3DO is a video gaming hardware format developed by The 3DO Company. It was created by Trip Hawkins, the founder of Electronic Arts. The technical details were designed by Dave Needle and RJ Mical from New Technology Group. Other companies were allowed to use these details to make their own versions of the hardware. Most of these versions were sold as home video game consoles under the name Interactive Multiplayer. Panasonic made the first models in 1993, and later versions were produced by GoldStar, Sanyo, Creative Labs, and Samsung Electronics.

The system used a 32-bit ARM60 processor and a special graphics chip. At first, it was promoted as a multimedia device, but within a year, the focus changed to video games. Although it was highly publicized and named Time magazine's "1993 Product of the Year," its high cost compared to other consoles, a crowded market with many competitors, and mixed customer feedback limited its success. It was no longer produced by 1996. In 1997, The 3DO Company sold its "Opera" hardware to Samsung and its M2 hardware to Panasonic the following year.

History

The 3DO format was created by Trip Hawkins, the founder of Electronic Arts (EA). While working at EA, Hawkins became frustrated with the challenges of making software that worked on different platforms that did not support each other. He was inspired by a cartoon he saw at Apple Computer, which showed two vultures on a branch. One vulture suggested to the other that they kill something instead of waiting to scavenge. Hawkins started a team at EA to develop the platform, but when the company was separated from EA on September 12, 1991, no one was willing to lead it. Hawkins gave up his role as EA’s chief executive to manage the company himself while staying at EA as its chairman. The name "3DO" was short for "three-dimensional optics," but it also played on the words "audio" and "video." The goal of The 3DO Company was to create a new, CD-based video game and entertainment standard. This standard would be made by different companies, and 3DO would receive a payment for each console sold and for each game produced. For game publishers, the low cost of $3 per game was better than the higher fees paid to Nintendo and Sega for their consoles. The 3DO hardware was designed by Dave Needle and RJ Mical, who also created the Atari Lynx. They began designing it on a restaurant napkin in 1989. Hawkins, who knew Needle and Mical well, believed their design matched his ideas, so he decided to work with them instead of starting a new team. The company showed a prototype at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in January 1993. Attendees were impressed by the console’s graphics, which were considered better than those of other consoles and computers at the time.

The 3DO Company did not have the ability to make consoles itself. Instead, it allowed other companies to produce the hardware. Hawkins said they contacted many electronics manufacturers, but their main goals were Sony and Matsushita (now Panasonic), the two largest consumer electronics companies. Sony was already working on its own console, the PlayStation, and chose to continue with that instead of joining 3DO. According to former Sega CEO Tom Kalinske, Sega seriously considered working with 3DO but decided against it because of cost concerns. Matsushita agreed to partner with 3DO to support its investment in MCA Inc., which owned Universal Pictures. Matsushita launched the 3DO with its Panasonic FZ-1 model in 1993. Later, Goldstar (now LG) and Sanyo also made the 3DO. Other companies, such as Samsung, Toshiba, and AT&T, received licenses but never sold 3DO units. AT&T even built prototype units and displayed them at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show.

Licensing the hardware to other companies made the system very expensive. These companies had to make a profit on the hardware, unlike major console makers like Sega and Sony, who sold their systems at a loss, expecting to earn money from software sales. The 3DO was priced at $699, much higher than competing systems, and targeted at high-end users and early adopters. Hawkins said the system was originally launched at $599, not the higher prices often reported. He explained that while the suggested retail price was $699, not all stores sold it at that price. Later models, like the Goldstar version, were cheaper to make and sold for less. For example, the Goldstar model launched at $399. After six months, the FZ-1 model’s price dropped to $499.

Hawkins believed the 3DO could become a widely used standard, like the VHS video format. He thought companies could work together to promote the standard, making it easier to compete than trying to attract developers to individual formats. He noted that this would be difficult for companies like Atari and Sony. Hawkins also believed that NEC’s failure to make its TurboGrafx system successful showed the challenges of entering the console market. He thought Sony might have had a better chance if it had partnered with other companies. Other systems, like the Atari Jaguar and Philips CD-i, were not seen as strong competitors. The Jaguar was considered outdated, and the CD-i was viewed as obsolete. Both 3DO and Philips aimed to sell about one million units in 1994 and 1995.

