Man, you ever hear those old marketing terms and just think… “why?” Like, “blast processing”? Anyway, here’s a deep dive into something I stumbled upon that’s even more bizarre — the Konix Multisystem. Ever heard of it? Yeah, didn’t think so. Apparently, it’s this nearly mythical British gaming console that never saw the light of day. And when I say mythical, I mean it feels like something out of a Simpsons episode. Seriously, an email from my buddy GX said the same. Wild, right?
So, this Konix thing? It was by a company known for making kinda sketchy accessories. Picture this: they even had a motion chair in their ads. Yep, that happened. And while the world now feels small and hyper-connected, back then… not so much. Their ads targeted home computers that were all the rage in the UK. Commodore Amiga, Atari ST… even whatever Amstrad was up to. And this was when Japan and North America were all about consoles. Meanwhile, in the UK, it was computers ruling the gaming scene. A different universe, I tell ya.
These prototypes looked like home versions of arcade games rather than stuff like Mario or Sonic that later took over. Konix, along with Atari XEGS, kinda foresaw the whole computer-turned-console trend. Think Amiga CD32, Atari Jaguar… well, the Jaguar was actually a revamped Konix prototype. Plot twist.
Now, get this, some of these were US companies. Yup, like Atari and Commodore. But they were struggling after the Video Game Crash, with Nintendo’s NES kinda sweeping in. And the UK? Well, they didn’t have that console boom like the 70s did in the US. It was a haven of sorts for computers.
So, all these global ideas and cash flowing in? It reshaped the gaming world in the UK, and Europe too. Sega became massive in Europe, and Microsoft owned home computing. There’s a term for such isolated tech evolution: Galapagos Syndrome. Usually tied to Japan. The layers of irony here, wow.
Switching gears — Greg and James are deep into Donkey Kong Bananza. And believe me, their analysis is miles deeper than before. Funny how the game reminds James of Rare’s past creations, minus the unplayable mess like Knight Lore.
James takes a breather and passes the mic to Guillaume. He’s neck-deep in Mario Kart World and isn’t holding back about the idea of Mario Kart 8 in 4K. Still, he’s dancing around Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster. Instead, he’s into another Atari gem: Llamasoft: The Jeff Minter Story. Meanwhile, Jon’s vibing with an old Sega Genesis shooter, Gaiares. As a side note, he’s pretty bummed about Xbox pulling the plug on their Movies and TV store. End of an era, huh?
And there you have it, a chaotic ride through a nearly forgotten chapter of gaming history and some current gaming chatter. Keep your seats, folks.
