The M2 looks like it could have been a pretty good console, pitty it had to go down the way it did, it could have given the others a bit of competition...
Cool! The transition from the CGI-video to actual rendering goes pretty smooth, thanks for sharing (again)
Thanks for sharing, I nearly forgot about the M2. And I agree, it needs some icon love. I whipped together two if anyone wants to use or edit them. Sorry if they're not that great, I'm rusty at low-res pixel art, been too busy with hi-res stuff the past few years.
I'm totally uninformed on 3DO and M2 hardware. Are the M2 units backwards compatible with the 3DO software library? If not, were there ever any plans for this? And, like the 3DO, could the M2 read CDr copies of software? Or were there more extensive copy protection mechanisms?
When the M2 was first being publicly discussed, it was mentioned that it would be backwards compatible with 3DO software. However, this functionality was quickly discarded. The M2 hardware that exists reads CD-R / DVD copies without issue. Had Matsushita pushed ahead with releasing the console, the M2 would have had copy protection and unverified code protection rivaling that of its predecessor, 3DO.
Interesting. Didn't know this... Does the M2 have a DVD drive? Was it planned to have native DVD video playback capabilities? I thought the M2 was in development circa 1996, this seems a little early to be able to cost effectively incorporate DVD technology?
The M2 gaming console was not spec'd with a DVD drive; however, DVD drives do coexist with M2 technology in the media kiosks that were eventually released. They will read M2 published recordable DVD's.
Alright! More questions! (because I've read some contradictory stuff in different places online) I'll underline them because they might get hidden in this post. As for the M2 units that have the same shape as this game console, there is the white one, and maybe another variation which also has a white shell which I think I saw in your 3DO collection thread, and then there is a black one. All of these have the two controller ports and share the same plastic shell design. I understand the white shell models are typically development units? Is this particular white model with the N64 esq controller different from the development unit models? Or is it the same model? ^Regarding the black plastic housing edition which is often pictured with a 3DO esq controller... I saw this referred to as the "game console" edition - and then I saw pictures of this same unit referred to as the "kiosk" edition. As you mentioned above, M2 technology found its way into matsushita/panasonic advertising/interactive kiosks. Is this console esq black model with controller, somehow for use in a kiosk? I would have figured for marketing purposes if nothing else, that they would go with a more conservative design and have a different input than a game controller... Can the black model play the M2 console software/demos? Someone was selling this model, which I believe is a kiosk model with m2 technology on ebay years ago. And there were pictures of it playing the Imsa racing proto (apparently there is a controller input in the back). Can you run some kiosk software on the console / console software on a kiosk model?
competition...i think not. But it could have had a couple of very good and unique games as the first 3DO did...
I still can't believe there are working M2 (FZ-35s) out there...unbelievable. Will soon get one....and there is imsa racing an almost finished game on it. Incredible! The guys who worked on this game were top notch(Snakebyte, battle zone).---and if you think studio 3do never made any good racing games on FZ1! Is there any chance seeing 5 konami games running on that kiosk thing! i mean the arcade boards had more memory then FZ 21s but maybe FZ 35s is up to the task! Would be incredible. Still fantastic seeing this hardware runing! IS like a fairy tale...a tale of myths come true!!!! And the potential of the hardware wow and some years ago we thought it was all vaporware! Now bring us shenmue 1 on saturn !
