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?

[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 ;-)

Naomi2? Hikaru?

[DeadScreenSky]

Lately I keep seeing claims that Sega's last custom arcade hardware was the Naomi1. But unless I am massively mistaken/insane, Sega has created at least a couple of new hardware platforms since then, the Naomi2 (Virtua Fighter 4) being the most prominent and profitable. Hikaru is another one.

Is this just seeing some shoddy games journalism (oops, I repeat myself)? Or I am missing something?

(Gamespot reported that this was "first new Sega hardware since Naomi1", too - of course, they suggested that a 'Super Dreamcast' could be made out of the new Sammy Atomiswave arcade hardware, not knowing that the Atomiswave is basically just a slightly tweaked Dreamcast, strictly sub-Naomi1 level, so what can you expect?)

Arcades are done

[superpulpsicle]

I am sorry but the last time I paid less than $1.25 for a sega game was probably 1999. Between their racing games and virtual-on like joysticks there is nothing in the arcade, sega or not, worth that kind of money.

What the arcade needs is an 8 player golden axe with super moves, controls, graphics, dinosaurs with extreme brutality.

Re:Arcades are done

[chrismcdirty]

I agree. Whatever happened to $0.25/0.50 fun games? Nowadays, all the arcades I go to (only at the beach.. no arcades around my house) only have games with a steering wheel, a gun, or some other weird input device like a sword that has slow motion capture. And not one of them costs less than $1. I'm sorry, but I'll be spending my $2 on the motorized rock-climbing wall until more fun games appear in arcades.

Re:Arcades are done

[scot4875]

Well, my experience has been that these $1.00+ machines never get played. There are tons of newer machines at our local arcade, but nobody's willing to shell out to play them.

When I go to an arcade, I'll stick with the older good games that still only cost a quarter instead of spending a buck on a game that might be good, that'll probably only give me 60-90 seconds of play (maybe as long as 180 seconds if I play really well).

If these games were $.50 or $.25 instead, I'd give them a chance. Then they'd at least be making money, rather than sitting there idling for 95% of the day.

And besides, developers make their money back by selling cabinets, not by taking quarters. It's the arcade owners that decide to charge rediculous prices to try to make back their investments. Unfortunately, many of them are pricing themselves out of the market.

--Jeremy

It's good to see somebody still out there.

[hal2814]

I'm glad to see that Sega, Namco, and Stern (yes, i'm a fan of pinball) are still out there giving us new arcade hardware. I was sad to see Midway bow out back in 2000. It seems like there's quite a few more titles coming out now than there have been for a few years. They still need to work on prices ($2 games are now commonplace), but I'm glad that everyone isn't giving up just yet.

Re:It's good to see somebody still out there.

[hal2814]

Yes, but operators set prices based on the what the machine cost them and they might add a little extra if it's a popular game.

a little help...

[spyrral]

the post mentions a CCG arcade game. I remember hearing about an arcade game in Japan where you actually bought booster packs from a vending machine and then used those cards in the arcade game, swiping them to use them or something. Does anyone have any info or links to this?