System 246/256 (Soul Calibur 2/3, Tekken 5, etc)

Supasaru · Jul 10, 2010

Hi!

I wanted to see if there were any other System 246/256 owners or people interested in this system. Also, I wanted to make sure I was putting this thread in the right place before I added good information about the Namco System 246/256.

There is a thread present on NeoGeo that shows up in Google for the System 246. I tried to use the Forum Search feature but I keep getting -
Fatal error: Allowed memory size of 25165824 bytes exhausted (tried to allocate 35 bytes) in /home/www/neo-geo/forums/search.php on line 1151

Anyway.... The old thread is not very useful and seems abandoned. The information in it is not accurate and sometimes completely wrong - for example, the System 246/256 does not have a DVD-ROM with "magic firmware" or any such nonsense. There is no "$500 Namco drive" that plays DVD-R copied games.

If there's no interest in rehashing this topic on the NeoGeo forums, then I'll find a more appropriate place. Otherwise, I wouldn't mind providing some insight into the system and some pictures.

loegan43 · Jul 11, 2010

I own a system 256 with Tekken 5, Tekken 5 DR and Soul Calibur 3 and would be interested in seeing this thread resurrected. It's a nice system and from my understanding there are some decent games for it out there. Would be nice to see what other games are worth getting for it.

Supasaru · Jul 11, 2010

Nice! I've only got Soul Calibur 2 and I'm having quite a hard time finding more games.

The 256 has a 246+ plus mode and I believe Soul Calibur 3 is one of the titles that benefits from being a 246 game on a 256 - I am under the impression you should see much crisper video and sharper effects than if you ran it natively on a 246. Soul Calibur 3 sometimes shows up in lists for only the 256, although I don't believe there are any copies that *only* work on 246 or only work on 256 - one disc works on both systems.

The 246/256 games seem to be split a few different ways. Here's a few games available for each system
Namco 246 Titles
Soul Calibur 2/3
Tekken 4
Time Crisis 3
Vampire Night
Bloody Roar 3
Wangan Midnight and Midnight R

Capcom 246 Titles
Capcom Fighting Jam (aka Evolution)
Sengoku Basara X
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Fed vs Zaft
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Fed vs Zaft 2

Namco 256 Titles
Tekken 5
Tekken 5 DR
Super Dragonball Z

There has been a lot of work into emulating the System 246/256 over at MAME. You can find a lot of information from TheGuru and Alex (who seem to have had a dramatic falling out....? Who knows) on preserving these titles.

From their work, we know that the myth of the "$500 Namco drive" is nonsense - if your DVD-ROM stops working, it is definitely worth trying a cheap alternative from a local store or any DVD-ROMs you have lying around. Don't bother buying the high priced "System 246 replacement" drives from Ebay or similar sources. I replaced my non-functioning System 246 DVD-ROM with a $16 ASUS DVD-ROM from Fry's.

Also - it seems the System 246 doesn't mind burned DVDs. Your mileage may vary depending on the drive you choose, but the Asus drive I have in mine makes no complaints running Soul Calibur 2 Rev. D. from the original disc or from a burned copy.

If there's more interest, maybe we can rebuild that thread. In the meantime, it makes me cry to see all of that terrible information show up in Google from the NeoGeo Forums.

BeefyWhale · Jul 14, 2010

Supasaru said:
In the meantime, it makes me cry to see all of that terrible information show up in Google from the NeoGeo Forums.

Dry your eyes mate. I know its hard to take, but googles mind has been made up. There's plenty more web searches in the sea.

Supasaru · Jul 20, 2010

This is not what System 246/256 games should look like when you purchase them -

This concludes our public service announcement.

Supasaru · Jul 21, 2010

Did some investigating into that "little blinky light" on the JVS board of the System 246.

In a "normal" System 246, the JVS board should have a solid green LED. If you look at the silk screening near the LED, you'll see the word "WARNING." If I plug my JVS board in to the power supply without the System 246 connected it will stay solidly lit. During power-up of the 246, it will stay solidly lit. As soon as the DVD-ROM spins up, it starts to blink.

Various posts on the internet have mentioned that the blinking green LED is an indicator for a voltage issue. I believe this is definitely correct. The behavior seems to be for the light to begin blinking as soon as a voltage drop is experienced (ie the DVD-ROM spins excessively or the fan overheats). The blinking will not stop until the next cold start.

However, on systems that do not have something resembling OEM DVD-ROM drives, it seems to blink regardless of what powersupply or voltage you use as soon as the system starts up.

I'm going to assume this is caused by the DVD-ROM pulling a bit more power than the original equipment would. If I pull the DVD-ROM drive out of my system, the WARNING light stays solid. On power-up, it seems the light stays solid up until the moment that the DVD-ROM initializes.

