Calm Before the War

Chicago, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) exhibition hall.

Two days before the official opening, the huge exhibition hall was already bustling with activity.

The screeching of electric drills, the buzzing of forklifts, and the shouts of workers mingled together, and the air was filled with the mixed smells of new carpet, paint, and sawdust.

Tom Kalinske strolled leisurely through the sea of industrial noise, his hands in his trouser pockets.

He was like a general inspecting his territory, a subtle, enigmatic smile on his face.

When he reached Sega's booth, he stopped in his tracks.

The entire booth was dominated by a deep "Sega Blue" color scheme, with no superfluous decorations. Only a bright blue dynamic light strip, like a data stream, flowed slowly around the edge of the entire booth.

Minimalist, futuristic, with a calmness that stands out from the surrounding noise.

"Tom, all the equipment is in place, and the power is connected," the North American Branch project manager jogged over to report. "But—do we really not need to add another main screen or a few more character statues?"

Look at the neighbor next door----"

Tom looked in the direction he was pointing.

Not far away, 3D0's booth was the epitome of extravagance, with a huge screen playing futuristic CG animations on a loop, and the slogan "The Real Thing" flashing with dazzling light, as if they wanted to tell the world that they were the future.

Tom looked away, patted his supervisor on the shoulder, and pointed to the inside of his booth.

"Jim, we have enough players. Their satisfaction is the most important thing. Don't you think what we've prepared isn't exciting enough for them?"

The interior of the booth was clearly divided in two.

On the left are a dozen or so sleek arcade machines equipped with light guns, representing Mark Cerny's team's "John Wick".

On the right are the same number of back-to-back fighting stages, designed for live combat in The King of Fighters.

Besides that, there were a lot of shelves and a cash register.

The entire space is neat and orderly, resembling a high-end arcade with a side sale of merchandise, rather than a corporate booth crammed with promotional materials.

"I understand." Jim scratched his head, feeling that the company's style of being entirely focused on merchandise and demo areas was a bit too blatant, but his boss's confidence was infectious. "I'll double-check the wiring to ensure that even if the whole of Chicago experiences a power outage, we can still have a good game here!"

Tom smiled with satisfaction. After watching Jim leave, he turned and strolled towards the place where he and Nakayama Takuya had discussed things.

Sony's booth.

It is located at the intersection of the home appliance manufacturers' exhibition area and the game manufacturers' exhibition area.

The booth was designed in an extremely modern style, entirely in expensive piano black and metallic silver, making it look like a high-end electronics store, completely out of place with the colorful game booths around it.

Several Japan in sharp suits, their expressions serious, were talking in hushed tones, occasionally glancing up at the Nintendo booth in the distance with complex expressions.

Tom Kalinske's lips curled into an even wider smile.

He could almost picture the spectacular scene that would unfold after the two companies started tearing each other apart.

Tom's gaze fell on the area in the corner of his booth that was covered with a black cloth.

There, cardboard boxes printed with the words "CESEXCLUSIVE" were piled up.

From Sonic T-shirts to Pokémon toys, they have it all.

They used the money from selling merchandise to pay for the booth fees and even made a profit on the side.

He could hear the sound of Nakayama Takuya's abacus clearly even across the Pacific Ocean.

Just as he was about to turn back, he caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye.

A man walked out from inside the Sony booth; he wasn't particularly tall.

He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the 3D0's extravagance, past Sega's composure, and finally settling on Nintendo's red and white area.

Tom recognized the face; he'd seen it in the files Takuya had given him— Ken Kutaragi.

In that instant, Tom saw a cold, ambitious smile curl up at the corner of Ken Kutaragi's mouth.

That wasn't a businessman's smile.

That's the expression a hunter shows when he sees his prey.

Tom Kalinske's relaxed expression vanished; he felt a chill run down his spine, followed by an even stronger surge of excitement.

He knew the grand show was about to begin.

May 28, 1992, Chicago, United States.

The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has officially kicked off.

Even before the morning mist had completely dissipated, the entrance to the McCormick Place was already bustling with people.

Journalists, distributors, analysts, and technology enthusiasts from all over the world converged here like a pack of hungry wolves smelling the scent of money.

The air was already beginning to carry the humid heat of early summer in Chicago.

Flashes of light came one after another, illuminating faces etched with desire and ambition until they were deathly pale.

This year, everyone's attention is focused on the same area - video games.

After all, video games have become popular again in recent years after the Atari Crash, and the number of video game companies that applied to participate in this year's exhibition is far greater than in previous years, making many media outlets feel that the video game industry has returned to the booming era of ten years ago.

The first day of CES, 10:30 AM.

Tom Kalinske strode onto the main stage.

He wholeheartedly agreed with Nakayama Takuya's assessment that a battle of the century would unfold here today, with the breakup between Sony and Nintendo destined to be headline news.

If Sega wants to grab headlines in the eye of the storm, it must strike first and unleash its trump card before anyone else can react.

"Good morning, Chicago!" Tom opened his arms wide, igniting the atmosphere with his infectious voice, "It's great to see so many old friends again!"

There was a moment of silence from the audience, followed by a deafening roar of applause and whistles, mixed with excited screams.

A bearded fan in the front row, wearing Sonic T-shirt, stood up excitedly, waving his arms and shouting, "SEGA! SEGA!"

Tom Kalinske clasped his hands together, enjoying the frenzy stirred up by the blue ocean that belonged only to Sega.

His smile was as bright as the California sunshine, and it was infectious.

"I heard you! I heard you!" he shouted into the Mike like a rock star, "I love you all too!"

His words ignited the atmosphere, and laughter and even more enthusiastic cheers rose and fell.

"We've brought that blue hedgehog that's so fast it gives all parents a headache, the Pokémon makes countless kids dream of becoming Pokémon Masters, and Metal Slug that swallowed countless coins in the arcade!" Every time Tom said a name, a cheer erupted from the audience for the corresponding fan group.

He paused, looked around at the excited faces, then changed the subject, his voice becoming a little more composed.

But we keep asking ourselves one question.

The scene fell silent instantly; everyone pricked up their ears, and even the most fervent fans held their breath.

They knew the real show was about to begin.

What else can we offer players?

"Could we bring you a whole new world?"

"Could we make that MD player in your house, that machine you already own and love so much, unleash a power it can't even imagine itself?!"

A barrage of questions pounded like war drums in everyone's hearts.

Tom opened his arms, his smile becoming both mysterious and fervent.

Today, I will tell you the answer!