"A handheld console?"
In the current year of 1987, although Nintendo had already tested the waters with its Game & Watch series, the market for a true handheld console—one with interchangeable cartridges and powerful gaming capabilities—had yet to be fully ignited.
"Yes. A handheld that can swap game cartridges just like a home console."
Nakayama Takuya nodded with certainty, clearly and fluently listing a series of key performance indicators.
"For the CPU, I am considering using the Z80 chip we are familiar with. As for which version, we can discuss that later during the preliminary research phase, but low cost and long battery life are definite requirements."
"The screen is crucial. I hope it can be equipped with an LCD screen, and it must have a backlight function that can be switched on and off."
"A backlight?"
Manager Nakamura repeated the word, a hint of gravity flashing behind his glasses.
"Yes, a switchable backlight," Nakayama Takuya emphasized. "I know this will increase costs and power consumption, but it will greatly enhance the user's gaming experience in various lighting conditions. After all, we are emphasizing the ability to play anytime, anywhere. Of course, we can add a switch."
"At the same time, I hope this handheld can achieve a high degree of integration to minimize its size for portability."
"High reliability to reduce the rate of repairs is especially important for a handheld device."
"Low power consumption to ensure sufficient battery life for gaming, so players aren't constantly searching for batteries."
"And, 'ease of development'," Nakayama Takuya specifically stressed this final point. "We cannot make developing for the handheld as demanding on developers as the new console. It should be a platform that allows more small and medium-sized teams, and even independent developers, to easily showcase their talents."
Manager Nakamura listened quietly, his pen rapidly jotting down the various parameters and design concepts proposed by Nakayama Takuya on a piece of paper. The expression on his face gradually shifted from initial surprise to deep thought.
Takuya's business acumen and market foresight truly earned the admiration of a veteran like himself, who had been in the hardware field for many years. But as the head of hardware development, he almost instinctively began to consider the technical challenges these ideas would face.
After a long while, Manager Nakamura put down his pen and gently rubbed his temples.
"Nakayama-san, this concept of yours is very appealing," he began slowly, his tone cautious. "Enjoying games anytime, anywhere—this is undoubtedly a huge potential market."
"However, from a hardware implementation perspective, there are several core difficulties we must face squarely."
"First, is the backlit LCD screen you mentioned." Manager Nakamura pointed to the word "backlight" he had written down. "In the current field of handheld devices, this is indeed a dual challenge of technology and cost. The backlight module itself will add significant cost, and more importantly, its drain on the battery is enormous. How to control power consumption and cost while ensuring display quality is a very tricky balancing act."
"Second, high integration versus heat dissipation," he continued. "Pursuing a compact size means the internal components will be arranged very tightly. While ensuring a certain level of performance, how to effectively solve the heat dissipation problem to prevent the machine from overheating, which would affect stability and user experience, is also a challenge."
"Third, chip selection and the supply chain." Manager Nakamura's brow furrowed even more. "Finding a suitable processor for the handheld that balances low power consumption with high performance, along with supporting graphics chips, memory, and so on, and establishing a stable and reliable supply chain is in itself a daunting task. This is especially true when the company's main resources are currently focused on the new console. Whether we can get enough support is an unknown."
"Finally, and the most practical problem—R&D resources." He looked at Nakayama Takuya with a hint of helplessness in his voice. "The hardware department is currently going all out, carrying out the final optimizations and various pre-production preparations for the new console. Every engineer wishes they could split themselves in two. At this critical juncture, to open up an entirely new handheld product line would be difficult to support, both in terms of manpower and material resources."
Nakayama Takuya smiled and nodded, expressing his complete understanding of Manager Nakamura's concerns. He had already mulled over these issues in his mind.
"Manager Nakamura, your concerns are all very pertinent," he said in a calm tone. "My purpose in proposing this concept today is not to demand that the hardware department immediately launches into large-scale development, nor is it to compete for resources with the new console project."
"This is more of a preliminary discussion on strategic direction. I hope the hardware department can first conduct some technical pre-research and feasibility assessments." He skillfully positioned the handheld project as a "strategic reserve" rather than an urgent task, attempting to alleviate Manager Nakamura's worries about resource conflicts.
"We can start by looking for solutions from our existing technological base, such as the selection of low-power Z80 chips, supply chain research for small LCD screens, and various technologies to achieve a backlight effect with power optimization, and so on."
"I am more inclined to view this project as preparation for Sega to open up a 'second front.' A mobile entertainment platform that can complement our home console and cover a broader user base."
Manager Nakamura pondered for a moment, his gaze resting on Nakayama Takuya's young and determined face for a few seconds. He was drawn to the future of "enjoying games anytime, anywhere" that Nakayama Takuya described, and he keenly realized that this was indeed a massive potential market that could not be ignored. If Sega could be the first to achieve a breakthrough in this field, its strategic significance would be profound.
"I understand, Takuya-kun." Manager Nakamura nodded slowly, the grave look on his face softening slightly. "I will organize a small evaluation team as soon as possible to conduct a preliminary technical assessment and explore prototype design directions for the key points you've raised."
"There's no need to invest too many resources. Let's first get a clear picture of the technical feasibility and potential difficulties."
"Exactly. My main goal is to understand these issues, so that when we need to invest in development, we can do so with a clear target!" Nakayama Takuya showed a sincere smile. "Thank you very much for your support, Manager Nakamura."
"I will give you some initial feedback as soon as possible," Manager Nakamura promised. He picked up the paper on the desk with the handheld's parameters, a look of exploration now in his eyes.
Nakayama Takuya breathed a silent sigh of relief, knowing that this was only the first step. Once the technical assessment results for the handheld project were optimistic, his next carefully planned move would be how to appropriately propose the project at the board meeting and skillfully integrate it with the new console's marketing strategy to form a multi-faceted offensive for Sega in the entire gaming market.
In particular, he hoped to be the first to launch a truly high-performance handheld with a backlight function before Nintendo, catching them completely off guard.