If Dreamcast is the last console of SEGA, then why we have Naomi?

[luigi_mario293]

hello little fellas, it’s been an long time. But im back. Anyways the title is my question….

 

[fake-kun]

NAOMI is not a console, but an arcade system.

 

[stoicvampirepig]

^ what they said.

Plus the NAOMI board is basically a dreamcast with double the RAM.

Edit, and one of its successors the Chihiro is basically an xbox with double the RAM.

 

[Yousef]

I love how this is phrased like an interrogation

 

[Nelson2001]

Sega Naomi came out in 1998, the same year that the Sega Dreamcast came out in Japan and in addition to being based on the hardware of the Sega Dreamcast only what with more RAM (56MB, 64MB With GD-ROM Format) compared to the 26MB of RAM of the Sega Dreamcast.

 

[Yuki Senoue]

SEGA keeps making arcade systems. They just stopped making home systems.

List of Sega arcade systems - Sega Retro

segaretro.org

Nowadays their arcade systems are PC-based, but that's just the industry default now.

 

[valosagutas]

hello little fellas, it’s been an long time. But im back. Anyways the title is my question….

We hit on the wall of how we use terms that lost their original meanings as it got shorter and shorter.

NAOMI is New Arcade Operation Machine Idea. It's an arcade machine but still a type of video game console.

Sega Dreamcast is not just a video game console, it's "home video game console" same as PlayStation 5 and whatnot for example but people call them "video game console" which is not wrong per se, however they can be also called "home console". They came up with this term to advertize them as arcade machines you can play in your home. It indicated they fit into your home without taking up much space. Because of it it was "wow" to society when something so small could run decent games on them just on your TV so you don't have to bother going to arcades!!! It was high technology moment yo lol.

So if SEGA Dreamcast is considered as last "console" SEGA ever developed then they have no idea what SEGA does in Japan, same as how people thought Konami went bankrupt back then when they shifted business on tons of pachinko machines and mobile games by not releasing PC video games as they used to that made great impact in video game industry back then lol.

However if there are still SEGA fanbois who cry "why SEGA forsaken us from not blessing us with new video game consoles anymore" they can buy some giant SEGA arcade machines SEGA keeps spamming and put it in their home and act like it's "home video game console" lol.

 

[fake-kun]

We hit on the wall of how we use terms that lost their original meanings as it got shorter and shorter.

NAOMI is New Arcade Operation Machine Idea. It's an arcade machine but still a type of video game console.

Sega Dreamcast is not just a video game console, it's "home video game console" same as PlayStation 5 and whatnot for example but people call them "video game console" which is not wrong per se, however they can be also called "home console". They came up with this term to advertize them as arcade machines you can play in your home. It indicated they fit into your home without taking up much space. Because of it it was "wow" to society when something so small could run decent games on them just on your TV so you don't have to bother going to arcades!!! It was high technology moment yo lol.

So if SEGA Dreamcast is considered as last "console" SEGA ever developed then they have no idea what SEGA does in Japan, same as how people thought Konami went bankrupt back then when they shifted business on tons of pachinko machines and mobile games by not releasing PC video games as they used to that made great impact in video game industry back then lol.

However if there are still SEGA fanbois who cry "why SEGA forsaken us from not blessing us with new video game consoles anymore" they can buy some giant SEGA arcade machines SEGA keeps spamming and put it in their home and act like it's "home video game console" lol.

You know that literally nobody considers arcade machines video game consoles, right?

 

[nobitakun]

however they can be also called "home console". They came up with this term to advertize them as arcade machines you can play in your home. It indicated they fit into your home without taking up much space. Because of it it was "wow" to society when something so small could run decent games on them just on your TV so you don't have to bother going to arcades!!! It was high technology moment yo lol.

If they continue with the tradition, I doubt future Sony consoles will fit in my home without using that much space lol.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

And, no, Naomi doesn’t work on Dreamcast. They both use discs, but the arcade board and console are not compatible directly.

Not the first time SEGA did this. The Saturn had the ST-V Titan arcade board that gave us games like Die Hard Arcade and Astral Superstars.

It’s thanks to the Naomi that we got many of the system’s later life games though. Most of the titles the Dreamcast got officially from the years of 2002 through to 2007 (yes, DC games got released that far out from its discontinuation) are all Naomi arcade titles, since the arcade never dissolved in Japan but the push for the strongest arcade hardware fell to the wayside with the mass decline of arcades in the early 2000’s across the western world. So, Naomi was a cheap, capable, and common board used at the time, and if you wanted the best version of those games at home, you’d be finding them on the Dreamcast.

