Sega NAOMI and variants

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Sega NAOMI
NAOMI TheHouseOfTheDead2 Cab.png
Developer Sega
Type Arcade system board
Release date 1998
Discontinued 2009
Predecessor ST-V
Successor Hikaru (光) / System SP, Chihiro (千尋)
Emulated

The NAOMI (New Arcade Operation Machine Idea) is an arcade system released by Sega in 1998. It was designed as a successor to Sega Model 3 hardware, using a similar architecture to the Sega Dreamcast.

The NAOMI was succeeded by the Sega Hikaru and Sega NAOMI 2 boards, though having out-lasted the NAOMI 2, Hikaru and Sega System SP. The Sega Chihiro, or possibly even the Sega Lindbergh, could also be seen as successors.

The NAOMI board and almost all of its variants were united in common by running on mostly the SH-4 32-bit RISC CPU. Next, all but two of these various boards shared their own form of the PowerVR 2 graphics processor with some differences in specifications (eg. either single or twin CPUs). The exception was the Cave CV1000 which ran on a Hitachi SH-3 CPU and its GPU was the Altera Cyclone EP1C12 FPGA. Many of them also utilized their own Yamaha audio chipset. Sega Hikaru had its own Sega Custom 3D GPU composed of dual PowerVR 2 GPU chips.

Models[edit]

Sega NAOMI (1998–2009)[edit]

The Sega NAOMI had a Hitachi SH-4 CPU at 200 MHz with 56MB of RAM (568MB of RAM with GD-ROM) and a NEC-VideoLogic PowerVR2 (PVR2DC/CLX2).

Sega NAOMI Multiboard (1999)[edit]

The Sega NAOMI Multiboard had 112 to 869MB of RAM. The CPU was 2× to 16× Hitachi SH-4 CPU at 200 MHz with the GPU being either 2× to 16× NEC-VideoLogic PowerVR 2 (PVR2DC/CLX2).

Sega Hikaru (1999–2002)[edit]

Codenamed "Samurai" The Sega Hikaru was the successor to the Model 3. The CPU was a 2× Hitachi SH-4 CPU at 200 MHz, the GPU was a Custom Chipset and NOT related to PowerVR at all. It had 100MB of RAM.

Gaelco PowerVR Based (1999-2002)[edit]

PowerVR 2-based board from Spanish company. Not their early 'Gaelco 3D' board from 1996-1998. There is also an inactive emulator for the unrelated earlier Gaelco 3D system, and MAME supports that one.

Sega NAOMI 2 (2001–2006)[edit]

The Sega NAOMI 2 had 2 PowerVR CLX2 GPUs, a PowerVR Elan chip, and 2X the graphics memory. A prototype version of an unreleased game called Jet Squadron was made on the NAOMI 2 board in 2000 but the first officially released games started in 2001.

Sega Sammy Atomiswave (2003–2009)[edit]

The Sega Sammy Atomiswave, more commonly referred to as the Atomiswave, has a Hitachi SH-4 CPU at 200 MHz with it's GPU being a PowerVR 2. It has 16MB of VRAM and 16MB of RAM.

Sega System SP (2004–2009)[edit]

Not really the same as SI Electronics' "Aurora", commonly mislabelled as "Sega Aurora".

Cave CV1000B (2004–2007)[edit]

The Cave CV1000B had a Hitachi SH-3 at 133 MHz. Note, the 'arcade_compat.txt' file inside DEmul's release archives do not have any Cave CV1000 emulation compat list, so its games' status is unknown.

Cave CV1000D (2008–2012)[edit]

The Cave CV1000D had a new CPU which was an ISSI IS42S32400D at 166 MHz with 128MB of RAM.

