R360

The R360 was designed by a team of developers that would later become Sega AM4.[4] Its name is short for "Rotate 360", representative of the cabinet's ability to spin 360 degrees in any direction.[5] Physically, the unit is 7 feet (210 cm) in diameter and 8 feet (240 cm) tall. It weighs over 2,200 pounds (1,000 kg), 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.[6]

A safety bar and four-point safety harness are utilized to keep players in the seat as the machine moves.[6] 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.[7] 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 from 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.[5]

By Sega's recommendation, players are barred from using the R360 if they have heart conditions, are intoxicated, pregnant, have high or low blood pressure, have been advised against strenuous activity, or have "mental or physical problems."[8]

The R360 was first shown to the public at a press event held on July 3, 1990, and was location tested at the Hi-Tech Land Sega game center in Shibuya, Tokyo, in the following weeks.[9] Initially, Sega only supplied the machine to larger amusement venues directly managed by them in Japan, including Sega Worlds in Tokyo. After overseas demand mounted, R360 stock was reallocated, with the units advertised in Sega Visions in the US as early as winter 1990-early 91[10] and exhibited at the UK Amusement Trades Exhibition International in 1991.[11]

To begin with, Sega classified the game as a ride, and shipped 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.[5] According to The One, the R360 cost "over £70,000" in 1991,[8] i.e. $120,000 (equivalent to $260,000 in 2022), while R360 collector Kevin Keinert placed the price at $90,000 (equivalent to $200,000 in 2022) or more. This meant only the largest arcade operators could afford the machine.[5] The Funland Arcade in the Trocadero Complex charged £3 per ride in 1991;[8] in the United States, the play price varied between $3 and $5.

Sega did not include schematics with the R360, and the cabinet's circuitry was complex and prone to failure.[5] Additional costs to the machine came in repairs. An R360 unit playing Rad Mobile was demonstrated in Japan at expositions and location tested at the aforementioned Hi-Tech Land Sega location in Shibuya during 1991, but never confirmed to have a wider 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.[5]

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 with calling that number a "company secret". He estimates that between 100 and 200 units were made.[5] 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.[12][13]

Taito released a similar rotating gyroscopic motion cabinet for arcades in 1991, called the D3BOS. While the R360 was used for interactive video game content, Taito's cabinet was mainly used for interactive film content. Taito later released an upgraded version, the Super D3BOS, in 1993.[1]

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!!!"[8] Cash Box were 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!"[14] 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.[5] 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."[15]