This week, starting from Saturday, 27 February, a major technology expo is being hosted by Microsoft in New York, USA. The event is designed as a showcase for what Microsoft has already created, what they are currently developing, and what they intend to bring into the market in the near future. On the first day, the expo is already lively, filled with journalists, software developers, hardware enthusiasts, business partners, investors, and curious spectators who want to see whether Microsoft has something truly new to show. Booths are packed, demonstrations are running everywhere, and the atmosphere feels less like an ordinary corporate event and more like a declaration that Microsoft wants to expand its influence even further.
Among all the products and software being discussed, one rumor overshadows everything else: Microsoft may reveal the specifications—or at least a first glimpse—of its upcoming video game console. The rumor has been spreading for weeks, especially among gaming magazines and tech circles, and many people believe the reveal will happen on the second day of the expo. Because of that, anticipation grows rapidly. Some audience members come purely for the software and business presentations, but many others are clearly waiting for one thing only: the moment Microsoft finally confirms whether it is truly entering the console market.
Now, on the second day, that excitement has become impossible to ignore. The audience is far more eager, the press section is packed, and every mention of entertainment, graphics, or online services makes people lean forward in their seats. Everyone wants to know what kind of specifications Microsoft can bring, what features they will offer, and whether their console can truly compete against established giants—especially ZAGE, whose dominance has already shaped the entire industry.
Now 28 February 2001 Sunday.
The expo is already nearing its end. Throughout the day, Bill Gates and several Microsoft representatives have showcased various products, software, development tools, and business-focused technologies. Many of them are genuinely interesting, enough to keep the audience engaged even after hours of presentations. Journalists continue typing notes, developers whisper among themselves, and investors watch carefully, trying to guess which announcement will matter most in the coming years. By now, most people assume the show is about to close, and the atmosphere begins to relax slightly as Bill Gates returns to the center of the stage with a calm smile.
"We still have one more thing to show today," Bill Gates says.
The moment those words leave his mouth, the screen behind him changes. Large letters appear across the display: "Video Games." The reaction is immediate. The audience begins to cheer, some out of excitement, others out of curiosity, while the press section suddenly becomes much more alert. This is the moment many of them have been waiting for since the first day of the expo. Bill Gates lets the reaction build for a moment before continuing, his smile growing more confident.
"Video games…" he begins, his voice steady and deliberate. "They are still a relatively new form of entertainment. Unlike movies or music, which can trace their history far, far back, video games were born alongside modern technology. They grew with computers, processors, screens, storage media, and software itself. And not too many years ago, this industry was dim, unstable, and underestimated. Many people thought it was only a passing trend. But then it rose again, stronger than before, until it became what we see today."
Many people in the audience nod. Even those who are not primarily game enthusiasts understand the point. Video games are no longer just toys for children or strange machines in arcades. They have become business, culture, software, hardware, and entertainment all at once. And with Microsoft standing on that stage, everyone can feel that the topic is no longer theoretical. Something much bigger is about to be revealed.
Bill Gates grinned, letting the silence stretch for a moment before he spoke again. "And don't you think it is ironic?" he asked, his voice calm but pointed. "The so-called savior of the video game industry—or at least, the company many people call that—is now monopolizing the video game industry itself."
The audience shifted slightly. Some leaned forward, immediately understanding where this was going, while others exchanged uncomfortable glances. Bill Gates smiled as if he had expected that reaction. "Think about it. They release so many games every year that players start thinking, 'Oh, this company's games are enough for me.' And when that happens, those same players stop looking at games from other developers. Smaller studios lose attention. New competitors struggle to breathe. Innovation becomes trapped under one company's shadow."
He chuckled lightly, though there was nothing gentle about the message behind his words. "I don't need to say which company it is. You already know."
A portion of the audience chuckled, especially those who were eager to see someone challenge ZAGE's dominance. But not everyone reacted positively. Some journalists frowned, some developers looked uneasy, and a few people in the crowd clearly disliked the implication. After all, whether one agreed with him or not, Bill Gates was openly criticizing ZAGE on stage. It was no longer just a product presentation. It had become a declaration of rivalry.
