Game Story
Robotron is a great game. I was never a Defender player, but I did like Joust and Robotron. I acquired this cabinet with high hopes and sold it for the Arizona move.
| Type | Upright | Serial | unknown | Status | SOLD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restoration | N/A | Photos | Gallery | Other |
Technical Information
Title
Robotron: 2084 was released in 1982 by Wiliams. It was developed by Vid Kidz for Williams. It features a color raster display with a horizontal orientation at Standard resolution (320×256). The title allows up to 2 players with alternating play.
Architecture
This game is built on the Vid Kidz hardware platform. A Motorola 6809 central processing unit handles the graphics and gameplay, while a Motorola 6800 microprocessor handles the audio.
| Video CPU | 6809 | Motorola |
|---|---|---|
| Video GPU | Block Image Transfer | Custom |
| Audio CPU | 6808 | Motorola |
| Audio DAC | HC55516 | Motorola |
| Display | K4600 | Wells Gardner |
| Power | Linear | Williams |
Controls
| Action | Control | Upright | Cocktail | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Move | Joystick | 1 | 2 | 8 way |
| Fire | Joystick | 1 | 2 | 8 way |
| Player | Button | 2 | 2 |
Production Notes
The Vid Kidz titles were pushing the capabilities of the Motorola chipset. The audio processor prioritized sounds and only made some of the sounds the gameplay would trigger. Many players note the issuing sounds during play. A blitter chip was employed to animate all the sprites.