love to hear from someone who still has such a disk, as I cannot find mine anymore. It was just called RACE or something like that, so it probably was only shipped with this controller. If so, it must be one ridiculously rare! - author: Bill Loguidice (Central New Jersey, USA) date: Friday 6th August 2004 text: I remember a major write up in a magazine (Videogames and Computer Entertainment?) here in the US in the late 1980's. While all the add-ons and expandability were nifty, I remember a knock against this unit was that it was lacking in a few key technical areas in comparison to the competition. It's not surprising that this concept never made it to market, as it seems the developers cared about cramming every feature possible into the units without concern for getting the core out to the public. - author: Nicolas Sapin (France) date: Friday 6th August 2004 text: The konix system has never been produced but the molded case was distributed as a regular joystick/wheel for the PC's. As they had paid for the expensive molding tools, they decided to finally use it even on a more simple product. When I saw the first one on ebay, I was dreaming it was a Konix console prototype... Silly me :) oc_id: 1024 source: url: https://web.archive.org/web/20230207090951/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=1024 date: '2023-02-07' --- The Konix multisystem console, also known as the Konix slipstream, was a joint development between 2 british businesses, Flare Technology and Konix. Konix were on a high in 1988 after the success of their Joystick range and well known through gaming channels. Flare Technology was formed by 3 ex-Sinclair engineers, all of whome were involved in the aborted Loki "Super Spectrum", which was shelved after Sinclair sold the computer division to Amstrad. Not wanting their work to be wasted, they formed their own company to bring the idea into the real world. Flare first developed the RAM Music Machine for the Spectrum, this used some of the ideas from Loki's sound subsystem to make a synthesizer/sampler add on for the speccy, and generated a revenue to fund development of the Flare 1 computer system. The Flare 1 was based around the Z80 processor, had a BLiTTER chip, 4096 colour palette, advanced 16bit sound system (8 voices) and graphics modes which rivaled the Amiga, all thanks to the custom processors within the system. This specification was very similar to the Loki, which as far as we know, never left the drawing board (Or did it?). In 1988, Flare had a working Flare 1 board with all custom chips fully working, but they did not have the means to put it into production. An article in Persomal Computer World that year, gave a climpse of what this super machine could do. The graphics demo's were astounding, even as photographs. Flare 1 had something the Amiga lacked, the ability to do 3D polygons in the graphics subsystem (The Amiga had to do this with the CPU, just like the ST). As a result of the article, Flare and Konix got together for a meeting, and the multisystem was announced to the public a few weeks later. The multisystem was really the Flare 1, but replaced the 8 bit Z80 with a 16 bit 8086. It was to be released in 1989 at a price point of 200 pounds, with a range of additional hardware being made available soon after. This included hydrolic chairs, light pens/guns and a whole range of additional controllers. The system never saw the light of day. Constant modifications to the case design, adding of storage devices (such as the floppy disk) caused delay after delay. Eventually Konix folded and Flare Technology designed the Flare 2, an improvement on the origional Flare 1 machine, which would eventually be the starting point for [Atari's Jaguar console](/museum/atari-jaguar/). Somehow, the system was later sold as the **MSC Multi System**! In fact it used the same cosmetic design but was only a controller for IBM PC compatible systems (and maybe some other type of computers), with no specific electronic hardware inside. This super controller (driving, moto and flying modes) was also marketed as the **Pearl Multi-Spiele-Konsole** in Germany. --- Text and info by Malcolm Ramage.
We need more info about this console ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.