Insanely Rare Sega Arcade Cabinet Found Abandoned In UK Field -

[TopCat]

As the old saying goes, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but it’s hard to think of a time when this phrase was pushed to its absolute limits quite like now. This month, an incredibly valuable piece of gaming history was discovered abandoned–and in a sad state of disrepair–in a Northern Irish field.

A Sega R360–the mad, cutting-edge, gyroscope-like arcade cabinet that debuted in Japan in late 1990 before being unleashed across the world the following year–has been spotted near the north coast of County Antrim, exposed to the elements and in desperate need of attention.

The legendary, 30-year-old machine was found by Lee Peters, a member of Facebook’s 1,000-strong Sega R360 & R360Z Fan Club, who took a series of photos of the sorry-looking R360, which now sits on a farm somewhere north of Belfast. A passionate gamer himself, Peters immediately knew what it was because of his own happy memories of an R360 in the English seaside resort of Blackpool, just over the Irish Sea.

The Sega R360 was the world's first commercial game machine with the ability to rotate 360 degrees in all directions–even though its safety features stopped players from turning themselves entirely upside down. While it cost five times more than contemporary arcade machines to play, it became yet another success for its creator, and was full of that peculiar Sega charm.

However, fewer than 200 were made, and it only had two games. Most cabinets were fitted with Master System After Burner spin-off G-LOC: Air Battle, while Wing War, which was exclusive to arcade cabinets via the R360 and a two-player sit-down alternative, followed in 1994.

It’s believed this particular R360 was the star attraction of an Ulster arcade in the 90s, but after it closed down, it was moved to a local farmer’s shed for storage. Sadly, it was never collected again–perhaps because it’s seven feet tall and weighs 2,200lbs–but in the hands of someone who wasn’t aware of its significance or value, it was subjected to the grim fate of British weather for decades.

It’s quite surprising to even see a British R360 outside of England. Most were found in the U.K.’s once-popular SegaWorld arcades, which swept England from 1992 onwards–including the famous landmark attraction in London’s Trocadero, just a stone’s throw away from Piccadilly Circus. Just like Sega itself, these facilities soon stopped providing hardware to the masses, disappearing in the early 2000s.

Sadly, this Northern Irish R360 looks unrestorable, but Peters has staked a claim on this incredible piece of gaming history, promising to return with a van and hopefully bring the glory back to one of the world’s most prized, and unique, machines.

Insanely Rare Sega Arcade Cabinet Found Abandoned In U.K. Field

One of Sega's most iconic and rare arcade machines has been spotted in County Antrim, and could be worth more than meets the eye.

www.forbes.com

 

[Chaos Theorist]

F in the chat

 

[Ponchik]

to be this good takes AGES

 

[TFT-A9]

what a waste. Oh well, nothing lasts forever anyhow.

 

[NOT Sword Fighter Super]

I wonder who put it there and why?
If they were trying to just dispose of it secretly, couldn't the serials numbers be traced?
It just seems like a stupid thing to dump in the middle of nowhere.

 

[Alrakkan]

I wonder who put it there and why?
If they were trying to just dispose of it secretly, couldn't the serials numbers be traced?
It just seems like a stupid thing to dump in the middle of nowhere.

You assume so much of the pikeys of Great Britain

 

[Irrational Exuberance]

You assume so much of the pikeys of Great Britain

Yeah, I think this would stretch the credibility of "it fell off the back of a truck - honest, guv!" to it's breaking point.

 

[Toolbox]

I wonder who put it there and why?
If they were trying to just dispose of it secretly, couldn't the serials numbers be traced?
It just seems like a stupid thing to dump in the middle of nowhere.

Either a dying arcade that didn't know what it had or someone just clearing stuff out of a building who also didn't do any research.

 

[Alrakkan]

Yeah, I think this would stretch the credibility of "it fell off the back of a truck - honest, guv!" to it's breaking point.

Lmao I'm telling you it can get worse than that.

 

[sasazuka]

However, fewer than 200 were made, and it only had two games. Most cabinets were fitted with Master System After Burner spin-off G-LOC: Air Battle, while Wing War, which was exclusive to arcade cabinets via the R360 and a two-player sit-down alternative, followed in 1994.

They must have meant the arcade version of G-LOC, I can't imagine Sega would use such a high-tech cabinet just to play a Master System game.

Spoiler: G-Loc: Air Battle Arcade

 

[Cool Dog]

Was it that rare? I remember seeing it in arcades here in Argentina.

Even used it once, disappointed at how bad the graphics were, also all my coins went flying off my pockets.

I do wish I could've gone to the Segaworld in london even if videos show it was just a big arcade and not something big like Disneyworld.

Anyway, I just realized its been 20 years since the Dreamcast got killed. Fuck I'm old.

