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John Mathieson (computer Scientist)
John Mathieson is a British computer chip designer who initially worked for Sinclair Research on the cancelled Loki computer project before co-founding Flare with ex-Sinclair colleagues Martin Brennan and Ben Cheese. After working at Flare on the ''Flare 1'' and its development into the Konix Multisystem, he worked for Atari Corporation developing the Atari Panther video game console. It was abandoned in favor of its successor, the Atari Jaguar. The Jaguar was commercially released in the United States on November 23, 1993. Mathieson has been called "the father of the Jaguar." After leaving Atari, Mathieson worked on the development of the ill-fated NUON media processor at VM Labs. He moved to work for NVIDIA Nvidia CorporationOfficially written as NVIDIA and stylized in its logo as VIDIA with the lowercase "n" the same height as the uppercase "VIDIA"; formerly stylized as VIDIA with a large italicized lowercase "n" on products from the mid 1990s to ... at the end of 2001. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sinclair Research
Sinclair Research Ltd is a British consumer electronics company founded by Clive Sinclair in Cambridge. It was originally incorporated in 1973 as Westminster Mail Order Ltd, renamed Sinclair Instrument Ltd, then Science of Cambridge Ltd, then Sinclair Computers Ltd, and finally Sinclair Research Ltd. It remained dormant until 1976, when it was activated with the intention of continuing Sinclair's commercial work from his earlier company Sinclair Radionics, and adopted the name Sinclair Research in 1981. In 1980, Clive Sinclair entered the home computer market with the ZX80 at £99.95, at that time the cheapest personal computer for sale in the United Kingdom. In 1982 the ZX Spectrum was released, becoming the UK's best selling computer, and competing aggressively against Commodore and Amstrad. At the height of its success, and largely inspired by the Japanese Fifth Generation Computer program, the company established the "MetaLab" research centre at Milton Hall near Cambrid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loki (computer)
Loki was the code name for a cancelled home computer developed at Sinclair Research during the mid-1980s. The name came from the Norse god Loki, god of mischief and thieves. Loki was based on the ZX Spectrum, but intended to rival the Amiga for video games. ''Loki'' followed two earlier, aborted research projects from Sinclair: the 68008-based SuperSpectrum home computer (cancelled in 1982) and the LC3 game console (cancelled in 1983). Design According to an article published in ''Sinclair User'' magazine, Loki was to have a 7 MHz Z80H CPU, a minimum of 128 KiB of RAM and two custom chips providing much enhanced video and audio capabilities compared to the ZX Spectrum, but with a compatibility mode. The video chip, referred to as the ''Rasterop'' chip, would have blitter-type functionality and three different modes: 512×256 pixels with 16 colours, 256×212 with 256 colours, or 256×212 with 64 colours and two bits per pixel used for "blitter objects". Comprehensive ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flare Technology
Flare Technology was a computer hardware company based in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1986 by Martin Brennan, Ben Cheese, and John Mathieson, former engineers at Sinclair Research. Flare Technology first worked for Amstrad before developing a technology-demonstrator system called ''Flare One''."Flare", ''Personal Computer World'', August 1988. The Flare One was intended as a home computer or games console with extensive audio and video capabilities. It was related to the ''Loki'' project they had worked on previously at Sinclair Research, which in turn was derived from the ZX Spectrum home computer. The Flare One was used in some arcade game cabinets including a line of video quiz machines produced by Bellfruit. The Flare 1 chipset was further developed into the Konix Multisystem ''Slipstream'' prototype. In 1989 Martin Brennan was contracted by Atari Corp. to complete and implement the chip design of the unreleased Atari Panther. Martin Brennan and John Mat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin Brennan (engineer)
Martin Brennan is a computer engineer who developed pioneering personal computers such as the Loki (computer), Loki (for Sinclair Research Ltd, Sinclair Research) and the Atari Jaguar video game console. A physics graduate of University of Cambridge, Cambridge University, he was a co-founder of Flare Technology, a design house involved in the design of the ill-fated Konix Multisystem. Brennan initially worked for Sinclair Research where he designed the digital electronics and software in ZX Interface 1 before going on to found Flare with ex-Sinclair colleagues John Mathieson (computer scientist), John Mathieson and Ben Cheese. After working at Flare on the ''Flare 1'' and its development into the Konix Multisystem he went on to work for Atari developing the Atari Panther and the Atari Jaguar. In 1997 Brennan founded the "Cheap & Cheerful Chip Company" which later went on to become Global Silicon Limited. In 2007 Brennan designed the Brennan JB7 digital jukeboxElectronics Weekly 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ben Cheese
Ben Cheese (1955 – 21 January 2001) was a British engineer who worked on Sinclair's ZX Microdrives. Authors Ian Adamson and Richard Kennedy, in their book ''Sinclair and the "Sunrise" Technology'', write that "it seems only fair to note that it was the tenacity and imagination of R&D staffer Ben Cheese that got the product .e., the Microdriveto the market". When Sinclair was sold, Cheese formed a company called Flare Technology with two other former Sinclair engineers, John Mathieson and Martin Brennan. Brennan and Mathieson went on to form Flare II, and to develop the Atari Jaguar console. Meanwhile, Cheese worked with Argonaut Software and Nintendo to develop the Super FX chip used in Super Nintendo Entertainment System games such as ''Star Fox is an arcade style rail shooter and third person action-adventure video game series created by Shigeru Miyamoto, produced and published by Nintendo. The games follow the Star Fox combat team of anthropomorphic animal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Konix Multisystem
