Chapter 170: A Fresh Start - (2)
The 16-bit console market opened its doors with the release of the NEGA Drive in late 1988, and now, five years have swiftly passed since then.
And here we are, in the fall of 1992.
The reins of the home console industry had completely shifted to Japan.
No longer burdened by the risk of failure in creating new gaming consoles for this generation, foreign companies had retreated, leaving the current era with Mintendo's Super Family and NEGA's NEGA Drive, alongside Pentagon's Laon, maintaining a triumvirate.
Of course, there were consoles with extraordinary aspects. One such machine was the exorbitantly priced console called the 'Neo Geo,' crafted by SMK.
The Neo Geo, released in 1990, initially aimed for businesses or home rental devices, but with the unexpected success of 'Yonggyeok's Fist' and 'This Way's Legend,' a competitive fighting game, it had garnered some demand for home use recently.
Equipped not only with a 16-bit Motorola 6800 CPU and an 8-bit Zilog CPU but also designed to display up to 4096 colors with 380 sprites simultaneously, the video chipset pushed boundaries.
Furthermore, boasting a sound chip housing up to seven digital channels and supporting a total of 15 sound channels using Yamaha products, the machine boasted about four to five times the performance of the Super Family.
However, the 'Neo Geo,' a system nearly housing an entire arcade board in a cartridge, was outrageously expensive, with prices that surpassed imagination.
Especially in the case of praised games like Yonggyeok's Fist, the game cartridge's price reached around 30,000 yen.
Originally not developed for household use but rather intended for commercial venues, the Neo Geo, due to its cartridge price, became a console that was hard to find in households unless in affluent families.
While SMK, known for Street Fire 2 that continued the popularity of the 2D fighting game market, was admired as the bastion of fighting games, the sales of home consoles were remembered for being platforms where only games made by SMK were released due to the exorbitant cartridge prices.
At such a time, the first company to hint at developing a new console was, yet again, NEGA.
Although they aimed to gain some ground in the current generation by releasing the NEGA CD, the dismal sales significantly brought forward the release of a new console, ironically enough.
"This time, NEGA moved first again."
Kawaguchi, the CEO, addressed me as we dined near the headquarters.
After sipping a warm sip of tea, I responded, "The new model's name is NEGA Saturn, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. Judging by the specs announced so far, it seems like it'll be a beast of a machine boasting exceptional 2D sprite performance."
As Kawaguchi mentioned, the initial concept for NEGA Saturn was to pursue the finest 2D graphics. And perhaps, it was an expected choice.
During the development of NEGA Saturn, 3D games were still in their infancy.
At that time, NEGA aimed to create a console that could seamlessly transition the rapidly advancing arcade fighting games, like those of SMK and Capcom, for home use. These games demanded quite high 2D graphic capabilities. Little did they know, such a narrow focus would hinder NEGA Saturn till the end.
"Not only that, but Sony seems to be in frequent communication with Mintendo lately. Mintendo is keeping silent about it, but Sony already announced that the next-generation Super Family game medium will be a CD."
"The Gear Station project, huh?"
"Yes?"
"Oh, it's nothing. Just muttering to myself."
The revelation from Sony while Mintendo remained silent indicated that the new project was already shaking from its inception. Kurakagi Kentaro from Sony, who had designed the Super Family's sound chip, had been frequenting Mintendo's headquarters lately. It hinted at the subtle precursor to the impending 32-bit era, a smile playing at the corner of my lips.
But in contrast to my amusement, Kawaguchi appeared uneasy.
"If that's the case, shouldn't Pentagon prepare in its own way? Have there been any contacts from Rob or Alice in the US?"
"Don't worry too much. Laon may still be a fledgling, having just passed its first year since birth, but its sales have been steadily rising at almost the same speed as during the launch of the Super Family in 1989. It might be better to focus more on Laon's marketing and game releases at the moment."
"Well, it's still the early stages of the next-gen war. It's best not to dwell too deeply on it."
Finally, Kawaguchi let out a small sigh, looking visibly relieved.
&
Director Nomura's created 'New Legend 2' was completed with outstanding quality, contrary to Kawaguchi's concerns, by August of the following year.
Particularly, the cooperative play mode, where three could enjoy the game using Laon's data cable, garnered considerable popularity. His idea of allowing friends to enjoy RPG games together resonated perfectly with Laon's concept and started to gain significant popularity.
"Junhyuk, this game is really fun!"
Yuki, unable to contain her excitement for RPG games, often urged me to play 'New Legend 2' whenever we had time, already having cleared it once on weekends.
'Hmm... Last year, when 'Dragon Warrior 5' and 'Final Frontier 5' were released almost back-to-back, it stayed quiet for a few months. And now it's 'New Legend'?'
Truthfully, games during this time didn't excite me much.
Because even if I replayed games I once enjoyed, it didn't bring much joy aside from evoking initial nostalgia. Moreover, now it seemed the nostalgia for games from the '80s felt even fainter.
Occasionally, we'd combine weekends for a date, exploring game stores in Akihabara or seeking out eateries in Tokyo. Yuki always smiled widely, finding something fascinating in Akihabara every time we visited.
"Ah!! The figure Uchimura-san made has gone up in price again!"
"Really? How much this time?"
"190,000 yen."
"."
Since it was someone recognized in the industry, even though the media kept
calling it a subculture, Uchimura's figures were steadily becoming an expensive hobby.
Eventually, I ended up buying a studio apartment close to the Pentagon office, making it easier for me to go back and forth without wasting time commuting. Yuki, with her assistance, managed to find a good place.
My life had slowly but surely begun settling into a routine, a routine that included Pentagon at its core.
&
In the latter half of 1994, a significant event took place in the gaming industry.
"Have you heard the news, Junhyuk?"
Kawaguchi phoned me in an unusually excited state.
"What's happened?"
"It seems that Mintendo and Sony's cooperation in developing the next-gen console fell through. They're going their separate ways for the next generation!"
"Really? That's quite unexpected. What's the reason?"
"Apparently, Mintendo and Sony couldn't agree on some aspects of the deal. Sony is now considering entering the market with their own console, separate from Mintendo. This could change the landscape of the next-gen race!"
As Kawaguchi spoke, I pondered the implications of this shift.
A partnership between Mintendo and Sony could have potentially meant a more dominant force in the upcoming console war. With Sony branching off, this could fragment the market and create more competition among the major players.
"And what about NEGA's plans? Will this affect our strategy?"
"I've already reached out to our R&D team. We need to accelerate the NEGA Saturn's development. This rift between Mintendo and Sony might provide us with a window of opportunity to strengthen our position in the market."
Kawaguchi's determination was evident. The unexpected twist in the industry dynamics had spurred a renewed sense of urgency at NEGA.
As the console wars continued to evolve, each company sought its place in the ever-shifting landscape of gaming technology.
>
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