It was still very shocking, but Ken Kutaragi said that whether it could be done or should be done, he still had to go back and discuss it with President Norio Ohga.
After that, Sony would also have to hold a board meeting to make a decision.
He alone couldn't make the call.
However, Ken Kutaragi expressed his strong support for President Aoki's idea.
If he could become a promoter of the Time, Ken Kutaragi was also willing to lend him a hand.
But he didn't have enough authority.
After a brief exchange, Ken Kutaragi left Pokeni.
"President, do you think Kutaragi-san will push Sony to develop the next generation of game consoles?"
After Ken Kutaragi left the company, Sakata Taiji asked with some concern.
"It's fine."
Aoki Haruhi smiled, "Today, inviting Kutaragi-san over was just to give him a little nudge, to let him know that Sony PS is not entirely capable of meeting current game demands, and there's still a very important journey to go.
As for whether Sony will develop a new console…"
In fact, Aoki Haruhi was also unsure.
In his previous life, the PS2 appeared in 2000.
That was six years after the PS1 was launched.
The birth Time of Sony PS is a tiny bit earlier than in his previous life, released in '94, but in terms of technology, it has actually advanced a step further.
So far, the PS1 has only been in service for two years.
He just didn't know if Sony in this Time line would launch the PS2 early. If everything was relatively ideal, Aoki Haruhi felt it was very possible to see a new machine in '98.
Four years would be enough for Sony PS players to digest it.
However, these were all just Aoki Haruhi's personal guesses.
The specifics still depended on Ken Kutaragi's situation: whether he had deeply imprinted the shocking effect Aoki Haruhi showed him today in his mind, whether he would go all out to persuade the board members like he did when developing the PS1, whether Norio Ohga would stand by his side…
There were actually many variables.
Ken Kutaragi was a key figure; his actions would have a strong driving effect, but the specific outcome was really hard to say.
"But, I think it doesn't matter." Aoki Haruhi smiled, "We still have a backup plan."
"Huh?" Sakata Taiji looked at Aoki Haruhi with some confusion.
This President seemed to be getting more and more unfathomable.
He had turned into a riddle-teller here!
What Aoki Haruhi was thinking was—
If Sony couldn't be pushed, Aoki Haruhi would only have Nvidia to push.
With computer hardware catching up, they could also make sufficiently excellent game.
Moreover, according to Aoki Haruhi's idea, the appearance of 2B Miss was not that urgent.
As for making money, Pokeni only needed to maintain its leading position in the Time.
"Oh, President," Sakata Taiji suddenly remembered something else and reported to the President, "Regarding the company's Manga Grand Prize and Light Novel Grand Prize."
"Hmm?"
"The 10 million prize money is actually quite attractive."
Sakata Taiji smiled sheepishly, "Quite a few employees in the company said that this prize money is already much higher than their income, so why shouldn't they participate in these activities?"
"Who said that?" Aoki Haruhi glared.
Sakata Taiji was so scared that cold sweat ran down his back.
"Ah, this… it's not good to say."
"It's okay," Aoki Haruhi softened his expression and smiled, "Just scaring you."
Ah… You hateful President!
Sakata Taiji said he was almost scared to pee.
This was indeed not Sakata Taiji's idea; as the company's art director and executive, his annual income was far more than 10 million. His current basic salary was over 10 million, plus the bonuses given by the company, it was actually very generous.
Sakata Taiji's personal income was even higher than that of many small company presidents.
"I think it's a very good thing to have competition."
"The company encourages employees to participate in the Manga Grand Prize and Light Novel Grand Prize, but on the premise of not delaying work. During working hours, you still have to work diligently.
After work, I don't care what you do; that's your private life."
It's perfectly normal to do some part-Time jobs in Japan. Instead of letting them do side jobs for others outside, it's better to let them do side jobs here.
"And, you have to explain a principle clearly to these kids: holding these activities, one is to help the company develop new IPs and create more valuable things.
The other is to serve as promotion for the company, allowing more people, people outside the game circle, to get to know us.
These are things at the company's strategic level.
Also, in terms of the company's talent reserve, we can select talents through this method.
In the future, we will also launch other activities.
For example, selecting more excellent programming talents through programmer competitions, selecting more excellent designers through game design competitions, and so on…
This is a soil for cultivating talent. Only by laying the foundation first can we move forward better."
"Oh, oh, I understand."
Sakata Taiji seemed particularly happy.
"In short, tell them that when they're at work, they should work hard. When they make money, the company will share the dividends, which will definitely not be less than the prize money."
"On the basis of completing your work, if you are truly dedicated, then use your strength to compete fairly!"
"Yes, President!!"
...
The next morning, Aoki Haruhi conveyed the relevant message to every employee of the company.
He told them that on the basis of completing their work, they could participate in the company's activities during their off-work hours.
And the President said that seeing their own company employees win prizes in the competition was the most gratifying thing.
At least you proved your worth and ability.
