{{short description|Arcade cabinet}} {{About|the arcade cabinet|other uses of R360 and R-360|R-360 (disambiguation){{!}}R-360}} {{Infobox information appliance | name = R360 | logo = Sega R-360 logo.svg | image = Sega R-360 machine.png | manufacturer = [[Sega]] | type = [[Arcade cabinet]] | generation = [[Fourth generation of video game consoles|Fourth generation]] | release_date = {{vgrelease|JP|November 1990|WW|Early 1991}} | units_shipped = ≈100-200 | dimensions = | weight = | successor = R360Z }}
The '''R360''' is a motion-based [[arcade cabinet]] produced by [[Sega]]. It was first released in Japan in 1990, and internationally a year later. Being short for "Rotate 360", the R360 is noteworthy for its ability to spin 360 degrees in any direction on two metal axes, allowing the player to freely move as the cabinet mimics the in-game action, including the ability to turn completely upside down. A safety bar and four-point safety harness are utilized to keep players in the seat as the machine moves. An emergency stop button is also present both inside the machine and on the attendant tower.<ref>https://www.timeextension.com/features/segas-vomit-inducing-r360-is-an-endangered-species-from-a-different-age</ref>
Designed by [[Sega AM2]], the R360 was part of the company's movement to create attraction-like games for Japanese amusement centers. Only two compatible games were produced: ''[[G-LOC: Air Battle]]'' in 1990, and ''[[Wing War]]'' in 1994. An R360 unit demonstrating ''[[Rad Mobile]]'' was demonstrated in Japan, but was never publicly released. The cabinet was commercially unsuccessful, with only an estimated 100 units being produced and fewer being sold. Critics commended the R360 for its unique and technologically advanced concept, with one critic saying it helped represent Sega's massive presence in the arcade industry. A successor, the R360Z, was released in 2015 for ''[[Transformers: Human Alliance]]'', which can seat two players.
==Technical specifications== The R360 was designed by [[Sega AM2]].<ref name="EuroG">{{cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Martin |title=Tales from inside Sega AM2's top-secret studio |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-10-10-tales-from-inside-studio-128-sega-am2s-top-secret-studio |website=[[Eurogamer]] |access-date=16 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191016202644/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-10-10-tales-from-inside-studio-128-sega-am2s-top-secret-studio |archive-date=16 October 2019 |date=10 October 2019}}</ref> Its name is short for "Rotate 360", representative of the cabinet's ability to spin 360 degrees in any direction.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Horowitz|first=Ken|title=The Sega Arcade Revolution: A History in 62 Games|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|year=2018|isbn=9781476631967|pages=177–184}}</ref> Physically, the unit is {{Convert|7|ft|cm|abbr=}} in diameter and {{Convert|8|ft|cm|abbr=}} tall. It weighs over {{Convert|2200|lb|kg|abbr=}}, and utilizes a 20-inch (51 cm) monitor for gameplay. The cabinet is mounted on a [[gyroscope]] that can rotate along two axes, attached to a base which is stationary.<ref name=":1" />
A safety bar and four-point safety harness are utilized to keep players in the seat as the machine moves.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|last=Keinert|first=Kevin|date=December 2001|title=The Hunt for Sega's R360 Wing War|magazine=RePlay}}</ref> Additionally, light sensors would stop the machine if a player extended an arm or leg outside the cabinet; this feature caused an issue if the R360 sat in direct sunlight.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book|title=Sega Arcade History|publisher=[[Enterbrain]]|year=2002|isbn=9784757707900|location=Tokyo|language=ja|chapter=Interview with Masao Yoshimoto}}</ref> Two emergency stop buttons are present; one is inside the arcade cabinet and the second is on an attendant tower. A sensor grid triggers an alarm if the cabinet is approached while the game is in motion. While the attendant tower and the cabinet itself of the R360 featured coin slots, arcade operators were strongly warned not to allow the game to be played without an attendant and the safety fence, for fear of someone losing a limb or being killed by the moving machine. Attendants were also necessary if the emergency stop features were triggered; a button on the attendant tower would allow them to reset the machine and prevent players from being stuck upside down.<ref name=":0" /> By Sega's recommendation, players are barred from using the R360 if they have heart conditions, are [[Substance intoxication|intoxicated]], pregnant, have high or low blood pressure, have been advised against strenuous activity, or have "mental or physical problems."<ref name=theone />
