Yu Suzuki gazed at Takuya Nakayama, his eyes brimming with admiration and fervor.
"I've been agonizing over how to enhance the character expressiveness in Virtua Fighter within the constraints of our limited hardware. The path to full 3D is too arduous! But if we follow your approach, we can completely focus on refining character animations and the artistic details of the sprite graphics!"
"Model 2! My next-generation arcade platform, Model 2, can be designed with this direction in mind! The characters in Virtua Fighter 2 can be ten times more detailed than they are now! And the animations will be smoother!"
Seeing two top-tier technical experts fall into a frenzy over his idea, Takuya Nakayama smiled.
This was precisely the effect he had sought.
A vision that could inspire geniuses and was genuinely feasible.
"Excellent." He raised a hand and gestured for the excited Yu Suzuki to sit down. "Now that we've settled on the direction, things become simpler."
His gaze swept across the three men as he began issuing instructions.
"Naka-kun, you'll be in charge of the demo. Get results to us quickly."
"Suzuki-kun, you can start conceptualizing Model 2 now. Think of it as a prototype for our next-generation console."
"Finally, Department Manager Nakamura."
Takuya Nakayama turned his gaze toward the hardware department manager, who had been silently listening intently throughout the meeting.
"For the audio component, let's use the SEGA-CD as our standard—CD-quality audio is sufficient.
"We've mastered this technology, the costs are manageable, and the market accepts it. Going beyond this standard would severely compromise the price-performance ratio, with minimal perceptible improvement in the players' experience."
Department Manager Nakamura nodded immediately, jotting down the notes in his laptop.
This was indeed the most prudent choice.
"As for video output," Takuya Nakayama tapped his finger on the table, "I need you to conduct a thorough investigation. What are the most common display standards for televisions in our players' homes right now? Then, based on that, estimate where these standards will be by 1994. Our next-generation console's graphics performance will ultimately be limited by this output standard, so this will be crucial in evaluating our graphics chip options."
He looked at Department Manager Nakamura, his tone firm. "We're not doing research in a lab. Our products are sold to millions of households. Discussing image quality without considering the actual display devices our users have is like building castles in the air."
A glint of admiration flashed in Department Manager Nakamura's eyes. The Managing Director's insights always cut straight to the heart of the matter, pinpointing the core issues.
Compared to the tech-obsessed engineers who only knew how to pile on specs, this market- and user-driven approach to development was far more prudent.
"I understand, Managing Director. I'll contact the marketing department immediately after the meeting to get their assistance and ensure we produce the most accurate report."
"Good." Takuya Nakayama nodded in satisfaction. The core issues of the meeting had been resolved.
"One last thing."
His abrupt change in tone refocused the attention of the three attendees, who had just been thinking the meeting was over.
"If we're truly going next-generation, and there will be a flood of 3D games, our current Mega Drive controller is clearly inadequate."
He picked up a pen from the table and began sketching casually on a clean sheet of A4 paper. He was determined to follow Sony's path—let them go and develop a whole new controller.
"On the left, we have the familiar D-pad—the best control scheme for 2D games, so we must keep it." A clear cross appeared on the paper.
"On the right, we have the four function keys—XYAB. This is the foundation of our users' habits. Six keys aren't strictly necessary; we can place them elsewhere." Four circles were drawn.
Yu Suzuki and Yuji Naka leaned in curiously, puzzled by the Managing Director's doodles.
Next, Takuya Nakayama's pen moved to the lower interior of the D-pad and function keys, drawing two small circles and marking them with crosses.
"These are two thumb-operated joysticks. In a 3D world, we need 360-degree freedom of movement, which the D-pad can't provide. One stick will control character movement, while the other can control the camera angle."
"The camera angle?" Yu Suzuki's breath hitched, the words striking him like lightning.
"Exactly—free camera angles." Takuya Nakayama smiled. "Imagine, Suzuki-kun, in your Virtua Fighter..."
"Imagine being able to freely rotate the camera and observe your opponent's movements from any angle—what an incredible experience that would be!"
Yu Suzuki's eyes lit up, as if he could already envision a whole new world of fighting games.
Takuya Nakayama's pen didn't pause. He drew four long rectangles above the controller.
"These are the shoulder buttons: LB, RB, LT, and RT." He deliberately drew arcs on the LT and RT buttons. "These two will be trigger-style. Imagine playing a racing game where the accelerator isn't just on or off, but you can control acceleration linearly based on how far you press the trigger. This part will use analog input."
Buzz!
Yu Suzuki's mind exploded.
He shot to his feet, bracing his hands on the table, staring intently at the sketch, his lips trembling.
"Joystick... free camera... linear triggers..." he muttered, as if possessed. "My racing games... my fighting games... Oh my God! This... this has always been..."
For a moment, he couldn't find the words to describe the shock he felt.
This controller wasn't just a simple peripheral—it was a complete set of interaction logic designed specifically for 3D games!
It solved countless operational challenges he had encountered during development!
Yuji Naka leaned in closer. Though less outgoing than Yu Suzuki, the same excitement sparkled in his eyes.
He thought of Sonic. If Sonic could freely run around in a 3D world using this stick, what an exhilarating experience that would be!
"Department Manager Nakamura," Takuya Nakayama pushed the paper covered in future designs across the table, "let's start with this functionality. Have someone from the hardware department build a prototype. We can gradually optimize the ergonomics, internal circuitry, and button functions later. But the most crucial point is..." He tapped the stick and trigger buttons on the drawing. "Get this design patented immediately—globally! Protect every detail, every functional combination!"
Department Manager Nakamura solemnly accepted the paper, feeling its weight in his hands.
He knew the immense value of this thin sheet of paper.
"Suzuki-kun, you've come back to earth!" Takuya Nakayama chuckled, watching Yu Suzuki, who had been lost in thought, muttering to himself.
"Huh? Oh!" Yu Suzuki snapped out of his trance, a faint blush of embarrassment coloring his cheeks, yet the fervor in his eyes remained undimmed.
"Put your new inspiration on the back burner for now," Takuya said, waving his hand. "Wait until the design framework for the next-generation console is finalized before implementing it in your Model 2." He added with a crude joke, "You have to eat your rice one bite at a time. Take too big a step, and you'll pull your own leg."
The vulgar remark left Yu Suzuki nodding helplessly as he settled back into his seat.
Yet his eyes couldn't help but keep glancing at the design drawings clutched in Department Manager Nakamura's hands.
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