The Robotic Operating Buddy was a clunky Short Circuit looking piece of ass. At worst it was a failed gimmick--two games were made for the device (Stack-Up/Robot Block and Gyromite/Robot Gyro), and the robot's purpose--to very slowly press buttons on the 2P controller--was wholly negated by having a second human help you instead. Maybe Nintendo was catering to the patient, lonely child market.
Not my video--view this champion in action (skip to 1:20 for gameplay).
Many however believe that ROB was a savvy plan on Nintendo's part to entice consumers into taking another chance on video games after the crash of 1983. ROB wasn't part of their long term plan, just a way to convince parents that the NES was an "Entertainment System", not just a video game ,a term that had apparently become a bad word by that point. Once people got a look at the true stars of the console (Super Mario Bros. also launched with the NES in North America) ROB could be quietly let go, only to realize that once Nintendo has conceived of you, you will never truly rest.
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| "To sleep, perchance, to dream :(" |
Anyway, I got this guy at a thrift store for five bucks. Unfortunately the main unit is all that was included. I wanted to take a photo of him as I see him, on my toy shelf, surrounded by others, yet alone in his own dark thoughts. He prefers it this way.