 

[Toolbox]

This reminded me of another machine that's still produced as far as I can tell. The "Vr 2002" probably named for whenever it was first produced.

They usually just use prerendered cg footage that's heavily outdated but there's supposedly ones that have some sort of flight sim installed.

 

[GhostButt]

 

[sasazuka]

Here's the other Sega arcade game used in the cabinet, Wing War.

Spoiler: Sega Wing War, mild epilepsy warning due to the black screen every few frames due to the CRT camera sync problem

It's bare polygons when Sega already had the ability to put textures on polygons though that may be because a flight simulator with three axes of movement is more demanding on the processor than a racing game like Daytona USA.

I was also wondering if it's the same kind of cabinet that was used in probably the most famous After Burner arcade machine cameo in a movie but the After Burner cabinet doesn't have those gimbals.

Spoiler: Terminator 2: Judgment Day; John Connor playing After Burner

@wendys dog I went to Segaworld in London once (1998 or 1999) but I wasn't too impressed. I remember everything was lit with blue neon and there was lots of advertising for Pepsi and I recorded a tape where I sang "Safety Dance" at one of those karaoke booth things but the arcade games were pretty much the same Sega arcade games you could play at any big arcade in the world. I think I played more actual arcade games at London's Namco Wonderpark, which was less pretentious and more of a basic arcade.

 

[Cool Dog]

Here's the other Sega arcade game used in the cabinet, Wing War.

Spoiler: Sega Wing War, mild epilepsy warning due to the black screen every few frames due to the CRT camera sync problem

It's bare polygons when Sega already had the ability to put textures on polygons though that may be because a flight simulator with three axes of movement is more demanding on the processor than a racing game like Daytona USA.

I was also wondering if it's the same kind of cabinet that was used in probably the most famous After Burner arcade machine cameo in a movie but the After Burner cabinet doesn't have those gimbals.

Spoiler: Terminator 2: Judgment Day; John Connor playing After Burner

@wendys dog I went to Segaworld in London once (1998 or 1999) but I wasn't too impressed. I remember everything was lit with blue neon and there was lots of advertising for Pepsi and I recorded a tape where I sang "Safety Dance" at one of those karaoke booth things but the arcade games were pretty much the same Sega arcade games you could play at any big arcade in the world. I think I played more actual arcade games at London's Namco Wonderpark, which was less pretentious and more of a basic arcade.

Nah it was definitely a 2D game, probably that Gloc but it didnt look like a Master System game just System16-like

Still a disappointment given they had Air Combat just on the corner, a much better game for this cabinet IMHO

As for Segaworld, didnt they have some VR rides too? I know 90s VR was shit, I remember using the Virtuality headsets here and I couldnt see shit

 

[General Disarray]

I wonder who put it there and why?
If they were trying to just dispose of it secretly, couldn't the serials numbers be traced?
It just seems like a stupid thing to dump in the middle of nowhere.

It’s believed this particular R360 was the star attraction of an Ulster arcade in the 90s, but after it closed down, it was moved to a local farmer’s shed for storage. Sadly, it was never collected again–perhaps because it’s seven feet tall and weighs 2,200lbs–but in the hands of someone who wasn’t aware of its significance or value, it was subjected to the grim fate of British weather for decades.

From the article lol. Probably the shed just rotted away and fell down around the thing.

 

[sasazuka]

As for Segaworld, didnt they have some VR rides too? I know 90s VR was shit, I remember using the Virtuality headsets here and I couldnt see shit

Oh, there was probably VR stuff. I think I lost interest in trying a lot of things at Segaworld due to the lineups since it was in the Trocadero building at Piccadilly Circus, so basically it was at the heart of the tourist trap area of London. The Namco Wonderpark was nearby (I forget exactly where) but it was just a little more out of the way and I remember there being plenty of games I didn't have to wait in line to play.

I suspect the VR stuff was probably going to be more expensive than just playing regular arcade games as well.

 

[Vyse Inglebard]

This reminded me of another machine that's still produced as far as I can tell. The "Vr 2002" probably named for whenever it was first produced.

They usually just use prerendered cg footage that's heavily outdated but there's supposedly ones that have some sort of flight sim installed.

Whoever made that Beastie Boys remix should be drug out to the street and shot in Minecraft. That was pure ear cancer.

 

[Irrational Exuberance]

Whoever made that Beastie Boys remix should be drug out to the street and shot in Minecraft. That was pure ear cancer.

They left me hanging, son! "Another dimension" was supposed to drop and yet it never did!

 

[Toolbox]

Whoever made that Beastie Boys remix should be drug out to the street and shot in Minecraft. That was pure ear cancer.

If I remember correctly from my very little experience with an old one of these, that basically just plays on an endless loop or there's a short clip of it that plays when you're waiting to ride one. Not sure why they went with that.