Multi System "thing"

[bunnybum]

EDIT: Apparently it's (An offspring of?) a Konix Multisystem. The question regarding the price still stands, though. Also, are games easy to come by - and are they even worth playing?

While browsing the local thrift store this thing caught my eyes. Can anyone shed some light on what it is? And possibly put a realistic price on it.

http://i.imgur.com/AwA1kl.jpg

The price was ~$20 for the thing including a steering wheel attachment(?) No cartridges were in sight though.

[Tupin]

I've never ever heard of this. I thought the Konix Multisystem was unreleased.

What company made it? I would go back and buy it if you already didn't. It's definitely worth something. Prototype system maybe?

Please take more pictures so we can help figure it out. I don't know if anyone else owns a Multisystem prototype if this is what it is.

[bunnybum]

I didn't buy it but I have a feeling I should go back first thing next week and pick it up.
I wouldn't put my money on it being a prototype. Why should one of those end up in Denmark of all places? Issue 8 of Retro Gamer has a picture of it and describes it as a pc controller of sorts, which makes the cartridge slot even weirder. I have to do some more research on this thing but it sure does intrigue me.
As always, any help and input are highly welcome.

[Steve W]

The Multisystem did eventually make it to market, but not as a game console. It was released years later by Konix as a PC steering wheel controller reusing/recycling the Multisystem case design. The Multisystem game machine was never manufactured as they didn't have enough money to bring it to market. In fact, the prototypes couldn't fit inside the console, when they were displayed at shows and events the shell was bolted to a table to keep it from moving and all the technology was hidden underneath the table and connected up to the controls. And the games didn't come on cartridges, they were originally designed to be on floppy disks for budget reasons.

Honestly, I would buy it. Even if it's just a PC flight stick/steering wheel, it's still a little piece of gaming history.

[bunnybum]

Thanks for the explanation. The money issue would also explain why the cartridge port wasn't removed after the decision to switch to floppies. Sounds like it was doomed from the start.

I'll definately be going back to see if it's still there.