Could "Metal Slug" Fill Such a Huge Hole? (3k)

Is this thing very powerful?

Seeing Sato Hideki's discomfiture, Hayao Nakayama knew the answer.

He had heard Lin Lixin boast to him about how incredible the performance of this thing was.

But I'm not really an expert in this field, so I never really had a real feel for it.

He doesn't know much about hardware, but he knows Sato Hideki.

"Powerful?!"

Sato Hideki shook his head. "To describe it like that is far too simplistic."

"Its architecture is complete and mature; it was born for video games."

"It's like combining ARM and 86, and then making improvements specifically for games."

"I can say with absolute certainty—"

"Whoever can incorporate it into their own console will be able to create the most powerful console of this era."

Hayao Nakayama was taken aback, not expecting Sato Hideki to react so strongly.

However, this does indeed prove that Lin Lixin's words were true. Not only were they not false, but it's even possible that he deliberately withheld some information to prevent Lin Lixin from getting too excited.

"President, are we going to replace Genesis's processor with this?!"

Sato Hideki's eyes widened, and his breathing became rapid.

Could the world's top-tier console be born in the hands of Sega?

"No----"

Hayao Nakayama remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

Looking back on Lin Lixin's analysis, it now seems entirely reasonable.

Sega's collapse was a classic case of a chronic illness developing complications, ultimately leading to its sudden demise.

In order to outdo Nintendo, Sega upgraded all hardware specifications from the original plan to the GAMENOVA level.

However, the complex hardware requirements and various troubles combined made Genesis far more difficult to develop than SFC, and even far more difficult than NovaXeno.

This is the most fundamental problem.

Sega is not Gamenova; they don't have the cutting-edge N Language technology, so they can't simplify the development process.

More coprocessors and a completely new memory architecture mean that all their past development experience needs to be scrapped and started from scratch.

This time, Hayao Nakayama decided to take a completely different path.

According to Lin Lixin, the goal is to make Genesis a device that pushes the boundaries of architecture.

"Keep only the necessary memory, and remove all other coprocessors."

Whether it's 16+8 or 16+16, I don't want either of them.

The audio chip and graphics coprocessor were also completely removed.

"Even Z80 is being removed? What about our backward compatibility?"

Sato Hideki immediately became anxious.

In his view, the current president seemed to have gone mad, completely obsessed.

Yes, the 16+8 architecture did indeed make their development work extremely difficult.

But this 8-bit Z80 has a very important task.

It was designed to be compatible with SMS on previous generation Sega consoles.

With it, Genesis can easily be compatible with previous generation games.

Yes, remove them all.

Hayao Nakayama's voice was serious, carrying an undeniable air of authority, "Sega is now a ruin in dire need of rebuilding. As the saying goes, destruction precedes construction. If we're going to reform, then we have to be ruthless enough."

After hesitating for a while, Sato Hideki said, "Then let's forget about running any 3D games."

Is sacrificing 3D acceleration for unparalleled 2D performance really worth it?

"Then we should do it too."

Hayao Nakayama nodded.

He already knew this very well when he met Lin Lixin.

but----

He had to consider that this might be Sega's only chance to step on Nintendo in the 16-bit era.

This is also an opportunity for Sega to regain its top-tier status.

Okay—we'll do our best.

Sato Hideki eventually gave up on his obsession.

This project won't last long.

Unlike the complex structure of the original Genesis, this new device will be incredibly simple, as requested by the president.

Because the project has just been launched, many supporting facilities have not yet been completed.

ATHENA's actual production is still being gradually adjusted.

However, the first batch of stock for the developers has been prepared.

Therefore, the entire development department naturally began to integrate resources from all sides immediately and started to put what had previously only remained on paper into practice.

Ultimately, this thing is indeed a next-generation version of Contra.

Side-scrolling shooter games, though varied, all share the same core principles.

The development team actually did the least amount of work among all the participants, as they reused many of the experiences gained from Contra.

Within a week, GAMENOVA's development team officially announced the project's completion.

The only remaining tasks are to wait for Nazca to gather all the art assets and for Sega to produce the Genesis NEO.

After finishing the development work, Lin Lixin didn't rest. He drove straight to Sega North America.

"President Lin."

To protect the machine until its birth, Hayao Nakayama never returned to Japan.

Currently, Sega's business in Japan is mostly handled by Yu Suzuki, the head of AM2, and Yuji Naka, the head of AM8, who have the highest reputations.

It just so happens that the two leaders of the arcade faction and the home console faction are the ones who have barely created an environment of mutual checks and balances.

With Satoshi watching over them, they managed to avoid any trouble.

