Eric J. Garland
3DO Arrives for PCs
In October 1993, Panasonic released the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer system for playing multimedia 3DO games with photo-realistic graphics, full-motion video, and 16-bit, 44-kHz CD-quality sound. Since then, the 3DO has been gathering momentum as a home-entertainment platform, with the number of available titles growing from 18 in January 1994 to over 100 as of October. Now, thanks to Creative Labs (Milpitas, CA, (408) 428-6600), you can play 3DO games on your PC.
The 3DO Co. (Redwood City, CA) doesn't make 3DO players; it licenses the technology to companies that do, such as Panasonic, Goldstar, Sanyo, and Creative Labs. The players have double-speed CD-ROM drives, 2 MB of RAM, 1 MB of video memory, and 1 MB of ROM. Processors include the CPU (a 32-bit ARM 60 running at 12.5 MH
z), a DSP (digital signal processor) that performs complicated graphics manipulation and full-motion-video decompression, and specialized audio and graphics chips. The 3DO architecture allows for expansion with an optional on-the-fly MPEG decoder. The company says its M2 Accelerator upgrade, which will include a specially designed 64-bit PowerPC-based processor, will be released at the end of 1995.
The ability to play 3DO titles makes the 3DO Blaster a valuable addition to a home PC. The 3DO Blaster is a full-size ISA card that plugs into an available 16-bit ISA slot. Internally, it connects to your CD-ROM drive and to the feature connector of your video card to synchronize with the PC's video signal.
Based on tests of an early version of the product, the 3DO Blaster is now the ultimate in computer-gaming upgrades for your computer. However, the card is not without its drawbacks. It now works only with the Matsushita-563 CD-ROM drive. If you don't have this drive, you will have to buy one at an
additional cost over the 3DO Blaster's $399 price. If you want to play cool 3DO games like Electronic Arts' Road Rash or Crystal Dynamics' Star Control II, the 3DO Blaster is a valuable addition to your PC.
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