Hawkins claimed the console could support HDTV and be used for a set-top box. It was thought that cable companies might use the platform to offer digital interactive services, such as video-on-demand. A trial of this technology was planned with US West in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1994.

The 3DO platform launched in October 1993 and received a lot of media attention as part of the "multimedia wave" in computing. Games like Return Fire, Road Rash, FIFA International Soccer, and Jurassic Park Interactive were planned for launch but were delayed until mid-1994 because developers struggled with the advanced hardware. The 3DO Company kept updating the console hardware up until its release, which caused some third-party games to miss the launch date. Only one game, Crash 'N Burn, was available at launch. Panasonic also failed to produce enough units for the launch, so most stores only had one or two units. By mid-November, 30,000 units had been sold.

The system was released in Japan in March 1994 with six games. The Japanese launch was somewhat successful, with 70,000 units sent to 10,000 stores. However, sales later dropped, and by 1995, the system was known in Japan for hosting adult content.

In January 1994, Computer Gaming World predicted that 3DO would soon have a lot of software support, unlike the Atari Jaguar and Pioneer LaserActive. The magazine suggested that if 3DO’s partners could get enough consoles and games to market, it might become the go-to system for people new to interactive gaming. It also called 3DO a potential "plug-and-play" solution for those tired of dealing with complicated computer setups.

Licensed systems

Many companies made the 3DO system. The Panasonic versions are the most well-known and most common ones.

Hardware

The original version of the console, called the FZ-1, was officially named the 3DO REAL Interactive Multiplayer. At the time of its release, the console had advanced hardware features, including a 32-bit RISC CPU, a custom graphics processor with a math co-processor, and a custom 16-bit DSP with a 20-bit ALU. It also had 2 megabytes (MB) of DRAM, 1 MB of VRAM, and a CD-ROM drive that worked twice as fast as standard drives. This drive was used for CD+Gs, Photo CDs, and Video CDs with an added module for video playback. The 3DO console included the first light synthesizer in a game console, which turned music from CDs into colorful patterns.

The software for the 3DO used a special file system called Opera on optical discs. Unlike many other CD-based consoles, the 3DO did not have regional lockout or copy protection, making it easier to use illegal copies or homebrew software. However, some Japanese games could not be played on non-Japanese 3DO consoles because they used a special kanji font not included in the English firmware. Examples of incompatible games include Sword and Sorcery (released as Lucienne's Quest in English), Twinkle Knights, and a demo version of Alone in the Dark.

All 3DO consoles had built-in power supplies. Some models, like the Panasonic 3DO FZ-1, Sanyo TRY 3DO, and Goldstar 3DO, had power cords permanently attached, while others, like the Panasonic 3DO FZ-10, used an IEC 60320 C7 "figure 8" power cord. North American models required AC 120 V, 60 Hz, and used 30 W of power.

Most 3DO systems came with a standard controller, along with A/V and power cables. The controllers were unique because the console had only one controller port, and controllers could be connected together through a port on the top of each controller. Up to eight controllers could be linked in this way. All controllers for a 3DO console were compatible with each other.

Standard controllers that came with the Panasonic FZ-1 included a headphone jack and volume control for silent play. The GoldStar (LG) model also had this feature. Third-party companies, including Logitech, made additional controllers. World International Trading Corporation released an adapter that allowed Super NES controllers to work with the 3DO.

The only light gun made for the 3DO was the Gamegun, developed by American Laser Games. Despite this, ten games supported light gun play. Most of these were arcade ports from American Laser Games, such as Mad Dog McCree, while Virgin Interactive and Digital Pictures also made light gun games for the system. The 3DO Gamegun had the same design as the Sega CD version, an orange "Old West" revolver. Some Gameguns had a port to connect another Gamegun for two-player gameplay, which was supported in many American Laser Games titles.

