Panasonic 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
Developer: 3DO Company
Year Released: 1993
Generation: 5th
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was a video game console platform developed by the 3DO Company. Rather than manufacturing their new system, 3DO decided to make the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer a franchise. Sanyo, Panasonic and Goldstar all bought rights to manufacture the system. When 3DO produced and sold a system, it would claim a royalty for each one. Released by Panasonic, this new gaming machine was one of the first entries into the 32-bit gaming era. The system’s capabilities were quite ahead of its time, similar to the Philips CD-i. The 3DO featured the first CD music visualiser of any game console on the market. Panasonic marketed it heavily as an Audio Vidual device instead of simply another game console, a strategy that such companies as Sony and Microsoft would later adopt. The console was released in 1993 in North America with a price tag of $699.95 which alienated much of the gaming community.
Overall, the 3DO was a somewhat innovative console in 1993 but lacked the attention to gaming that caused the system’s demise (along with its initial price). The Sony PlayStation released in December 1994, ultimately took over its remaining market shares