List of Sega arcade system boards

Sega is a video game developer, publisher, and hardware development company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, with multiple offices around the world. The company's involvement in the arcade game industry began as a distributor of games and jukeboxes in Japan,[1][2][3] but because Sega imported second-hand machines that required frequent maintenance, it began constructing replacement guns and flippers for its imported games. According to former Sega director Akira Nagai, this led to the company developing their own games.[4] Sega released Pong-Tron, its first video-based game, in 1973.[5] The company prospered from the arcade game boom of the late 1970s, with revenues climbing to over US$100 million by 1979.[6] Nagai has stated that Hang-On and Out Run helped to pull the arcade game market out of the 1983 downturn and created new genres of video games.[4]

Sega ST-V arcade system board

In terms of arcades, Sega is the world's most prolific arcade game producer, having developed more than 500 games, 70 franchises, and 20 arcade system boards since 1981. It has been recognized by Guinness World Records for this achievement.[7] The following list comprises the various arcade system boards developed and used by Sega in their arcade games.

Arcade system boards
Arcade board Notes Notable games and release years
VIC Dual
  • Capable of both black and white and color display[8]
  • Capable of packaging two games in the same arcade cabinet[8]
G80
  • Introduced conversion kits where games could be changed in 15 minutes via a card cage housed in game cabinet with six PC boards; kits were sold as ConvertaPaks[9]
  • Color display[9]
  • Capable of raster and vector graphics[10]
  • Possessed the world's first color X-Y video system[10]
VCO Object
  • Also called the Sega Z80-3D System[11]
  • Utilizes scaling to create 3D effects[13]
Laserdisc
  • Capable of displaying computer graphics over video footage[15]
System 1 / System 2
  • System 1 released in July 1983[18]
  • Not designed with console ports in mind, but some titles were ported to the Master System[19]
System E
  • Stripped-down version of Master System hardware[24]
  • Hang-On Jr. (1986)[24]
Super Scaler
System 16 / System 18
  • Successor to the System 1 and System 2 boards, released in 1985[26][27]
  • Nearly 40 titles released[26]
  • Four different versions of System 16 were made[26]
  • Served as the basis for design of the Sega Genesis[28][29]
  • Utilizes a Motorola 68000 and a Zilog Z80 as processors[28]
  • Limited to 128 sprites on screen at a time[26]
OutRun
  • Based on the System 16[37]
  • Second generation Super Scaler board; able to use sprite scaling to simulate 3D using Super Scaler technology[37][38]
  • Designed because Yu Suzuki was unable to make Out Run on existing technology at the time[39]
X Board
System 24
  • Displayed in 496 x 384 resolution, larger than the 320 x 224 to which Sega designers were accustomed at the time[43]
  • Limited character RAM[43]
  • Early games loaded onto a floppy disk and could be switched[43]
Y Board
  • Fourth board in the Super Scaler series, and successor to the X Board[32]
  • Added an extra CPU and memory, as well as upgraded video hardware compared to the X Board[32]
  • Capable of performing real-time sprite rotation[32]
Mega-Tech / Mega Play
  • Modified version of Genesis hardware, designed to play multiple Genesis games[46]
  • Mega-Tech capable of playing up to eight Genesis games[46]
  • Mega Play capable of playing up to four Genesis games[46]
  • Mega-Tech Arcade System (1989)[46]
  • Mega Play[46]
System C
  • Also known as System 14[47]
  • Based on Genesis hardware[47]
System 32
  • Final board in the Super Scaler series[48]
  • Sega's first 32-bit system, and final major sprite-based board[48]
  • Utilizes a NEC V60 processor[49]
Model 1
  • Sega's first 3D video game system[49]
  • Utilizes the same NEC V60 processor as in the System 32[49]
  • Contains a custom graphics unit, the CG Board, that can display 180,000 polygons per second[49]
  • Capable of displaying 60 frames per second[52]
  • Board had a high cost during development[54]
Model 2
ST-V
  • Based on Sega Saturn architecture[66]
  • Was Sega's low-end board during its lifespan, underpowered compared to the Model 2[66]
Model 3
  • First unveiled at the 1996 AOU show[69]
  • Upon release, was the most powerful arcade system board in existence[70]
  • Released in multiple "steps" with improving specifications[71]
NAOMI / NAOMI 2
  • Less expensive than the Model 3[74]
  • Shared architecture with Dreamcast, but with additional memory[75][76]
  • Utilizes PowerVR graphics[77]
  • NAOMI 2 adds additional power compared to its predecessor[78]
  • NAOMI 2 served as high-end replacement for Hikaru[79]
Hikaru
  • Custom version of NAOMI hardware[83]
  • Possesses a custom graphics chip and more memory than the NAOMI[83]
  • Much more expensive than NAOMI[79]
Triforce
Chihiro
SystemSP
Lindbergh
Europa-R
  • Runs at 60 frames per second and 720p video resolution[90]
RingEdge / RingWide / RingEdge 2
Nu
  • Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone (2013)[95]
ALLS

