Namco selects NVIDIA 'System N2 ' for next-gen arcade

passerby said:
http://www.dengekionline.com/data/news/2004/09/27/683395b216b58bf48f5a220ad389787c.html

Namco has selected NVIDIA's 'System N2 Arcade Platform Solution' for their next-gen arcade platform.

The N2 system uses 'nforce2-based motherboard', 'Geforce graphics card', 'Linux operating system', 'OpenGL graphics API'. 'Counter Strike NEO' has been confirmed to be the first title to be developed on this solution. The platform is expected to debut in 2005.

Another arcade developer to use PC as the platform, I guess the graphics card, CPU and memory can be upgraded when neccessary like the Taito (if I recall correctly) PC arcade machine (but it use Windows).

Namco may be the first to use Linux in arcades.
 
Namco stopped staying close to SEGA in arcade technology when they started following Sony's technology lead for their arcade boards, so it's nice, in a way, to see them go back to the competitive market and get nVidia for this next-generation solution.

I still get the feeling that this thing won't be made to measure up to SEGA's new PowerVR board, and that possibility really brings into question what Namco are thinking with this move. SEGA's continually greater success in the market, even with the robust Model series, has demonstrated that the space isn't quite so cost sensitive, so the possibility that Namco could once again be limiting their ability somewhat to wow arcade goers with only a mid-range technology solution doesn't seem optimal. Also, SEGA is Namco's arcade partner and the standard setter for the whole sector, so it seems strange that Namco wouldn't pursue a PowerVR platform as well.
 
Lazy8s said:
Also, SEGA is Namco's arcade partner and the standard setter for the whole sector, so it seems strange that Namco wouldn't pursue a PowerVR platform as well.

It's all about cost. Using Linux and Athlon-based nForce will be cheaper than Xbox-based SEGA boards. If it succeeds with Counter Strike NEO, even SEGA may consider ditching Microsoft OS in favor of Linux.
 
one said:
Lazy8s said:
Also, SEGA is Namco's arcade partner and the standard setter for the whole sector, so it seems strange that Namco wouldn't pursue a PowerVR platform as well.

It's all about cost. Using Linux and Athlon-based nForce will be cheaper than Xbox-based SEGA boards. If it succeeds with Counter Strike NEO, even SEGA may consider ditching Microsoft OS in favor of Linux.

xbox based sega boards ? I wasn't aware sega made an xbox based board.

Anyway the noami board should be much more effective than this board they are using
 
jvd said:
one said:
Lazy8s said:
Also, SEGA is Namco's arcade partner and the standard setter for the whole sector, so it seems strange that Namco wouldn't pursue a PowerVR platform as well.

It's all about cost. Using Linux and Athlon-based nForce will be cheaper than Xbox-based SEGA boards. If it succeeds with Counter Strike NEO, even SEGA may consider ditching Microsoft OS in favor of Linux.

xbox based sega boards ? I wasn't aware sega made an xbox based board.

http://www.system16.com/sega/hrdw_chihiro.html

CHIHIRO HARDWARE
HARDWARE DESCRIPTION - X-BOX BASED

System : X-Box based configuration.
CPU : Intel Pentium III 733MHz (133MHz FSB)
Graphics : nVidia XChip 200MHz (based on the nVidia GeForce 3)
Sound Hardware :
1. Cirrus Logic CS4630 Stream Processor (20-bit DAC, programmable to handle 3D sound streams, 2D sound (including DLS-compatible MIDI), MP3 acceleration, Sensaura environmental effects, and other functions)
2. Other sounds may be generated by the CPU via software engines.
3. nVidia nForce (Real time Dolby Digital 5.1 encoding)
RAM : Upgradable Module, from 64MB upwards (Outrun 2 has 512MB)
Media : Sega GD-Rom
Polygons : 125M Polys/sec (Theoretical Maximum)
Rendering Speed : 4.0 G pixel/sec
Features : Programmable vertex and pixel shading, hardware Transform & Lighting engine, Quincunx FSAA, Anisotropic filtering, bump mapping, hardware lighting, particle effects, other standard 3D features).

To sum it up, Sega ditched NAOMI in favor of this Xbox-based board. It's faster and cheaper than DC-based board, and compatibility to Xbox allows SEGA to port arcade games onto Xbox to collect as much money as possible.
 
SEGA design their own hardware, as opposed to making third-party console-based boards like Chihiro, for their lead arcade platform to have more control over the usage and cost of the technology. The only exception to this is present conditions, for SEGA were forced to leave the console hardware business and no longer had a target platform that made Naomi as useful as Chihiro momentarily. Because of Chihiro's newness and SEGA's unpreparedness for moving into their next generation of arcade hardware (they were planning to stick with Naomi 2 for lead development until possibly their next console), they've taken advantage of the marginal upgrade in price/performance Chihiro affords for a few premier titles until their true successor platform for the arcades with PowerVR is finished. Even during this time, Naomi 2 has still been used a lot for new Initial D and Virtua Fighter 4 revisions.

SEGA have already announced their plans for their next-generation arcade platform, and Xbox-based boards aren't it. However, they'll probably make console-derivative arcade boards from some of the next-gen consoles like they have now in TriForce and Chihiro, just not as their lead arcade platform. If the new PowerVR system works out, they'll use the freedom of having their own technology by expanding and/or running multiple chips in parallel whenever they want to a more powerful configuration that gen.
 
Lazy8s said:
If the new PowerVR system works out, they'll use the freedom of having their own technology by expanding and/or running multiple chips in parallel whenever they want to a more powerful configuration that gen.

I think SEGA heritage in hardware won't appear in SEGA's own line anytime soon. Rather, it will appear in Sammy's line, now owner of SEGA, as a new Atomiswave machine, as the current Atomiswave is underpowered NAOMI/Dreamcast with network support. As long as Sammy doesn't take risky business Atomiswave will stay budget platform, though.
 
one said:
Lazy8s said:
If the new PowerVR system works out, they'll use the freedom of having their own technology by expanding and/or running multiple chips in parallel whenever they want to a more powerful configuration that gen.

I think SEGA heritage in hardware won't appear in SEGA's own line anytime soon. Rather, it will appear in Sammy's line, now owner of SEGA, as a new Atomiswave machine, as the current Atomiswave is underpowered NAOMI/Dreamcast with network support. As long as Sammy doesn't take risky business Atomiswave will stay budget platform, though.

Sega has always worked with both high-end and low-end arcade boards, not a chance that the new PowerVR system will be underpowered. :)
 
SEGA is very successful in the amusement business running high-tech arcade centers with everything from mid-range to high-end boards. This complements the amusement center business that Sammy runs which had used only low-end solutions for pachinko and pachislot, so one of the very reasons Sammy was interested in SEGA was to have them continue running their operation and fill out Sammy's business portfolio. Even though the merger will have the two companies working together, the plan is for each company to continue handling most of what they already do best.

The most successful kind of business integration is where the operations of the two companies are complementary so that their combined result does not overlap and can be achieved with just one set of resources ideally (amusement distribution and operation for both mid-range pachinko and high-end arcades) and the collaboration is full of synergistic possibilities (Sammy's money is useful to SEGA's console industry endeavors, and SEGA's development talent is useful for making content for the low-cost Atomiswave arcade platform which will see the highest distribution.)
 
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