1998 · Sega · Japan · arcade
Sega NAOMI
Dreamcast hardware in the arcade, and the last great home of the 2D fighter.
Mixed Easy to run ▶ Watch on YouTube ↗
Image: Mahcann · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sega's 1998 arcade board, built on the same hardware as the Dreamcast so games could move between arcade and home with little effort. It became the last great home of the 2D and one-on-one arena fighter.
Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is its masterpiece, still played in tournaments a quarter of a century later, alongside Capcom vs. SNK 2 and Ikaruga.
What it cost
about half a month’s pay in 1998 · about $2,887 today
| NAOMI arcade motherboard price (~$1,500 USD) |
$1,500 (1998)
New Arcade Operation Machine Idea; Dreamcast-derived arcade architecture. |
|---|---|
| Typical street price | — No verified mass-market street price recorded yet. |
| Units sold | ≈100,000 estimate Over 100,000 arcade units deployed globally. |
Why it mattered
Built on Dreamcast hardware, NAOMI let games flow between arcade and home and became the final stronghold of the 2D and arena fighter as 3D took over elsewhere.
Emulating it today
| Emulators | Flycast, Demul, MAME |
|---|---|
| Setup effort | Easy to run (2 on this site's scale) |
| Controls | A standard modern controller covers the ordinary controls, though unusual accessories may need custom mapping. |
| Runs on a handheld | Yes |
The emulator names above are starting points, not a promise that every title or accessory behaves identically. Computer platforms usually add model selection, disk handling and keyboard setup even when CPU emulation itself is mature.
NAOMI Arcade BIOS (naomi.zip)
Sega NAOMI arcade boards require the system BIOS ROM archive (naomi.zip) containing the Naomi system initialization firmware, JVS I/O handlers, and regional system menus. Flycast and MAME require this zip in the system directory to boot NAOMI GD-ROM and cartridge games.
How many files you need: 1. One archive: naomi.zip placed in the emulator's system or BIOS directory (plus airlbios.zip for Naomi 2 / satellite boards).
Where it stands legally: Arcade BIOS archives are copyrighted by Sega and must be extracted from authentic arcade hardware.
Firmware details checked 2026-08. Emulator requirements change — see Libretro — Flycast core documentation for the current list.
Where the software is
Preservation catalogues describe verified dumps; they do not grant permission to download commercial software. A curated, correctly matched set is easier to use than an undifferentiated archive.
Copyright: Commercial software remains copyrighted unless its owner explicitly released or relicensed it. Homebrew, public-domain programs and current reissues should be treated separately from abandoned commercial titles.
This site names preservation projects and explains what they are. It does not link to ROM downloads.
Where to start
- Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes 2000 fighting
The board's masterpiece; still played in tournaments a quarter-century on.
- Capcom vs. SNK 2 2001 fighting
- Ikaruga 2001 shoot 'em up
- Guilty Gear X 2000 fighting
- Crazy Taxi 1999 racing
- The House of the Dead 2 1998 light gun
The verdict
Essential for fighting fans; Marvel vs. Capcom 2 and its peers are peak arcade and emulate well.
Its strength is concentrated in fighters and shooters — a superb library, but a specialised one.
- Worth it if
- Players curious about sega handheld and arcade platforms and willing to learn how the original machine worked.
- Not for
- Anyone who wants a large, instantly accessible library and no model, firmware or control decisions.
Scored 3/5 for fun today and 3/5 for historical importance. Those two scores decide the label at the top — a machine can matter enormously and still be no fun.
Read more & watch
This page is 50% complete against the facts we try to record for every system. Gaps are shown as gaps.