Emulators[edit]

Main article: Sega Dreamcast emulators#Emulators

Comparisons[edit]

  • DEmul is a closed-source emulator for Sega Dreamcast and arcade boards of Sega NAOMI and follow-up variants, including the NAOMI, Atomiswave, Hikaru, Gaelco, NAOMI 2, System SP (Aurora) and couple Cave CV1000 systems. Only non-MAME arcade ROMs work here.
  • Flycast is a fork from the independent reicast emulator avaliable as a standalone emulator and as a libretro core; and seems to be more advanced in overall compatibility and feature levels of Dreamcast and several arcade boards emulation. It is possible that some optional hacks are used to achieve correct graphics on some compatible arcade games. Atomiswave support was initiated around November 2018. Since August 2022 Flycast is able to emulate NAOMI 2 [1].
  • nullDC was the first independent, open-source Sega Dreamcast emulator to attempt emulation of the NAOMI arcade board. Its compatibility is unknown, so is not included in the NAOMI compatibility chart below. The emulator has since been superseded by its follow-up spin-off, 'reicast', although that one doesn't yet have any arcade board support. However, its libretro arm now supports partial emulation of NAOMI and Atomiswave boards.
  • MAME is a long way behind DEmul in terms of compatibility but is being actively developed. It is shown to have adequate support of the NAOMI (Most games could show graphics & some are playable), and preliminary support for Atomiswave and Hikaru boards and at least BIOS support for NAOMI 2. v0.191 (Oct 2017) supports SuperH CPU cores and has a preliminary SH3/SH4 recompiler for CV-1000 only. NAOMI & Hikaru driver emulation was still being worked on since then up to 0.201 (Aug 2018).

Do not add any emulator columns that are not worth adding. Certain emulators that have no reports or proof of games compatibility with certain hardware mean that their compatibility may not exist at all. Also, if those same emulators are too old, not mature enough, have been superseded by emulators that either branched off or are simply better, then there is virtually no reason to use emulators with 'doubtful' compatibility status at all.

Games[edit]

Full list of Games for the NAOMI and NAOMI GD-ROM.

Game DEmul* Flycast** MAME*** Ports****
18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker
Akatsuki Blitzkampf Ausf.Achse/Akatsuki Denkou Senki
Boat Race Ocean Heats
Charge 'N Blast
Cosmic Smash
Crackin' DJ ~
Crazy Taxi
Cyber Troopers Virtual-On: Oratorio Tangram M.S.B.S. Ver. 5.66
Dead or Alive 2
Dead or Alive 2 Millennium
Death Crimson OX
Dengen Tenshi Taisen Mahjong Shangri-La ~
Dynamite Baseball NAOMI ~
Dynamite Baseball '99
Dynamite Deka EX: Asian Dynamite
F1 World Grand Prix
Fish Live
Formation Battle In May
Giant Gram: Zen Nihon Pro Wres 2 in Nihon Budoukan
Giant Gram 2000: Zen Nihon Pro Wres 3 Eikou no Yuushatachi
Guilty Gear X
Idol Janshi Suchie-Pai III ~
Illmatic Envelope (Illvelo)
Inu no Osanpo
Jambo! Safari
Kasei Channel Mars TV
Mamoru-kun wa Norowarete Shimatta!
(Mamonoro)
Manic Panic Ghosts
Melty Blood: Actress Again
Mushiking: The King of Beetles
Outtrigger
Pocket Shooting
Puyo Puyo Da! Featuring Ellena System
Puyo Pop Fever
Puzzle Kurutto Stone
Quiz Aa! Megami-sama/Quiz Ah My Goddess! ~
Radirgy Noa
Rhythm Tengoku
Ring Out 4x4
Samba de Amigo
Samba de Amigo Ver.2000
Sega Marine Fishing
Sega Tetris
Shooting Love. 2007
Slashout
Tokyo Bus Guide
Touch de Uno!
Touch de Uno! 2
Toy Fighter/Waffupu
Virtua NBA
Virtua Striker 2 Ver. 2000
Virtua Tennis/Power Smash
Virtua Tennis 2/Power Smash 2
WaveRunner GP
World Series 99/Super Major League 99
WWF Royal Rumble (Sega)
Zero Gunner 2
Capcom
Cannon Spike/Gunspike
Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000
Giga Wing 2
Heavy Metal Geomatrix
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Renpou vs. Zeon
Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes
Power Stone
Power Stone 2
Project Justice/Moero! Justice Gakuen
(Project Justice: Rival Schools 2 in Europe)
Spawn: In the Demon's Hand
Namco
Gun Survivor 2: Biohazard CODE:Veronica
Mazan: Flash Of The Blade
Ninja Assault
Shin Nihon Pro Wrestling Toukon Retsuden 4 Arcade Edition
World Kicks
The House of the Dead 2
The Typing of the Dead
Zombie Revenge