As an extra fun fact, later life Dreamcast games even came in DVD cases, meaning there’s a number of official titles that have totally different dimensions than the rest of your collection.

Naomi was responsible for the final official SEGA-made title for any of their consoles:

And the infamous final game for the Dreamcast period, which was fittingly a vertical scrolling shooter/bullet hell. Quite the perfect end to a console that was well known for them:

 

[DanVzare]

You know that literally nobody considers arcade machines video game consoles, right?

I hate to be "that guy", but what about the Neo Geo?
That's an arcade machine that people consider a console... or is it a console that people consider an arcade machine?

 

[valosagutas]

You know that literally nobody considers arcade machines game consoles, right?

Now? Yeah. Especially when people forgot or never knew all the "home video game console" advertisements to different them with arcade video game machines. People called whole arcade machine a "video game" back then so I heard lots of stuff about it lol.

However if you just say "arcade machine" or "arcade game" then you may also mean physical pinball machines and even claw machines too and it's misleading. Some places only had pinball machines, but they didn't have "video game arcade machines" *boom* lol. So if you ever have to time travel back in time and somehow you have to find public places you can play video games you better ask "do you have video games?", not "arcade machines" lol.

 

[fake-kun]

I hate to be "that guy", but what about the Neo Geo?
That's an arcade machine that people consider a console... or is it a console that people consider an arcade machine?

Neo Geo MVS is an arcade system, and Neo Geo AES is a video game console.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

If you want new Dreamcast games, don’t worry, they literally come out all the time. The Dreamcast homebrew scene is one of the most important elements of the system’s history, as it spans back to during the system’s lifespan and has continued for a quarter century.

Check out Video Games New York and bask in the glory of indie releases. The Repo is also another excellent place to get your 2025 Dreamcast fix.

Consoles never die: they’re simply officially abandoned. The people who truly love them will forever keep them alive.

Post automatically merged: Today at 4:59 PM

Neo Geo MVS is an arcade system, and Neo Geo AES is a video game console.

^
This.
MVS boards are incompatible with AES consoles and the same goes for AES carts if you attempt to use them on an MVS cabinet.
That said, the line gets shakier when you get into the aftermarket CMVS line, which actually DOES play the official arcade boards like interchangeable carts.

The distinction, in the case of the Neo Geo, is null anyway. If there’s any console who’s giving you the “arcade at home”, it’s the Neo Geo. Technicalities say there’s a difference, but my heart tells me they’re close enough to the same thing for me to let it slide.

 

[valosagutas]

If they continue with the tradition, I doubt future Sony consoles will fit in my home without using that much space lol.

It's okay. We can always put them outside our window just like what we have to do with new GPUs lolol.

 

[Ikagura]

The difference between a video game console and arcade hardware is the context.

Consoles are basically PC nowadays.

 

[DanCalibur]

People forget that the most profitable part of Sega was always the arcade division.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

People forget that the most profitable part of Sega was always the arcade division.

Continues to be! Never underestimate the power of the arcade in Japan!

 

[valosagutas]

Continues to be! Never underestimate the power of the arcade in Japan!

Yep. Arcade culture in Japan still continues to this day in a way other countries never could imagined. When you just bored and wanna waste like 10 minutes you can even enjoy simple but online video games in arcades. Distracting oneself from harsh reality to keep their sanity is an important part of humanity, hence why video game culture in Japan is in another way one may never would expect if they didn't learn about daily life of Japan. Japan offers many ways to distract yourself. Some people prefer to spend their times in arcades, I prefer to spend my time in karaoke and sing "Baka Mitai" lolol. Singing is oddly a very satisfactory fun thing to do for me akin to playing video games. It must be about my genes or something IDK lol.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

Yep. Arcade culture in Japan still continues to this day in a way other countries never could imagined. When you just bored and wanna waste like 10 minutes you can even enjoy simple but online video games in arcades. Distracting oneself from harsh reality to keep their sanity is an important part of humanity, hence why video game culture in Japan is in another way one may never would expect if they didn't learn about daily life of Japan. Japan offers many ways to distract yourself. Some people prefer to spend their times in arcades, I prefer to spend my time in karaoke and sing "Baka Mitai" lolol. Singing is oddly a very satisfactory fun thing to do for me akin to playing video games. It must be about my genes or something IDK lol.

