JAMMA 2010: New games, hardware and ideas that could shake things up

Shaggy September 9, 2010 18
JAMMA 2010: New games, hardware and ideas that could shake things up

The 48th JAMMA Expo is now underway in Japan and with that comes a flood of news concerning future projects that Japanese developers will be bringing to the market. AM-Net has a number of photos that they have published from the event, with more to come and here are some highlights including new Taito arcade hardware, more 3D gaming from Namco, Sega’s new Pengo and an online content delivery system from Taito that could revolutionize the industry called NESiCAxLIVE. Read on!

UDATE#1:More System Board Y3 details including glasses free 3D display made for arcades; Namco’s Dead Heat goes 3D; Sega and Namco introduce new IC card system called AiME; added a few more pictures + some videos

UPDATE#2 – Videos added by Gigazine

UPDATE#3: AM-Net and Sega have updated galleries of photos showing crowds gathering around the various booths. I’ve added a few select photos below, including a shot from the new VF5, The Tablecloth Hour and more

UPDATE#4: This Youtube user has posted a number of videos from the event. http://www.youtube.com/user/Puyo432343

UPDATE#5: Segaonline.nl has some direct screenshots of Initial D Arcade Stage 6AA, Shining Force Cross Raid and Border Break 2.0, a couple of which I’ve added below

UPDATE#6: Just when you think we’re done, we have more content from the show. Thanks to Fillmore Games, a distributor in Japan for providing more pictures of the show. From them we find out that Vulcan-M and Heat Up Hockey were there as well.


All images except those with a Famitsu watermark are via this album setup by the fine folks at AM-Net.jp. We will update this post as more information becomes available so be sure to check back!

NEW TECHNOLOGIES

3D is the big news at the show this year with SIE, Taito, and Namco all pulling out something to show for the technology.

Here’s SIE’s System Board Y3 on display. Looks like they just have a graphics demo running. This was developed for glasses-free stereoscopic 3D monitors and specifically for use in the entertainment sector. UPDATE#1: 4Gamer.net has further details on the Y3 as well as the display technology they are using. While TV manufacturers have been claiming that glasses-free 3D displays might be a few years away, SIE has it all figured out with their “Newsight” stereoscopic display. It has a 3D viewing angle of 120 degrees which is quite impressive. The Y3 is also backwards compatible with Y2 games (not that there are many of those around)

Taito finally has a follow-up to their Type X2 hardware with the Taito TypeX Zero. Like the Y3 this has also been developed with 3DTV’s in mind, and it looks like they have a special display that supports that ready to go too. The new platform features a high speed I/O interface and will be released this December. No software has been unveiled for the new system at this point so we have to assume that they have something ready to go that has already been announced or will be announced soon. It’s not Darius Burst – that’s still X2. Could SSFIV use the new board? It’s certainly possible and if Taito has a 3D display tech ready to go then Capcom could take advantage of that and give the arcade version an extra edge, along with the extra processing power (which would put another hole in the argument that SFIV was 1-player-per-board because TypeX2 was too weak argument that I never have bought).

On top of that, Taito will be using a new online content delivery system – from the sounds of it, operators will be able to download new software to their Type X Zero or Type X2 board for a much cheaper price than purchasing a new board, making it easy to keep content fresh, albeit in more generic cabinets. It’s called NESiCAxLive and could create quite a revolution in the arcade industry that if I am understanding the documents correctly, SNK Playmore and CAVE have already signed onto this new system and Blazblue Continuum Shift II has been announced as the first title that this will be offered on. Seems only logical that SSFIV should also be delivered via NESiCAxLive. This is certainly a system I’d love to see in the US and with the right support it could be a reality and save operators a bit of money as well as lower risk on buying new titles since demos could be offered as well. Famitsu has some details on this online system as well.

