<s>
The	O
Panasonic	B-Device
M2	I-Device
is	O
a	O
video	B-Device
game	I-Device
console	I-Device
platform	O
developed	O
by	O
3DO	B-Device
and	O
then	O
sold	O
to	O
Matsushita	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
known	O
outside	O
Japan	O
by	O
the	O
brand	O
Panasonic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
announced	O
as	O
a	O
peripheral	O
chip	O
for	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Interactive	I-Device
Multiplayer	I-Device
,	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
unveiled	O
as	O
a	O
standalone	O
console	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
agreement	O
to	O
develop	O
the	O
board	O
was	O
made	O
well	O
in	O
advance	O
of	O
the	O
M2	O
console	O
's	O
planned	O
release	O
date	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
understanding	O
that	O
games	O
using	O
the	O
arcade	O
board	O
would	O
be	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
home	O
console	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
relationship	O
between	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Namco	B-Application
System	I-Application
11	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Because	O
games	O
ran	O
straight	O
from	O
the	O
CD-ROM	B-Device
drive	O
,	O
it	O
suffered	O
from	O
long	O
load	O
times	O
and	O
a	O
high	O
failure	O
rate	O
,	O
so	O
only	O
five	O
games	O
were	O
developed	O
for	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
with	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Interactive	I-Device
Multiplayer	I-Device
,	O
the	O
M2	O
hardware	O
was	O
co-designed	O
by	O
Dave	O
Needle	O
and	O
R	O
.	O
J	O
.	O
Mical	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
announced	O
as	O
a	O
peripheral	O
chip	O
for	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Interactive	I-Device
Multiplayer	I-Device
with	O
a	O
custom	O
PowerPC	B-Architecture
microprocessor	O
,	O
the	O
M2	O
eventually	O
became	O
a	O
standalone	O
console	O
and	O
was	O
exhibited	O
and	O
demonstrated	O
at	O
the	O
1995	O
Electronic	O
Entertainment	O
Expo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
an	O
M2	O
developer	O
stated	O
that	O
he	O
did	O
n't	O
think	O
an	O
M2	O
add-on	O
chip	O
was	O
possible	O
because	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Interactive	I-Device
Multiplayer	I-Device
and	O
M2	O
architectures	O
were	O
too	O
vastly	O
different	O
from	O
each	O
other	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
the	O
plan	O
was	O
for	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Company	O
to	O
license	O
the	O
console	O
to	O
multiple	O
manufacturers	O
,	O
as	O
it	O
had	O
done	O
with	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Interactive	I-Device
Multiplayer	I-Device
,	O
and	O
both	O
Matsushita	O
(	O
Panasonic	O
)	O
and	O
GoldStar	O
were	O
signed	O
on	O
to	O
produce	O
M2	O
units	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
3DO	B-Device
later	O
sold	O
exclusive	O
rights	O
to	O
the	O
M2	O
to	O
Panasonic	O
and	O
relinquished	O
their	O
involvement	O
with	O
the	O
console	O
over	O
the	O
next	O
several	O
months	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
of	O
the	O
M2	O
's	O
third	O
party	O
developers	O
expressed	O
concern	O
that	O
Panasonic	O
would	O
be	O
unable	O
to	O
give	O
them	O
the	O
same	O
high	O
quality	O
development	O
support	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
been	O
receiving	O
from	O
3DO	B-Device
,	O
and	O
said	O
that	O
in	O
light	O
of	O
this	O
they	O
were	O
reconsidering	O
whether	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
worth	O
the	O
effort	O
of	O
learning	O
how	O
to	O
develop	O
for	O
the	O
M2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
3DO	B-Device
president	O
Trip	O
Hawkins	O
,	O
"	O
The	O
deal	O
was	O
virtually	O
done	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Omid	O
Kordestani	O
,	O
a	O
3DO	B-Device
spokesperson	O
,	O
the	O
M2	O
could	O
generate	O
1	O
million	O
polygons	O
per	O
second	O
with	O
the	O
graphics	O
features	O
turned	O
off	O
and	O
700,000	O
polygons	O
per	O
second	O
with	O
the	O
features	O
turned	O
on	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
plans	O
to	O
make	O
M2	O
models	O
with	O
built-in	O
DVD	B-Device
players	I-Device
,	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
