Sunday 1 September 1998.
Zaboru was now deeply immersed in his personal workshop on the 51st floor of the ZAGE Tower, despite it being the weekend. His focus was unshakable. Ever since last week, he had been pouring his energy into developing the specific hardware specifications for his next major project—the ZEPS 4, a console he envisioned as the ultimate dream machine. It was more than just a new platform; it was a statement, a bold attempt to leap ahead in console generations. And he was determined to make it work, no matter how ambitious the goal.
Meanwhile, his wife Ayumi and their son Zenshin were away for the day, visiting Ayumi's family home near the Hamazou HQ. That left Zaboru free from any obligations to accompany them, allowing him uninterrupted time to fully dive into his engineering blueprints and prototype planning.
Zaboru was designing many things at once, but one thought kept circling in his mind. He realized how far ahead this world's technology truly was compared to the one he had come from. It wasn't just one area—it was everything. Phones had sleek, functional designs and capabilities that felt years early. Digital cameras were already catching up to the early 2000s standards he remembered. Semiconductors were being produced more efficiently, and both GPUs and CPUs were advancing at a rapid pace. It was as if the entire technological ecosystem of this world was at least five years ahead of schedule.
In Zaboru's previous life, the sixth generation of gaming consoles began with the release of the PlayStation 2 in 2000, followed by the Xbox and GameCube in 2001. These three consoles collectively defined that era. The PS2 reigned as the market leader, but all three had legendary titles that shaped the future of gaming. For PlayStation 2, there were unforgettable franchises like God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, and Devil May Cry. The GameCube brought charming yet ambitious exclusives such as Pikmin, Animal Crossing, and Luigi's Mansion, all of which made a strong case for Nintendo's creativity. Meanwhile, the Xbox brought raw power and Western-centric design, launching with groundbreaking titles like Halo, Fable, and Forza. The sixth generation wasn't just about graphics or hardware—it was a golden age of creativity and genre-defining experiences.
But with all this in mind, Zaboru wasn't satisfied with simply recreating what had already been done. No—he wanted to do something outrageous. Something that would make even his past self in that timeline stop and take notice. With the technology in this world already years ahead, Zaboru began thinking: what if he skipped the sixth generation entirely? What if, instead of trying to compete with imaginary versions of the PS2, GameCube, and Xbox, he leapfrogged ahead to build something closer to the seventh generation—consoles like the PS3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii?
This wasn't just ambition talking. It was strategy. He had the tools, the resources, and the vision. Now it was just a matter of how—and when—he could bring it to life.
"Well, it's not like I'm skipping them entirely, though," Zaboru chuckled to himself, spinning a stylus between his fingers as he gazed at the whiteboard filled with scribbled specs. In truth, Zaboru was planning to leap over the sixth generation of consoles from his previous life—namely, the GameCube, Xbox, and the legendary PlayStation 2. But that didn't mean he planned to completely ignore what they had contributed to gaming history. His intention was still to remake or reimagine several of the most iconic titles from that era for his new platform. However, instead of merely recreating the sixth generation, he was aiming for something more ambitious: to engineer a console that would belong to the next generation entirely.
Yes—the seventh generation. In his previous life, this era included the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Wii. Zaboru was convinced that, given the state of technology in this world—where it was already comparable to 2003 despite it being only 1998—he had a window of opportunity to start laying the groundwork for a system years ahead of its time. With careful planning , Huge budget and the right engineering team, he believed it was feasible to develop the ZEPS 4 into a console that could rival or even surpass those seventh-generation giants.
The seventh generation had originally launched in 2005–2006 in Zaboru's past life, but in this reality, the timing could be different. Thanks to the tech being accelerated, he estimated that if his ZAGE team started development immediately, both on the hardware and the software, they might be able to get the ZEPS 4 ready by 2002 or 2003. He knew it wouldn't be easy. Such an undertaking would require extensive R&D, long development cycles, and a well-coordinated launch strategy. But by beginning the planning stages early—even years in advance—he could position ZAGE to revolutionize the console space before anyone else even realized what was happening.
"Heheh, this will be insane," Zaboru muttered with a wide grin on his face, the excitement almost overwhelming. He could already picture it clearly—games that, in his previous life, had only existed on the PlayStation 2 now brought to life with stunning, near-photorealistic graphics akin to the PlayStation 3. Imagine action RPGs or cinematic adventures playing at smoother framerates and higher resolutions, or classic racing games revitalized with dynamic lighting and advanced physics. Not just that, he envisioned the revolutionary addition of motion controls—much like what the Nintendo Wii would later popularize—embedded directly into the controller experience, allowing players to interact with games through gestures, tilts, and movements. And then there was online multiplayer, an absolute game-changer during the Xbox 360 era. For Zaboru, combining all these features into one forward-thinking machine wasn't just a dream—it was a mission.
