The 3DO - What Happened? 

The guy falling and spilling his McDonald's was true rage and pain. That scene touched my soul!

With every console Wha Happun, we get closer and closer to examining the PlayStation Vita.

Honestly the failures of the 3DO and CD-i really make the success of the Playstation seem impressive, especially considering Sony had no experience in video games before

How could the console that brought us Plumbers Don't Wear Ties possibly have failed?

When the price tag was unveiled I actually recoiled in my seat a little bit.

In germany there was still Software made for the 3DO deep into the 2000's for driving schools. They were basically just FMV's of people driving into certain situations you'd encounter in normal day to day traffic with multiple choice questions on how to handle it.

The 3do : The Console released at the wrong place at the wrong time.

13:30 There was exactly one good thing about the DOOM port for the 3DO. The music was done by the guy who ported it, along with his garage band, and they made some of the best versions of the venerable DOOM soundtrack to date.

You know the PS3 could a good "Wha Happen?", that whole Cell thing would be interesting.

Trip Hawkins looks and sounds like a CEO from a 90s movie.

It's really interesting to see something on "Wha' Happun?" that didn't fail on account of any kind of cynicism but rather because there were simply too many mistakes made in it's creation and marketing. Also nice to see that Trip Hawkins has moved on to things that are wholesome and straight up making the world better.

Failure as it was, there are some highlights and longlasting legacies from the 3DO. Insomniac and Naughty Dog both cut their teeth in the industry developing games on the 3DO. Insomniac first developed Disruptor on 3DO dev kits before switching to the Playstation - doing well enough with that game to make Spyro the Dragon a few years later. Naughty Dog wasn't a big name until they impressed the right people at Universal with Way of the Warrior to get signed to multigame contract - which led directly to Crash Bandicoot. Crystal Dynamics were the first first-party developer for the system - the same conpany responsible for Soul Reaver and the post Core Design Tomb Raider games also made Total Eclipse and Off-World Interceptor. Even Konami trusted the 3DO enough with a port of Policenauts that they were seriously considering making a 3D Metal Gear game on it, too. Imagine that: Metal Gear Solid on the 3DO!

I don't know why, but I giggles every time he says: "which was the style at the time"

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse may never exist, but hey, at least there's Darksiders.

The most amusing thing about the 3DO is that, despite being an American creation, it arguably saw the most support in Japan, of all places. Two region-exclusive variants (Panasonic's multi-disc ROBO & Sanyo's TRY), the best version of the original Panasonic FZ-1 (which allows you to turn off the 480i upscaling with literally the flick of a switch, even improving performance for some games), a memory expansion unit only sold in that region... And a crap ton of Japan-exclusive games. Yes, Japan not only got the largest portion of the 3DO's entire games catalog (214 games, or literally 2/3 of the catalog), but 139 of those were Japanese exclusives; literally, ~43% of the 3DO's entire catalog of games were only released in Japan! Quality of said games varies wildly, to no surprise, but it's still something no one really considers with this system.

Megaman Legends 3 has got an insane story of what happened in its development. Honestly even after 15 or so years after what Capcom did they still owe the fans an appology

*Matt:* "Heroes of Might and Magic, which needs no introduction." *Heroes of Might and Magic:* "Hey Hey, People."

fun fact, the 3do would cost almost $1200 today.

This is one of the few Wha Happun episodes with a fairly happy ending. Yeah the console failed but the 3DO company managed to do pretty well for a while after, and it's nice to know Trip Hawkins is still doing work.

God I love videos like this. The archival footage, the commercials, all the research...fascinating stuff, excellent job.

The Atari 7800 is a system that would make a great episode of this show. If it had come out in late 1983/ early 1984 like it was supposed to it would have dominated but for a whole host of What Happened type reasons it didn't come out until three years later and got slaughtered.

The 3DO is the only console I've ever sold when I didnt need money. I just didn't like it. Lol

was literally just going to go to bed... weeeeeeeeell, it can wait 20 minutes

A great video on a platform that I have strange fondness for. Just a slight correction on something you said though... The hardware designers of the 3DO weren't specifically fans of the Amiga computer platform but rather two of its designers! R.J. Mical and Dave Needle were instrumental in helping to design the Amiga, as well as the Atari Lynx and of course the 3DO. They always were very forward thinking in creating genuinely astounding hardware for the era.

You can't talk about 3D0 and not mention RETURN FIRE. That game was awesome, kept me glued for hours and nailed the concept of action/strategy devs still struggle with.

Only heard about this console from the AVGN, now we get the whole story.

I do have a soft spot for the 3DO. There actually are some pretty good games on it. The Wolfenstein 3D port is one of the best versions of the game out there. I also like Road Rash, Killing Time, Need for Speed, Return Fire, Battlesport, and Escape from Monster Manor. I prefer it over the Jaguar for the aforementioned reasons. I would put this system as an interesting failure.