Namco had their new Deadstorm Pirates in 3D in a huge cabinet on display but they also announced a new 3D racing game coming in the Spring of 2011 called Makishimamuhito. According to AM-Net the game will use a 32″ 3D screen and (forgive the bad internet translation) “3D visor type Yuzo Koshiro’s music photographed with a camera mounted buttons glow with evening dress nitro alter ego system uses up to four people can play simultaneously with Medane (Wangan Midnight series)”. UPDATE#1: Via Game Watch. Actually it seems that this game was at the show and it was a surprise as well since we had the impression that it was a game made for the US market – it’s Dead Heat but under the name of Maximum Heat. Whether the US will get the 3D version at one point is hard to say at this point – it seems unlikely since Dead Heat comes out in October and it hasn’t been shown with any sort of 3D tech.

UPDATE#1: Via 4Gamer.net. In the technology realm of data cards, Namco and Sega have announced a joint effort e-payment and IC card system called “AiME”. It’s obviously a response to Konami’s Paseli system and will allow user to setup an account on their mobile phone. Users can combine cards from different games onto one account, making life a little easier when it comes to tracking your info across multiple games. The system will launch in 2011, an official site for the system can be found here.

TAITO

Taito has a new racer entitled Battle Gear Spin Wheel. It features a lit up steering wheel that possibly includes buttons on the wheel. Cabinets can also be linked together in an unusual way that sort of reminds me of an old Atari game from the 70’s called Firetruck

UPDATE#6:Β  Thanks to Fillmore Games we see that this was at the show

Darius Burst Another Chronicle’s flyer.Β  A price has been revealed for the unit – it’s Β₯950,000 or a little under $12,000. So that’s a little better than I expected but that will probably be higher for an international release thanks to shipping and taxes(if they do that). UPDATE#1: Added a cabinet image from Game Watch. UPDATE#2: Video added

 

UPDATE#6: Taito had two DBAC cabs at the show and they were quite popular

Taito’s follow-up to their Table Flipping game

Blazblue Continuum Shift 2. I wasn’t aware that they were preferring the VS configuration with the Blazblue series but that sort of thing is common in Japan. The show flyer also shows some of the new characters joining the game. UPDATE#!: Screenshot from 4Gamer.net

Boxing with Sonic Blast Heroes

Taito’s Music Gun Gun 2

UPDATE#3: The Tablecloth Hour as seen on Small Room Aries

SEGA

Border Break 2.0

UPDATE#3: Border Break 2.0’s unveiling as seen on Sega’s JAMMA site

Screenshot of the new BB 2.0

Sega’s Shining Force Cross Raid

UPDATE#3: The Shining Force Cross Raid booth was packed, as seen on Sega’s JAMMA site

Direct screen of SFCR

Sega’s Pengo update on a 2p linkable cabinet

Video of Pengo

Rolling out the carpet (and car) for the 6th Initial D game

Video

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown

UPDATE#3: 4Gamer.net has details on the newly balanced Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown

Update#6: Sega had their Heat Up Hockey table setup. This is one of those games I’d get in a heartbeat if it weren’t $20k

Heat Up Hockey MXR air hockey by Sega

NAMCO

Namco’s Gundam Extreme VS.

Namco’s Go Go Grand Prix lands in Japan

UPDATE#1: Pac-Man Battle Royale, popular as always (Gigazine)

OTHER

The Galaxy cabinet system (4Gamer.net)

Rassen’s Vulcan-M was at the show as well

18 Comments »

  1. arcades4ever September 9, 2010 at 11:44 am - Reply

    looks abit lack luster compared to last year what they had. but at least theres still the other show to look forward to to see if there are some new games coming out. I thought pengo was supposed to be a multiplayer yet it only looks like a 2 player on a naomi cabinet which just looks dated, plus why isn’t pac man battle royale their?
    wonder what the interia looks like in dead storm pirates? pity it will be rare to come across in the west does it use glasses or not do you know shaggy?

    • Shaggy September 9, 2010 at 1:50 pm - Reply

      This year the focus seems to be more on making new technologies to improve future games. I am impressed by the 3D tech as the TV industry is not going to be offering an inexpensive alternative for some time. If arcades can do that first, it gives us an edge. But let’s hope that companies outside of Japan can start using it before too long, striking while the iron is hot.

