The 3DO gaming console was voted best new product of 1994 by Time Magazine and was one of the most advanced gaming consoles around in the early 1990s. The console was originally manufactured by the Panasonic Corporation and was designed by Dave Needle and RJ Mical of New Technology Group. The 3DO console had dual video co-processors which enabled arcade quality graphics unheard of before the console’s inception. Audio CDs could also be played and the system had the first version of graphical representation of the audio; this is a standard feature on every system following the Myst and Star Control II were finally available to the home user displayed in full graphic quality due to its video processing and 32-bit processor. Street Fighter II Turbo was released on the console in better quality, sound and picture, along with titles like Need for Speed, Gex, and Road Rash. Gaming companies and manufacturers had to pay a three dollar royalty fee for using the 3DO name which they were glad to pay as it was less than the fees for Nintendo and Saga. The low royalty fees paired with low release sales proved to be a financial strain on the company.
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3DO fell by the wayside mainly due to its price tag of almost $700 at release. This limited its market share and limited third-party developers. While the technology was advanced for its time, it was, perhaps, before its time. Other competing companies such as Nintendo and Sega had far better prices and 3DO refused to lower their prices as they considered the 3DO system to be an audio/video entertainment center and not a gaming console. The few consumers who had bought the systems and games were less likely to buy sequels to previously released 3DO games and eventually turned to Sony’s PlayStation for the next generation of CD-ROM gaming. Late in 1996 the company lowered its prices in the dawn of releasing the next console the M2; it was scraped and the company now supports, or at least did, the Sony PlayStation console. It was a mixture of high prices, the inability of game makers to hook in players and a low royalty fee that led to the demise of the 3DO Multiplayer gaming console.
