Sega To Launch New High-End Arcade System?

arcade_memories writes "GamesIndustry.biz reports that British tech company Imagination is building a new cutting edge arcade system for Sega, which will launch early next year. It's going to be based on the next generation of the PowerVR hardware, apparently - earlier versions (as well as being marginally popular PC graphics boards) powered the Dreamcast and the Naomi arcade board. This is interesting because Naomi was the last time Sega actually built its own arcade hardware, so this is a sure sign that they're bumping up the importance of the arcade market - just like new chairman Hajime Satomi (president of arcade and gambling machine company Sammy) wants, right?" Elsewhere, there are also new reports on Sega/AM2's new Chihiro-based CCG arcade game Quest Of D, featuring an interesting "touch-screen interface" concept, albeit on existing Xbox-based hardware.

Comments

Re:Games

[phaze3000]

Yeah, Sega games these days are all crap. Well, except for like Super Monkey Ball. And F-Zero AX. And Ferrari F355 Challenge. And Rez. And Cosmic Smash. And Phantasy Star Online. And Sega Rally. And Outrun 2. And plenty of others.

But yeah, Sega has no rights to any desirable games.

touch screen interface potentially cumbersome?

[Xoo]

Rejuvinating the arcade business with its introduction of a new high-end board will go even further to help out Sega Sammy's revenues. As we know their first-party games have done very well in the past (Outrun 2, being one of the latest examples), but the real big bucks will come from licensing their technology to other developers, and the even bigger bucks may come in later on if Sammy Sega decides to take a 7th(?) chance with a console based on this existing arcade technology.

Re:touch screen interface potentially cumbersome?

[Acidic_Diarrhea]

I think Sega making a return to the console business is a bad idea. They've burned a generation of gamers with the 32X-Saturn fiasco and the few people who bought the Dreamcast while it was a viable system are sure to have been put off by Sega's abandonment of the platform. So Sega would be left with jumping into a market where there are people jaded to the idea of Sega consoles, which would then leave them to target a younger demographic of gamers who, at that point, wouldn't remember the Dreamcast, 32X, Saturn, or...SegaCD. Nintendo has always had a fairly solid lock on this demographic. I'm not saying it's impossible but it would be a difficult way to get back into the market. Sony broke into the market by appealing to the teen gamer with the PS1. MS broke into the market by appealing to an even older audience, perhaps.

Re:touch screen interface potentially cumbersome?

[hal2814]

Now that Sammy owns them, they could slap the Sammy name on a console if they decided to put one out. Alternatively, they could either come up with a new company label or get another company (like Nintendo) to put out their hardware without a Sega label on it. I do agree that Sega shouldn't return to the console market, but they do have reentry options if this hardware platform really takes off.

sammy and innovation

[Xoo]

While I don't know a thing about Sammy outside of pachinko machines, I do know that Sega has been a company of innovation for 20+ years.

The touch screen interface sounds like a "gambling"-influenced innovation to me (from slot machines, perhaps pachinko machines). I am a bit skeptical on how well touch sensitivity could work in a relatively fast-paced (and network) multiplayer arcade game. You know there will always be some kids (or adults) that have unusually strong/dirty fingers and will break the sensitive touchscreen ;-)