NAOMI GD-ROM[edit]

The NAOMI GD-ROM, released in 1999, is identical to the standard NAOMI, but uses GD-ROM discs for storage instead of ROM cartridges. It comes with a DIMM Board, which is very similar to a ROM cartridge, but with RAM instead of ROM. When a game is installed, the GD ROM content is loaded onto the DIMM Board RAM, so that the game data runs from the DIMM Board rather than the GD-ROM disc. However, the amount of up to 1GB of data on the GD ROM optical storage, compared to the more expensive ROM carts (Designed as printed circuit boards) with up to 168MB of space, came at the expense of slower loading times. Though, when the NAOMI powers-on, it copies data from the comparatively slow GD-ROM to the faster DIMM memory. Thereafter, the game executes entirely in RAM (Until either the battery goes flat, after which several days of waiting are needed before re-booting; or a different GD-ROM disc is inserted).

Game DEmul* Flycast** MAME*** Ports****
Alien Front
Border Down
Chaos Field
Confidential Mission
Crackin' DJ Part 2 ~
Doki Doki Idol Star Seeker ~
Dragon Treasure
Dragon Treasure II
Dragon Treasure III
Get Bass 2 / Sega Bass Fishing 2
Guilty Gear XX #Reload
Guilty Gear XX: The Midnight Carnival
Guilty Gear XX Accent Core
Guilty Gear XX Slash
Ikaruga
Jingi Storm: The Arcade
Karous ~
Kuru Kuru Chameleon
KyoryuKing/Dinosaur King ~
La Keyboard XYU
Lupin the 3rd: The Shooting
Lupin the 3rd: The Typing
Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Ver. A
Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Version B
Melty Blood: Act Cadenza Version B2 ~
Monkey Ball ~
Moeru Casinyo
Musapey no Choco Marker
Noukone Puzzle Takoron
Quiz Keitai Q mode
Radirgy
Senko no Ronde
Senko no Ronde New Version ~
Senko no Ronde SP
Shakatto Tambourine!
Shakatto Tambourine! 2001
(Motto Norinori Shinkyoku Tsuika!!)
Shakka to Tambourine! 2001 Power Up!
Shootout Pool
Shootout Pool Prize
Spikers Battle
Sports Jam
Super Shanghai 2005
Tetris Kiwamemichi
The Maze of the Kings
Trigger Heart Exelica
Under Defeat
Virtua Athletics/Virtua Athlete
Virtua Golf/Dynamic Golf
Virtua Tennis/Power Smash (GD-ROM)
Virtua Tennis/Power Smash 2 (GD-ROM)
World Series Baseball/Super Major League
(NAOMI)
Capcom
Capcom vs. SNK: Millennium Fight 2000 Pro ~
Capcom vs. SNK 2: Millionaire Fighting 2001
(Mark of the Millennium 2001)
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Renpou vs. Zeon
Kidou Senshi Gundam: Renpou vs. Zeon DX
Street Fighter Zero 3 Upper (↑)
Taito
Azumanga Daioh Puzzle Bobble
Cleopatra Fortune Plus ~
ExZeus
Pochi to Nyaa
Psyvariar 2: The Will To Fabricate
Shikigami no Shiro II/Castle of Shikigami II ~
Trizeal
Usagi: Yasei no Touhai - Yamashiro Mahjong-Hen/Rabbit 2 ~

NAOMI Multiboard[edit]

The NAOMI Multiboard, released in 1999, stacks together multiple NAOMI system boards for parallel processing in a single arcade system, ranging from 2 to 16 system boards. Since the 16‑board variant is not known to have been used by any games, the Multiboard-capable games probably only utilized either a 2-board or 4-board configuration. A multi board system would operate in parallel, increasing the power of the system tremendously. This would let a Multiboard game achieve either better graphics performance, or have a multi-monitor setup. Theoretically, a 16 board NAOMI system could do (16 x 3.5 mpps) = 56 million polygons per second maximum! Realistically, it would most likely be around 20 to 30 mpps. Then of course, there is also the issue of the CPU being capable of driving all of this hardware.

