Multiface
Encyclopedia
The Multiface was a hardware peripheral
released by Romantic Robot UK Ltd. for several 1980s home computer
s. The primary function of the device was to dump
the computer's memory to external storage
, and featured an iconic 'red button' that could be pressed at any time in order to activate it. As most games of the era did not have a save game feature, the Multiface allowed players to save their position. However, this feature also allowed users to create backup
s or pirate copies of software. Copyright infringement was discouraged, yet possible in earlier models, but was made more difficult in later models by requiring the Multiface to be present when re-loading the dumps into memory.
, Amstrad CPC
& Atari ST
. Different models had slightly different features.
48K. It cost £29.95 and had the capability of saving data to cassette tape, ZX Microdrive
, Opus Discovery (an external 3.5 inch disk drive) or Technology Research Beta (an interface that allowed 5.25 inch and 3.5 inch drives to be connected). The device worked on 128K spectrums, but only if they were put in 48K mode. It featured a Kempston joystick port, and later revisions contained a switch that effectively 'hid' the device from software. Early versions had a composite video
out port but this feature was later removed.
-made models of Spectrum that the 128 did not support. It existed in two versions; one with a 'thru-port', for £39.95, and one without, which cost £34.95. Both were later reduced to £29.95. The main feature of the Multiface 3 was its ability to save to +3 disk, a useful feature for +3 owners who wanted to avoid the long loading times of tapes.
program for the Amstrad CPC which allowed the restoring of saved memory dumps without the need for a Multiface to be present. It was limited to 128K machines and would not work on dumps bigger than 64K. The credits announce the creator to be "Merlin J. Bond of Magic Software".
. At the time, none of these could save as many games, or offered the opportunities for cheating that Multiface did. Action Replays for cheating have since been released on newer systems. Other competing systems were a wide array of software-based transfer programs.
Peripheral
A peripheral is a device attached to a host computer, but not part of it, and is more or less dependent on the host. It expands the host's capabilities, but does not form part of the core computer architecture....
released by Romantic Robot UK Ltd. for several 1980s home computer
Home computer
Home computers were a class of microcomputers entering the market in 1977, and becoming increasingly common during the 1980s. They were marketed to consumers as affordable and accessible computers that, for the first time, were intended for the use of a single nontechnical user...
s. The primary function of the device was to dump
Core dump
In computing, a core dump consists of the recorded state of the working memory of a computer program at a specific time, generally when the program has terminated abnormally...
the computer's memory to external storage
External storage
In computing, external storage comprises devices that temporarily store information for transporting from computer to computer. Such devices are not permanently fixed inside a computer....
, and featured an iconic 'red button' that could be pressed at any time in order to activate it. As most games of the era did not have a save game feature, the Multiface allowed players to save their position. However, this feature also allowed users to create backup
Backup
In information technology, a backup or the process of backing up is making copies of data which may be used to restore the original after a data loss event. The verb form is back up in two words, whereas the noun is backup....
s or pirate copies of software. Copyright infringement was discouraged, yet possible in earlier models, but was made more difficult in later models by requiring the Multiface to be present when re-loading the dumps into memory.
Additional Features
- All Multifaces had the ability to view and edit the contents of memory. This made cheating in games especially easy - magazines used to print codes every month, these codes were known as 'pokesPEEK and POKEIn computing, PEEK is a BASIC programming language extension used for reading the contents of a memory cell at a specified address. The corresponding command to set the contents of a memory cell is POKE.-Statement syntax:...
'. By changing the memory, various aspects of the game could be altered, such as the number of lives one had before the game was over.
- Some models of Multiface allowed the user to save a screenshotScreenshotA screenshot , screen capture , screen dump, screengrab , or print screen is an image taken by a computer to record the visible items displayed on the monitor, television, or another visual output device...
.
- Multifaces contained an extra 8 kilobyteKilobyteThe kilobyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information. Although the prefix kilo- means 1000, the term kilobyte and symbol KB have historically been used to refer to either 1024 bytes or 1000 bytes, dependent upon context, in the fields of computer science and information...
s of RAMRam-Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another...
that could be used by specially written software. Examples of such software included Genie, a machine codeMachine codeMachine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions executed directly by a computer's central processing unit. Each instruction performs a very specific task, typically either an operation on a unit of data Machine code or machine language is a system of impartible instructions...
disassemblerDisassemblerA disassembler is a computer program that translates machine language into assembly language—the inverse operation to that of an assembler. A disassembler differs from a decompiler, which targets a high-level language rather than an assembly language...