On the subject of karaoke:

It is actually wild just how much of the development behind certain systems stems back to karaoke.

As in, the main reason SEGA/Mega CD was born was to be a Mega Drive in Karaoke clothing, as SEGA hoped people would want a cheap CD player for that and would buy a Mega Drive just to use it.

That would be hilarious if it weren’t very telling of how desperate they were for Mega Drive to make a splash in their home country.

 

[valosagutas]

On the subject of karaoke:

It is actually wild just how much of the development behind certain systems stems back to karaoke.

As in, the main reason SEGA/Mega CD was born was to be a Mega Drive in Karaoke clothing, as SEGA hoped people would want a cheap CD player for that and would buy a Mega Drive just to use it.

That would be hilarious if it weren’t very telling of how desperate they were for Mega Drive to make a splash in their home country.

Yep. While SEGA was realistic to think that they didn't comprehend why public karaoke places matters more: I wouldn't wanna scream singing Baka Mitai in my own house just not to bother my neighbourhood. I may accidentally kill people with heavy depression due to lyrics and then their spirits would haunt me until I die horribly lololol. This is why it's important to have public places for hobbies we better don't do in home. However home karaoke is a good idea per se, especially to people who live alone on some random mountain lol.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

Yep. While SEGA was realistic to think that they didn't comprehend why public karaoke places matters more: I wouldn't wanna scream singing Baka Mitai in my own house just not to bother my neighbourhood. I may accidentally kill people with heavy depression due to lyrics and then their spirits would haunt me until I die horribly lololol. This is why it's important to have public places for hobbies we better don't do in home. However home karaoke is a good idea per se, especially to people who live alone on some random mountain lol.

I have to ask since I don’t live there:
Are there any games that run on Naomi that are still in Game Centers? I told the thread the Naomi board has had longevity, and I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.

To give an example, I still see Time Crisis 4 pretty commonly around where I live (east coast of the U.S.A.) and that game ran on Namco’s System Super 256 board. That board was based on the PS2, with several upgrades.
So, do you still see Naomi powered games out in the wild, or do most arcades just have modified PC/PS4 hardware running their games?

 

[valosagutas]

I have to ask since I don’t live there:
Are there any games that run on Naomi that are still in Game Centers? I told the thread the Naomi board has had longevity, and I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is.

To give an example, I still see Time Crisis 4 pretty commonly around where I live (east coast of the U.S.A.) and that game ran on Namco’s System Super 256 board. That board was based on the PS2, with several upgrades.
So, do you still see Naomi powered games out in the wild, or do most arcades just have modified PC/PS4 hardware running their games?

I don't live in Japan for years and I'll avoid saying many things to hide my real life information naturally. All I can say is before I left Japan arcade machines around where I lived started to change, especially when online arcade machines started to get popular. I saw places replace decades old machines just for newer online arcade machines. They got very popular fast. You can think it as in the most popular and populated areas the change was faster. When in Japan a change happens in less populated areas people wanna preserve the history more. There was always love for retro in Japan, but currently emphasize on it is further so people probably increased specifically running arcade places for retro devices that has NAOMI despite it was rare to see them anymore. However in very big places just for the sake of diversity I'm sure NAOMI and whatnot amount got fewer but never totally replaced to keep up with changes in arcade industry.

 

[TamagotchiTamaHero24's iconTamagotchiTamaHero24]

I don't live in Japan for years and I'll avoid saying many things to hide my real life information naturally. All I can say is before I left Japan arcade machines around where I lived started to change, especially when online arcade machines started to get popular. I saw places replace decades old machines just for newer online arcade machines. They got very popular fast. You can think it as in the most popular and populated areas the change was faster. When in Japan a change happens in less populated areas people wanna preserve the history more. There was always love for retro in Japan, but currently emphasize on it is further so people probably increased specifically running arcade places for retro devices that has NAOMI despite it was rare to see them anymore. However in very big places just for the sake of diversity ı'm sure NAOMI and whatnot amount got fewer but never totally replaces to keep up with changes in arcade industry.

I’ve shared my local arcade before, but I have to give credit to it once again. They have an Astro City in there which has run a couple boards in its time, one of which was Naomi. They got Marvel V.S. Capcom 2 in there and that was officially the moment I found out what an arcade match binge session was, as I played with a friend of mine for well over an hour on tiny stools that I was definitely too tall for.

Good memories!