Chapter 154: Is there any future for game consoles?
Iwata? Shirakawa was stunned when he heard the name.
Is it the same name? Thinking of this, he tilted his head again and looked carefully at the slightly fat face that was still staring at the screen.
When did my brother Cong become so fat? Bai Chuanfeng's face was full of question marks.
His behavior not only puzzled Asuka Kobayashi, but also made the fat classmate who was addicted to the computer turn his head away.
"Oh, by the way, which department are you from? I haven't seen you among the students in the Department of Information Engineering."
The younger and slightly fatter version of Iwata felt that the classmate in front of him looked unfamiliar.
He often comes here and knows most of the students in the computer room.
"Oh, I'm from the Faculty of Business Administration." Baichuan Feng replied naturally.
"Faculty of Business Administration? Does Tokyo Institute of Technology have a Faculty of Business Administration?" asked the chubby Satoru Iwata puzzledly.
"Tokyo Institute of Technology doesn't have it, but Meiji does." Shirakawa Kaede explained with a smile. Isn't it a very normal operation to go to other schools?
"Eh? Meiji?" Iwata stopped typing, looking surprised.
"Shirakawa Kaede, Faculty of Business Administration, Meiji University. Iwata-san, nice to meet you." Shirakawa Kaede, who was sitting next to him, patted his shoulder in a familiar manner.
"Uh, nice to meet you, Shirakawa-san."
Suddenly, Iwata Satoshi, who hadn't figured out how Meiji's students appeared here, could only respond hastily.
However, Shirakawa Kaede didn't care about Iwata's surprise. He turned his attention back to the computer in front of him.
"It's a very interesting game. I didn't expect that it was developed by Iwata himself."
When Iwata heard that Shirakawa Kaede was interested in his game, he immediately felt that this overly enthusiastic classmate was much cuter.
"How about it? Do you want to try it?" As he said this, Iwata moved his butt to the side to make room.
"Of course." Baichuan Feng was not polite and sat forward naturally.
Then, with the explanation of Satoru Iwata, he quickly understood how to play this mini-game.
It is to control a simple little man to move left and right. The light spot falling from the top of the screen will bounce up after hitting the little man, and this cycle repeats.
Once the light spot misses, the game is over.
It feels like holding a ping-pong racket and hitting a ping-pong ball.
It's simple, but very interesting.
After getting familiar with the key positions for a few times, Baichuan Feng quickly got the hang of it, and his proficiency level increased rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"That's awesome!" Iwata felt that he had met a soulmate. This was the first person who played his game and was at the same level as him.
"Hehe, you're too kind." From Tetris to Ring of Thieves, how could Shirakawa Feng, who has played all kinds of games, be stumped by such a small game?
So the two young men of similar age were like the scene that had appeared countless times in Internet cafes in later generations.
The two people, arm in arm, were typing away on the keyboard and chatting happily to each other.
Only the lovely and cute Asuka Kobayashi was left alone, staring with her big, sparkling eyes, being left out in the cold.
"I didn't expect that Meiji had a master like Shirakawa-kun. It's really unexpected."
"Iwata-kun is truly amazing. Not everyone can develop games."
The two of them, who have changed from calling each other classmates to calling each other "Jun", chatted happily as if they were old friends.
"It's not really game development, just some very basic programming."
The chubby Iwata waved his hands modestly. This is his hobby.
He used to be able to create number games with a programmable calculator, and after he got a computer, he couldn't stop.
I often share the small games I have created with other classmates.
"Iwata-kun is too modest. As long as it's fun, it's a good game."
In Shirakawa Kaede's opinion, Iwata is indeed a genius. He has already begun to show his extraordinary talent for gaming while still in school.
Moreover, as a product of entertainment, isn’t the original purpose of games to be fun?
This is a small game made by Satoru Iwata, which is simple but interesting.
Besides, look at the various game consoles , they are no more than this.
Most of them are extremely simple, and some don’t even have pictures.
And Iwata heard Shirakawa Kaede's argument that "as long as it's fun, it's a good game."
He was even more certain that Mr. Shirakawa was definitely his soulmate.
"Shirakawa-kun must also like games. If you have time in the future, why not go shopping at Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro together?
There are many fellow enthusiasts there, and they are not just interested in games, but also in hardware PCs and software programming.”
Seibu Department Store in Ikebukuro, where Satoru Iwata bought his first computer.
It is also the earliest shopping mall in Japan that sells computers, so all kinds of computer enthusiasts often gather there.
Everyone discussed various issues encountered in computer use and what interesting program codes they had invented.
In an era when there is no established computer training and teaching system, this is an excellent place for programmers to make rapid progress.
Naturally, Satoru Iwata was one of them. He would go there every few days during the holidays.
Iwata Satoshi, who already regarded Shirakawa Kaede as a fellow gaming enthusiast, also enthusiastically invited him.
Attend small gatherings held regularly by computer enthusiasts to discuss their experiences.
"No problem. Next time you go, Iwata-kun, just dial my pager number."
Having exchanged contact information, Baichuan Feng agreed without hesitation.
Computers at that time were still very primitive, and Microsoft's system had not yet been released.
But this cannot stop the enthusiasm of microcomputer enthusiasts to explore. If there is no software, they will write it themselves.