Game DEmul* Flycast** MAME*** Ports****
Airline Pilots
F355 Challenge
F355 Challenge 2: International Course Edition ~
Sega Strike Fighter
Mazan: Flash Of The Blade
(Multiboard version)

NAOMI Satellite Terminal[edit]

Sega's NAOMI Satellite Terminal Hardware infrastructure enabled developers to make games with multiple control terminals, so several people could sit and play a game that has one large screen. The Satellite Terminal Hardware links up to 10 NAOMI boards. Multi-terminal systems like this made use of Memory Card Reader and Dispenser (MCRD) technology. Derby Owners Club (2000) and World Club Champion Football (2002) are two applications of these technologies.

Game DEmul* Flycast** MAME*** Ports****
Derby Owners Club ~
Derby Owners Club 2 ~
Derby Owners Club 2 Ver.2 ~
Derby Owners Club 2 Ver.2.1 ~
Derby Owners Club 2000 ~
Derby Owners Club World Edition ~
Sega Network Taisen Mahjong MJ
Star Horse ~
Star Horse 2001 ~
Star Horse 2002
Star Horse Progress ~
Star Horse Progress Returns ~
The Quiz Show

These lists are updated as of MAME 0.262 (not all of them have been tested on 0.262 though), DEmul's April 2018 build and Flycast's overall compatibility updated as of June 2019.

* DEmul: The arcade boards' compatibility lists for DEmul can be found inside the 'arcade_compat.txt' file inside DEmul's release archives. It covers most boards but not the Cave CV1000 boards. Also see naomi.compat.txt.

** Flycast: The arcade boards' compatibility lists for reicast's libretro core can be found on that core's GitHub repository (Official). It now supports reading/decryption of all types of proper MAME rom sets for DC-based arcade systems (NAOMI games with M1, M2, M3 & M4 keys-based encryption; NAOMI GD-ROM games & Atomiswave games). There is no emulation for NAOMI 2 and NAOMI 2 GD-ROMs as it's held back by the fact MAME lacks documentation on the special ELAN custom chip for geometry processing on that board. Ongoing support list of arcade platforms based on the SH-4 CPU. Supports loading both .gdi and CHDv5 formatted files - see a git comment for how to format a folder with GDI dump files into highly compressed CHD files. Merged ROMs, ROMs archived with 7zip as well as parent/split ROMs are now supported. It can play Demul-compatible ROMS (In .bin/.dat file formats).

*** MAME: MAME has working but incomplete NAOMI board emulation. Some games are playable. Support for several other boards (i.e. System SP/Aurora & Hikaru) are very basic. GitHub compat pages: NAOMI 1-2/Atomiswave, Hikaru. adb.arcadeitalia.net's MAME compat database for NAOMI. Progetto Emma's NAOMI compat database.

**** Ports: Many games were ported to consoles available when the arcade games where released. These games from the NAOMI board have come on Dreamcast (overwhelmingly), GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Wii, Xbox 360, Windows and macOS as well as handhelds like GBA, PSP, and NDS.

Resources[edit]

External Links[edit]

Sega Hikaru

Gaelco PowerVR Based

  • System-16 (Also shows some older, non-related Gaelco 3D games)
  • UVList (Also shows non-related Gaelco 3D games)

Sega NAOMI 2

Sammy Atomiswave

Sega System SP

Cave CV-1000


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Consoles: SG-1000Master SystemGenesis / Mega DriveCD32XPicoSaturnDreamcast
Handhelds: Game GearVMU / VMS
Arcade: System seriesModel 1Model 2Model 3NAOMI