3DO

3DO
Developer: 3DO Company Publishers: Panasonic, Sanyo, Goldstar, Creative Labs Released in JP: March 20, 1994 Released in US: October 4, 1993 Released in EU: June 11, 1994 Released in KR: December 3, 1994 This console has a hidden developer message. This console has hidden developer credits. This console has revisional differences.

The 3DO was an attempt by Trip Hawkins (founder of Electronic Arts) at creating a standardized format for video game consoles, similar to what VHS was for home video, right down to licensing out its hardware for various other tech manufacturers to produce in their own styles. Matsushita (under their Panasonic brand) produced the launch model of the console, with models from Creative (of Sound Blaster fame), Sanyo, and GoldStar (later LG) coming later. It initially launched at $699 in the US, but was lowered down to a more sensible $499 in 1994, with prices being competitive with other consoles towards the end of its lifespan.

While it had a lot of potential and even some promising early support from the likes of EA (mostly due to Hawkins' ties to the company), MCA/Universal, Digital Pictures, and Japanese companies like Capcom, SNK, and Konami, its fate was effectively sealed when the Sega Saturn and especially the PlayStation started to hit their strides in 1995 and '96, with the impending launch of the Nintendo 64 being the final nail in the coffin. The 3DO Company sold off the rights to the follow-up console, dubbed the M2, to Matsushita in 1996, who ended up cancelling the project entirely in 1997.

Developer Message

Present inside all versions of the BIOS is a message from those who worked on the system:

 This WHOLLY ODD collection of code brought to you by:

 Dale "You mean my house burned down last month and I never noticed?" Luck
 -=RJ=- "Hey, I never approved those messages!" Mical
 Joe "You were asleep at the time" Pillow
 Dave "Strictly corect" Platt
 Bryce "Angel of death" "Nesbitl" Nesbitt
 Stephen "Not Stephan" Landrum
 Andy "I miss my Cats" Finkel
 Chris "Whaddya mean you took it out?" McFall
 Drew "Don't touch my toys" Shell
 Mr. Pockets
 Nerf(tm) brand weapons
 Phil "I can't hear you" Burk
 Stan "I thought you were done" Shepard
 Steve "That !@%$#& drive" Hayes 
 Bill Long
 Barry Solomon

 And all those who were not in the building at 2am when the cops
 showed up

It can be found at the following locations in the BIOS:

Model	Hex Address
Panasonic FZ-1	150BC
Panasonic FZ-10	79B4
Sanyo TRY	79A4
Goldstar	79A4

(Source: aliast, suddendesu)