Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer

Summary

In the USA, a company named The 3DO Company was founded in 1991 to develop a specification for a game console and a home entertainment system. This specification is licensed by Panasonic, Goldstar, Sanyo, Samsung, AT&T and Creative Labs. Panasonic is the first company to market the FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer in the USA in 1993. The console, with a sales price of $700, is far too expensive for the mass market and, despite extensive advertising, is a failure.

A year later, a smaller variant appears, FZ-10 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, with reduced weight and for $400, but neither these nor the other versions of other manufacturers are accepted. Although the 3DO consoles with their games are technically groundbreaking, the buyers prefer to use the established and inexpensive 16-bit consoles.