Main Content
MSU
After Konix folded under the immense weight of trying to bring such a huge project to market, Wyn Holloway formed MSU (I have no idea what MSU stands for - but it's a safe bet that MS is for Multisystem...)
Wyn called on the skills and talents of people who had formerly worked for him at Konix, some notable names being Robert Kent, Michael Baxter and Martin Brennan.
MSU seemed to specialise in identifying areas in domestic electronics that could be improved by more efficient chip design and the application of clever technologies already developed - and this is where the Slipstream comes in.
MSU doesn't exist as a company anymore, but it's not hard to discover information about it. To that end, when I went digging, I discovered I could view the actual MSU company website by using the wonderful archive.org.
Not being a hard nosed journalist, I didn't dig too deep - I only went looking for the rumoured Multisystem 2. I found it (well a good reference to it anyway).
I'd done all of this prior to talking to Wyn Holloway, so he managed to fill in a couple of blanks regarding this information in his interview.
The single most accurate and important piece of information that needs to go on this page is this extract from the MSU corporate information page, it's absolute conformation of the Multisystem 2 and the further different strand of evolution that the Multisystem went through (the other famously being the Atari Jaguar of course):-
MARCH 1992: F.E.C.C. DEVELOPMENT CONTRACT.
F.E.C.C required a production ready design for a Computer Games Console that
they would manufacture at their factories in the People's Republic of
China.
Since this was based on the SlipStream ASIC (at that time in Version
3 form) it was decided that all relevant Intellectual Property Rights should
be owned by MSU Ltd.
By August of 1992 MSU had received payments of $570,000 from the FECC
contract and had completed approximately the same proportion of the
development work.
Due to a change in political circumstances in the Fujian Region at this time
and the associated concerns regarding outstanding contract payments to MSU
this project was stopped.
It was however a valuable development exercise and resulted in MSU's
development capability becoming known in the Far East.
OCTOBER 1992: TXC CORPORATION CONTRACT.
As a result, in October 1992, MSU concluded a joint venture agreement with
the TXC Corporation of Taiwan.
This contract required MSU to design and produce prototypes of a product
currently known as the TXE MULTISYSTEM.
In summary, the Multisystem is a CD-based multimedia product enabling the
consumer to play Audio CD's, CD+G, Karaoke, Photo CD, and dedicated Computer
Games.
The Multisystem has a powerful Intel 80386 processor as well as the
SlipStream ASIC, and has 1 megabyte of RAM. First prototypes were delivered
to TXC in January 1994.
Read the full report to get a better feel for MSU's activities
MSU as a company was certainly a viable business which seemed to do well for those involved. I understand it was bought out by an American interest and everyone involved went their separate ways again (if they hadn't already done so by that stage).
The Internet set-top-box idea Wyn had of utilising the Slipstream ASIC making a cheap and easy Internet access device was quite revolutionary - they may not be the huge hit that the cell phone or Ipod were, but they have their place and are still in use (mostly in hotels it seems) around the world. Of course it's a fiercely competitive market and there is no clear leader, but it's nice to know I guess that the little Slipstream ASIC was the catalyst.
Also, due to the wonders of public records posted freely on the internet, you can read a very in depth annual report for MSU.
Multisystem 2
After the first attempt at selling the Multisystem failed, there was another push to sell the system, only this time it failed to generate the same interest as it initially did. In the face of strong opposition from the then new Playstation it would have had to have been spectacular (but by then, it wasn't).
Under the auspices of MSU, Wyn and his team set about developing what was effectively the Multisystem 2 for the Chinese market. I don't now if it used the same Slipstream controller - from what I gather the prototype units were in the standard metal prototyping cases again.
It's already been reported in the Retrogamer article that Brian Pollock declined the invitation to move out to China and help train a team of programmers in the ways of (what I'm calling) the Multisystem 2.
After reading the following account he may have made the most sensible choice of his life, and until now he may not even have realised how lucky he was to escape.
I'm lead to believe that Wyn did try to promote this machine on a TV gaming show - but he flatly denied this and as I don't know what show it was I can't hunt for images.
However, I now know thanks to members of the Multisystem 2 Development team, that the BBC Money program ran a story about MSU in which the team appear. Unfortunately the BBC Archives for the Money program only go back to 2006 a Friend at the BBC checked for me) So unless someone involved kept a VHS copy, we may never see actual footage of the machine or the games running on it.
I did manage to discover an image of the machine MSU named the Minstrel, which they said on their website was created after a demonstration of their cheap CD player technology spurred the interest of a non-specified Chinese manufacturer who wanted an integrated machine capable of playing games and CDs and CD+G discs. It appears that this machine must be the Multisystem 2 and as such here is the only know picture of it to exist:
It's clearly a rendered mock-up of what the machine would have looked like, but it's shockingly dull - even by PC standards. It looks to be styled as a Hi-fi separate or a set-top-box rather than a games machine, but this may just have been merely sufficient to keep the electronics contained. We know Wyn could come up with some elaborate designs, so if this were to have become a mass produced item, it may have received a little more effort in it's design. However, it's patently clear that there is no effort to adopt the Slipstream controller in any way what-so-ever.
The following account has been given to me completely unsolicited and based on the quality and accuracy of the information, I can only assume this is an honest account of the recollections of the person involved. He wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. Therefore I have intentionally edited out specific names other than Wyn's. It certainly paints a less rosy picture of the affair after the initial excitement wore off.