Next-Generation Plan Begins

Before Nakayama Takuya could speak, Director Hoshino, who had been silent all along, suddenly raised his hand.

"Before discussing the R&D budget, I'd like to show you a newly released investment return report."

He stood up and handed another, thinner document to everyone present.

When the board members saw the final profit figure at the very bottom of the document, the air in the entire conference room seemed to be sucked out.

"This—this is—" The director, who advocated for a reactive approach, pointed to the long string of zeros, his hands trembling.

"Last month, thanks to Nakayama's accurate prediction and remote command, we conducted a large-scale financial operation involving the British pound." Hoshino Hajime's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. "This money is enough to cover the bulk of the next-generation console's R&D budget, with a surplus."

The only sound in the conference room was gasping for breath.

All eyes were focused on Nakayama Takuya.

In those eyes, there was shock, doubt, and above all, disbelief.

This young man can not only play games that sweep the globe, but also effortlessly reap such terrifying capital gains in the financial arena, a field they are completely unfamiliar with?

Nakayama Takuya met everyone's gazes and spoke calmly.

"The Super Famicom (SFC) came later, but it was catching up with us. We, with the Mega Drive (MD), defined the pace of the 16-bit war. Now, do you all want us to hand over the leading position we've worked so hard to seize, and go back to following in the footsteps of Panasonic or Sony?"

He paused, his tone becoming even sharper.

"The success of the Mega Drive was built on players' trust in Sega's spirit of innovation and challenge. If we stop and stand still, we will betray tens of millions of players around the world who believe in us. Once that trust is lost, no amount of money can buy it back."

"As for a reactive approach," he smiled, a hint of disdain in his expression, "Our intelligence indicates that Panasonic's 3D0 will likely be priced very high. This price point is already destined to deviate from the mainstream home console market. If we wait until we see it fail before starting development, do you think it will be too late? The market window is fleeting."

"We will not be followers; we will be rule-makers."

The resounding words echoed in the conference room.

The two conservative directors exchanged a glance, silently put down the documents in their hands, and chose to remain silent.

The final vote was a foregone conclusion.

With the exception of two directors who abstained, the motion passed unanimously.

Sega's next-generation console project has been officially launched.

Project Manager: Nakayama Takuya

After the meeting ended, Nakayama Takuya walked out of the conference room and let out a long sigh of relief.

He knew that from this moment on, a new battle had begun.

He will no longer be facing just Nintendo, but all the giants around the world who are eyeing the Yu-Gi-Oh!.

The day after the board meeting, Nakayama Takuya once again summoned Yu Suzuki, Yuji Naka, and Nakamura, the Hardware Development Department, to that familiar conference room.

Unlike the somber tone of the last time the atmosphere was set, today's air carries a sense of reassurance that comes after everything has settled.

"The board has approved it." Nakayama Takuya cut to the chase, without a single wasted word. "The project is officially underway, and the budget has been approved."

None of the three showed much surprise.

Over the past few years, following Nakayama Takuya, from MD to eSports tournaments, and even his incredible financial maneuvers, they have become accustomed to this young executive director turning seemingly impossible goals into reality.

Surprise has become something to be expected.

"Then, the next step is to finalize the specific R&D specifications for the core hardware." Nakayama Takuya's gaze first fell on Yuji Naka and Minister Nakamura.

First, there's the heart of this machine, the central processing unit, or CPU.

He looked at Yuji Naka, his tone unusually solemn. "Naka-kun, this CPU customization requires your and Minister Nakamura's cooperation. I have only one core requirement, and that is ease of use."

"I don't care how many transistors it has or how high its clock speed can run. What I need is a CPU that is user-friendly enough for developers. The instruction set should be concise and efficient, hardware resources should be easily accessible, and it should be easy for small and medium-sized third-party manufacturers to use, instead of being deterred by a bunch of complicated development tools."

Nakayama Takuya emphasized, "You were once in charge of optimizing the MD development environment, so you know the pain points best."

This time, you need to eliminate these problems from the very beginning of chip design.

Yuji Naka nodded silently, his eyes behind his glasses focused and sharp.

He understood that the executive director was aiming to build a much larger and more stable third-party ecosystem for the new console, one that was fundamentally larger than that of the MD.

"As for the CPU's 3D processing capabilities," Nakayama Takuya changed the subject, "Minister Nakamura, please arrange for all the people we sent to the United Kingdom to collaborate with Argonaut Software on the development of the Super FX coprocessor to be recalled."

"Huh?" Minister Nakamura was taken aback.

"Those United Kingdom are too inefficient; our people are just wasting their time there." Nakayama Takuya's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness. "They were involved in the development of coprocessors and know how CPUs handle 3D..."

The instructions have firsthand experience, and incorporating them into the new CPU development team can be a significant help.

He tapped the table and added, "Once the staff are brought back, I'll have Director Hoshino find an opportunity to cash out all of our Argonaut shares. The company's technological concepts are outdated and have little long-term value."

The three people present all felt a chill run down their spines.

The executive director's business acumen is always frighteningly sharp.

Finally, Nakayama Takuya's gaze fell on Yu Suzuki, who had been fidgeting since earlier.

"Suzuki- kun."

"Yes, sir!" Yu Suzuki immediately straightened his back.

"Before the final product of the custom chip is available, I need you to use the prototype chip and other components to build a prototype machine." Nakayama Takuya smiled. "Of course, not the main unit, but your next-generation arcade board, Model."

2.

Yu Suzuki's eyes lit up instantly.

"You can think of it as a preliminary proof-of-concept for our next-generation console," Nakayama Takuya continued. "On the Model 2, we'll use our new approach of '3D skeleton + 2D sprite sheet' to create a technical demo."

"This demo serves both to test the actual performance of our new chip and to provide direct inspiration and data support for the final optimization of the CPU instruction set. Your development experience will directly impact the final form of this core component."

"Mode12------New Architecture----" Yu Suzuki nodded slowly.