Bill Gates didn't seem to care about the uneasy reaction. If anything, he looked even more confident, standing at the center of the stage as if he had already expected both support and resistance. "But don't worry," he continued, his voice firm enough to cut through the murmurs in the hall. "Now Microsoft will join. We will not simply participate—we will compete seriously. We will challenge this industry directly, and yes, we intend to dominate the video game industry just like we dominated the operating system market on PC."
That statement immediately sent another ripple through the audience. Some people clapped, some laughed nervously, and others looked at one another with raised eyebrows. It was bold. Too bold, maybe. But coming from Microsoft, it could not be dismissed as empty arrogance. Bill Gates let the reaction settle before smiling again. "And with that, we are officially joining the video game console market with our newest console."
The screen behind him suddenly went dark. A deep mechanical sound echoed through the hall as a large silhouette appeared—an imposing box-like shape floating in shadow. The presentation lights dimmed further, making the image feel heavier and more dramatic. Then, with a flash of green light, the silhouette sharpened little by little.
Bill Gates turned slightly toward the screen and raised one hand. "Let me introduce you to Microsoft's newest video game console—X-BOX!"
The silhouette finally became clear, revealing a square-shaped console with a bold green X in the middle. Its design was large, sturdy, and unapologetically direct, looking more like a powerful machine than a toy. It did not have the elegant style of some Japanese consoles, but it had its own kind of presence—heavy, confident, and industrial. The audience stared at it for a moment, taking in the design. And honestly, despite its size, it did not look bad at all.
Bill Gates smiled as he stood beside the newly revealed machine, letting the audience stare at it for a little longer before he continued. "With this X-BOX, you can do much more than simply play games," he said confidently. "This is basically a PC in console form. It carries specifications close to what many of you would expect from a high-end gaming PC, but designed for the living room, designed for convenience, and designed so players don't need to understand complicated hardware just to enjoy powerful games." He paused, then glanced toward the crowd with a knowing smile. "And I believe many of you will be surprised by how different this feels compared to the other consoles currently on the market."
The wording was polite, but the meaning was obvious. He was comparing X-BOX directly against the existing console giants, especially ZAGE's ZEPS 3. Some people in the audience murmured immediately, sensing the challenge hidden beneath his calm tone. Bill Gates only grinned wider, then gestured toward one of his assistants. The assistant walked forward with a DVD, inserted it into the console, and the large screen behind Bill Gates shifted from the X-BOX logo into a game demonstration. The title appeared: HORI. It was a first-person shooter set in an apocalyptic world, filled with ruined cities, burning skies, broken highways, and strange monsters crawling through the wreckage. The moment gameplay began, the audience grew noticeably louder. The graphics were genuinely impressive—sharp textures, smooth movement, heavy lighting, and detailed environments that looked far beyond what many expected from a new console reveal. In Zaboru's previous world, it would have looked close to later PS2-era games, which made it very strong for this timeline.
Bill Gates smiled proudly as the gameplay continued on the large screen behind him. "Ladies and gentlemen, look at the graphics," he said, gesturing toward the ruined city shown in the demo. "This is one of our games, HORI—an apocalyptic first-person shooter where players fight monsters and strange creatures in a world that has already fallen apart." The assistant continued playing, moving through a collapsed highway filled with smoke, abandoned cars, broken concrete, and enemies crawling from the shadows. The game ran smoothly, with the camera turning cleanly and the weapons firing with heavy impact. Explosions lit up the environment, monsters reacted to gunfire, and the lighting made the ruined world feel dangerous and alive. For many people in the audience, it was the first time they had seen a console game presented with this kind of PC-like visual ambition.
The demonstration lasted for a little while, just long enough to let the audience understand Microsoft's message. This was not a small toy-like machine. X-BOX was being presented as serious hardware, something built for players who wanted power, online play, and modern technology inside a console. After showing several combat sequences, a short boss encounter, and a wide view of the apocalyptic city, Bill Gates raised his hand slightly. The assistant stopped the gameplay, and the screen returned to the X-BOX interface.
Bill Gates turned back to the audience, his confidence growing even stronger. "Next, let me explain what we offer beyond graphics. First, we are offering fully live services. That means our games can be played online, just like on PC." His words immediately caused another wave of murmurs across the hall, because while online play was already familiar to PC users, hearing it positioned as a core console feature made the X-BOX feel different from the traditional console experience. Microsoft was not only selling a machine; it was selling a connected ecosystem.
