GoldStar GDO-203 3DO Alive II (South Korea only) Replaced the GDO-202 in late 1995, but was discontinued shortly thereafter. Had a centered, top-loading CD tray. Sanyo IMP-21J TRY 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (Japan only) Released in March 1995, this model has the pickup head on the tray (resembling a laptop optical drive). It was made in moderate quantities before it was discontinued. Creative 3DO Blaster A PC ISA expansion card with a double-speed CD-ROM drive and a controller that enables compatible Windows-based PCs to play 3DO games. Arcade American Laser Games utilized 3DO-based hardware for a number of arcade titles. Samsung DMB-800 - Manufactured exclusively for the Korean market, after the purchase of the Opera hardware in 1997. This multipurpose unit could be used for 3DO software, VCD playback, and Karaoke. Hardware The original edition of the console, the FZ-1, was referred to in full as the 3DO REAL Interactive Multiplayer. The console had advanced hardware features at the time: an ARM60 32-bit RISC CPU, a custom graphics processor with a math co-processor, and a custom DSP at 16 bits with a 20bit ACU . It also featured 2 megabytes (MB) of DRAM, 1 MB of VRAM, and a double speed CD-ROM drive for main CD+Gs or Photo CDs (and Video CDs with an add-on MPEG video module). The 3DO included the first light synthesizer in a game console, converting CD music to a mesmerizing color pattern. The 3DO is one of few CD-based units that feature neither regional lockout nor copy protection, making it easy to use illegal copies or homebrew software. Although there is no regional lockout for 3DO systems, a few Japanese games cannot be played on non-Japanese 3DO consoles due to a special kanji font which was not present in the English language console firmware. Games that have compatibility issues include Sword and Sorcery (which was released in English under the title Lucienne's Quest), Twinkle Knights and a demo version of Alone in the Dark. Technical specifications Processor 32-bit RISC CPU @ 12.5 MHz (ARM60) using VY86C060-20FC / VY86C06020FC-2 (native stock speed of 20FC chips is @ 20 MHz.) Display Resolution 640×480 (interpolated), 320×240 (actual) 60 Hz for NTSC version, and 768×576 (interpolated), 384×288 (actual) 50 Hz for PAL version with either 16-bit palettized color (from 24-bit) or 24-bit truecolor. Dual pixel engine (CEL engine) capable of producing 9–16 million pixels per second (36–64 megapix/s interpolated), distorted,