    • Shaggy September 9, 2010 at 2:06 pm - Reply

      BTW – PacMan is there(see above) and Pengo was also seen in one of the newer cabinets – I think that pic above is just to show that it could run in an old cabinet too. Thus it should be available as a cheap kit.

      • arcades4ever September 10, 2010 at 3:15 pm - Reply

        oh I see now, never played pengo but I’m curious to try it though. I think that pacman could be a huge sucess if its sold cheap enough and because it will go into any location then many places will have this game probably more so that big buck hunter. all arcade companie need to get a move on and start creating 3D games while the 3Dtv’s are still new, even though the 3DS is coming soon it shouldn’t hurt arcades very much at all shaggy πŸ™‚

  2. Japhei September 9, 2010 at 5:25 pm - Reply

    Seeing anything new arcade in Japan is a god send.

    Cave announced intentions to develop on Type X before and never got around to it instead they opted to use their own custom hardware.

    http://ikotsu.blogspot.com/2010/03/deathsmiles-ii-pos-arcade-pc.html

    Probally a move to keep costs down.

    • Shaggy September 9, 2010 at 5:37 pm - Reply

      I think I read somewhere that the Type X Zero is suppoed to be inexpensive but we’ve also heard that before (TriForce) and it wasn’t true. But Taito’s new online thing could be a deal breaker for Cave.

  3. Outkast September 9, 2010 at 6:58 pm - Reply

    Does anybody know what kind of cabinet Blazblue Continuum Shift 2 is shown on in that pic?

    Also, those new galaxy cab setups look interesting. I wonder what the cost is.

  4. justonemoregame September 9, 2010 at 9:08 pm - Reply

    I’m amazed there’s another ‘Sonic Blast’ game coming…

    Or is what I’ve read about lawsuits just internet folklore? Hmm, maybe it will just be released in ‘less lawyer-crazy’ territories. πŸ˜‰

  5. 60Hertz September 10, 2010 at 7:22 pm - Reply

    Wow to goggle free 3d tech, this is a 1 up on the home industry as glasses 3d is destined to be a big flop. The new casual games, Pac Man and Pengo seem like a good breath of fresh air, i’m sure they are priced right as well… Dead Storm is a great game, visor 3d is not my cup of tea, but may make for a good attraction type.

    It’s good to see border break and shining cross in new iterations, one of those should be tested in american territories.

    i’ve always been surprised that no one has released a baseball card game here in the states, but arcade buyers seem to be pretty conservative, so i guess i understand…

    the online update stuff sounds amazing, and i’m surprise it hasn’t been thought of before… this may be the fresh air the industry needs to get short armed buyers to be a little bit more loose with their spending…

    sorry for the rant, and poorly constructed sentences, i guess i’m a bit excited about the future of coin-op!

    • Shaggy September 16, 2010 at 1:58 pm - Reply

      Sega actually had developed a baseball card game called Sega Card Gen MLB. you can find out more about usingt he search box here on AH. It was supposed to have been released this past spring but apparently it flopped on test in the US so last we heard about it, it was testing in Japan but it may have flopped there to as it’s been a a while since we heard about it.

      I think that Border Break could be adapted to other territories – the real issue with it is the touch screen which generally doesn’t do well in the US as players are often too rough with such things. So the game would have to be simplified but I think it’s doable. We really need a mech game once again, just like we needed a tank game before Namco did Tank! Tank! Tank!

  6. 60Hertz September 11, 2010 at 11:32 pm - Reply

    Anyone have any video links… i just noticed that youtube doesn’t subscribe to keyword searches anymore… so i haven’t been able to find any vids… i may try niconico…

  7. editor September 12, 2010 at 12:49 pm - Reply

  8. le Singe September 13, 2010 at 4:22 pm - Reply

    you like pac man check out the video this swiss artist made, it’s pretty awesome. http://monkeybusiness1.wordpress.com/2010/09/13/avant-garde-atari/

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