3DO emulators

3DO

The first 3DO machine, Panasonic FZ-1 R.E.A.L. 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
Developer	The 3DO Company
Manufacturer	Panasonic, Sanyo, GoldStar, Creative Technology
Type	Home video game console
Generation	Fifth
Release date	NA: October 4, 1993 JP: March 20, 1994 EU: June 10, 1994 KOR: December 3, 1994
Discontinued	1996 KOR: c. 1998
Successor	Panasonic M2 (cancelled)
Emulated	✓

For emulators that run on the 3DO, see Emulators on 3DO.

The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a 32-bit, fifth-generation home video game console released by The 3DO Company on October 4, 1993. It has an ARM60 RISC CPU clocked @ 12.5 MHz, with two accelerated video co-processors, "Madam" and "Clio", clocked @ 25 MHz.

The system was discontinued in late 1996, as it proved uncompetitive in the fifth-generation market.

Emulators

Name	Platform(s)	Latest version	Enhancements	Hardware features and peripherals	Arcade variant(s)	License	Active	Recommended
PC / x86
Opera		libretro core	~	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✓	✓
Phoenix		2.8.JAG	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	~
4DO		1.3.2.4	?	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✗	~
MAME		git artifacts [1] libretro core	~	✗	✗	GPLv2 BSD-3-Clause	✓	✗*
3d'oh		SVN	?	✗	✗	GPLv2 (Copyleft)	✗	✗
FreeDO		1.9 beta	?	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✗	✗
BizHawk (Opera)		2.11.1	?	?	✗	MIT GPL	✓	?
Mobile / ARM
Opera		libretro core	~	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✓	✓
Real3DOPlayer		1.0.32	?	✗	✗	Proprietary	✗	~
4DOPlay		0.3.1 test video	?	?	✗	?	?	?
Consoles
Opera		libretro core	~	✗	✗	Non-commercial	✓	✓

Comparison

FreeDO

An older abandoned emulator that never left beta. Paved the way for preliminary 3DO emulation development while spawning 4DO and Phoenix. Was open source at one point but became closed due to fear of legal issues.

3d'oh!

Based on the FreeDO emulator. Seems to have lower compatibility, however most of the more popular 3DO titles are compatible. It's a source-only release, so it has to be compiled.

4DO / opera_libretro

4DO is a fork of the FreeDO emulation project, only available for Windows and no longer active. It offers enhancement features. Severe audio glitches are very common, no matter what settings are used. A libretro port named Opera is still in active development, with many of the same features..

Phoenix

A closed-source project by a long-time FreeDO contributor. It is the most compatible 3DO emulator (claiming "100%?!" compatibility). The PC versions are completely in Russian (you can download an English translation patch here). Most of the settings are translated in this picture.

MAME

Has seven preliminary 3do drivers (One for NTSC models, one for PAL models and five related to American Laser Games). Commercial games do not load in the drivers yet (As it is reported as not working and the sound is unimplemented). None of the games are playable so MAME is currently not recommended at this point.

Real3DOPlayer

The Phoenix emulation project is released as separate emulators for Android; this is the 3DO version. Identical compatibility to the PC version, according to the author. Requires 1.5 GHz dual-core ARM or better for full speed.

