Hardware

NAOMI

Dreamcast's arcade sibling

Sega's NAOMI arcade board shared Dreamcast architecture, enabling arcade-perfect home ports and efficient cross-platform development.

arcadeDreamcast arcadesegaboard 1998–present

Overview

NAOMI (New Arcade Operation Machine Idea) was Sega’s arcade platform sharing architecture with the Dreamcast. This relationship meant arcade games could be ported to Dreamcast with minimal effort, delivering arcade-perfect home versions. The system powered numerous fighting games, racing games, and other arcade hits through the early 2000s.

Fast facts

  • Manufacturer: Sega.
  • Relationship: architecture shared with Dreamcast.
  • CPU: Hitachi SH-4 at 200MHz.
  • GPU: PowerVR2 (enhanced vs Dreamcast).
  • Memory: more than Dreamcast (32MB+).
  • Media: cartridge or GD-ROM.

Why it mattered

NAOMI’s arcade-home connection:

  • Port efficiency: same code base for both.
  • Arcade perfect: home versions matched arcades.
  • Development savings: create once, deploy twice.
  • Quality assurance: arcade testing validated games.

Notable games

NAOMI arcade hits:

  • Dead or Alive 2: fighting game showcase.
  • Virtua Tennis: tennis perfection.
  • Crazy Taxi: arcade driving.
  • Marvel vs. Capcom 2: fighting crossover.

See also