The 90s was such a fascinating era for video games. Like, it was almost like the Game of Thrones era where everyone was competing fiercely and trying to establish their footing.

I had a 3DO and it was awesome. Convinced my dad to get me one in 95 when the price had dropped. Crash n Burn, Star Control 2, Shockwave, Total Eclipse, Samurai Shodown, Escape From Monster Manor...it was very fun for the short year or so before it went under.

The 3DO at least had a Yuyu Hakusho game in Japan.

omg I can’t believe I’m up early enough to see a Matt upload

Speeking of failed consoles, you should do an episode on the PlayStation Vita!

9:53 This Morshu/Matt laugh gets me every time.

I wonder how Trips feels about EA now; hard to believe a guy that wholesome created the video game company version of weyland yutani

Nice to see you finally cover the 3DO. Do have a fact to chime in on the console's stumbled launch you didn't cover. The reason Crash n' Burn was the console's only launch title was because 3DO Company was continuing to make updates to the technical specifications of the console in the months leading up to launch. Due to this, game developers who originally planned to have games ready for the 3DO launch had to delay the release of their titles by a few months because they weren't properly programmed for whatever specifications the 3DO Company kept making for their console. Other than that, you were very spot on with covering the console's history and 3DO's later dabbling as a game developer. But wasn't aware that Trip was trying to also bring Sony aboard as a hardware distributor for their console when they were in the midst of developing the Playstation after their failed business venture with Nintendo to create a Super NES CD-ROM add-on.

The Panasonic 3DO was my first major credit card purchase. Babbages had one on display running Shockwave and I was floored. Not a lot of great games but I have some great gaming memories with it (Wing Commander, Road Rash, etc.) AND it still works. Not a great system but it was a fun step into the 32bit Era.

I have to see the timeline where 3DO beat out sony.

That reaction to the mention of EA was awesome. Very much what was on my mind!!

".... Doodled on a paper napkin back in 1989." What could possibly go wrong?

Did anyone else play "D" on the 3DO? Freaked me out as a little kid.

My Dad got a 3DO when I was a kid. The only notable game I remember having was Ballz 3D. A quite bizarre title. Certainly wasn't the most played console at our house. Also dat random Digimon movie screencap.

Matt really playing SMT Nocturne music in his videos. I love it.

I owned a Panasonic 3DO. It was ludicrously expensive ($700 is steep for a console TODAY, let alone in 1990's dollars), and to this day I have no idea how my brother convinced my father to buy one for us. It certainly failed spectacularly, but I have a lot of fond memories. I loved playing Road Rash, Samurai Showdown, Wing Commander, and Space Hulk on it.

Stadia is the modern day 3DO

The angry video game nerd? Thats a deep cut, and it’s awesome.

Intro is looking amazing Matt. Good job on improving all around over time 👍👍

That video ending soundtrack gives me life; so glad to see that more people are using it, even if they may not like the game it's from. I've never looked into it personally, but I wonder are there any Wha' Happun' moments when it comes to that franchise

Man That *3DO* logo voice you heard every time you loaded up Heroes of Might and Magic 3 still gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. The word *epic* doesn't do it justice.

Still playing Meridian 59 on and off till this day!

Neat to hear the background to this console. Surprising use of Mystery Dungeon music in the background was a pleasant if diverting touch.

I loved the 3DO. Guardian War, Wing Commander 3, super street fighter 2 turbo, the horde, twisted the game show, way of the warrior, alone in the dark, battle chess, syndicate, and my favorite Quarantine. I used to love those games

It actually reminds me a bit about VR headsets. It’s a great concept, that’ll for sure get huge later on, but the technological limits make them difficult to build around and incredibly expensive to purchase and use.

3DO. The first console I ever bought with my own money and will always be my favorite console. Still heartbroken all these years later that we never got the M2.

I would really love to see a What Happened? for “Alone In The Dark (2008)”. I think it had so much potential and it had a lot of good ideas for the time, but it ended up being extremely disappointing. I would love to know... well... what happened?

I want to believe he's still just being ahead of his time, and in a decade, all the massive games and apps will be educational and anti-bullying.

This was a lovely vid. I know many hated the 3DO and rightly so, but I actually have some happy memories of the games on it, as well as the fun psychedelic screensaver you could set it to that pulsed while you played your music cds in it. Ahhh, memories. Also Road Rash on it was some epic shiz for the time.

This is my first vid im seeing from ur channel Matt. I'm happy I am finally here!

2020 was a surprisingly good year for this channel!

5:19 I just noticed that Sailor Jupiter’s theme from the Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon S 3DO game is playing in the background. That’s a deep-cut reference and I love it!

Despite the fact this system sold poorly, I think it's really good! Yes, Plumbers Don't Wear Ties exists, but there's WAY more good games than bad games on 3DO. Killing Time, Wolfenstein 3D, Crash 'n Burn, Gex, Another World/Out Of This World, Road Rash, Alone In The Dark, Starfighter and many more games which are worth buying a 3DO for.