The Konix Multisystem was a cancelled video game system under development by Konix, a British manufacturer of computer peripherals. Background The Konix Multisystem began life in 1988 as an advanced Konix peripheral design intended to build on the success of the company's range of joysticks. The design, codenamed Slipstream, resembled a dashboard-style games controller, and could be configured with a steering wheel, a flight yoke, and motorbike handles. It promised advanced features such as force feedback, hitherto unheard of in home gaming. However, it soon became apparent that the Slipstream project had the potential to be much more than a peripheral. Konix turned to their sister company Creative Devices Ltd, a computer hardware developer, to design a gaming computer to be put inside the controller to make it a stand-alone console in its own right. It was shortly after this development began that Konix founder and chairman Wyn Holloway came across a magazine article that descri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atari Corporation
Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when WarnerMedia, Warner Communications sold the home computing and game console assets of Atari, Inc. to Tramiel. Its chief products were the Atari ST, Atari 8-bit family#XE series, Atari XE, Atari 7800, Atari Lynx and Atari Jaguar. The company Reverse takeover, reverse merged with JT Storage, JTS Inc. in 1996, becoming a small division which itself closed after JTS sold all Atari assets to Hasbro Interactive in 1998. History The company was founded by Commodore International's founder Jack Tramiel soon after his resignation from Commodore in January 1984. Initially named Tramel Technology, Ltd., the company's goal was to design and sell a next-generation home computer. On July 1, 1984, TTL bought the Consumer Division assets of Atari, Inc. from Warner, and T ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atari Panther
The Atari Panther was a cancelled video game console from Atari Corporation that was planned to be the successor to the Atari 7800 and the Atari XEGS. It was developed by the same ex-Sinclair team, Flare Technology, who were previously responsible for two cancelled console projects: the Flare One and the Konix Multisystem. Work started in 1988 with a planned release in 1991 to directly compete with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Genesis. Atari abandoned the project in favor of the Jaguar. Hardware The system features three chips, consisting of a Motorola 68000 running at 16 MHz, an object processor called the "Panther", and an Ensoniq sound processor nicknamed "Otis", featuring 32 sound channels (presumably an ES5505). The Panther was never commercially released as the design was eclipsed by that of the Jaguar. References External linksAtari Panther history & information {{Atari hardware Panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Atari Jaguar
The Atari Jaguar is a home video game console developed by Atari Corporation and released in North America in November 1993. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it competed with the 16-bit Sega Genesis, the Super NES and the 32-bit 3DO Interactive Multiplayer that launched the same year. Powered by two custom 32-bit Tom and in addition to a Motorola 68000, Atari marketed it as the world's first 64-bit game system, emphasizing its 64-bit bus used by the blitter. The Jaguar launched with '' Cybermorph'' as the pack-in game, which received divisive reviews. The system's library ultimately comprised only 50 licensed games. Development of the Atari Jaguar started in the early 1990s by Flare Technology, which focused on the system after cancellation of the Atari Panther console. The multi-chip architecture, hardware bugs, and poor tools made writing games for the Jaguar difficult. Underwhelming sales further eroded the console's third-party support. Atari atte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Next Generation (magazine)
''Next Generation'' was a video game magazine that was published by Imagine Media (now Future US). It was affiliated to and shared editorial with the UK's ''Edge'' magazine. ''Next Generation'' ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was published by Jonathan Simpson-Bint and edited by Neil West. Other editors included Chris Charla, Tom Russo, and Blake Fischer. ''Next Generation'' initially covered the 32-bit consoles including 3DO, Atari Jaguar, and the then-still unreleased Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn. Unlike competitors ''GamePro'' and ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', the magazine was directed towards a different readership by focusing on the industry itself rather than individual games. Publication history The magazine was first published by GP Publications up until May 1995 when the publisher rebranded as Imagine Media. In September 1999, ''Next Generation'' was redesigned, its cover name shortened to simply ''NextGen''. This would start what was known as "Lif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Imagine Media
Future US, Inc. (formerly known as Imagine Media and The Future Network USA) is an American media corporation specializing in targeted magazines and websites in the video games, music, and technology markets. Headquartered in New York City, the corporation has offices in: Alexandria, Virginia; Minneapolis, Minnesota; and Washington, D.C. Future US is owned by parent company, Future plc, a specialist media company based in Bath, Somerset, England. History The company was established when Future plc acquired struggling Greensboro ( N.C.) video game magazine publisher GP Publications, publisher of ''Game Players'' magazine, in 1994. The company launched a number of titles including ''PC Gamer'', and relocated from North Carolina to the San Francisco Bay Area, occupying various properties in Burlingame and South San Francisco. When Chris Anderson, the founder of Future plc, sold Future to Pearson plc he retained GP, renamed Imagine Media, Inc. in June 1995, and operated it as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nuon (DVD Technology)
Nuon (stylized as NUON) is a technology developed by VM Labs that adds features to a DVD player. In addition to viewing DVDs, one can play 3D video games and use enhanced DVD navigational tools such as zoom and smooth scanning of DVD playback. One could also play CDs while the Nuon graphics processor generates synchronized graphics on the screen. There were plans to provide Internet access capability in the next generation of Nuon-equipped DVD players. History Nuon was first unveiled under the codename "Project X", and was featured in ''Electronic Gaming Monthly''s 1999 Video Game Buyer's Guide. One of the Nuon's main software developers was Jeff Minter, who created a version of ''Tempest'' titled ''Tempest 3000'' for the system and the built-in VLM-2 audio visualizer. Manufacturing of the hardware was handled by several original equipment manufacturers. When it was first announced, the Nuon's creators envisioned it as a competitor for the upcoming video game consoles from the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