Additional arcade hardware

Sega has developed and released additional arcade games that use technology other than their dedicated arcade system boards. The first arcade game manufactured by Sega was Periscope, an electromechanical game. This was followed by Missile in 1969.[97] Subsequent video-based games such as Pong-Tron (1973), Fonz (1976), and Monaco GP (1979) used discrete logic boards without a CPU.[98] Frogger (1981) utilized a system powered by two Z80 CPUs.[99] Some titles, such as Zaxxon (1982) were developed externally from Sega, a practice that was not uncommon at the time.[100]

See also

References
  1. Horowitz, Ken (2018). The Sega Arcade Revolution, A History in 62 Games. McFarland & Company. pp. 3–6. ISBN 9781476631967.
  2. "Sega and Utamatic Purchase Assets of Service Games". Billboard. September 5, 1960. p. 71. ISSN 0006-2510.
  3. "Service Games Inc. Bought By Sega and Uta Matic". Cashbox. Vol. 21 no. 51. September 3, 1960. p. 52. ISSN 0008-7289.
  4. Sega Arcade History (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2002. ISBN 9784757707900. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018 – via Shmuplations.
  5. Horowitz 2018, pp. 14-16
  6. Horowitz 2018, pp. 21-23
  7. "Most prolific producer of arcade machines". Guinness World Records. Jim Pattison Group. Archived from the original on December 25, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  8. Horowitz 2018, p. 24-26
  9. "Sega/Gremlin Introduces 'Convert-A-Game' At Annual Distributor Meeting In La Costa". Cashbox. July 4, 1981. pp. 41–42.
  10. Horowitz 2018, pp. 31-35
  11. Horowitz 2018, pp. 43-46
  12. Horowitz 2018, pp. 65-69
  13. Horowitz 2018, pp. 56-58
  14. Horowitz 2018, pp. 52-54
  15. Horowitz 2018, pp. 71-74
  16. Horowitz 2018, pp. 120, 131
  17. Horowitz 2018, pp. 184-187
  18. "SC-3000". sega.jp (in Japanese). Sega. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  19. Horowitz 2018, pp. 81-84
  20. Horowitz 2018, p. 77, 91
  21. Horowitz 2018, pp. 108-109
  22. Horowitz 2018, pp. 106-108
  23. Horowitz 2018, pp.124-125
  24. Horowitz 2018, pp. 92-97
  25. Horowitz 2018, pp. 100-102
  26. Horowitz 2018, pp. 102-106
  27. Fahs, Travis (April 21, 2009). "IGN Presents the History of SEGA - IGN - Page 3". IGN. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  28. Sato (September 18, 2013). "Sega's Original Hardware Developer Talks About The Company's Past Consoles". Siliconera. Curse LLC. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved November 23, 2013.
  29. Sczepaniak, John (August 2006). "Retroinspection: Mega Drive". Retro Gamer. No. 27. Imagine Publishing. pp. 42–47. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015 – via Sega-16.
  30. Horowitz 2018, p. 114
  31. Horowitz 2018, pp. 126-127
  32. Horowitz 2018, pp. 132-134
  33. Horowitz 2018, p. 148
  34. Horowitz 2018, pp. 174-177
  35. Horowitz 2018, p. 171
  36. The One. No. 36. emap Images. September 1991. p. 96.
  37. Grazza, Brian (October 5, 2017). "OutRun". Hardcore Gaming 101. Kurt Kalata. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017.
  38. Horowitz 2018, pp. 112-114
  39. Mielke, James (2012). "The Disappearance of Yu Suzuki, Part 1". 1Up.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 13, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  40. Horowitz 2018, pp. 118-119
  41. Horowitz 2018, pp. 120, 131
  42. Horowitz 2018, pp. 144-145
  43. Horowitz 2018, pp. 141-144
  44. Horowitz 2018, p. 173
  45. Horowitz 2018, pp. 137-140
  46. Horowitz 2018, pp. 151-152
  47. Horowitz 2018, pp. 165-168
  48. Horowitz 2018, p. 182
  49. Horowitz 2018, pp. 187-190
  50. Horowitz 2018, pp. 190-193
  51. Sega Arcade History (in Japanese). Enterbrain. p. 123.
  52. Horowitz 2018, pp. 193-197
  53. Horowitz 2018, pp.229-233
  54. Horowitz 2018, pp. 198-204
  55. Horowitz 2018, p. 180
  56. Fahs, Travis (April 21, 2009). "IGN Presents the History of SEGA - IGN - Page 8". IGN. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  57. Horowitz 2018, pp. 204-206
  58. Horowitz 2018, pp. 206-210
  59. Webb, Marcus (June 1996). "Sega Model 2 Technology Licensed to Data East, Jaleco, and Tecmo". Next Generation. No. 18. Imagine Media. p. 26.
