R.O.B.
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R.O.B. (Robotic Operating Buddy) is an accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was used in the Robot series. It was released in July 1985 in Japan as the Famicom Robot and later that year as R.O.B. in North America. It had a short lifespan, with support for only two games, but remains known today for the role it played in getting the Nintendo Entertainment System into retail stores in the United States.
History
The Robotic Operating Buddy was sold in two packages. One was the NES Deluxe Set, which featured a control deck, the NES Zapper, two controllers, and two games (Duck Hunt and Gyromite). The other package only included R.O.B. and Gyromite. In Japan, the Famicom Robot was sold with Stack-Up. Though it was only compatible with Gyromite and Stack-up, its most successful use was as a "trojan horse" to garner interest following the video game crash of 1983. Retailers, reluctant to stock video games because of huge losses they incurred during the crash, were willing to stock R.O.B. with the NES as a "robot toy." It worked, as retailers stocked the NES, giving Nintendo its first major foothold in the western market.[1]
Operation
The R.O.B. functions by receiving commands via optical flashes from a television screen. With the head pointed always at the screen, the arms move left, right, up, and down, and the hands pinch together and separate to manipulate objects on fixtures attached to the base. In Gyromite, one of R.O.B.'s base attachments holds and pushes buttons on an ordinary controller. In Stack-Up the player is supposed to press a button on the controller to indicate when R.O.B. completes a task. While the Robot games were among the most complex of their time, they were reliant upon the honor system in that players could simply press the buttons on the controller themselves without involving R.O.B. at all.
Specifications
- Height: 24cm/9.5in
- Arm movement range: 300° left/right (five stopping points), 7cm/2.75in up/down (six stopping points), 7cm/2.75in between hands when open. Though R.O.B. is mostly receptive to unpowered manipulation, the rotational axis should only be operated electrically.
- Head movement range: 45° tilt, horizontally centered. This joint is one of the most commonly broken areas on pre-owned R.O.B.s.
- Five accessory slots around the hexagonal base (numbered clockwise, starting at the left rear) and notches on the hands allow for specialized parts to be attached depending on the game.
- Red LED on top of head indicates a state of readiness.
- Runs on 4 AA batteries.
- Optional tinted filter could be attached over the eyes to compensate for use with overly bright televisions.
- The original "Famicom Robot" was white with maroon arms to match the Famicom; R.O.B. was colored in two shades of gray to match the NES.
Playable appearances
R.O.B.'s first playable appearance was made in Mario Kart DS, being one of the two heaviest characters in the game. He also made an appearance in Super Smash Bros. Brawl as an unlockable character. His default appearance uses the Japanese white-and-red colour scheme;[2] however, the American grey colour scheme is available as an alternate colour. The Gyro from Gyromite is used as one of his special attacks and is his symbol.
R.O.B. plays a major role in the storyline of the game's Adventure Mode, The Subspace Emissary. He first appears in the game as the Ancient Minister, serving as the general of the Subspace Army.[3] Forced into Tabuu's service, he had supplied the army with various R.O.B. units, such as R.O.B. Sentries (coloured in the Japanese colours), R.O.B. Blasters (coloured in the US colours), and R.O.B. Launchers (coloured in a special green colour). The Ancient Minister himself transports Subspace Bombs, which are detonated by his fellow R.O.B.s, allowing the surrounding area to be swallowed up by Subspace. Over the course of the game, the Ancient Minister becomes depressed over the amount of R.O.B.s lost in Subspace as a result of this, and when confronted in the Subspace bomb factory in the Island of the Ancients, he does not even fight back. His superior, Ganondorf, takes command over the other R.O.B.s. The Ancient Minister stands up against Ganondorf and tries to stop the other R.O.B.s from detonating the various Subspace Bombs in the factory, but the R.O.B.s, also on Ganondorfs command, shoot at the Ancient Minister until his uniform is engulfed in flames. Ganondorf then sends in a flock of Auroros to take care of the intruders, but R.O.B. fires lasers at them from his eyes, sheds his burning Ancient Minister uniform, and helps the heroes ward off the enemy forces. His attempt to stop the other R.O.B.s from detonating the Subspace Bombs is in vain, however, so he and his newfound allies are forced to escape from the island before joining up with the other heroes.
Reception
The creation and marketing of R.O.B. as a "Trojan horse" during the video game market saturation of 1985 was named the fifth in GameSpy's top twenty five smartest moves in gaming history.[1]
Selected patents
- U.S. patent 4,729,563: Nintendo Co., Ltd.
References
- ^ a b "The Little R.O.B.ot That Could". Gamespy.
- ^ "R.O.B.'s profile on the "Smash Bros. DOJO!!"". Nintendo.
- ^ "The Subspace Army page on the "Smash Bros. DOJO!!"". Nintendo.