The LaserActive was an incredibly expensive console, which, while being a great modern-day collectible, was late to the party when released in 1993 by Pioneer. It was a laserdisc-based gaming platform that had the ability to overlay 16-bit graphics over high-quality video just as the laserdisc format was breathing its last gasp.
Pioneer’s sole video game console entry is perhaps the only true convergence of multiple forms of media in gaming history. While the Philips CD-i and Trip Hawkin’s 3DO tried to offer a true “multimedia” machine, only the LaserActive actually allowed multiple formats to operate on its hardware, even if it did so in a very bungling manner….
The LaserActive could play movies, music, edutainment software, serve as a karaoke player and play a variety of gaming formats. When “fully expanded,” the LaserActive could play all the following forms of media:
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