10 Forgotten Pieces Of Gaming Tech

That’s right, R.O.B, or Robotic Operating Buddy, isn’t just a Smash Bros. character that nobody plays, he was an actual toy you could control with your NES controller, kind of. What actually happened was that he would watch your TV and follow the on-screen instructions to move his arm or pick something up. I’m not sure what would have happened if you put cartoons in front of him, maybe he would have gained sentience! Or exploded! Or maybe nothing would happen. Unfortunately, R.O.B was built to fail.

You see, R.O.B was released in 1985 in Japan and the US and 1986 in Europe, and he was mostly just a gimmick to try and boost the sales of the NES in America by making it look more like a toy. And once Nintendo had gained that foothold in the Western market R.O.B was promptly and unceremoniously discarded like a used tissue. But mark my words, when the robot revolution begins, he will be the one leading the charge.