A few stifled chuckles echoed in the conference room.
Nobuyuki Idei, while also finding Matsushita's design somewhat unconventional and overly focused on the "living room terminal" concept, couldn't deny the solid business data.
"Kutaragi-kun, mocking aside, their graphics are indeed superior to our PlayStation," Idei said, flipping through the analysis report in his hands. "The visuals in that Crash 'N' Burn racing game are truly impressive. For players who haven't seen much, such visual impact can be stunning, but these players can't afford it."
"Exactly," Ken Kutaragi snorted, abruptly standing up and walking to the whiteboard. He grabbed a marker and declared, "$699 is not something ordinary players can afford."
He slammed the number "$699" onto the whiteboard, then drew a large X through it, the marker tip screeching against the surface.
Oga Norio sat at the head of the table, still holding his lukewarm cup of tea.
He stared at the number, his expression calm, as if it were not a staggering price but merely a collection of ordinary specifications.
"Hawkins only wanted to attract software developers with low royalties, and indeed, he succeeded in attracting quite a few," Oga Norio said slowly, his voice soft yet silencing the room. "But this three-dollar royalty will shift the entire profit burden onto the hardware manufacturers themselves."
Ryoji Nakabachi hesitated, his brow furrowing. "President, based on the material list submitted by Kutaragi-kun, our machine's cost to meet the target performance specs would likely be no less than $300. If we then engage in a price war on top of that, the board..."
"Who said we need to make money selling hardware?"
Oga Norio set down his teacup, his gaze sweeping across the room. His tone was as casual as if he were discussing lunch plans. "Selling hardware at a loss might be taboo at Nintendo, but Sony is neither Nintendo nor Matsushita. We have plenty of money and even more patience."
He raised a finger and tapped it lightly on the table. "What we want is market share, the widespread adoption of the CD-ROM format as the standard. Once the PlayStation is established, every CD sold will bring a steady stream of royalties into our pockets. The few dollars we lose on each console? That's just the admission ticket for the players. As long as we can push Nintendo and Sega out, Sony can afford to absorb those losses."
His words carried weight, setting the tone for Sony's entry into the gaming industry: a scorched-earth strategy.
"We'll offer high-performance at a price slightly below cost," Ken Kutaragi said, his eyes burning with fanaticism. He relished this uninhibited pursuit of perfection.
Nobuyuki Idei nodded and closed the folder. "With the strategy set, what about the marketing? Matsushita has already seized the initiative, and the media is hyping the 3DO. Should we release something in response? Even just a concept image?"
"Words are useless. Players only believe what they see."
Ken Kutaragi, clearly well-prepared, responded, "While the console itself isn't finalized, the logic architecture of the graphics chip is already locked in. Give me a little time, and I'll have the technical department prepare a real-time demonstration."
"What kind of demonstration?" Ryoji Nakabachi leaned forward curiously. "Racing? Or planes?"
"Dinosaurs."
Kutaragi grinned, revealing a row of white teeth, his smile carrying a hint of aggressive ferocity. "Spielberg's Jurassic Park was a massive hit, right? So we'll create a Tyrannosaurus Rex. I want to show the world that the dinosaurs running on PlayStation will be just as impressive."
Oga Norio, watching his favored subordinate's confident demeanor, finally smiled in satisfaction.
"Then proceed, Kutaragi-kun."
Though Matsushita's REAL—3DO had initially attracted significant player interest, and the graphics in Crash Bandicoot had won over early adopters, its steep price of $699 kept most potential buyers at bay.
As the REAL—3DO sales remained lukewarm, struggling to gain traction in the market, another game console manufacturer refused to be left out.
Atari felt its chance had arrived.
The old lion, once considered "dead," looked at the struggling 3DO and felt a surge of ambition, thinking, "I can take its place."
In the eyes of Jack Tramiel, CEO of Tramiel Technology, if Matsushita couldn't cut it, then Atari, which he had acquired, should naturally fill the void during this technological transition.
Late October in San Francisco carried a hint of chill, but this did nothing to cool the fervor at Atari's headquarters.
The old lion, which had buried millions of cartridges in the desert, finally let out a long-dormant roar under Jack Tramiel's relentless drive.
The console codenamed "Jaguar" was officially declared ready for development. The Trammell Family eagerly activated their marketing machine, aiming to seize the public's attention before the Christmas shopping season.
The GG campaign came on like a tidal wave. Atari's Marketing Department clearly understood the power of brute force. They didn't showcase dazzling game graphics or discuss intricate gameplay mechanics; instead, they threw a barrage of numbers at consumers.
"Do the Math!"
The slogan screamed from the most prominent position on every poster, a blatant challenge.
In the TV commercials, the narrator's voice, almost brainwashing in its intensity, roared: "The Sega Genesis is 16-bit, the Super Nintendo is 16-bit, and even that $699 Panasonic 3DO is at best 32-bit. But we, the Atari Jaguar, are 64-bit!"
64 is greater than 32, and much greater than 16.
This was Atari's math problem for gamers.
The logic was insultingly simple: bigger number equals stronger machine, and you should open your wallet.
Yet the market didn't immediately erupt as Atari had hoped.
For this generation of players, the name "Atari" wasn't just about the glory days of Pong. More than that, it represented the catastrophic "Great Crash" and the lingering fear of being overwhelmed by countless low-quality games.
Although Jack Tramiel had taken over this mess from Warner in 1984, reorganizing the company into Tramiel Technology and attempting to salvage its reputation by launching low-cost computers and a new console, the damage had already been done.
To gamers, Atari, even under new management, remained the culprit behind the infamous burial of E.T. in the New Mexico desert.
Once trust is shattered, rebuilding it is harder than climbing to heaven.
Sega Headquarters in Tokyo.
The thermal paper from the overseas fax machine still carried its residual warmth, bearing Atari's snarling "Jaguar" logo and the boastful slogan: "Do the Math."
Takuya Nakayama picked up the papers, shook them, and they rustled crisply.
His memories of the console were already hazy. After searching his mind, all he could recall was its inhumane "telephone-style" controller and its subsequent, pathetic fate as a market pariah.
"Managing Director, this is 64-bit."
Newly appointed Hisao Oguchi stood tense before the desk, his eyes fixed on the documents in Takuya's hand. His voice carried a hint of anxiety. "If these specs are accurate, their processing power theoretically far surpasses the Mega Drive—it might even exceed our planned next-generation console."
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