If there are no games, I will make them myself, and I will also solve all the computer problems myself.
It can be said that this time in 1980 was the era when countless software and hardware talents grew rapidly.
Shirakawa Electric is in need of software talents, and perhaps the talent pool of Shirakawa Electric can be enriched there.
After making an appointment with Iwata Satoshi to go to Seibu Department Store together next time, Shirakawa Kaede's trip to Tokyo Institute of Technology is also coming to an end.
It is surprising that Shirakawa Kaede did not expect that Iwata Satoshi was also a sophomore at this time. Shirakawa Kaede was half a grade older than him and would become a junior after the spring break.
However, the two were very close in age, only half a year apart, so they got along very well.
"Shirakawa-kun seems to be very interested in that Iwata-san."
On the way back, Asuka Kobayashi, who had been holding back for the entire afternoon, finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Is it that obvious?" Baichuan Feng responded with a smile.
Kobayashi Asuka quietly rolled her eyes at him, "Apart from Senior Yamazaki and the others, I've never seen anyone else that Shirakawa-kun is so interested in."
"As expected, the one who understands me the best is Kobayashi," the shameless Shirakawa Feng admitted generously.
"Eh" This surprised Asuka Kobayashi, "Is there anything special about that Iwata classmate?"
In Asuka Kobayashi's view, Iwata just used a computer to make a simple little game.
Besides, through the conversation just now, Asuka Kobayashi also knew that Iwata Satoshi was a student of the Department of Information Engineering.
Using the knowledge of this major, it shouldn’t be a big deal to make a small game.
Shirakawa Kaede did not keep Asuka Kobayashi's question in suspense.
"Don't you think, Mr. Xiaolin, that games may become one of the pillar industries of the entertainment industry in the future?"
Asuka Kobayashi thought about the little man in the computer that had just moved clumsily left and right, then shook her head, "I don't think so."
"Uh" Baichuan Feng was almost choked by her straightforward answer, but when he thought about it, it made sense.
Who can imagine now how far technology will develop in the future?
The pace of change is so rapid and rapid that if Baichuan Feng had not come later, it would have been difficult to imagine what the world would be like in the future.
Baichuan Feng waved his hand and said, "In any case, don't underestimate such simple games. Their potential may be greater than most people think."
Kobayashi Asuka shook her head at first, then nodded in understanding and said, "So the next step for Shirakawa Electric is games?"
Bai Chuanfeng was stunned for a moment, then he started laughing again. "It's not impossible, but we need to make more preparations."
"Ready?" Asuka Kobayashi keenly caught the key words.
"Of course." Baichuan Feng looked at her with amusement, "Don't forget that Baichuan Electric is good at hardware, but it is blank in terms of software or content."
The gaming industry is indeed a big cake in the future, but it is not something that can be done easily.
From software and hardware development to content support, you may not be able to do it without some basic knowledge.
But since we know it will be a big pie in the future, there is no reason to let it go.
Although it cannot be done now, it is necessary to plan as early as possible.
Hardware and software, only by walking on two legs can we keep up with the pace of the times.
It seems like it’s time to consider setting up a software department for Shirakawa Electric. Regardless of whether it can be profitable or not, we should keep the talent first.
He doesn't want Shirakawa Electric to remain the same as it is today in a few years.
If you want to do something, you have to run around and match major universities for industry-university-research cooperation.
Only by having ideas, seizing opportunities, taking immediate action and producing products quickly can we gain an advantage in an increasingly competitive environment .
…
Back at Shirakawa Electric, Shirakawa Kaede was still thinking about the game.
In terms of content, Shirakawa Electric is indeed a tricky proposition .
But there is a feature of current game consoles, that is, one game console only carries one game.
That’s right, today’s game consoles don’t have cartridges, they are all disposable consoles.
That is, after buying it and getting tired of playing with it, you basically just leave it to collect dust.
It’s not that cassette technology hasn’t appeared yet, but the high production and R&D costs have limited its development.
The first cartridge game console from the game console giant Atari was released in 1978 and sold for more than $200...
It was too expensive. As for Japan at that time, there were no local manufacturers manufacturing cartridge game consoles.
Moreover, at that time, Japan's game consoles were mainly arcade machines, and there was not even a decent handheld game console.
In that case, if it is a disposable game console...it might be possible for Shirakawa Electric to give it a try.
After all, the content can be given to Iwata to try out, so he must be happy to do so.
Moreover, this type of game console has a low manufacturing cost, so even if sales are not good, the loss will not be much.
Thinking this way, it seems that there is a way out, and Baichuan Feng's eyes light up.
Who knows, next time at Seibu Department Store, Shirakawa Kaede will have to use his money skills again.
"President! President! Something terrible has happened!"
Just when Shirakawa Feng was thinking about whether to grab a game console, Hasegawa's panicked voice came again.
"What's wrong with Sony again?" Baichuan Feng subconsciously thought that Sony was going to fight back.
Last month, the sales volume of Shirakawa Electric's Walkman surpassed Sony's for the first time in history. Shirakawa Feng is still thinking that the other party will definitely make some move this month.
"It's not...Sony, it's...It's Aihua."
Hasegawa came back running from outside, panting so hard that he was out of breath when he spoke.
"Don't be impatient, tell me in detail." Baichuan Feng motioned for him to speak slowly.