Enhancements

Name		Opera	Phoenix	4DO
Controls	Input lag-mitigating technique	?	?	?
	Mouse injector compatible	✗	?	?
	Turbo button	?	?	?
Graphics	Resizable internal resolution	✓	?	?
	Texture replacement	?	?	?
	Widescreen hack	?	?	?
Performance	Frame generation technologies (LSFG, DLSS-G, XeSS-FG and AFMF)	Implementing frame generation technology in an emulator is unfortunately quite challenging and unlikely to be feasible in the near future, however post-processing techniques such as motion interpolation is quite possible. Input latency will be a crucial factor, but its impact likely varies depending on the specific technique employed, it's recommended to use after applying the "Internal Framerate Hack". While AFMF or LSFG can be used with MAME, please be aware that some visual glitches and artifacts may occur at this time.
	Internal frame rate hack	?	?	?
	Overclock	✓	?	?
	Preload optical disc image to RAM For users with sluggish multi-platter HDDs or plagued by horrible seek times, this enhancement might offer smoother experience, potentially reduced power consumption; it also shines when disc images reside on a network drive. Although keep in mind that preloading image would take some time, and it will require additional amount of RAM capacity.	?	?	?
Post-processing	AI-powered filter compatible (Freestyle)	?	?	?
	Filters	✓	?	?
	Inverse tone mapping compatible	✓*	?	?
	Post-rendering anti-aliasing (FXAA, TXAA and MLAA/SMAA)	?	?	?
	Post-rendering scaling (Sharp bilinear, Lanczos and FSR 1)	✓	?	?
	Shader chain	✓	?	?
Quality of life	Automatic emulated controller connect/disconnect Automatically connects or disconnects emulated controllers when a new or current controller is connected or disconnected.	✗	✗	✗
	Automatic updater	✓	?	?
	Big Picture Mode	✓	?	?
	Built-in cheat manager	✗*	?	?
	Built-in custom resolution/CRTSwitchRes For using this on Windows OS you need CRT Emudriver. Another option is using EDID editor tool such as "Custom Resolution Utility".	Exclusive to libretro cores and GroovyMAME at the moment. Also there is a project for achieving software emulators like libretro cores and GroovyMAME send the raw RGB data over a network to a core running on MiSTer, it basically turns the MiSTer into a GPU for the emulator allowing for easy setup and use with CRT TVs/Arcade monitors.
	Built-in mod editor and manager	?	?	?
	Built-in patch manager	?	?	?
	Capable image format support	✓	?	?
	Command line options	✓	?	?
	Pause/resume emulation	?	?	?
	Per-game profiles	?	?	?
	Portable and Stealth Useful enhancement feature for non-personal computer use or plug-and-play scenarios. However, it still requires necessary prerequisites and dependencies for your operating system.	✓	?	?
	Streamable compression format	✓	?	?
TAS features	Fast-forward/turbo speed	?	?	?
	Macros/Scripts/Lua	?	?	?
	Movie recording/playback	?	?	?
	Rewind	✓	?	?
	Save states	✓	?	?
Misc.	AI service With the help of OCR and other techniques, the AI service can provide a live translation of a game, or text-to-speech capabilities for the visually impaired among other things, either on demand or automatically.	Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment.
	Debug features	?	?	?
	EmuVR support	Exclusive to libretro cores at the moment.
	Free Look Free Look is a enhancement feature that allows manipulation of the in-game camera.	While freecam would be technically possible, it will require per-game patches. Said patches would require a significant amount of time to reverse the game's engine, which means that only someone talented with enough dedication to a single game could do it.
	Netplay	✓	?	?
	RetroAchievements	✓	?	?

Hardware features and peripherals

Name			Opera	Phoenix	4DO
Hardware features	System BIOS		?	?	?
Peripherals	Controllers	CH Flight Stick Pro	?	?	?
		Gamegun	?	?	?
		Mouse	?	?	?
		Racing wheel	?	?	?
	Home media	3DO Digital Video Module GPA511M	✗	?	?
		3DO Karaoke Mixer	?	?	?
		3DO REAL Video CD Adaptor	✗	?	?
	Panasonic FZ-EM256		?	?	?
	Unlicensed/unreleased	Game Guru Action Replay-like cheat tool	✗	?	?
		AT&T Modem	✗	✗	✗
Misc.

Mouse

Wikipedia - 3DO Mouse (Panasonic FZ-JM1 and Logitech 3DO)

Fewer than 20 games supported its use, some of which were optimized for the standard controller or light gun rather than the mouse. Of the 3DO games which were optimized for use with the mouse, the best known are Myst and Lemmings. The Panasonic mouse was also bundled with Konami's Policenauts Limited Edition in Japan which came with a Policenauts mouse pad.

Home media accessories

Panasonic 3DO Karaoke Mixer

The Panasonic 3DO Karaoke Mixer allows 3DO owners to play a standard Audio CD, turn the vocals down, plug in one or two microphones and sing over the music. This unit was released in limited markets.

3DO REAL Video CD Adaptor

Rare peripheral (for FZ-FV1 models) for VCD home media playback support.

3DO Digital Video Module GPA511M

Another rare peripheral (for Goldstar models) for VCD home media playback support.

See this dedicated page for more information about home media playback support for emulation software.

Resources

• Internet Archive
  • 3DO Redump 08-01-16
  • 3DO Redump 03-23-20
  • 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Manuals
• 3dodev.com
  • 3DO BIOS files