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Nutty about Naomi but can't stand the stick? Check out Sega's solution.
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AOU 2000: Arcade-Dreamcast Cross-Compatibility Takes Form
Heading to the local game center? Don’t forget to bring along your controller and a spare VMU!
February 28, 2000
Though folks have been talking about arcade-to-console cross-compatibility for as long as we can remember, the actual implementation has been extremely slow to surface. However, both Sega and Capcom were showing off new ways to interact with arcade hardware – and earn extra goodies with special downloads.
Before the show, Sega ran full-page spreads in a number of gaming magazines, encouraging gamers to bring their personalized Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram mechs to the AOU show. Sure enough, the brand-new NAOMI-based version of VOOT allows you to jack your VMU into the arcade unit (right above the coin slot), and clean up with your specialized robots. This drew a crowd that could only be defined as “insane” – the line to play the new VOOT stretched to the back of the building, with wait times approaching two hours.
Capcom also showed off VMU compatibility with Spawn, which has been making the rounds in select Joypolis game centers around Japan. With Spawn, you should be able to download special files onto your VMU from home – then bring it into the arcade and start unlocking new characters, gameplay modes, or special features. Cool stuff. Capcom also showed off a Dreamcast controller port mounted on the front of the machine – meaning, you’d be able to bring in your Mad Catz Dream Pad and start kicking ass with that as opposed to the standard arcade joystick.
It’s great to see this compatibility set into motion – Japanese arcades are complying with the new specifications, and are installing VMU ports on compatible games. It’s still unclear whether or not the United States will follow suit, though – we suggest you start nagging your local arcade operator about it.
-- Colin “Millennium Controller” Williamson, IGNDC
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