, and Lifeguard, a program for analysing the memory of a game during play in order to identify which memory locations should be changed to aid cheating. These programs could be loaded into the Multiface RAM and activated by pressing the red button.
- Some later Multifaces had a 'thru-port', an additional interface on the back of the unit which allowed other peripherals to be plugged into the back. This solved the problem of the Multiface using up the computer's only expansion port.
Models of Multiface
Multifaces were released for 8-bit and 16-bit microcomputers, such as the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
& Atari ST
Atari ST
The Atari ST is a home/personal computer that was released by Atari Corporation in 1985 and commercially available from that summer into the early 1990s. The "ST" officially stands for "Sixteen/Thirty-two", which referred to the Motorola 68000's 16-bit external bus and 32-bit internals...
. Different models had slightly different features.
Multiface One
The Multiface One was released in 1986 for the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
48K. It cost £29.95 and had the capability of saving data to cassette tape, ZX Microdrive
ZX Microdrive
The ZX Microdrive is a magnetic tape data storage system launched in July 1983 by Sinclair Research for their ZX Spectrum home computer. The Microdrive technology was later also used in the Sinclair QL and ICL One Per Desk personal computers.-Development:...
, Opus Discovery (an external 3.5 inch disk drive) or Technology Research Beta (an interface that allowed 5.25 inch and 3.5 inch drives to be connected). The device worked on 128K spectrums, but only if they were put in 48K mode. It featured a Kempston joystick port, and later revisions contained a switch that effectively 'hid' the device from software. Early versions had a composite video
Composite video
Composite video is the format of an analog television signal before it is combined with a sound signal and modulated onto an RF carrier. In contrast to component video it contains all required video information, including colors in a single line-level signal...
out port but this feature was later removed.
Multiface Two
The Multiface Two was released for the Amstrad CPC 464 and had similar features to the Multiface One.Multiface 128
The Multiface 128 was released for the 128K version of the Spectrum, including the original +2 model. It worked in 128K or 48K mode and originally cost £34.95, but was later reduced to the same price as the Multiface One. The 128 introduced the ability to save to the +D Disciple disk system, but lost its joystick port. The device was not compatible with the later Spectrum +2A or the Spectrum +3.Multiface 3
The Multiface 3 was designed for the later AmstradAmstrad
Amstrad is a British electronics company, now wholly owned by BSkyB. As of 2006, Amstrad's main business is manufacturing Sky Digital interactive boxes....
-made models of Spectrum that the 128 did not support. It existed in two versions; one with a 'thru-port', for £39.95, and one without, which cost £34.95. Both were later reduced to £29.95. The main feature of the Multiface 3 was its ability to save to +3 disk, a useful feature for +3 owners who wanted to avoid the long loading times of tapes.
Multiface ST
The Multiface ST and Multiface ST II were released for Atari's ST computers. It connected to the cartridge port with a wired connector attaching to the monitor port (to generate the interrupt signal when the button was pressed). Far less effective than the earlier Spectrum models, it required the cartridge to be present in order to load saved games. Red, green & blue cartridges have been noted.Anti-Multiface
Anti-Multiface was a public domainPublic domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
program for the Amstrad CPC which allowed the restoring of saved memory dumps without the need for a Multiface to be present. It was limited to 128K machines and would not work on dumps bigger than 64K. The credits announce the creator to be "Merlin J. Bond of Magic Software".
Similar products
Competing devices included the Mirage Imager, Disk Wizard, and Action ReplayAction Replay
Action Replay is the brand name of a series of video game cheating devices created by Datel. As of 2010, Action Replays are currently available for some of the current major gaming platforms which include the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, PlayStation 2, and the PlayStation Portable, and many older...
. At the time, none of these could save as many games, or offered the opportunities for cheating that Multiface did. Action Replays for cheating have since been released on newer systems. Other competing systems were a wide array of software-based transfer programs.
External links
- Info from Spectrum Hardware Page
- Sinclair User review
- [ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/hardware-info/Multiface1_Manual.pdf Multiface 1 Manual at worldofspectrum.org]
- [ftp://ftp.worldofspectrum.org/pub/sinclair/hardware-info/Multiface3_Manual.txt Multiface 3 Manual at worldofspectrum.org]