  60. Horowitz 2018, p. 212
  61. Horowitz 2018, p. 215
  62. Horowitz 2018, pp. 217-220
  63. Horowitz 2018, p. 220
  64. Webb, Marcus (June 1996). "Sega Model 2 Technology Licensed to Data East, Jaleco, and Tecmo". Next Generation. No. 18. Imagine Media. p. 26.
  65. "AOU". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 93. Ziff Davis. April 1997. p. 79.
  66. Horowitz 2018, pp. 222-226
  67. "Virtua Fighter Remix". Next Generation. No. 12. Imagine Media. December 1995. p. 209.
  68. "US defense corp. holds key to Sega's plans". Next Generation. No. 11. November 1995. pp. 12–14.
  69. "Model 3: Sega Affirms Arcade Supremacy". Next Generation. No. 17. Imagine Media. May 1996. pp. 12–18.
  70. "News: Virtua Fighter 3". Computer and Video Games (174): 10–1. May 1996.
  71. Horowitz 2018, pp. 233-237
  72. "NG Alphas: Virtua Fighter 3". Next Generation. No. 22. Imagine Media. October 1996. p. 108.
  73. Horowitz 2018, pp. 237-240
  74. Ohbuchi, Yutaka (September 17, 1998). "How Naomi Got Its Groove On". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 24, 2017. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
  75. Fahs, Travis (September 9, 2010). "IGN Presents the History of Dreamcast". IGN. Archived from the original on September 28, 2014. Retrieved October 31, 2014.
  76. Hagiwara, Shiro; Oliver, Ian (November–December 1999). "Sega Dreamcast: Creating a Unified Entertainment World". IEEE Micro. 19 (6): 29–35. doi:10.1109/40.809375.
  77. "NEC and VideoLogic Power Up". Edge. January 1999. p. 11.
  78. "NAOMI 2: Sega reveals its next gen arcade hardware". DC-UK. No. 16. December 2000. p. 41.
  79. "NASCAR Arcade". Edge. No. 90. November 2000. p. 67.
  80. Horowitz 2018, pp. 240-242
  81. Souppouris, Aaron (August 23, 2019). "Sega is becoming its weird and wonderful self again". Engadget. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
  82. Chau, Anthony (July 3, 2001). "Virtua Fighter 4 - First Impressions Part 1 (Arcade)". IGN. Retrieved March 11, 2016.
  83. Horowitz 2018, pp. 242-244
  84. NASCAR Arcade Deluxe Edition Owner's Manual. Sega. 2000. p. 33.
  85. "GameCube Arcade Hardware Revealed". IGN. February 18, 2002. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  86. Satterfield, Shane (March 28, 2002). "Sega and Nintendo form developmental partnership". GameSpot. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved June 20, 2007.
  87. Jenkins, David (July 20, 2005). "Sega Arcade Hardware Confirmed As PowerVR-Based". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  88. "Dinosaur King" owner's manual. Sega. p. 36.
  89. Maragos, Nick; Sheffield, Brandon (August 31, 2005). "Round-Up: New Sega Arcade Board, EA's Grammy Pro Sessions, PSP European, Oceania Launch". Gamasutra. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  90. Plunkett, Luke (May 27, 2008). "Take A Look At Sega Rally 3". Kotaku. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  91. "Sega Supported Hardware". segaarcade.com. Sega Amusements International Ltd. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  92. "Initial D Arcade Stage 7 AA X Races To Arcades This Thursday". Siliconera. November 28, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  93. "Chaos Code coming to North America on PSN". Polygon. August 14, 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  94. McFerran, Damien (July 21, 2015). "Weirdness: Sega's Repackaged Transformers Arcade Game Is An Unexpected Nod To Its Glorious Past". Nintendo Life. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  95. "Sega announces next-generation arcade game board "Nu". The first adoption title is "Hatsune Miku Project DIVA Arcade Future Tone"". 4gamer.net (in Japanese). September 4, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  96. Nojima, Ryo (October 10, 2018). "Arcade popular series latest work "HOUSE OF THE DEAD -SCARLET DAWN-"". CGWorld.jp (in Japanese). Born Digital, Inc. Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  97. Horowitz 2018, pp. 8-13
  98. Horowitz 2018, pp. 16, 28, 56
  99. Horowitz 2018, pp. 36-39
  100. Horowitz 2018, pp. 48-50
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.