June 3, 1993
AUDIO…VIDEO…NOW, 3DO
PANASONIC DEBUTS WORLD'S FIRST INTERACTIVE MULTIPLAYER
CHICAGO, June, 1993 - First, there was audio. Then, video. Now, get ready for the next revolution: 3DO". Panasonic is preparing for the coming breakthrough with the debut of the Panasonic FZ-1 REAL 3DO Interactive Multiplayer"", the first consumer product to utilize the potential of this powerful new multimedia technology to its fullest.
"This technology is nothing less than a quantum leap forward in home education and entertainment," says Panasonic vice president and general manager Richard Lovisolo. "Imagine an interactive CD system that gives you real-time interactivity and living images of laser disc quality. This is what the Panasonic FZ-1 REAL 3DO Interactive Multiplayer and 3DO are all about."
The Panasonic REAL 3DO Interactive Multiplayer's breakthrough performance is due to a revolutionary open-ended architecture designed specifically for speed, realism and responsiveness which draws on the enormous data storage potential of the CD. Because the 3DO system's architecture is open-ended, educational and entertainment possibilities are limited only by the software designer's imagination.
Says Lovisolo: "This new interactive system opens a whole new world of education, entertainment and information applications for the home. With its multiple applications, the product is much more than a game machine although it does that very well. We're certain the Panasonic REAL 3DO Interactive Multiplayer will find ready acceptance among the estimated 150 million interactive customers in the United States."
The 3DO system offers performance 50 times greater than conventional personal computer and video game animation. Compared with 16-bit animation processing of 1 million pixels per second with images of 256 colors, the 3DO system can process an average 50 million pixels per second and deliver more than 16 million colors. The REAL 3DO Interactive Multiplayer also has full digital synergy and will play music CDs in full digital sound, photo CDs and, with the right software, even motion video CDs.
Panasonic is committed to interactive technologies and the 3DO system, as evidenced by its newly established Interactive Media Division. The division is dedicated exclusively to the marketing of this new generation of interactive consumer products. Gene Kelsey, assistant general manager, will provide day-to-day management of this new division. Supporting sales of the FZ-1 REAL 3DO Interactive Multiplayer will be a highly- trained staff of more than 80 sales representatives.