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History
While developing the SC-3000, the computer that would eventually turn into the SG-1000, Sega had decided to allow other manufacturers to produce compatible computers. In 1983, Tsukuda Original stoke a deal with Sega to produce their own console based on the Othello game.
Release
In 1983, Tsukuda Original release the Othello Multivision (FG-1000) for a price of ¥19,800. According to the promotional material, the price was ¥15,000 for the console and ¥4,800 for the built-in game Othello. The game was featured twice in the ASCII, a monthly PC magazine in Japan, as the game use in one of their contests. Although a clone of the SG-1000, Tsukuda Original pushed the Othello Multivision as its own original system, releasing games specifically for it. The games, initially sold in silver boxes, were marketed as Othello Multivision games, although compatibility with SG-1000 was mentioned on the back.
In 1984, release an updated model of the Othello Multivision, dubbed the FG-2000. The second model brought support for a second controller. This model can easily be identified by the fact it uses blue keys rather than red ones and the fact the built-in joystick has been replaced with a directional pad. The Othello Multivision games were then reissued in smaller black boxes that emphasized compatibility with both, the Othello Multivision and the Sega platforms.
Demise
The first major problem with the console was its price. Although the console included a built-in game, it was not free. Therefore there was no incentive to buy the Othello Multivision over buying a SG-1000 with a game of your choice unless you really wanted the Othello game. This leads to the second flaw of this console : the design. A lot of early videogame console had the control directly on the console itself, but by 1983, this type of design was started to be outdated. So, in a nutshell, you had to pay more for a console that play the same games and had no detachable controller and lacked second player support (at least in the first release). a
Games
Aside being compatible with all the SG-1000 games, the Othello Multivision had one built-in games and 8 games release under their branding. All the 8 cartridge-based released were also compatible with the SG-1000 .
- Othello (1983) (built-in)
- Guzzler (1983)
- Q*bert (1983)
- Space Mountain (1983)
- Sannin Mahjong (1984)
- Challenge Derby (1984)
- Okamoto Ayako no Match Play Golf (1984)
- Space Armor (1984)
- 007 James Bond (1984)