I've seen several 246/256 machines being vended with the "blinky light" and the owners have reported many many years of service without issue. One owner that I spoke with stated his Tekken 4 had a "blinky light" since he bought it new.

Supasaru · Jul 26, 2010

Update -

Running the aftermarket DVD-ROM drive off of dedicated 12V lines from the PSU (that is - not through the JVS) solves the blinky light problem.

Now it can return to it's original purpose - warning you if there is a possible over/under voltage to your System 246.

MaNiAc-Uk · Jul 26, 2010

still cannot get my system to play tekken 4 plays everything else.

that post helped me out in the begining made a jvs power loom up off it so can plug in to my naomi cab.

Supasaru · Jul 26, 2010

MaNiAc-Uk said:
still cannot get my system to play tekken 4 plays everything else.

that post helped me out in the begining made a jvs power loom up off it so can plug in to my naomi cab.

Try another DVD-R. If you have a department store nearby or some extra PCs... just keep trying.

From what I understand, Tekken 4 is the flakiest System 246 game when it comes to DVD drives. If it isn't running at all, you can try bumping up your 5V rail or move your DVD drive to a 12V power source outside of the System 246.

Edit - If your current drive plays DVD-R (they all should....) you can also try reburning the disc. This helps a lot in load times and accurate reads.

robt81 · Nov 7, 2010

Supasaru said:
Nice! I've only got Soul Calibur 2 and I'm having quite a hard time finding more games.

The 256 has a 246+ plus mode and I believe Soul Calibur 3 is one of the titles that benefits from being a 246 game on a 256 - I am under the impression you should see much crisper video and sharper effects than if you ran it natively on a 246. Soul Calibur 3 sometimes shows up in lists for only the 256, although I don't believe there are any copies that *only* work on 246 or only work on 256 - one disc works on both systems.

The 246/256 games seem to be split a few different ways. Here's a few games available for each system
Namco 246 Titles
Soul Calibur 2/3
Tekken 4
Time Crisis 3
Vampire Night
Bloody Roar 3
Wangan Midnight and Midnight R

Capcom 246 Titles
Capcom Fighting Jam (aka Evolution)
Sengoku Basara X
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Fed vs Zaft
Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Fed vs Zaft 2

Namco 256 Titles
Tekken 5
Tekken 5 DR
Super Dragonball Z

There has been a lot of work into emulating the System 246/256 over at MAME. You can find a lot of information from TheGuru and Alex (who seem to have had a dramatic falling out....? Who knows) on preserving these titles.

From their work, we know that the myth of the "$500 Namco drive" is nonsense - if your DVD-ROM stops working, it is definitely worth trying a cheap alternative from a local store or any DVD-ROMs you have lying around. Don't bother buying the high priced "System 246 replacement" drives from Ebay or similar sources. I replaced my non-functioning System 246 DVD-ROM with a $16 ASUS DVD-ROM from Fry's.

Also - it seems the System 246 doesn't mind burned DVDs. Your mileage may vary depending on the drive you choose, but the Asus drive I have in mine makes no complaints running Soul Calibur 2 Rev. D. from the original disc or from a burned copy.

If there's more interest, maybe we can rebuild that thread. In the meantime, it makes me cry to see all of that terrible information show up in Google from the NeoGeo Forums.

I am in Illinois as well and just bought a soul calibur 2 machine, but it is ver. A. I have been trying desperately to find version d and just read your post. Do you know where I could get my hands on a burned copy of it? Im also looking for a soul calibur 3 dvd as well. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
thanks ,
robt81

atrain9 · Apr 1, 2011

WTB TEKKEN 5 DARK RESURRECTION DVD & DONGLE

I AM LOOKING FOR TEKKEN 5 DARK RESURRECTION DVD AND DONGLE FOR NAMCO SYSTEM 256 $$$. CAN ANYONE HELP OR KNOW WHERE I COULD FIND IT??

sammybean · Apr 1, 2011

atrain9 said:
I AM LOOKING FOR TEKKEN 5 DARK RESURRECTION DVD AND DONGLE FOR NAMCO SYSTEM 256 $$$. CAN ANYONE HELP OR KNOW WHERE I COULD FIND IT??

Post in the appropriate forum and someone might help you.

atrain9 · Apr 11, 2011

Ok where should I post it

System 246/256 (Soul Calibur 2/3, Tekken 5, etc)

Supasaru

Windjammers Wonder

loegan43

I've served my time in the Dark Army., Have you?,

Supasaru

Windjammers Wonder

BeefyWhale

Rugal's Thug

Supasaru

Windjammers Wonder

Supasaru

Windjammers Wonder

Supasaru

Windjammers Wonder

MaNiAc-Uk

n00b

Supasaru

Windjammers Wonder

robt81

n00b

atrain9

n00b

sammybean

Shigen's Fitness Trainer

atrain9

n00b