Bill Gates chuckled, clearly enjoying the reaction from the audience. "And not just that," he continued. "The X-BOX will also support Wi-Fi, allowing players to connect more easily without needing complicated cable setups in every home. We are also introducing a digital store, where players can buy games digitally, not only physically. If you want to go to a store and buy a disc, you can still do that. But if you want to purchase a game directly from your console, download it, and start playing from your living room, that option will also be available."
The audience murmured again, louder this time. For PC users, digital software distribution was not a completely impossible idea, but hearing it presented as a core feature of a home console felt bold and futuristic. Bill Gates continued, his tone becoming more enthusiastic. "You can also record your gameplay easily, because this console has its own built-in recording feature. We know players want to share what they do. They want to show victories, funny moments, impressive plays, and even failures. With X-BOX, we want that to become simple."
He then gestured toward the screen as another interface appeared behind him. "And finally, we will introduce X-Forum, a new online forum made especially for X-BOX users. Players can interact with each other, discuss games, share strategies, talk about updates, create communities, and connect beyond the living room. This console is not only about playing alone. It is about building a network of players."
The audience became increasingly excited. Features like online play, digital purchasing, built-in recording, and a dedicated console forum were still almost unheard of in the console space. On PC, some of these ideas were not entirely new, but bringing them into a living-room console made them feel fresh, convenient, and futuristic. People began whispering among themselves, imagining a machine that could play powerful games, connect to the internet, record gameplay, and build a community around its users. Even those who had been skeptical earlier were starting to understand Microsoft's angle. X-BOX was not trying to be a traditional console. It was trying to become a PC-like entertainment hub, simplified for ordinary players. And Bill Gates was not done yet.
"And not just that," he continued, letting the audience settle before making the next announcement. "We have a fully functional web browser in this console. If you want to browse the internet with it, go ahead. You can check websites, read information, search for game guides, look at forums, and use the internet directly from your television." He paused as the screen behind him showed a simple browser interface running on the X-BOX. "And for players who want to type more comfortably, we also have a keyboard controller extension. You can connect it and type properly, whether you are browsing, posting on X-Forum, or sending messages."
That reveal surprised the audience even more. A web browser inside a console sounded strange, almost excessive, but at the same time, many people could immediately understand the appeal. It made the X-BOX feel like more than a game machine. It was a device that could sit in the living room and do many things at once: games, online services, community interaction, recording, shopping, and now even internet browsing. Some people smiled with interest, while others exchanged impressed looks, realizing that Microsoft was trying to blur the line between console and computer. Seeing that reaction, Bill Gates grinned again, clearly pleased that the audience was beginning to see the bigger picture.
"The X-BOX will be released on 13 March 2001," Bill Gates announced, letting the date appear clearly on the screen behind him. Then he paused, smiling as if he already knew the next number would matter even more. "And the launch price will be… 299.99."
The reaction came almost instantly. The audience murmured in surprise, and several journalists immediately began writing faster. Right now, ZAGE's ZEPS 3 was priced around 249.000, while the X-BOX would launch at 299.999. The difference was not small, but it was also not absurdly far apart, especially considering how advanced Microsoft's console appeared to be. With its PC-like architecture, online services, Wi-Fi support, digital store, recording feature, forum integration, browser, and keyboard extension, many people in the crowd began silently calculating whether the higher price might actually be reasonable.
Some were impressed. Some were skeptical. Others were clearly excited by the idea of a console that felt closer to a living-room computer than a normal game machine. Even those who disliked Bill Gates's earlier jab at ZAGE had to admit that Microsoft had come prepared. This was not a half-hearted entry into the console market. X-BOX had power, features, online ambition, and a price that placed it close enough to ZEPS 3 to become a serious alternative for certain players.
Bill Gates grinned and looked directly at the camera, his expression full of confidence. "Now, if you are interested… just wait for the release date. The future of gaming starts here."
He spread his hands as the X-BOX logo glowed behind him in green light. Applause rose across the hall, mixed with cheers, camera flashes, and the restless noise of journalists already preparing their headlines. Whether people supported Microsoft or doubted them, one thing had become undeniable.
Microsoft was ready to enter the console market.
And they were not entering quietly.
To be continue
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