I have this obsession. Whenever I collect consoles for a particular gaming system I HAVE to have ALL of the versions that were cosmetically different (as in a Gen 1, 2&3, top AND front load NES,even the original PSX.. every version with a different back panel I/O config).

So I have three 3DOs. An FZ-1, FZ-10 & a Goldstar. I remember seeing/reading this a couple of times.. but I don't know where. Has anybody ever heard that there were TWO versions of the FZ-1? The first run production models had a VERY shiny black top on them the second runs and on, had a rather flat opaque top on them. I swear I have seen both. You don't see the glossy topped ones very much on eBay and they're hard to spot usually because of crappy pictures, but when you look at these units at an angle from the front.. the tops are black and have almost a mirror finish to them. Some would call it a "piano" look I guess, but you can readily see reflections and camera flash in/off the top. The other later units had a flat appearance to them. When you look at both tops straight from top down.. you really can't see this and they BOTH have the white "speckled" appearance only the first release's specks are finer, hence.. it almost "looks" black.

I wish I could find comparative pictures to show.. but on eBay you rarely see it. I have actually PM'ed several sellers before asking them what kind of "top" their 3DO has.. but most of them have a hard time grasping the concept I'm trying to explain. Rumour had it also that the 1st run ones were constructed a little "beefier" (like the Atari 2600 heavy sixers) but I can't vouch for that. Also.. that Panasonic dropped the mirror finish because people complained it was too hard to keep clean.

Has anybody else ever heard this? Because I swear I have seen good illustrations of both kinds in the past, but no one else ever mentions this. Tell me I'm not insane.. well at least not totally.