At the end of the month, the first batch of Rock N' Roll Racing officially went on sale.
Price: $6,500, shocking the world.
Even compared to Sega's OutRun, this thing is still shockingly expensive.
There's nothing we can do about it.
Such a complex and sophisticated hydraulic system and mechanical structure makes it difficult to effectively control costs.
Lockheed Martin only went this price because they were willing to grit their teeth and stick with MicroNova for the long haul.
But no matter how outrageous its price is.
I still need to buy it.
The fact that its developer, Blizzard Entertainment, is a completely new company with no prior experience is somewhat unsettling.
But the backing of Gamenova is enough to vouch for it.
The arcade machines produced by Gamenova were practically money-printing machines.
Michigan, Detroit.
This largest city in Michigan, which faces Windsor, Canada, across the river, has long been known as the "Motor City".
Ford, GM, Chrysler, and other famous America automobile manufacturers are all located here.
For the automotive industry, Detroit is like Silicon Valley for the semiconductor industry.
This unique economic structure has naturally given rise to a plethora of car-themed peripheral cultural products.
Formula 1 racing is one of the must-see events here.
In just over a month, an F1 Grand Prix will be held here.
Senna gazed at the clouds in the sky.
"I really hope the weather will be better on the day of the match."
Located near the lakes, Detroit's weather is nothing like California's, which is sunny and cloudless all day long.
Weather is an extremely important factor for a professional race car driver.
He only won one championship in this year's regional competitions.
But Senna had a feeling that he could easily win the next game in Detroit as well.
Because the Team Lotus prepared a car equipped with top-of-the-line active suspension.
If you run to the limit----
Senna blinked.
Achieving zero stops throughout the entire match is not impossible.
"Never mind, there's no chance to practice today anyway."
There are only so many tracks, and even their wealthy Team Lotus couldn't possibly book the entire track for him to practice for that long.
Shaking his head, Senna decided to find a place to have dinner first.
However, as he passed by an arcade, his attention was drawn to the scene in front of it.
A large group of people were busy moving several oversized arcade machines.
It was a cockpit that resembled the driver's seat of a race car.
Steering wheel, pedals, seats, seat belts----
Aside from the lack of roll cages and similar features, the workmanship is actually quite convincing.
Directly in front of you is a huge screen.
"New machine?"
Senna had seen previous racing simulation games, and Sega's "OUTRUN" was particularly interesting.
Being able to drive a red sports car recklessly on the road in a realistic way is quite a rare experience.
However, that arcade machine was clearly not the same as the one I was familiar with called "OUTRUN".
The license plate alone, which reads "[Blizzard GAME NOVA]", tells you that this thing definitely doesn't Sega.
"GAMENOVA? They even offer that service?"
Senna was a little puzzled. The last time he heard of this company was when they were making some kind of record-selling game or something.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to take a few quick steps and approach the man who looked like the store manager to strike up a conversation.
"Bro, is this a racing simulator?"
"That's right, you have no idea how much Kung-Fu Master I put into snatching these four from those crazy lunatics who were practically fighting over them. How about it? Want one? -- Pfft!"
The store manager was halfway through his sentence when he turned around and saw the person who had entered, and he froze.
A celebrity!
"Elton Senna?!"
A formidable new addition to the Team Lotus! A rising Nova with exceptional skills!
Senna smiled and steered the conversation back to arcade games.
"Is this thing difficult to install? I was hoping to have a chance to play with it sometime, but it looks like I won't be able to today?"
"Wait! It'll be quick. These are all all-in-one machines that have been tested and are ready to use as soon as they're powered on!"
The store manager quickly offered an explanation, fearing that Senna might just leave.
If we can seize this opportunity to let Senna play a round in our own store, wouldn't the GG effect be off the charts?
Let's show F1 fans what kind of masterpiece the video games their favorite drivers play must be.
"Mr. Senna, I would be honored if you could be the first to try it out; it'll be on me! Oh, and by the way, here's a new racing-themed membership card for you."
"Thanks, I'll give it a try then. I'm actually quite curious."
This guy started driving go-karts at age 4 and even drove his dad's car at age 7.
As long as this thing is called a car, whether it's electronic or not, you have to drive it and try it out, regardless of its speed.
Once the machines were deployed, a large crowd had already gathered around, completely filling the store.
Some of these people came to see Gamenova's new game.
The other group, of course, came specifically to see Senna, the legendary driver.
Can the F1 racing legend continue his myth in the world of video games? That's something to look forward to!
After receiving a signal from the store manager, Senna got into the cockpit and fastened his seatbelt.
He kicked his legs, his expression showing surprise.
The cabin was surprisingly comfortable, without any of the stiff and cold feeling I had imagined.
The seat belts and seats are made entirely according to automotive standards, and the pedal distance is...
Senna reached under the seat and rummaged around for a bit, then his eyes lit up.
"Click"
Ta-la-la-la----
This seat can even be adjusted forward and backward!
After adjusting the distance to a comfortable level, Senna inserted the membership card given to him by the store manager and followed the instructions to enter his account information.
"Hey, Mr. Senna, this game supports two-player battles, would you like to give it a try?"
"Of course, it's fine."
The store manager beamed with delight; this was a perfect opportunity to build rapport.
He immediately called out to the crowd, "Who wants to be the first to try it out? You can even race against our racing legend, Mr. Senna!"
This time, the gunpowder was finally ignited.
In an instant, the entire arcade erupted in chaos.
The shouts and cheers almost drowned out the two of them.
"Mr. Senna, why don't you choose an opponent?"
Senna's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on a boy who looked to be just over ten years old, being carried high on his father's shoulders.
He shrugged. "Playing games is all about having fun."
"Let this little one come."
The child who was chosen looked excited, but his father, who was carrying him, was clearly even more excited.
" Jimmy! Keep it up!"
Little Jimmy smiled and nodded, then quickly went to another empty cabin and sat down.
With a somewhat surprised look in Senna's eyes, he skillfully adjusted his cockpit, then looked at Senna with a grin.
Wow, judging by his skills, he might actually be a veteran?
Detroit truly lives up to its Detroit of the automotive industry.