The Cancelled Console: 3DO M2 Games Can Be Emulated In MAME

You won’t be judged for not knowing about the canceled console: 3DO M2 as many might be hearing about it for the first time. The precious hardware was presumed to be the successor to the 3DO game console, which was widely beloved. Sadly, the sequel was canceled unexpectedly in 1997 due to strain from the emerging consoles, the likes of Nintendo’s N64 and Sony’s PlayStation. 

Nevertheless, the legacy of 3DO M2 did not end there. The canceled hardware became little more than a mention in books of video game history, as much of the gaming community omitted its existence. However, 3DO M2 became a very precious piece for collectors of retro consoles. The console’s titles are deemed rare gems due to how difficult it is to play them.

The 3DO M2 console is highly sought out due to how rare the piece of hardware is to get your hands on. Collectors like Video Game Esoterica are among the people with access to the very rare console. Only 5 games were ever produced for the alluring hardware, being very desired so they can be preserved by collectors and retro gamers enthusiasts.

Those 5 olden games have now been emulated on MAME emulator, meaning the titles can now be played on a PC, considering you boast a high-end processor. The achievement was explored by the popular retro gamer enthusiast, Anthony Bacon, who runs the aforementioned Youtube channel. The youtube video details all the particulars of the project. Anthony runs all titles that were released on 3DO M2.

The video description reads, “Ever since I released the 3DO M2 Portfolio source code people have been asking…can you emulate 3DO M2 in MAME? and if so how is the emulation? Well, let’s see how Tobe! Polystars, Evil Night, Total Vice, Battle Tryst, and Heat of Eleven play in MAME! Because retro-gaming preservation is important!”

MAME emulator is designed to recreate the hardware of arcade game systems in software on modern PCs. This emulator is widely used by retro game preservers to prevent vintage games to be lost. 3DO M2 games were played on the MAME emulator by Anthony and all the games except Battle Tryst ran successfully. 

The 3D battle game did not run because it is using a different graphical rendering mode which prevented the game to work. All the other 4 titles were able to work successfully but with their own drawbacks. The titles did not run at full speed and ran at lower percentages of speed than the original hardware board depending on the game. 

According to Anthony, a beefy processor is required and older generations may result in more inferior speeds than what he experienced throughout his testing process. The olden retro games can now be played on the MAME emulator which is a big help considering the console is very hard to obtain. More retro gaming enthusiasts can experience to indulge in these rare 5 titles.

What are your thoughts about the project? Do let us know your opinions in the comments below.

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