At the end of the television news segment, Sega's booth was mentioned in a single, fleeting sentence: "In other news, the booth of Japanese game manufacturer Sega also drew massive crowds of gaming enthusiasts, creating a frenzied atmosphere at times—"
The screen flashed briefly, giving *Extreme Pursuit* less than two seconds of screen time before cutting to the weather forecast.
"See?" the first reporter said, shrugging. "It's all about the products, no story, no conflict. To Americans, that's not news, that's just free advertising. Who's going to give you free advertising?"
The others nodded in agreement.
Sega's fervor remained confined to gaming enthusiasts.
Apple's "loneliness" and 3D0's "declaration of war" were the true main courses for the media and capital markets.
**Day Two of CES**
Following Apple's "concept reveal" and 3D0's "model declaration of war," the atmosphere at the convention had transformed from a simple product showcase into a smoke-filled battlefield of future warfare.
Everyone craned their necks, eager to see who would dare step into the arena next.
At 10:00 AM, the lights on the main stage flickered back to life.
On the backdrop, a simple yet powerful "SONY" logo replaced yesterday's futuristic geometric patterns of 3DO.
The reporters and analysts in the audience perked up, whispering among themselves.
"Sony? Aren't they just a Walkman and TV company?"
"I heard they're collaborating with Nintendo on a CD project. Could they be here to showcase that?"
"Not another empty promise, I hope. I've had enough of those."
Amid the murmurs, a man walked onto the stage.
It was Ken Kutaragi.
He offered no superfluous pleasantries, no grand narratives like John Sculley's, and none of Trip Hawkins's fiery rhetoric.
He simply stepped behind the podium, surveyed the audience, and began speaking in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Yesterday, you heard many visions of the future. Today, we present a reality that is already complete."
The large screen behind him lit up, displaying a sleek, gray-white console floating silently in the center of the frame.
"We call it—PlayStation."
The audience fell silent.
The name was straightforward, but they hadn't yet grasped its significance.
Ken Kutaragi's voice remained utterly flat as he continued, "This is Sony's new generation entertainment system, co-developed with Nintendo under official authorization—a console fully compatible with the Super Famicom CD format."
*Boom!*
"Nintendo authorization?!"
"A compatible machine? Sony is making a compatible machine for Nintendo?!"
The reporters in the audience erupted into chaos, their pens furiously scribbling across their notebooks.
This was undoubtedly headline news! The electronics giant Sony was willingly playing second fiddle to the gaming titan Nintendo?
Just as everyone assumed this was merely a hardware manufacturing announcement, Ken Kutaragi pressed a button on his remote.
Lines of cold, unadorned specifications flashed across the large screen.
"Main Processor: 32-bit MIPS R3000 CPU, clock frequency 33.86 MHz."
"Graphics Processor: Dedicated Geometry Transfer Engine (GTE) paired with a graphics chip, peak computational power of 180,000 textured polygon renderings per second."
The moment these figures appeared, industry insiders in the audience gasped.
This clock frequency already rivaled many personal computers!
Ignoring the commotion, Ken Kutaragi continued reading in his engineer's monotone, enunciating each word with precision.
"Audio System: Custom 16-bit audio DSP, supporting 24 channels at CD-quality 44.1 kHz sampling rate."
Audio System: Custom 16-bit audio DSP, supporting 24 channels at a CD-quality sampling rate of 44.1kHz.
Storage Medium: CD-ROM, single-disc capacity of 660MB.
Each specification struck the audience like a heavy hammer, pounding into their hearts.
The journalists who had been awestruck by the 3DO's CG animations just yesterday now found their minds completely blank.
*180,000 textured polygons? What does that even mean?*
Compared to this figure, the Sega Genesis and Nintendo Super Nintendo Entertainment System seemed like toddlers learning to walk!
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ken Kutaragi's voice finally carried a hint of emotion—the barely suppressed pride of a creator. "The era of 16-bit gaming is over. With the PlayStation, Sony will lead the entire industry into the true 32-bit next generation!"
If the earlier specifications were heavy hammers, this declaration was the dynamite that detonated the room!
This wasn't just about making a wedding dress for someone else; it was about seizing control of the entire ceremony!
An analyst who had been marveling at the 3DO's "three-dollar royalty" just yesterday now stood pale-faced, muttering to himself, "Madness... Sony has gone mad too..."
However, the true madness was yet to come.
As the murmurs from the audience subsided, Ken Kutaragi dropped the biggest bombshell of the day.
"To ensure a smooth transition to the next generation for all players," he paused, his gaze sweeping across the hall, "the PlayStation will be fully compatible with all Super Nintendo Entertainment System game cartridges currently on the market."
Dead silence.
The entire venue was plunged into an absolute stillness that lasted for three agonizing seconds.
Then, a roar erupted, ten times louder than anything heard before!
"Did I hear that right? SNES cartridges?"
"Is he saying I can just plug my *Legend of Zelda* cartridge into this thing and play it?"
"Oh my god—this isn't just a compatible machine! It's a complete takeover!"
"Sony used Nintendo's authorization to build a monster that crushes all its competitors, then tells all Nintendo players, 'I can play all your games, and I've got even better ones here'—this is basically ripping out Nintendo's roots!"
The *Wall Street Journal* reporter who had written "3DO Declares War on the World" the previous day was now trembling.
He crossed out the headlines he had just written, realizing that no words could capture the absurdity and shock of what he was witnessing.
This wasn't a declaration of war.
It was a public betrayal and usurpation, carried out under the gaze of the entire world!
On stage, Ken Kutaragi seemed oblivious to the chaos erupting below. His stern face betrayed no hint of triumph, as if he were merely completing a predetermined task.
"We will announce the specific release date and price of the PlayStation at a later date."
With a slight nod and without another word, he turned and strode off the stage with decisive efficiency.
Kutaragi's graceful exit left behind a scene of utter disarray and a crowd of media reporters whose minds had completely crashed.
After a brief, stunned silence, the entire main stage area exploded like a depth charge had been dropped into its midst!
"They're insane! Sony's gone completely mad!"
"Did I hear that right? SNES cartridge compatibility? How did they pull that off? Would Nintendo ever agree to something like this?"
"Cooperation? This is fucking theft! They just stole Nintendo's house right in front of the whole world!"
The reporters swarmed like a hornet's nest had been kicked, chairs clattering as they scrambled to their feet. They frantically flipped through their notebooks, desperately trying to make sense of the overwhelming information from the press conference. But their minds were a tangled mess, leaving them utterly unable to write a single coherent sentence.
Please Support me by becoming my patreon member and get 30+ chapters.
[email protected]/Ajal69
change @ with a
Thank You to Those who joined my Patreon