However, it must be on the premise of completing your work.
And you must compete fairly.
The company's review teams will not go easy on you just because you are insiders!
After Aoki Haruhi finished speaking, a warm round of applause erupted.
"Long live the President!!!"
"President, you are the best!"
"President, we love you!!!"
The employees all rubbed their fists, looking exceptionally excited.
"That's great! I didn't expect the President to actually encourage us to participate in the competition."
"Perhaps only an oddball like Aoki Haruhi would do such a thing?"
"It's truly a blessing to meet President Aoki."
"Our usual work is quite relaxed. Although it's a bit difficult, everyone is very passionate and efficient. So far, the President has never occupied our private Time.
We can leave on Time and never work overtime.
Such a President can even consider our side businesses. I'm really crying."
"10 million! The prize money is not small; you can buy a decent car."
"I want to buy an LV bag."
"Is that all you aspire to?"
"It's as if you can really win the championship. Didn't you hear the President say that although the company agrees to let us participate, there will be no special treatment in the selection just because we are insiders?"
"It's not easy to balance both."
"But giving up work for the 10 million prize money would be too much of a loss."
"The question is whether you can consistently win the championship after giving up your job. That's the problem."
"Let's give it a try."
"At least the President gave us a very good opportunity."
"Mm-hmm! Go for it!"
...
After Ken Kutaragi returned to the company, he still followed his agreement with Aoki Haruhi and dutifully found his immediate superior, Mr. Norio Ohga, who was currently serving as Sony's President.
After listening to Ken Kutaragi's description and request, Norio Ohga sighed:
"Pokeni actually made something like that?"
"Yes." Ken Kutaragi nodded seriously, "I only saw it for a moment because the machine couldn't run it, but even with just that one glance, you could feel that this character model far exceeded anything of this Time.
It can lead Japan, no, lead the future game direction for the entire world.
If it can really be made, that would be truly spectacular."
"So you think we should start developing the next generation of game consoles?" Norio Ohga looked at Ken Kutaragi through his glasses.
"Hmm… I can't say."
Ken Kutaragi thought for a moment, "But I was deeply shocked when I saw the [Future] that President Aoki showed me."
Although Ken Kutaragi didn't know that the girl's name was 2B, even if he did, he would be puzzled—
2B?
What is that?
Who would name a girl that?
However, the word [Future] involuntarily popped into Ken Kutaragi's mind.
If the girl had a name, Ken Kutaragi would prefer to call her Future.
Because she really didn't seem like a game product that should have been born in this Time, 1996.
According to Ken Kutaragi's idea, this [Future] should have appeared 10 years later to be reasonable.
However, for a researcher, glimpsing the future in the present, there is nothing more exciting, happier, and more joyful in life than that.
Even now, Ken Kutaragi was still deeply shocked by her.
"Miss Future" left an indelible impression in his mind.
President Ohga couldn't help but smile when he saw Ken Kutaragi's earnestness and the longing in his eyes.
"Although I haven't met this Miss, I can tell from your eyes that she must be a very beautiful and infinitely charming game character, right?"
"Yes, that's right. But with the current hardware level, there's no way to bring her into the game, no way for Miss to meet the players. It's truly a regrettable thing."
"I understand."
President Ohga nodded seriously.
"So? Are we going to start developing the next generation game console?" Ken Kutaragi pressed.
Personally, he sided with Aoki Haruhi.
But from a company perspective, Ken Kutaragi was hesitant.
This was also why he came to see President Ohga; you had to get the President's support to convince others on the board, otherwise, the project wouldn't be approved.
Sony was not like Nintendo and Sega, companies where one person's word was absolute.
Sometimes, Ken Kutaragi really yearned for such power.
President Ohga smiled and shook his head, then stood up to pour Ken Kutaragi a cup of tea, "You listen to me first."
"How about this, I'll tell you a story."
"I used to be extremely particular about headphone quality and the sound quality of music. You should know how important this is to someone who understands music, right?"
President Ohga came from a background in CDs, and he also possessed extremely high musical talent and literacy.
After graduating from university, he pursued further studies at the Munich Academy of Music, graduating as a principal musician from the Berlin University of the Arts. He then began his singing career. One of his life's ambitions was to become a famous baritone singer.
In his previous life, after President Ohga retired, he served as a conductor and chairman of the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
It's clear how profound this President's achievements in music were. It was also because he understood music so well that he continuously improved Sony's Walkman, Sony CD players, DVD... various audio equipment, all to provide the best enjoyment for the ears.
"I have always pursued the enjoyment of the ears. My lifelong pursuit is to allow more people to listen to better music through Sony's audio equipment."
"However, during the development of the Walkman, we also discovered something very interesting."
"Originally, the new product had even more perfect sound quality when I listened to it, but when it was given to users, their feedback was that it was similar to the previous old products."
"At this point, you realize that they actually have difficulty distinguishing the subtle differences."
"Moreover, launching new products with too rapid a refresh rate is actually a harmful thing."
