Sega Arcade Hardware Confirmed As PowerVR-Based

Sega representatives have confirmed the that the company’s newest arcade board, named 'Lindbergh' and currently powering The House Of The Dead 4 in Japanese arcades, is not based on any specific next-generation console technology, but instead is powered by Imagination Technologies’ high-end PowerVR graphic processor. Numerous Internet reports had suggested that the new technology was based on the Xbox 360 architecture, in the same manner that the existing 'Chihiro' system (used in Sega arcade games including Outrun 2, Ollie King, and Virtua Cop 3) is based on the original Xbox. However, these rumors, now refuted by Sega representatives in a statement to UK-based consumer game site Eurogamer, always seemed at odds with Sega’s 'next generation' presentation behind closed doors at E3 in May, where the company showed real-time demonstrations of new iterations in The House of the Dead, Virtua Fighter, Afterburner and Sonic the Hedgehog franchises, and announced that the demonstrations were running on new arcade hardware, and not on Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. These demonstrations were seen by many as a highlight of E3, with graphics at least on par with next-gen console prototypes thus far. Beta versions of the Lindbergh-utilizing The House of the Dead 4 are already being tested in Japanese arcades, which should ensure a worldwide release of the title within a few months. Sega have thus far commented that they currently have no plans to release console ports of either The House of the Dead 4 or Virtua Fighter 5, both apparently debuting in arcades on Lindbergh, but the company has previously made similar claims about its arcade titles, only to release conversions at a later date – as was the case with OutRun 2 on the Xbox.