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The
SEGA NAOMI (New Arcade
Operation Machine Idea)
is a development of the
Sega Dreamcast technology as a basis for an
arcade system. The first Naomi hardware was demonstrated in 1998 at
JAMMA as the successor to the Model 3 hardware. The use of mass
produced hardware allowed for a sharp reduction in the cost of complete
arcade cabinets.
Like the Dreamcast the Naomi has a Hitachi SH-4 CPU, a PowerVR Series 2
GPU, and a Yamaha AICA based sound system. It differs from the Dreamcast
in that it has twice (32 MB) the system memory and twice (16 MB) the
graphics memory. The key difference is that rather than use the
GD-ROM disks of the Dreamcast the Naomi system has a
ROM board capable of storing 168 MB of data. Because the Naomi does
not use a
CD format it has 6 MB of additional sound memory. Naomi boards can be
used in special game cabinets (Naomi Universal Cabinet) where a
theoretical maximum of sixteen boards can be used in a parallel processing
format.
Games that used the first Naomi board included
Crazy Taxi, Dead or Alive 2, Ferrari 355 Challenge, House of the Dead
2,
Virtua Fighter 3, and Virtua Tennis. Around fifty games were written
for Naomi boards.
The first Naomi board was succeeded technologically by the Naomi 2,
debuted at JAMMA in 2000. It was basically similar to the Naomi board and
had full backwards compatibility. However the PowerVR Series 2 GPU had
been replaced with dual PowerVR CLX2 GPUs and a VideoLogic Elan chipset
that offered transformation and lighting effects. The graphics subsystem
has a total of 64 Mb of memory.
In addition the GD-ROM technology avoided for Naomi was offered through
daughterboard expansion for Naomi 2 and Naomi, with additional memory to
allow the entire game to be cached to speed-up load times.
Games specifically for the Naomi 2 include Club Kart, Virtua Fighter 4,
and Virtua Striker 3.
Unlike most hardware platforms in the arcade industry, Naomi is widely
licensed for use by other manufacturers. Games such as Mazan and Guilty
Gear XX are examples of Naomi-based arcade games that are not Sega
products.
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