So taking away the recommendations of "don't get one, they suck"..lol. I'm looking for which model is the safest/best to buy? I remember looking at this and the Jaguar back in the day and for financial reasons had to stick to my SNES and then opted to go for the PS1 when it came out (I couldn't afford to be a multi-console owner back then). So, I've gotten a Jaguar now and would love to get a 3DO but..which freaking one is the best to get? From what i've found it seems like between the: Goldstar, FZ1, FZ10 & Sanyo. it's down to the FZ1 is easiest to get parts for but the FZ10 is probably the most reliable. Just wondering what other opinions the site could offer before I make a purchase. FYI, I reside in the U.S.A.
I've had an FZ-1 for a couple years and haven't had a problem at all with it. It's probably the easiest one to come across, as (I think) it was the most popular.
FZ-10 for reliability, FZ-1 for the cool case style - but be warned that the cd-rom drives on all models (especially the FZ-1), are a pain in the neck to repair and they contain some achilles heal plastic parts (gears) that simply break down with age rendering the system unusable. I wouldn't say parts are particularly cheap or plentiful or easily advertised on online websites for the FZ-1, and the replacement lasers that are sold on chinese websites are for a slightly different variation, and are not a true 100% drop in replacement (typically requires soldering pieces of ribbon cable from the stock broken laser mechanism of an FZ-1 to the replacement mechanism in order to get the proper connection to plug into the cd drive's board). From other people's anecdotes, I think many of these "replacement" lasers are also 20 year old old-stock, so you're not really guaranteed to get a working one either. The FZ-1 (and maybe the FZ-10 and Goldstar/Sanyo models) uses some pulley systems in lieu of plastic gears in the CD drive, and since the rubber bands used for the pulleys are 22 years old now, these can be worn out. The Goldstar units and the Sanyo unit use the exact same CD drive. On the Goldstar units and the Sanyo unit, the cd drive is constructed in such a way that an unusually long ribbon cable folds back on itself whenever you open and close the unit. Many people say that through typical use of the system, this ribbon cable is apt to get pinched over time and sever connections in the ribbon cable. There has been success with replacing these ribbon cables, but you need to know what you're looking for as my experience is that stores/ebay don't really advertise a specific ribbon cable as a 3DO part, and the cable itself does not have a specific part number to look for, and as said before, its something of an unusual length/width combination. There is a super rare korean release Goldstar 3DO that kinda looks like a playstation 1. I don't know much about the cd drive in that unit, but needless to say, you probably wouldn't find one of these when looking to get into the 3DO. I think the 3DO is cool though and you should definitely get one. In fact, HDD mods exist that could make the CDrom issues not so serious. Unfortunately it can turn into an expensive proposition to get into the system with the genuine items (consoles and CIB games), and it can be expensive to repair/get parts if your unit breaks down. In my experience, there are many consoles out there that still work, but even in these cases, FMV and CD audio and other items where data is streamed from a CD will skip due to the age and overall (poor) reliability of the early CD rom tech used. My most recent console (an FZ-1), mostly plays retail pressed games just fine, but burned games are unplayable in terms of the skipping, which can drastically effect gameplay.
If you paid for it plus shipping I could get you a fully working Panasonic 3DO. Just let me know or PM me @Ashevent
The FZ-10 has my vote. Reliability aside, it looks pretty freak'n cool with the VCD adaptor and the memory unit connected. There is also a USB stick replacement for the CD-ROM if that ever craps out on you.
Wow, thanks for the offer! Right now I'm waiting for a big game convention in my town later this month. Friend of a friend may be bringing a FZ-1 that's had all the capacitors replaced & the rest of the unit gone through to sell. If the falls through I will definitely hit you up. Thanks again for offering, very kind. May I ask what the round-about price would be btw?
Depends on where you're located. I can confirm that this 3DO works perfectly and comes with a game, and all of the cables and controllers you need to get started. The price of the system is $100, and then maybe around $30-$50 for shipping? Probably not over $50, could be less then $30 if you're close to me, but probably not by much. If you can get it cheaper Ashevent, then by all means do
Sounds very fair, If this deal isn't all it appears to be I'll be checking in to see if your offer is still on the table. Again; thanks so much. FYI California resident here.
Awesome! Do let me know how it goes, even if you pick up the other one I want to know how you like it I'll let you know if someone else gets it for sure, but it seems unlikely right now. You are so very welcome @Ashevent. Always willing to help out fellow collectors Awesome! One state up from you then
Awesome! My son lives there (Portland) I just made and sent him this Modded Xbox. I hope to get up to the Portland Retro gaming expo one year. I hear it's got some great games and surprisingly good deals.
Oh awesome! I'm in that area quite a bit, maybe not downtown, but around it. The retro gaming expo this year was great. Actually the first year I went but thankfully I had some spending money for it haha. Got some good finds, including my JVC PVM. You should go this coming year! Portland retro swap meet is coming up next month. If you can make it to that, I would. They have some really good prices and deals, and you find just about everything there @Ashevent
Nice score on the JVC PVM! Yeah I hadn't heard about the retro game expo until AFTER we'd visited a few times. Told the Mrs. we have to schedule next visit around that time..lol. Never been to the sacramento game expo, so not sure if it will be any good but it's worth checking out this month. http://www.sacgamersexpo.com
It's pretty huge. Worth checking out for sure. Just a word of warning. Here in Oregon, just about everything to do with retro gaming and arcade sells for more than most places. We have a nice collection of hard core fans, hipsters, and hoarders here in Oregon, and I think it drives the price up. Like candy cabs selling for $700 here, while you can pick them up for $300 in California. Just be weary of prices, know your stuff, and do not be afraid to haggle. If you go both days, Sunday is THE DAY to haggle. Got a copy of Sonic & Knuckles for $5 and got a N64 GameShark absolutely free this year. @Ashevent if you have a Mrs that will let you go, she's probably the right one
Thanks, oh yeah, i'm already building a quick chart of what I want, the usual price and what i'm going to prioritize for this show. Systems have been my main focus other than a few key games and now that i've got most of what I want console wise, i'm going to shift to games (mostly fighting) and some of the more limited consoles. I've been gaming since Pong but only collecting this last few months, just trying to get a good "base" to work from right now. Between yard sales, flea markets, goodwill and a little online auctioning i've been able to get everything I own for under market value...some WAY under. Thanks again!, and i'll probably relay if this show was any good or not at a later date.
Got back from the game expo and got some great deals on games but they were lacking in systems, so just wondering if that 3D0 was still available?