Really liking the frequency of uploads here Matt

I have a 3DO and a lot of games, but I really only remember Gex, "Hey Scoob, let's get back to the Mystery Van!", and a game with Mark Hamill in it. As I recall, the thing was built like a tank!

Luv your channel, keep doing it ❤️

Love the Nocturne music at the end!

I adore this channel, so happy I've found it

It might be 1am. I might have work at 8 and I might have a hangover then, but goddamnit I’m watching the new Matt video

Gotta love the classy SMT3 song at the credits

18:17 Who could have guess that the guy that created EA is such a nice person

I'll always be thankful to the 3DO for giving us the lovely freeware project that is The Ur-Quan Masters, which is based on 3DO source code of its port of Star Control 2.

3dO was sick. Best friend had one in 94. The 3 button controller design was not well thought out. Especially when we had been using the upgraded 6 button controllers for genesis and the super Nintendo controller for years. Jaguar made a similar mistake. The CD quality sound and video was very apparent. Especially on games like Road Rash and Way of the Warrior. It was so cool at the time.

it's always somewhat surreal to see videos on these consoles and games from 30 years ago.

Since, Halloween is coming this month, I would suggest looking at The 3rd Birthday (the third installment to Parasite Eve) and especially Shadows of the Damned since there is a lot that happened behind the scenes. Long story short: EA's fucked Suda51's original vision.

3DO? More like 3D-O-N-T! (I'll be here all week!)

Great vid - Nice work!

I definitely wanna see a “Wha Happun?” of the Amiga CD32.

I have to tip my hat. I just stumbled on this channel a week ago and have watched a lot of your videos now. Good stuff, especially the games I've played or have known about that you've covered. I was curious (if you actually read comments, lol) if you thought about Hellgate: London? I think this one would be great for your show and upcoming Halloween.

Matt, you're really funny man. Love the OSW influences too. Subscribed.

real talk: I miss the Army Men games

I must admit, the daisy-chaining of controllers was really clever.

19:21 is this Playing the Fool? A song in the SMT3 Nocturne ost?

Thank you for the great work Sir

Ah yes, the first time I learned about plumbers dont wear ties - the powerhouse that defined a generation

You get my up doot for that sick opening rap alone

This series is so damn awesome.

Predictions for future episodes; *Frontrunners:* Virtual Boy, Jak and Daxter: The Lost Frontier, Metal Gear Survive, Fant4stic, Ghostbusters 2016 (these have enough clues to make a episode from start to end) *Maybe:* The Last Airbender, Fable Legends, Agent, Final Fantasy XIV (might require more research) *Unlikely:* Cartoon Network Battle Crashers, Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, Big Rigs, Google Stadia, (these were bad from the start) Also, don't expect bootleg games or Phoenix Games on this series. They'd fit more into Flophouse Files for example.

2:40 - that Grandia II music brings back fond memories!

1:42 This was so baffling it made Zero cry

It's fun to look back and remember all of the different consoles that were released in the 90s. Some had such a little impact on my life I forgot they existed like the poor 3do.

I got the perfect movie for you to do a wah happun episode on. Disney's treasure planet. The stuff that happened between. Trying to start making the movie the the actual production, the guy who green lit the movie leaving soon after production started, and how Disney treated the movie all the way til it left theaters is a complete mess.

I’m loving all the Grandia II music being used.

Hey Matt, love the new video. Looks like recent happenings with the crowdfunded game, Indivisible, might make for an interesting future What Happened?, perhaps!

Love your content

LMAO you managed to make that Fresh Prince reference work in the end of that sentence.

I've got great memories of playing games on this system. My brother still has the console and it still works!

18:15 omg I was shown that in my school a few years ago. I never knew it would be mentioned in a What Happened video.

I love this entire video, but I especially love that clip from the Digimon Movie. That scene has hit my funny bone since watch 1 and is the perfect reaction gif for that whackadoo MSRP.

The one good thing that came from the 3DO was the 3DO port of Star Control 2, one of the best games ever, which became the now freeware Ur-Quan Masters.

3:40 Panasonic, Goldstar, sanyo... Also Creative Labs. They did the 3DO "blaster" for PC. There were also AT&T, Samsung, and Toshiba 3do prototypes (Though the consoles were never released) And the Goldstar 3DO Alive 2 released only in South Korea was LG Branded (Goldstar is LG. But still, it had the LG logo on it, which is pretty cool!) And then there's the DMB-800 3DO VCD Combo Player. I Haven't heard much about this one at all. I don't even know what company DMB is! LOL But I've seen pics of it. Seems like it's every 3DO collectors dream!

I love this show, please keep up the good work

At least on the FZ-10 models, I always thought the screensaver that was displayed when you put a music cd in was awesome!