3DO:3DO Model Differences

Page content & researching collaboratively taken from io55.net's 3DO page with permission.

There are three 3DO models, and two revisions within two of these models.

Models + Revisions

Models are arranged chronologically. Revisions are underneath their respective model.

“Panasonic FZ-1” (1993 - 1994)

A photo showing the matte top and shiny top revisions of the FZ-1. The "matte top" is made out of a crude plastic that feels rough when touching, with whitish-grey spots printed on top of a light black texture. On the other hand, the "shiny top" is made out of a slick gravel-textured plastic that feels smooth when touching, with no printed spots and is a darker shade of black. The photo above comes from consoles during the transition of the revisions, where the last batch of the matte top was made in May 1994, while the first batch of shiny top was made in June 1994.

The original 3DO, easily identified by it’s four “columns” at each corner. This model's front-loading CD-ROM tray can have reliability issues, while the system in general doesn't seem to be particularly less or more in the reliability department. When looking at the rarity of the MPEG card, the FZ-1's is not extremely uncommon. Altering or removing savegames on this system requires a memory manager disc. Production quality and “feel” of this system may be somewhat superior to others. Installation of certain hardware mods is also easier in these. No detachable power cord.

There are two revisions of the FZ-1, which are based on their top console shell type. These tops are referred to as the "matte top" and the "shiny top". Each top version has its own motherboard revision type, with each motherboard having two sub-revisions (for a total of four possible motherboards). However, it's important to note that these tops can be easily swapped with each other, so it should to be kept in mind when one searches for FZ-1 consoles.

Despite the motherboard variations, they operate the same as each other when replacing its main parts (disc drive, controller port, etc.) and using optical drive emulator (ODE) devices. The main difference between the four motherboard revisions is the capacitor type, capacitor count, PCB trace paths and/or resistor count.

“Matte Top” (1993 - May 1994)

Here, the top of the console is matte and rough. Furthermore, the console uses active cooling instead of passive cooling. The drives are manufactured a bit earlier.

Matte top consoles most often come with motherboard revision DFUP0576ZAM 2(a) (for early matte batches) or DFUP0576ZAM 3(a) (for later matte batches), identified by its copyright date of 1993 on the front and back of the motherboard, regardless of the month and year the FZ-1 itself was made. These motherboards are the same as each other, but the capacitor type and count is just slightly different between them.

These consoles often have a steel casing around the PSU part of the motherboard, which was often missing from the shiny top revision.

“Shiny Top” (June 1994 - October 1994)

This 3DO has a top which is shiny and smooth, while also using a passive cooling mechanism compared to the Matte Top’s active cooling. Lastly, the drive is manufactured a bit later.

Shiny top consoles most often come with motherboard revision DFUP0648ZA M(a) (for early shiny batches) or DFUP0649ZAM 3(a) (for later shiny batches), identified by its copyright date of 1994 on the front and back of the motherboard. These motherboards are also the same as each other, but the capacitor type and count is just slightly different between them.

Regardless of its motherboard revision and the top shell type, other than capacitors all FZ-1 consoles use the same main parts and ODEs, which are cross-compatible with each other. Pictured on the left is a disc drive from a shiny top dated October 1994 (the latest FZ-1 to be documented), by which the disc drive and other main parts (such as the controller port, PSU and fan) were tested on a matte top, pictured on the right. Notice on this matte top console the steel casing surrounding the PSU part of the motherboard. This part is often missing from shiny top consoles. The date and serial numbers of FZ-1 consoles are found on the side of the console's internal disc drive, as shown in the picture on the left.

“Goldstar GDO-101M” (1994 - 1996)

Typically recognized by the “GoldStar” logo on front, paired with the gray circle on the top of this system. These are notorious for having a CD-ROM tray which frequently fails. Furthermore, some games will run into compatibility issues on this version. The one benefit is that the MPEG hardware card is easiest to find for these, supposedly.

“Panasonic FZ-10” (1994 - 1996)

Can be identified by it’s top loading CD-ROM assembly and it’s “sleeker” console-esque design. Savegames can be managed directly on the console, requiring no disc. However, the build quality is commonly stated to be poorer, and the MPEG card is extremely difficult to find for this model. Reliability is unknown, akin to the FZ-1, although as time goes on, the reliability debate appears to favor the FZ-10s. Has a detachable power cord.

“Pre-Anvil” (1994 - 1995)

On these models, all the system chips are separate and not “merged” together, which will come into play in a moment. One important impact of this, is that it's easier to RGB mod this revision. Furthermore, some say that this makes homebrewing and hacking of these systems possible, which is not the case on “Anvil” systems. Some also say these were made up to August of 1995, but some say they were only made up to February of 1995. These probably have serial numbers which begin with 4.

“Anvil” (1995 - 1996)

Within this revision, the system chips have been merged together into one “Anvil” chip. This causes difficulty with RGB modding, and may also cause difficulty with homebrewing, hacking, and even game compatibility. Some say these began production in March of 1995, while some say these began production in September of 1995. Their serial numbers probably begin with 5.