Table of Contents
Namco System 22
The Namco System 22 is an arcade system board developed by Namco. It was released in 1993 and was a pioneer of hardware-accelerated 3D texture-mapped polygon graphics in arcades. Its enhanced revision, the System Super 22, followed in 1995 with additional sprite capabilities and graphical effects. Notable games include Ridge Racer, Rave Racer, Time Crisis, Cyber Cycles, and Alpine Racer.
Quick reference
- Emulators: libretro-mame (default), mame
- Folder:
/userdata/roms/namco22 - Accepted ROM formats:
.zip.7z
BIOS
No BIOS files are required. All necessary data is self-contained within each game's ROM archive.
ROMs
Place your ROM files in:
/userdata/roms/namco22/
ROMs must match the MAME version used by your Batocera installation. Only parent ROM sets are needed (clones are optional). No CHD files are required for this system.
Game list
System 22
| MAME ROM name | Game title | Year | Input type |
|---|---|---|---|
acedrive | Ace Driver: Racing Evolution | 1994 | steering / pedals |
cybrcomm | Cyber Commando | 1994 | joystick |
raverace | Rave Racer | 1995 | steering / pedals |
ridgerac | Ridge Racer | 1993 | steering / pedals |
ridgeracf | Ridge Racer Full Scale | 1993 | steering / pedals |
ridgera2 | Ridge Racer 2 | 1994 | steering / pedals |
victlap | Ace Driver: Victory Lap | 1996 | steering / pedals |
System Super 22
| MAME ROM name | Game title | Year | Input type |
|---|---|---|---|
adillor | Armadillo Racing | 1997 | analog stick |
airco22b | Air Combat 22 | 1995 | flight stick |
alpinerd | Alpine Racer | 1994 | analog stick |
alpines | Alpine Surfer | 1996 | analog stick |
alpinr2b | Alpine Racer 2 | 1996 | analog stick |
aquajet | Aqua Jet | 1996 | analog stick / pedals |
cybrcycc | Cyber Cycles | 1995 | steering / pedals |
dirtdash | Dirt Dash | 1995 | steering / pedals |
propcycl | Prop Cycle | 1996 | analog stick |
timecris | Time Crisis | 1996 | lightgun |
tokyowar | Tokyo Wars | 1996 | joystick / pedals |
All games have imperfect emulation status in MAME, except ridgeracf (Ridge Racer Full Scale) which is preliminary and may not be playable.
Emulators
libretro-mame
This is the default emulator for Namco System 22 in Batocera. It runs MAME through a RetroArch core.
ES setting name batocera.conf key | Description ⇒ ES option key value |
|---|---|
EMULATOR namco22.emulator | Choose which emulator to use. ⇒ libretro (default), mame |
CORE namco22.core | Choose which core to use. ⇒ mame |
mame
Standalone MAME can also be used. This may provide better compatibility and more configuration options.
ES setting name batocera.conf key | Description ⇒ ES option key value |
|---|---|
EMULATOR namco22.emulator | Choose which emulator to use. ⇒ mame |
CORE namco22.core | Choose which core to use. ⇒ mame |
To use standalone MAME, set the emulator for the system (or per-game) in EmulationStation:
Game Settings → Per System Advanced Configuration → Namco System 22 → Emulator → MAME
Controls
Namco System 22 games use a variety of input devices. Most driving games (Ridge Racer, Rave Racer, Cyber Cycles, Dirt Dash) use analog steering and pedals — an analog gamepad or steering wheel controller is strongly recommended.
Time Crisis (timecris) is a lightgun game. You will need a compatible lightgun (such as Sinden, GUN4IR, or Wiimote) configured in Batocera. See the lightgun setup guide for details.
Games like Alpine Racer, Prop Cycle, and Aqua Jet were designed for specialized arcade controls (ski poles, bicycle pedals, jet ski handlebars). These are mapped to analog stick input in MAME.
If steering feels too sensitive or too sluggish in driving games, adjust the analog sensitivity in the MAME in-game menu (press Tab during gameplay → Analog Controls).
Hardware specifications
System 22 (1993)
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Main CPU | Motorola 68020 @ 24.576 MHz |
| DSP | 2× Texas Instruments TMS320C25 @ 49.152 MHz |
| GPU | Evans & Sutherland TR3 |
| Sound CPU | 2× Namco C74 (Mitsubishi M37702) @ 16.384 MHz |
| Sound chip | Namco C352 (32 channels, 42 kHz stereo) |
| Display | 640×480 @ 59.9 Hz |
| Polygon performance | ~240,000 textured quads/sec |
| Graphics features | Texture mapping, Gouraud shading, translucency, fog, Z-buffering |
System Super 22 (1995)
| Component | Specification |
|---|---|
| Main CPU | Motorola 68EC020 @ 24.576 MHz |
| DSP | 2× Texas Instruments TMS320C25 @ 49.152 MHz |
| GPU | Enhanced Evans & Sutherland TR3 |
| Sound CPU | Mitsubishi M37710 @ 16.384 MHz |
| Sound chip | Namco C352 (32 channels, 42 kHz stereo) |
| Display | 640×480 @ 59.9 Hz |
| Key enhancements | Hardware sprite layer with zoom/rotation, higher polygon rates |
Troubleshooting
Graphical glitches
The MAME Namco System 22 driver (namcos22.cpp) has imperfect graphics emulation. You may notice:
- Texture mapping inaccuracies (off by 1 pixel)
- Garbage tiles in some attract mode sequences
- Occasional polygon rendering issues
- Mirror reflections in Ridge Racer 2 and Rave Racer may have visual artifacts
These are limitations of the current MAME driver, not Batocera-specific issues.
Performance
Emulating the Namco System 22 hardware (dual TMS320C25 DSPs + custom GPU) is CPU-intensive. An x86_64 system is recommended. ARM-based devices (Raspberry Pi, Odroid) are unlikely to run these games at full speed.
Ridge Racer Full Scale not working
ridgeracf (Ridge Racer Full Scale) has preliminary emulation status in MAME and is not expected to be playable. This is a MAME limitation.
Controls not responding correctly
- Open the MAME in-game menu with Tab
- Navigate to Input (this Machine) to remap controls
- Navigate to Analog Controls to adjust sensitivity, speed, and dead zones for steering/pedal inputs