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| type = [[Home video game console]]
| generation = [[Fifth generation of video game consoles|Fifth generation era]]
| releasedate = {{Video game release|NA|October 4, 1993<ref name="NGen12"/>|JP|March 20, 1994|EU|September 1, 1994<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 1, 1994 |title=3DO comes to the High Street - in a juggernaut! |
| lifespan = 1993–1997
| price = {{plainlist|
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The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer was originally conceived by [[The 3DO Company]], founded in September 12, 1991 by [[Electronic Arts]] founder [[Trip Hawkins]]. The company's objective was to create a next-generation, CD-based video game/entertainment standard which would be manufactured by various partners and licensees; 3DO would collect a royalty on each console sold and on each game manufactured. To [[video game publisher|game publishers]], the low {{US$|3}} royalty rate per game was a better deal than the higher royalties paid to [[Nintendo]] and [[Sega]] when making games for their consoles. The 3DO hardware itself was designed by [[Dave Needle]] and [[RJ Mical]] (designers of the [[Amiga]] and [[Atari Lynx]]), starting from an outline on a restaurant napkin in 1989.<ref name=Retro122>{{cite news|last=Matthews|first=Will|url=https://archive.org/stream/retro_gamer/RetroGamer_122#page/n17/mode/2up|title=Ahead of its Time: A 3DO Retrospective|date=December 2013|work=[[Retro Gamer]]|publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]]|issue=122|pages=18–29}}</ref> Trip Hawkins was a long-time acquaintance of Needle and Mical and found that their design very closely fit his philosophy for architecture and approach, so he decided that: "Rather than me start a brand new team and starting from scratch it just made a lot of sense to ... join forces with them and shape what they were doing into what I wanted it to be."<ref name=Retro122/>
The 3DO Company lacked the resources to manufacture consoles, and instead licensed the hardware to other companies for manufacturing. Trip Hawkins recounted that they approached every electronics manufacturer, but that their chief targets were [[Sony]] and [[Panasonic]], the two largest consumer electronics companies in the world.<ref name=Retro122/> However, Sony had already begun development on their own console, the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], and ultimately decided to continue work on it rather than sign with 3DO.<ref name=Retro122/> According to former Sega CEO [[Tom Kalinske]] The 3DO Company was engaged in very serious talks for Sega to become involved with the 3DO. However, it was passed on by Sega due to concerns over cost.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://revrob.com/sci-tech/264-tom-kalinske-talks-about-his-time-overseeing-sega-as-its-ceo-in-the-90s-reveals-that-sega-passed-on-virtual-boy-technology-considered-releasing-3do|title=Tom Kalinske Talks About His Time Overseeing Sega As Its CEO In the 90s; Reveals That Sega Passed On Virtual Boy Technology, Considered Releasing 3DO|last1=Vinciguerra|first1=Robert|website=The Rev. Rob Times
Licensing to independent manufacturers made the system extremely expensive. The manufacturers had to make a profit on the hardware itself, whereas most major game console manufacturers, such as Sega and Sony, sold their systems [[freebie marketing|at a loss]], with expectations of making up for the loss with software sales. The 3DO was priced at {{US$|699}},<ref>{{Cite news|last=Nichols|first=Peter|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/03/arts/home-video-974793.html|title=Home Video|date=December 3, 1993|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=April 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/09/09/business/market-place-investors-can-only-guess-which-video-game-device-will-conquer.html?sq=video+game+industry+1995&scp=10&st=nyt |title=Market Place; Investors can only guess which video game device will conquer. | work=The New York Times | first=John | last=Markoff | date=September 9, 1993 | access-date=April 23, 2010}}</ref> far above competing game systems and aimed at high-end users and early adopters. Hawkins has argued that 3DO was launched at {{US$|long=no|599}}, and not "higher myths that are often reported".<ref>Ramsay, M. (2012). [[Trip Hawkins]]. ''Gamers at Work: Stories Behind the Games People Play'' (pp. 1–15). New York: Apress.