== History == The R360 was first tested in Sega's Tokyo arcades in early 1990, and given a broader release later that year.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=April 1991|title=Tech Update: Coin-Op Simulation Dogfight|magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]]|page=20}}</ref> It was advertised in ''[[Sega Visions]]'' in the US as early as winter 1990-91<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=Winter 1990–91|title=Visions and Views in the News|magazine=[[Sega Visions]]|issue=3|page=42}}</ref> and exhibited in the UK [[Amusement Trades Exhibition International]] in 1991.<ref>{{cite magazine|title = Coin-Operated Corkers!|date = February 1991|url = https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-29/page/n19|magazine = The One|publisher = emap Images|last = Nesbitt|first = Brian|issue = 29|page = 20}}</ref> Sega initially classified the game as a ride, and included ''[[G-LOC: Air Battle]]'' as the included game. Players were capable of playing the game or simply selecting "experience" to ride the cabinet as the game ran through its demo mode.<ref name=":0" /> ''G-LOC: Air Battle'' operates on the [[List of Sega arcade system boards|Sega Y Board]] for its [[arcade system board]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/g-loc-air-battle/|title=G-LOC: Air Battle|last=Kalata|first=Kurt|date=October 17, 2010|website=Hardcore Gaming 101|access-date=March 13, 2020}}</ref> An R360 unit playing ''[[Rad Mobile]]'' was demonstrated in Japan, but never confirmed to have a release. An additional release for the cabinet came in 1994 with ''[[Wing War]]'', a Model 1 arcade board release. ''Wing War'' for the R360 required two cabinets to be linked.<ref name=":0" />
According to [[The One (magazine)|''The One'']], the R360 cost "over £70,000" in 1991,<ref name="theone" /> while R360 collector Kevin Keinert placed the price at $90,000 or more. This meant only the largest arcade operators could afford the machine.<ref name=":0" /> The [[London Trocadero#Relaunch|Funland Arcade in the Trocadero Complex]] charged £3 per ride in 1991;<ref name="theone" /> in the United States, the play price varied between $3 and $5. Additional costs to the machine came in repairs. Sega did not include schematics with the R360, and the cabinet's circuitry was complex and prone to failure.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:R360Z-TRANSFORMERS.jpg|thumb|A Sega R360Z at Tokyo Joypolis]] Sega stopped manufacturing the R360 within a few years. No official figure on how many cabinets were sold has been released; according to Keinert, contact with Sega has been returned by calling that number a "company secret". He estimates that between 100 and 200 units were made.<ref name=":0" /> In 2015, Sega introduced a [[motion simulator]] attraction based on its arcade game ''[[Transformers: Human Alliance]]'' at [[Joypolis]]. The attraction utilizes a new version of the R360, labeled as "R360Z", which seats two passengers.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Plunkett|first=Luke|url=https://kotaku.com/segas-transformers-arcade-game-is-a-spinning-vortex-of-1719154648|title=Sega's Transformers Arcade Game Is A Spinning Vortex Of Death|work=Kotaku|access-date=2018-02-27|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://arcadeheroes.com/2015/07/19/sega-launches-transformers-human-alliance-special-at-the-tokyo-joypolis/|title=Sega Launches Transformers Human Alliance Special At the Tokyo Joypolis|date=2015-07-19|work=Arcade Heroes|access-date=2018-02-27|language=en-US}}</ref>
==Reception== British gaming magazine ''The One'' reviewed the R360 in 1991, playing ''G-LOC: Air Battle'', and begins their review by expressing that "what the R360 delivers is the greatest sensory overload you are ever likely to get without taking your trousers off ... this is a unit that will turn your whole idea of what a coin-op is upside-down." ''The One'' noted that the R360 made them nauseated from motion sickness, but despite this they excitedly stated that the R360's gameplay is "an experience!!!"<ref name=theone>{{cite magazine|title = Arcades: R360|date = May 1991|url = https://archive.org/details/theone-magazine-32/page/n123|magazine = The One|publisher = emap Images|last = Cook|first = John|issue = 32|pages = 74–75}}</ref> ''[[Cash Box (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' was enamored by the machine's unique concept and capabilities, exclaiming: "This is not just a video game, it is a video experience which will make your heart pound and adrenalin flow as you engage in high speed air battle and dog fighting!"<ref name="Cash Box">{{cite news |title=Coin Machine - Sega's R360 |url=https://archive.org/details/cashbox54unse_22/page/22/mode/2up/search/R360?q=R360 |access-date=16 February 2020 |agency=[[Cash Box]] |date=26 January 1991 |page=22}}</ref> Video game journalist Ken Horowitz called the R360's existence a notable one for its demonstrating Sega's desire to create bigger and more realistic games.<ref name=":0" /> Retrospectively in 2019, ''[[Retro Gamer]]'' said that the R360 helped represent Sega's massive presence in the arcade game market for its unique and interesting idea, writing that it is "the pinnacle of what could be achieved in videogames at the time and shows the dominance Sega had in the industry."<ref name="RGamer">{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Craig |title=Exploring the R360 |url=https://www.pressreader.com/uk/retro-gamer/20190613/283072710779212 |access-date=16 February 2020 |agency=[[Retro Gamer]] |publisher=[[Imagine Publishing]] |date=13 June 2019 |location=United Kingdom}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Video games}} * [https://archive.org/search?query=Sega+R360 Sega R360] on the [[Internet Archive]]
{{Sega hardware}}
[[Category:Arcade hardware]] [[Category:Sega hardware]]