¶ Technical data
- Manufacturer: Sammy
- Year of release: 2003
- Type: arcade system
- CPU: Hitachi SH-4 128-bit @ 200 MHz
- Video: NEC/VideoLogic PowerVR2 (CLX2)
- Sound chip: Yamaha AICA (ARM7 core), 64 channels
- Resolution: 640x480
- Media: cartridge
- Controller: mandatory
¶ Presentation
The Atomiswave is an arcade system released by Sammy in 2003. Developed under licence from Sega, it reuses the NAOMI architecture — SH-4 processor, PowerVR2 graphics chip, AICA sound — in a deliberately more compact and, above all, much cheaper package.
Sammy's goal was clear: offer operators a platform with a low entry cost, lightweight cartridges and near-instant game swapping. The hardware sits slightly below the NAOMI, notably in available memory, which forced a few compromises on developers but never prevented the release of gorgeous 2D titles.
The catalogue is short but dense, dominated by fighting games and shooters: Metal Slug 6, The King of Fighters Neowave and XI, Samurai Shodown VI, Guilty Gear Isuka, Dolphin Blue, Demolish Fist, Ranger Mission and Extreme Hunting. The 2004 merger of Sammy and Sega quickly ended the system's commercial career, which explains a library that stayed confidential but is highly sought after.
¶ Emulators
New in Recalbox 10.1: Flycast moves to flycast-next, which becomes the default emulator on RPi5.
Emulator availability per board:
| Emulator | RPI3/RPI02W | RPI4/400 | RPI5/500 | OGA/OGS/RG351 | PC | RG353 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libretro Flycast | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Libretro Flycast-Next | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
Atomiswave is not available on Raspberry Pi 3 nor Pi Zero 2: neither emulator is shipped there. On OGA/OGS/RG351 and RG353, only Flycast is available.
Flycast is the default emulator on every board, except on RPi5/500 where flycast-next takes priority. Both cores offer high compatibility and speed and work on a CRT display. Netplay and softpatching are not available on this system; RetroAchievements are supported, as are light guns (recommended), useful for Ranger Mission and Extreme Hunting.
To play on a real cabinet, Recalbox 10.1 brings Recalbox JVS support (firmware 2.9) — the interface for recent JVS-standard cabinets, presented on its Kickstarter — and automatic arcade stick configuration on every system. For a cabinet with a JAMMA harness, the Recalbox RGB JAMMA 2 kit is what you need.
¶ BIOS
| File name | Description | MD5 | Emulators |
|---|---|---|---|
awbios.zip |
Atomiswave BIOS (mandatory) — several revisions accepted | a420c0e56135c2e7e87399c887d7ef4a abb0a508c83e689fc5e9230c623dabd0 042a0adecf2d616ccfb915a5cd71fde5 27fb8181fd9a0df18c7f6f941e9d60ab 74f5e994ecff655f18f0f9f998c9b1d9 |
Flycast, Flycast-Next |
Place your BIOS file like this:
/recalbox/share/bios/dc/
└── awbios.zip
The Atomiswave BIOS does belong in the
dc/folder, shared with the Dreamcast and the other systems emulated by Flycast. Keep the file zipped, and do not rename it.
¶ Roms
Put your games in:
/recalbox/share/roms/atomiswave/
Supported extensions: .zip .7z
Games are MAME-style romsets: leave them zipped, do not rename or extract them. The romset must match the version of Flycast shipped with Recalbox — a romset that is too old or too recent is the most common cause of a game refusing to start.