later	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
3DO	B-Device
senior	O
vice	O
president	O
of	O
hardware	O
engineering	O
Toby	O
Farrand	O
,	O
"	O
M2	O
was	O
designed	O
knowing	O
that	O
we	O
would	O
make	O
it	O
a	O
DVD	O
capable	O
player.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
also	O
praised	O
the	O
3DO	B-Device
Company	O
's	O
strategies	O
for	O
securing	O
third	O
party	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
system	O
,	O
and	O
concluded	O
that	O
"	O
M2	O
has	O
crossed	O
the	O
line	O
from	O
being	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
fanciful	O
tech	O
specs	O
to	O
hard	O
silicon	O
that	O
people	O
can	O
work	O
on	O
and	O
believe	O
in.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
1996	O
a	O
release	O
date	O
was	O
not	O
yet	O
set	O
for	O
the	O
console	O
,	O
and	O
third	O
party	O
developers	O
were	O
stating	O
that	O
in	O
practice	O
the	O
M2	O
was	O
not	O
significantly	O
more	O
powerful	O
than	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Matsushita	O
cancelled	O
the	O
project	O
in	O
mid-1997	O
,	O
unwilling	O
to	O
compete	O
against	O
fellow	O
Japanese	O
electronics	O
giant	O
Sony	O
's	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
had	O
recently	O
had	O
several	O
top-selling	O
games	O
released	O
for	O
them	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
4	O
KiB	O
data	O
and	O
instruction	O
caches	B-General_Concept
(	O
Level	O
1	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Expansion	O
Capabilities	O
–	O
1	O
PCMCIA	B-Architecture
port	O
(	O
potentially	O
used	O
for	O
modems	B-Application
,	O
Ethernet	B-Protocol
NICs	I-Protocol
,	O
etc	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
M2	O
gamepad	B-Device
was	O
to	O
have	O
six	O
buttons	O
positioned	O
by	O
the	O
right	O
thumb	O
and	O
two	O
shoulder	O
buttons	O
,	O
much	O
like	O
the	O
standard	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
and	O
a	O
D-pad	B-Device
surrounded	O
by	O
a	O
rotating	O
analog	O
wheel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
late	O
1995	O
four	O
M2	O
games	O
in	O
development	O
had	O
been	O
shown	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
:	O
ClayFighter	B-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
Descent	B-Application
,	O
Ironblood	O
(	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
as	O
Iron	B-Application
&	I-Application
Blood	I-Application
:	I-Application
Warriors	I-Application
of	I-Application
Ravenloft	I-Application
)	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
untitled	O
racing	O
game	O
by	O
Studio	O
3DO	B-Device
(	O
presumably	O
IMSA	B-Application
Racing	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
fifth	O
game	O
,	O
D2	B-Application
(	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
D	B-Application
)	O
,	O
was	O
previewed	O
early	O
the	O
following	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Studio	O
3DO	B-Device
also	O
claimed	O
to	O
be	O
working	O
on	O
a	O
version	O
of	O
BattleSport	B-Application
for	O
M2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
confirmed	O
M2	O
projects	O
include	O
Return	B-Device
Fire	I-Device
2	I-Device
;	O
Power	O
Crystal	O
,	O
an	O
RPG	O
by	O
British	O
developer	O
Perceptions	O
;	O
a	O
rail	O
shooter	O
developed	O
by	O
Genki	O
;	O
and	O
NFLPA	O
Superstars	O
,	O
a	O
6v6	O
backyard	O
football	O
game	O
by	O
Condor	O
(	O
later	O
renamed	O
Blizzard	O
North	O
)	O
,	O
whose	O
budget	O
of	O
nearly	O
$1m	O
helped	O
the	O
company	O
financially	O
during	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
Diablo	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultra	O
Game	O
Players	O
magazine	O
reported	O
in	O
its	O
July	O
1997	O
issue	O
that	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
a	O
former	O
3DO	B-Device
employee	O
,	O
nearly	O
80	O
games	O
were	O
in	O
development	O
for	O
the	O
M2	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2010	O
the	O
only	O
completed	O
M2	O
game	O
,	O
IMSA	B-Application
Racing	I-Application
,	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
public	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
disc	O
contains	O
twelve	O
diverse	O
demos	O
from	O
the	O
development	O
period	O
of	O
M2	O
and	O
includes	O
the	O
only	O
known	O
playable	O
files	O
of	O
the	O
M2	O
version	O
of	O
D2	B-Application
.	O
</s>