Still, for all his excitement, Zaboru knew he had to be cautious and make pragmatic decisions during development. One of the major traps he intended to avoid was the use of the PS3's infamous Cell Processor. He remembered all too well how, back in his previous life, the PS3's launch in 2006 was plagued with issues stemming from the overly complex architecture of the Cell chip. While it was undeniably powerful on paper, the processor was extremely difficult to program for, causing countless headaches for developers—especially third-party studios. Worse yet, the system's instability led to frequent errors and overheating issues. On top of that, the cost of manufacturing the PS3 made the retail price incredibly high for consumers, which significantly hindered its adoption during the early years. In fact, even Sony was forced to sell the PS3 at a substantial loss per unit just to stay competitive, a strategy that strained their finances and placed additional pressure on their internal development teams to quickly justify the console's price with exclusive titles and high-end performance.
To prevent similar problems, Zaboru had already decided to go with a more developer-friendly approach. Instead of a proprietary, exotic architecture, he would opt for a high-performance multi-core CPU design similar to what the Xbox 360 had used in his past life. This architecture would provide enough power to meet his vision while ensuring that developers could work with familiar tools and processes. It would make porting easier, game development smoother, and long-term support more reliable—crucial elements for making the ZEPS 4 not just powerful, but also accessible and sustainable.
"I still need to consult with Dad, and then follow up with Jensen and Jerry from NVIDIA and AMD," Zaboru muttered thoughtfully, scribbling another note into his growing stack of design documents. "If we can get them onboard early, we might just be able to make this happen ahead of schedule. And if needed, I won't hesitate to allocate extra funding for advanced research."
He chuckled to himself, knowing full well how unusual his position was. Thanks to his early and aggressive investments, Zaboru now owned approximately 52% of both NVIDIA and AMD—making him the majority shareholder and effectively giving him control over the strategic direction of both companies. It was a powerful position, one that allowed him to protect them from the whims of short-sighted investors who might otherwise push for quarterly profits over long-term innovation.
Jensen Huang of NVIDIA and Jerry Sanders of AMD had come to respect Zaboru's unique insight and bold technological vision. Unlike most backers, Zaboru wasn't just throwing money at them—he was actively guiding the direction of both companies toward revolutionary architecture design. His forward-thinking mindset had already accelerated the pace of R&D for both firms, and in this world, that influence was beginning to bear significant fruit.
Interestingly, the technology landscape in this world had diverged from the one Zaboru had known. In a surprising twist, AMD had chosen to step away from GPU development and instead placed a heavy emphasis on CPUs—going all in on pushing multi-core performance and thermal efficiency. At the same time, Intel, which in his original world had primarily focused on CPUs, had now begun to pivot aggressively into the GPU space. This unexpected role reversal had created a turbulent but highly competitive industry environment, and Zaboru's influence in both camps helped to stabilize and shape their strategies for the better.
What would have seemed chaotic to outside observers was, for Zaboru, a golden opportunity. If he could leverage both AMD's CPU breakthroughs and NVIDIA's GPU innovation, he might just achieve the holy grail of console hardware—a perfectly balanced architecture combining power, efficiency, and developer-friendly tools. And with his control, the hardware roadmap could be aligned specifically to ZEPS 4's ambitious release timeline.
Zaboru also planned for the ZEPS 4 to be a long-lasting console with an extended life cycle—ideally lasting around seven to eight years. His vision wasn't just for a strong start; it was for a platform that could stand the test of time, one that wouldn't need immediate follow-ups or iterations. He wanted the ZEPS 4 to carry ZAGE's console generation well into the future, providing enough flexibility and raw power to keep up with evolving game development trends over the years. In his mind, the ZEPS 5—ZAGE's next-generation console after the ZEPS 4—would eventually aim to match or even exceed what the PlayStation 5 represented in his previous life. But that was far off. The focus now was making sure ZEPS 4 could dominate from its planned launch window in 2002 or 2003 and continue thriving beyond that.
To achieve such longevity, the ZEPS 4 would need to ship with state-of-the-art specs for its time.
Even with that ambition, Zaboru knew he didn't have to rush everything at once. He still had to refine the roadmap, align with hardware partners, and let the early research phase mature before pulling the trigger on mass development. So while the high-level plan was already brewing in his mind, the initial meetings with the tech teams and key decision-makers—like his father, Jensen, and Jerry—could still wait a little longer. Timing was critical, and Zaboru was determined to make every step count.
To be continue
AN : I've Decide this that PS 2 and PS 3 era will be combined in this story so i can make games from both consoles and enhanced it as well
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