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Namco System 246/256

Namco System 246/256 icon Namco System 246/256 logo

Overview

Sony/Namco’s System 246/256 arcade hardware (2000-era) runs the polished fighting, racing and shooter cabinets such as Tekken 4 and House of the Dead 2. REG-Linux bundles them as namco2x6 so they share common metadata and art.

Quick reference

  • ROM folder: /userdata/roms/namco2x6
  • Accepted formats: .zip plus matching .chd/.iso files
  • Emulator: Play!
  • System group: ports

Technical specifications

  • CPU: PlayStation 2-derived Emotion Engine (MIPS III) main processor clocked around 294 MHz with a dedicated I/O controller.
  • Memory: 32 MB of RDRAM plus 4 MB embedded frame buffer and texture memory.
  • Display: Graphics Synthesizer GPU (147 MHz) capable of 2D/3D at 640×480 with 16.7 million colors.
  • Sound: SPU2 multi-channel audio (48 channels) with ADPCM and PCM playback synchronized to the GPU.

ROM layout

Each title expects a ZIP archive plus its data disk under a folder that matches the arcade ID:

/userdata/roms/namco2x6/
├─ tekken4.zip
├─ tekken4/tef1dvd0.chd
└─ soulcalibur.zip
   └─ soulcalibur/scldvd0.chd

The ZIP should include the arcade core files while the subfolder holds .chd/.iso media. Download required extras (extras.pak) from the xash-extras releases when prompted.

Emulators

Play!

The Play! emulator is the supported binary for Namco 246/256 titles. Open [SELECT] → Advanced System Options to adjust the namco2x6.* flags for graphics API (OpenGL/Vulkan), render resolution, vsync, widescreen hacks and smoothing.

Controls & troubleshooting

The default arcade overlay is shared with other ports systems. If a title fails to start:

  1. Confirm the ZIP and .chd images use the same arcade ID/name.
  2. Switch between OpenGL and Vulkan renderers inside the advanced options.

Stay current with the Play! issue tracker for compatibility notes and consult the generic support pages for general issues.