President Ohga quite directly laid out the facts: "Every product, when launched, has its historical mission, its own value, and its goals.
Just like people, it must go through a process of growth, decline, and death.
For example, PS1, our research and development cost was over 30 billion. If we hastily launched PS2 without recovering the cost, it would be equivalent to us ignoring the vitality and value of PS1.
It is still growing robustly; it is far from being replaced."
"Sometimes, it's not that we lack the ability to upgrade.
It's that we cannot upgrade."
The former is technical capability.
The latter is market constraint.
"So, Kutaragi-san, do you understand?"
Ken Kutaragi sighed deeply and smiled, "I understand."
He had nothing to regret; on the contrary, the President's words made his heart feel much calmer and more comfortable.
Because for Ken Kutaragi, expressing the demand for an upgrade was based on his own ideals and also due to the impact Aoki Haruhi had on him.
At least in good conscience, he had made an effort.
He felt relieved because the President's words made more sense; he was thinking from the perspective of company strategy.
It's not Time yet.
No need to be too anxious.
This way, Ken Kutaragi had an explanation for Aoki Haruhi, and for himself.
President Ohga smiled and reached out to pat Kutaragi's shoulder, "Sometimes, as a manager, you can't be so idealistic; you have to consider reality, the market, and money.
It sounds a little vulgar.
But, money is more important than anything else for a company.
And the way we obtain money can be idealistic; that's the difference."
"Understood, President." Ken Kutaragi nodded seriously.
"However," President Ohga added, "we can do preliminary research. As for when it can be launched into the market after completion, we'll have to keep watching."
"Understood, President!"
Ken Kutaragi smiled happily.
...
Time flew by, and many things happened and changed in the world every day.
In this life, due to the arrival of Aoki Haruhi, some subtle influences arose.
This influence is called the butterfly effect.
Although it was very weak at first, a butterfly flapping its wings can trigger a huge storm.
November 20, 1996, was a day worth remembering in game history.
On this day, the total sales of Sony's PS1 exceeded 50 million units, ranking first in global sales.
Whether in Europe and America or Japan, Sony PS defeated its strong rivals Nintendo and Sega.
Among 32-bit consoles, it successfully left Sega Saturn far behind.
After successfully reaching the top, Sony became the new console hegemon, winning the ultimate victory in this Time, 1996.
...
And the biggest driving force behind all of this was Pokeni.
According to Sony's official statistics, Pokeni's "pokémon 3d world" had total global sales exceeding 15 million units, becoming the best-selling game on the PS platform. This one game alone successfully drove a significant increase in Sony PS sales.
In the second half of this year, "princess mononoke," co-developed with Studio Ghibli, even set off a 3D craze.
Since this game was still a PS exclusive, it once again boosted the sales of the game console.
In just 2 months,
It successfully sold over 5 million units in Japan.
Thanks to Pokeni, Sony PS sales are still continuously growing.
It can be said that without Pokeni's unparalleled game, Sony's brilliant present would not be possible.
"princess mononoke" was the final straw that broke the camel's back; it was the appearance of this game that successfully pushed Sony onto the throne.
Therefore, news media reported Pokeni as the invisible force behind PS's success.
...
This news was undoubtedly a bombshell for the entire game industry.
After losing the throne, Hiroshi Yamauchi appeared exhausted during media interviews, looking exceptionally dejected, as if he had reached the end of his rope.
"Nintendo has not failed; the market share was only temporarily taken by Sony, but with the release of our game, the N64's console performance is strong enough that it will definitely become number one in Japan again."
Hiroshi Yamauchi said, forcing himself to be strong.
But his overall state didn't seem to match his words.
In fact, the N64, which was just released in September of this year, had pretty good sales growth, and has now exceeded 3 million units.
However, compared to Sony's 50 million units, it really wasn't much.
And on Sega's side, Nakayama Hayao was even worse, almost turning white-haired overnight.
When Aoki Haruhi saw him before, he wasn't this old. Mr. Nakayama Hayao, though with less hair, still had black hair and looked spirited, always seeming to have endless energy.
But this Time, facing the media cameras, Nakayama Hayao looked aged, his eyes bloodshot.
He even shed tears in front of media reporters and the camera when mentioning Sega Saturn's defeat.
He completely lost control.
"We made almost no mistakes in all our strategies."
"Perhaps in terms of hardware capability and cost-effectiveness, we couldn't compare to Sony PS, but the lack of sufficiently excellent exclusive game on saturn, and not enough game that satisfied and pleased players, might be the ultimate reason for our failure..."
...
The one who personally ended an era was Aoki Haruhi himself.
Seeing the newspaper report of President Nakayama Hayao shedding tears on the spot due to the setback in saturn sales,
Aoki Haruhi always felt a little off.
How to describe it?
That feeling of his heart being struck.
Historically, two things always cause immense regret and long sighs—
One is beauty's tragic fate
The other is a hero's twilight
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