Lin Lixin nodded, his gaze falling on the bustling Sega Hardware Department.

"President Nakayama, how's the stuff going?"

"Sato, bring the prototype over here."

Upon receiving the order, Sato Hideki immediately brought the machine from the table to the two of them.

Its appearance is almost identical to the Sega Mega Drive that Lin Lixin remembers.

If we had to point out a difference, it would be that with the number of components greatly reduced, the machine is noticeably smaller.

"President Lin, aside from 1MB of memory and the processor, it contains almost no unnecessary components. The current cost estimate is approximately—"

Hayao Nakayama gave Sato Hideki a wink, signaling him to pull up a watch.

However, Lin Lixin preemptively said, "Around $190 to $200."

"Well----"

Sato Hideki looked at the form he had just pulled out and a smirk twitched at the corner of his mouth.

Even the ranges are exactly the same.

Seeing his expression, Hayao Nakayama knew there was no need for him to waste any more time.

Come to think of it, why would I even bother with cost accounting?

Apart from the outer shell, everything inside this machine was obtained from Lin Lixin.

When it comes to cost accounting, they have the most accurate first-party data.

"Um----

Lin Lixin rubbed his chin, pondering if there was any room for adjustment.

The production price is this, but after shipping it to the other side of the Pacific Ocean, another tariff will be charged.

This includes warehousing and transportation costs, as well as various miscellaneous expenses at the sales terminals.

Ultimately, the actual cost per unit will increase by another ten or twenty dollars.

Without Lin Lixin needing to say anything more, Hayao Nakayama already knew what he was thinking, so he took the initiative to speak, "Nintendo's new console, the SNES, is priced at $199. If we control costs to the absolute limit, we can also reach that figure."

"No—we can—go to an even more extreme level."

Lin Lixin quickly reviewed the data in his mind, then looked up at Hayao Nakayama, "$150 per unit."

"What?!"

Hayao Nakayama and Sato Hideki both gasped in surprise.

At that price, they're literally losing money to make a profit.

For every unit sold, Sega incurs a loss of tens of dollars.

This is blatant bloodletting.

Even if it's just to engage in a price war with Nintendo, this is suicidal.

Before Nintendo could fall, Sega would have to be unable to hold on.

"Don't rush, there's still Metal Slug, isn't there?"

A first-party flagship title, whether priced in Japan or the United States, generally costs around $50 to $80.

Those with reinforced chips are usually more expensive.

Even excluding the cost of NAND flash memory chips, this industry is actually extremely profitable.

"But—in that case, we have to make sure that Metal Slug sales can fill this huge hole."

"Yes, so what?"

Lin Lixin shrugged.

If you don't even have this much confidence, how can you possibly make a good game?

Early December.

An exhibition hall in Tokyo Metropolis.

The logos of SEGA and GAMENOVA were prominently displayed outside the exhibition hall, announcing to passersby what was happening there.

Public testing of new models and brand-new AAA titles.

[Arcade Destroyer SEGAGenesisNEO]

[First public test!]

[One-tenth the price, ten times the performance!]

We've crammed arcade games into home consoles!

Exaggerated posters were plastered almost entirely on the facade in front of the door.

This "GG" term seems to be used to criticize arcade games three times in one sentence, and it still isn't enough.

But its intended meaning is already clear enough.

GenesisNEO: More powerful than arcade machines, cheaper than arcade machines!

For just 22,000 yen, you can experience arcade-level video games at home.

Unlike the North America market, which has been well-established by Gamenova, arcades remain the most mainstream gaming medium in Japan.

This kind of "GG" term is indeed concise, derogatory, and clearly derogatory.

This time, it truly is [Genesis Does What Nintendo] in every sense of the word.

Eighteen-year-old Masahiro Sakurai had just finished his classes for the day and eagerly packed his things to rush out of high school.

He wanted to get home as soon as possible so he could continue tinkering with his FamilyBasic.

This is a programming tool specifically for the Famicom (FC) developed by Nintendo and Hudson.

However, Masahiro Sakurai himself is not a fan of FC.

Neither the FC nor the recently released SFC had any particularly exciting or memorable titles for him.

For him, the fun of playing games is far less than the excitement of making games.

Even Masahiro Sakurai harbored a very immature idea.

That means you shouldn't waste your precious youth in school anymore.

"If I can win awards in game development competitions and be featured in major game publications, why can't I make games?"

Masahiro Sakurai firmly believes that if he drops out of school now and applies for a job at a game company, he will be able to get a job and make a name for himself in the future.

"Hmm? SEGA... and Gamenova?"

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. "New machine, new game?"

It looks like my schedule for today will be delayed a little.