The Strange (and Rare) Videogame Pics Page

CREATIVE LABS.

3DO BLASTER CARD

This card (made by popular graphics and sound card manufacturer Creative Labs.) could add complete 3DO compatibility to a Windows-based computer. The card was distributed for a limited period only in USA, UK and Far Eastern markets and was a complete failure due to the fact that 3DO platform never reached a good position on the market. At least two versions of the card existed: one for the NTSC markets and one for the PAL markets. Only the second was fully compatible with PAL optimized titles.
An optional FMV daughterboard was also planned to add full VideoCD playback capabilities to the card: it was never released.

Hardware requirements

Intel or compatible PC with Microsoft Windows (the card couldn't be used with DOS)

Any of these Sound Blaster cards: Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16 or Sound Blaster AWE32

A Panasonic CR-563 CD-ROM drive (sold with the aforementioned sound cards)

A free ISA slot

A VGA graphic card with VESA compatible connector

3DO Blaster card. The card was sold with cables, all the software needed, a 3DO controller and two 3DO games on cd: Shock Wave from Electronic Arts and Gridders from Tetragon. A third cd, containing demos of popular 3DO games were also included. Strangely enough bundled with this card were also Aldus Photostyler SE (a photo editing software) and Aldus Gallery Effects Vol. I (a collection of artistic effects): both weren't compatible with the 3DO Blaster. I wonder why they were given away free...

Another image of the card with the bundled joypad.

A 3DO Blaster stand in a past E3. It was it's first appearance in a trade show!
Other versions of the card were originally planned to support other CD-ROM drives.