Rare SEGA R360 arcade cabinet found dumped in UK field

In Northern Ireland, one super lucky retro gaming collector has quite literally stumbled across a magnificent find that’s sure to make any SEGA Nerd jealous. A member of the Facebook group, Sega R360 & R360Z Fan Club, Lee Peters recently discovered a rare SEGA R360 arcade cabinet dumped in a field north of Belfast (check out the gallery below).

If you’ve never seen or heard of this particular arcade model before, don’t worry, because it’s a pretty rare sight. Approximately only 100 of the cabinets were ever made and fewer sold worldwide. With only two compatible games made for it by SEGA: G-LOC: Air Battle (1990) and Wing War (1994).

If you ever see one of these machines working though, definitely jump on and have a go, because it’s quite the treat. You see, R360 stands for “Rotate 360” and, as the name suggests, the arcade cabinet was capable of spinning players in 360 degrees, to simulate the freedom of flying in a plane.

Coincidentally, it wasn’t that long ago that I was talking to my co-hosts on the Mega Visions Show about playing G-LOC in an R360 at SEGAWorld in London, back in the 90s. Back then the experience blew my tiny mind, it was so advanced for its time, being able to control the game and actually feel the whole arcade cab twist and spin in the direction I moved the flight stick.

Sadly though, it looks like Lee won’t be able to bring this machine back to life, at least not anytime soon. Even if he is able to restore the structure, as you can see from the photos, a lot of the internal guts have been torn out and what’s left is looking rather corroded.

But still, it’s an incredible find. And never say never – perhaps the retro arcade community will pull together and give this machine one more chance.