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Introduction

Almost a revolution

Slipstream: The Konix Multisystem Archive
Sifting through the wreckage to discover what went wrong

Wyn Holloway and Jon Dean - while the dream was still alive The hook that caught our interest - The infamous and impressive 3D spinning cube demo The Slipstream controller that was the basis of the Multisystem - the shape of things to come in 1989 The brains behind the electronics The Slipstream (Multisystem) custom processor A Multisystem Devkit - there are at least 20 of these in existance. Where are they now?

Are you excited about the launch of the Nintendo Wii and its revolutionary ways of making you play its games? Or are you more interested in the superior graphics and sound performance of the PS3 and Xbox360?

Imagine a scenario nearly 20 years ago where you were offered (arguably) not only the best graphics, sound and most revolutionary way of playing games but the chance of having truly arcade style games in your home. Imagine not just playing these games on some dull black or gray box, but simulating the actual controls of the type of game you were playing, like exciting racing games such as Outrun and Powerdrift, or frenetic flying games such as Afterburner. Add to this superb fast and colourful 2D and 3D graphics...
If you weren't already interested, now consider buying it at a very affordable price which is almost 25% cheaper than the price of the other machines at the time and with cheaper but much better versions of their games too.

Well - you'd be quite interested wouldn't you? Not only that, but with the feeling the same between the Press and the games playing Public, most people in 1989 wanted it - this machine was the new Rock and Roll.

What's that I hear you say - "Why haven't I heard of it?" or "What ever happened to it?". Well, read these pages and you'll go some way towards understanding what it was, why it seemed so great and why we aren't all playing on the 3rd generation of it now.

Other machines have failed to make an impression even when they were launched - this machine has made an indelible impression and has marked its place in gaming folklore and no-one in the world owns one. Find out how by reading these pages.

The Attention to Detail Developers running a prototype of Tunnels of Doom, possibly one of the greatest missed opportunities in the whole Konix story One dream too far, the incredible Konix Power chair. This is what most people remember about the Konix Multisystem When the Press are on your side the world is your oyster – you’d better deliver on your promises though when you’re setting near impossible goals The Konix Multisystem chipset ‘Slipstream’ was used later in this internet set top box. Not quite what we’d hoped for… One of the games that would have made the world take notice – Attack of the Mutant Camels 1989 by Jeff Minter. Will It ever see the light of day?.... Flare sold their technology to Bellfruit for use in machines such as this - there are now emulators for this machine so you can get an idea of what a Flare one / early revision Multisystem would have been like to play