3DO
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| Released: | 1993-10-04 |
| Discontinued: | 1997-02-03 |
| Developer: | The 3DO Company |
| Type: | Hardware |
3DO Interactive Multiplayer abbreviated as 3DO, is a console of Fifth generation with ARM architecture with support to 3D very powerful for epoca, was very revolutionary what many companies had license to distribute a console, Panasonic, SANYO and LG (before GoldStar) were what used the hardware and launched models, the first model was the Panasonic FZ-1 3DO released on October 4, 1993 in the USA, March 20, 1994 in Japan, June 11, 1994 in Europe and December 3, 1994 in Korea.
Its star title was Gex (3DO), this being a temporary mascot of the console until Crystal Dinamics decided to port it to PlayStation, its hardware the original edition of the console, the FZ-1, was referred to in its entirety as 3DO REAL Interactive Multiplayer. The console had advanced hardware features at the time: a 32-bit RISC ARM60 CPU, two custom video coprocessors, a 16-bit custom DSP, and a custom math coprocessor.
It also included 2 megabytes (MB) of DRAM, 1 MB of VRAM and a dual-speed CD-ROM drive for major CD+G or Photo CD (and Video CD with an additional MPEG video module). The 3DO included the first light synthesizer on a game console, turning the music from a CD into a fascinating color pattern.
Some of the best received titles were arcade ports or PC games that other systems of the time were not able to play, such as Alone in the Dark, Myst and Star Control II. Other popular titles include Total Eclipse, Jurassic Park Interactive, Gex, Crash 'n Burn, Slayer, Killing Time, The Need for Speed, Road Rash and Immercenary. The 3DO version of the arcade title Samurai Shodown was the only port with faithful graphics for some time, and the 3DO Super Street Fighter II Turbo was the first port with its CD-quality audio.
Something very disappointing happened in Japan, when sales fell, some companies began to distribute pornographic material on the console until 1998.
Contents
Games
Models
This console obtained many licenses to be distributed but Panasonic, Goldstar/LG, SANYO and Creative Labs were the only ones that distributed models, cards, accessories and games and digital content.
Samsung, Toshiba and AT&T never used the license and only produced a few prototypes with Toshiba not even knowing if it made one.
Panasonic
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| Panasonic FZ-1 3DO | First console, model and the most famous. |
| Panasonic FZ-10 3DO | Same hardware, but it is the second model launched by Panasonic. |
| Panasonic 3DO ROBO | Same hardware, but it's the third model Panasonic has released exclusively for Japanese hotels. |
Panasonic FZ-1 3DO
Panasonic FZ-10 3DO
Panasonic 3DO ROBO
Goldstar/LG
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| Goldstar GDO | First console, released by Goldstar in different regions. |
| Goldstar GDO Alive | Same hardware, a first redesign was made exclusively for South Korea. |
| LG 3DO Alive II | Same hardware, a second redesign was made exclusively for South Korea. |
Goldstar GDO
Goldstar GDO Alive
LG 3DO Alive II
Other models
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| SANYO 3DO TRY | Only model released by SANYO. |
| Creative Labs 3DO Blaster | 3DO hardware converted to Card compatible with Windows 3.5 including a special burner. |
SANYO 3DO TRY
Creative Labs 3DO Blaster
Prototype or unreleased models
| Model | Notes |
|---|---|
| AT&T 3DO | Prototype created by AT&T to have internet connectivity. |
| Samsung 3DO | Prototype created by Samsung that was to be launched in South Korea. |
AT&T 3DO
Samsung 3DO
Music and Sound
This console supported Apple’s audio system, the AIFF, and also audio and video CDs only required the 3DO Cartbridge Video.
In a technical way, the CLIO and MADAM chips were the ones that provided the audio system and sound effects, the console itself podia with different characteristics of music such as:
- 16 bit stereo sound
- Stereo playback of CDDA.
- 44.1 kHz sound sampling rate
- Supports 4-channel surround sound Dolby
- Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 20-bit custom: 20-bit accumulator with 16-bit parameter registers for accuracy, integrated into the CLIO chip.
- 13 digital input DMA channels, to be sampled and distorted by the DSP.
Logos
3DO Interactive Multiplayer (1993)
Links
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3DO_Interactive_Multiplayer - Wikipedia.
