Xybots

Manufacturer: Atari Games
Year: 1987
Class: Wide Release
Genre: Adventure
Type: Videogame

Monitor:

Orientation: Horizontal
Type: Raster: Standard Resolution
CRT: Color

Conversion Class: unique
Number of Simultaneous Players: 2
Maximum number of Players: 2
Gameplay: Either
Control Panel Layout: Multiple Player Ambidextrous
Controls:

Joystick: 8-way left/right twist stick [Turn Left|Turn Right]
Buttons: 2 [Fire|Zapper]

Sound: Amplified Stereo (two channel)

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Xybots Bezel ImageXybots Control Panel Image

Xybots Description

Run your human through mazes with a 3-D over-the-shoulder view. Shoot tons of nasty robots that are out to get you. Exit each level to progress to a new maze, with boss levels and the option to buy upgrades between levels.

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Cabinet Information

The cabinet has a skinny base, a wide control panel that peaks in the center and slopes to either side, a skinny neck, and a large octagonal monitor housing. The top of the cabinet is completed with an oblong housing with cut corners for the marquee.

Conversion

Though the cabinets look similar, it is NOT possible to make a simple board and control panel swap to Vindicators. The wiring harnesses are different.

Game Introduction

This is possibly one of the first 3-D shooters ever made. While there are none of the full, free motion effects of the traditional modern day 3-D engines, you are able to change perspectives on the fly.

The names of the characters are Captian Ace Gunn and Major Rock Hardy.

Game Play

This game is like playing a primitive version of Doom, or a futuristic, first-person 3-D Gauntlet game.

VAPS Arcade Census

GAMES OWNED, WANTED, or FOR SALE BY MEMBERS OF THE VIDEO ARCADE PRESERVATION SOCIETY

Common - There are 42 known instances of Xybots owned by one of our 900 members. Of these, 35 of them are original dedicated machines, and 7 of them are only circuit boards which a collector could put into a generic case if desired.

Of the 57,098 video games (3,420 unique) tracked by the Video Game Preservation Society, this game ranks a 20 on a scale out of 100 (100 = most commonly seen, 1=least common) in popularity based on ownership records.

Wanted - There are 3 VAPS members currently looking for Xybots.

For Sale - There are 5 VAPS members with Xybots machines for sale. VAPS members are totally independent of VAPS and the International Arcade Museum, and we are unable to recommend, endorce, or guarantee any person or company selling games or game parts.

Rarity is NOT necessarily an indication of value. Some common games show up as very rare here because collectors don't want them (they are common because arcade operators might be sitting on tons of them in warehouses), while some fairly scarce games are grabbed by collectors every time they show up. Additionally, some games made in the last 5 years are still making money for operators and are thus not yet affordable to the typical collector. For a clue to value, compare how many people have this game vs. how many people want this game and then click on the eBay links to help determine an accurate price range.

Technical

The joystick is similar to the standard Atari 8-way leaf-switch device found on games like Gauntlet, but the stick has been modified to allow the shaft to rotate a quarter turn either clockwise or counter-clockwise. There is a smaller actuator that protrudes perpendicular to the shaft that contacts one of two microswitches and a spring keeps the shaft centered between the two switches.

Fixes

Since replacement joysticks may be difficult to find, a regular 8-way joystick could be substituted, but two additional buttons would have to be added to the control panel to allow the left and right perspective changes.

Alternately, it may be possible to substitute a rotary joystick with some additional circuitry to emulate the left/right twist control. Happ Controls, a US arcade parts manufacturer, makes two styles of rotary units which also operate as normal 8-way sticks. These can be useful in games such as Ikari Warriors, Midnight Resistance and Time Soldiers. They are not spring-loaded like the Xybots' originals, but if properly adapted, these replacements would allow for a more authentic feel and would avoid the unnecessary mutilation of the original control panel.

eBay Listings

Click here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for the Xybots Videogame machine and items related to it.

Click here to automatically search eBay's Arcade, Jukebox, and Pinball categories for machines and parts made by Atari Games.

Alternatively, check out the IAM/KLOV custom report of the hottest coin-op machines on eBay, powered by Ace.com (updated throughoutthe day).

TODAY'S PICKS FOR:
Xybots

1. Atari Joystick used on Cyberball, Xybots, ETC
Auction ends in: 2 days, 59 minutes
1 bid
$2.99

2. XYBots Arcade Video Game Coin-op Classic Machine Used
Auction ends in: 3 weeks, 6 days
eBay Stores (Fixed Price):
$2,500.00

3. Atari XYBOTS Complete Control Panel and Marquee
Auction ends in: 4 days, 20 hours
3 bids
$41.00

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Foto-Finder™

The Encyclpedia of Arcade Video Games, Kurtz (ISBN 0764319256): Page: 204; Color photo;

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