Although no light gun was released for the 3DO in Japan, the Japanese versions of Demolition Man and Corpse Killer still supported light gun play, allowing Japanese players to use imported Gameguns.

Panasonic and Logitech both released a 3DO mouse. The Panasonic FZ-JM1 and Logitech 3DO mouse were identical except for their branding. Fewer than 20 games supported the mouse, with some games designed for the standard controller or light gun instead. The best-known mouse-optimized games were Myst and Lemmings. The Panasonic mouse was also included with Konami's Policenauts Limited Edition in Japan, which came with a Policenauts mouse pad.

Home Arcade Systems made a steering wheel for the 3DO, which worked with several racing games, including The Need for Speed.

The Panasonic FZ-EM256 was a 256 KB Expandable Memory Unit that connected to the 3DO's expansion port. It was released in 1994 and sold only in Japan.

The Panasonic 3DO Karaoke Mixer allowed users to play a standard music CD, lower the vocals, and sing along with a microphone. This device was sold in limited markets.

Games

Some of the most popular games on the 3DO system were versions of arcade or PC games that other systems could not play, such as Alone in the Dark, Myst, and Star Control II. Other well-liked games included 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 game Samurai Shodown was the only version that had accurate graphics for a while, and the 3DO Super Street Fighter II Turbo was the first version that used CD-quality audio.

Because the 3DO was released around the same time as the first modern first-person shooter games, it had some of the earliest examples of this genre as exclusive titles, such as Escape from Monster Manor, the previously mentioned Killing Time, and PO'ed, as well as versions of Wolfenstein 3D and Doom.

However, the 3DO system also showed some of the same challenges that other home consoles faced at the time. The 3DO was one of the first CD-ROM consoles, and some early games on the system tried to use gameplay styles similar to interactive movies. These games used full-motion video for all or most of their graphics, which limited how much players could interact with the game. Some games followed a single storyline based on the player’s correct responses to timed prompts. Night Trap, D, Mad Dog McCree, and The Daedalus Encounter are examples of games that relied heavily on full-motion video.

Reception

GamePro reviewed the 3DO and gave it a "thumbs sideways" rating. They noted that the 3DO was the first CD-ROM system to significantly improve graphics, sound, and game design. However, they questioned if it would be made outdated by future systems like the Jaguar CD and "Project Reality" (later known as the Nintendo 64). They also said there were not enough games available at the time to justify buying the system and suggested waiting for more games to be released. In 1993, the 3DO was named the Worst Console Launch of the year by Electronic Gaming Monthly. In a review in May 1995, Famicom Tsūshin scored the 3DO Real console 26 out of 40. In late 1995, Next Generation reviewed the 3DO and said it had more users and better games than the newly launched Saturn and PlayStation due to its early release. However, they doubted if it could compete long-term because of the upcoming M2 system and the Saturn and PlayStation's better hardware. They said the 3DO's hardware was overestimated but still good for its time, especially praising its DMA engine. They gave it 2 out of 5 stars, saying it was a solid system with some good games but questioned if being a "good system" was enough.

In 2009, IGN ranked the 3DO as the 22nd greatest video game console of all time, citing a lack of exclusive games and a high price. It ranked higher than the Jaguar but lower than the Super NES, Genesis, PlayStation, and Sega Saturn. On Yahoo! Games, the 3DO was listed among the top five worst console launches because of its limited initial game selection and high cost.

Gaming retrospectives have criticized the 3DO for having many low-quality interactive movies. Trip Hawkins' business plan for selling the 3DO was widely criticized by industry experts.

Legacy

The 3DO Company created a next-generation console that was not released because of business and technological challenges. The M2 project, originally planned as an add-on device for the 3DO system, was designed to use two PowerPC 602 processors along with newer 3D and video technologies. During development, the company decided to stop making console hardware and sold the M2 technology to Matsushita.

Since 2020, Piko Interactive has owned the 3DO logomark and manages licensing for games made for the system after it was no longer produced. This allowed Limited Run Games to re-release The Eye of Typhoon for the 3DO in 2022, along with a version of the game for MS-DOS that is recreated using DOSBox software.