</ref> In a later interview, Hawkins clarified that while the [[suggested retail price]] was {{US$|long=no|699}}, not all retailers sold the system at that price.<ref name=Retro122/> Goldstar, Sanyo, and Panasonic's later models were less expensive to manufacture than the FZ-1 and were sold for considerably lower prices. For example, the Goldstar model launched at {{US$|long=no|399}}.<ref name=gamespy/> In addition, after six months on the market, the price of the FZ-1 had dropped to {{US$|long=no|499}},<ref>{{cite magazine|date=May 1994|title=3DO Prices Drop|url=https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_058_May_1994/page/n169/mode/2up|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|issue=58|page=168}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|date=April 1994|title=3DO System Down to {{US$|long=no|500}}!|url=https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Gaming_Monthly_57/page/n17/mode/2up|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|publisher=Sendai Publishing|issue=57|page=18}}</ref> leading some to contend that the 3DO's cost was not as big a factor in its market failure as is usually claimed.<ref name=Retro122/>
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===Mouse===
Panasonic and Logitech both released the 3DO mouse. The Panasonic FZ-JM1 and Logitech 3DO mouse are identical aside from their markings. Fewer than 20 games supported its use, some of which were optimized for the standard controller or light gun rather than the mouse. Of the 3DO games which were optimized for use with the mouse, the best known are ''[[Myst]]'' and ''[[Lemmings (video game)|Lemmings]]''. The Panasonic mouse was also bundled with Konami's ''[[Policenauts]]'' Limited Edition in Japan which came with a Policenauts mouse pad.<ref>{{cite web
===Other===
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==Reception==
Reviewing the 3DO, ''[[GamePro]]'' gave it a "thumbs sideways". They commented that "The 3DO is the first CD-ROM system to make a real jump forward in graphics, sound, and game design." However, they questioned whether it would soon be rendered obsolete by the upcoming [[Jaguar CD]] and "Project Reality" (later released as the [[Nintendo 64]])<ref group=note>Though the Jaguar CD and Nintendo 64 would not be released until 1995 and 1996 respectively, at the time the media thought they would both be released in mid-1994.</ref> and felt there were not yet enough games to justify a purchase, recommending that gamers wait several months to see if the system would get a worthwhile library of games.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/4/48/GamePro_US_053.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://retrocdn.net/images/4/48/GamePro_US_053.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live|title=System Shopper|date=December 1993|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|issue=53|pages=46–49}}</ref> The 3DO was awarded Worst Console Launch of 1993 by ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]''.<ref name="egmbuyersguide1994">{{cite
Citing a lack of decent exclusives and an "astronomical asking price", in 2009 video game website [[IGN]] chose the 3DO as its 22nd greatest video game console of all time, slightly higher than the [[Atari Jaguar]] but lower than its four other major competitors: the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|SNES]] (4th best), the [[Sega Genesis]] (5th), the PlayStation (7th), and the Sega Saturn (18th).<ref name="IGN25">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/top-25-consoles/22.html |title=3DO is number 22 |website=IGN |access-date=2012-07-31}}</ref> On [[Yahoo! Games]] the 3DO was placed among the top five worst console launches due to its one-game launch lineup and high launch price.<ref name="YGa">{{cite web|url=http://autos.yahoo.com/photos/the-best-and-worst-console-launches-slideshow/worst-3do-1993-the-only-thing-worse-than-having-just-a-handful-of-titles-at-launch-is-having-just-photo-1383933501166.html;_ylt=A0LEVr8DbupSqwoAZl1jmolQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByZHI5MXByBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNgRjb2xvA2JmMQR2dGlkAw-- |title=The Best -- and Worst -- Console Launches |publisher=Yahoo! Games |date=November 8, 2013 |access-date=2014-01-30}}</ref>
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