Fifth-generation console, NovaFusion

Although it's not very noticeable yet.

Lin Lixin wanted to seize any opportunity that could help Gamenova sell CD players.

When the fifth generation of optical disc drives comes into play in the future, these new optical disc drives that have already entered every household will become a tremendous force.

This force allows Gamenova to have an unparalleled absolute advantage in terms of price.

So much so that even in the fifth generation, they can still maintain their consistently high-spec configuration.

Gamenova is not Nintendo; they don't need to produce cheap, low-end electronic waste, and they have absolutely no need to compete in the lower-tier market.

Activision is already helping Gamenova with this part of the work.

Having received such a great opportunity, the other party didn't linger. After taking a few more glances at Gamenova's exhibits, they hurriedly followed the others to continue exploring the exhibition hall.

Any seemingly insignificant thing can become a crucial piece of the puzzle.

This is what the puzzle master says.

Learning to utilize technology is more practical than simply creating it.

"Speaking of which, is Fisher still focused on his Iridium Project?" Lin Lixin gazed into the distance.

Fisher is the current president of Motorola.

Unlike manufacturers such as Sony, Panasonic, and Gamenova, whose main battleground is the communications field, their exhibition hall is at the other end.

The Iridium Project was an extremely ambitious strategic plan devised by Motorola at its peak.

The core objective is very simple: to deploy dozens of satellites in low Earth orbit to achieve global satellite network coverage, enabling satellite phones to be used in any corner of the earth.

Motorola invested billions of dollars in this project, which lasted for ten years.

It took from the late 1980s until 1998 for it to truly begin commercial operation.

Then...

Iridium went bankrupt, severely damaging Motorola's core operations and forcing it to withdraw from the industry.

The reason for the failure wasn't that satellite launches were too expensive.

On the contrary, Motorola was very successful, at least throughout the entire construction phase.

Satellites were launched one by one, eventually forming a massive network of 66 operational satellites plus a large number of backup satellites. But that's where the tragedy lies.

The consumer electronics market was not peaceful during that period.

Nokia emerged as a dark horse, seizing a large share of the mobile phone market, and GSM communication became mainstream.

The semiconductor business is facing intense pressure and competition from the United States, Europe, and Japan; the company's large and complex operations have led to bloated management...

Motorola is facing a serious crisis, both internally and externally.

Finally, Iridium construction was completed.

But cellular communication networks have also matured.

People no longer need to worry about cellular network coverage when making phone calls.

Cities, streets, suburbs, towns, airports...

More and more areas are being covered by cellular base stations, enabling wireless network access.

Iridium began commercial operations in 1998 and formally filed for bankruptcy in 1999.

Throughout history, Iridium serves as a classic example of what not to do. It proves one thing.

Technological advancement and engineering success do not equate to commercial success.

"Born at the wrong time."

Lin Lixin shook his head helplessly.

The concept of Iridium is generally sound; however, they misjudged the pace of cellular network development.

In modern terms, this would be a Starlink- level project.

Ban Liaodong! Ban Liaodong!

Even if Gamenova had internet promotion needs, it wouldn't be possible to use satellites in this era.

Not only is it expensive, but its effectiveness is also far inferior to the widespread adoption of broadband.

The exhibition proceeded without any unexpected incidents.

After all, Gamenova wasn't the main character this time. After spending some time at Wynn Resorts, the group hurriedly returned to California.

This is an extremely critical juncture for Gamenova.

Because the development of the fifth-generation machine is finally about to begin.

ROG motherboard technology is progressing steadily, and the cylinder shrinkage issue of the Athena-II has also been properly resolved.

The graphics chip was already ready, and the innovative sound card was also included.

Optical discs have gradually achieved independence and self-sufficiency. Except for some core patents that are still in the Sony x Philips patent pool, the vast majority of the rest can now be produced locally.

They also have control over the core technologies of memory chips and flash memory chips.

Now, everything is finally ready.

Project codename: nova-fusion!

In the conference room, Lin Lixin slammed the prepared documents onto the table.

Fusion means integration and fusion.

The name was chosen for two reasons. First, because this machine, as its name suggests, incorporates almost all the technologies within the Gamenova camp.

Secondly, Lin Lixin also hopes that it can unleash enormous energy, like nuclear fusion.

The fifth generation is not simply a matter of doubling the bit width.

The fifth generation marks a crucial juncture in the evolution of video games towards 3D and modernity.

[CPU]: [athena-ii 32-bit RISC CPU (83.2688 MHz) 5 volts - 0.8 microns]

[GPU]: [Nova Radeon 32-bit GPU, 24-bit true color, 640x480 pixel resolution]

[SPU]: [Motorola 24-bit hi-fi audio chip, supports 2.0ch stereo]

[RAM]: [Standard configuration includes 4MB SDRAM memory, 2MB dedicated video memory]

[CD-ROM]: [Double speed CD-ROM drive, maximum storage capacity--]

On the document, the line indicating the optical drive specifications was blacked out and encrypted.

Gamenova has quite a few tricks up its sleeve regarding the CD/DVD discs.

Of course, besides these complete hardware overhauls, he has also made preparations on the software side. [os]: [nexus-os, based on Linux secondary development]

Operating system.

This wasn't something Gamenova pioneered.

In fact, Trip and his 3do had already tried this approach before.

Because 3DO is not a pure gaming console.

Its tasks also include playing videos and music, among others.

Therefore, the development team created the Portfolio job system for it, a native 32-bit multi-tasking hardware abstraction job system.

However, Gamenova was indeed the first to integrate an operating system into a true game console.

Before this, game consoles, whether home consoles or handhelds, had a situation that, while not affecting usability, was very counterintuitive.

The game's bootloader was burned onto the cartridge.

The game console itself only has the ability to read and run content.

This leads to a problem. If you want to play other games, you have to turn the machine off, eject the disc or remove the cartridge, put in a new one, wait for the machine to boot up, and then wait for the game to load.

That's right, even now, game consoles still can't change discs without restarting!

For gamers of this era, this isn't a problem to worry about.

Because for them, this is the truth.

Switching games usually requires restarting your computer.

The computer needs to be restarted to recognize plugged-in and unplugged peripherals.

Hot-swapping of hardware or games simply doesn't exist in this era!

But Lin Lixin couldn't accept that.

As the saying goes, I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the light.

This is not a particularly complex or difficult project to implement.

Even without Linux, they could develop an operating system based on a more traditional and primitive kernel like Unix.

For Lin Lixin, what he's used to is being able to put the controller aside to charge after playing for a while, and then just fall asleep. The console will automatically enter standby mode to reduce power consumption and freeze processes after the video signal output is cut off or there is no input for too long.

After the next startup, everything was normal.

The game is still running in the background, and the progress is stuck at the previous position.

No extra steps are required; simply pick up the controller and start playing.

A good engineer must learn to help players be lazy!

To take over the players' couch, you first need to indulge their laziness!

"As I said before, we don't need to have the best hardware in the world, but we must provide the ultimate gaming experience! That's all, meeting adjourned!"

Mark Cerny received the instructions and quickly began the development work.

If all goes well, with Lin Lixin's help, the actual machine could be ready as early as Christmas this year.

After all, everything is readily available; all they need to do is assemble the components and adapt the software.

Even at this pace, it was still a bit awkward for Lin Lixin. Christmas was still almost a whole year away.

It's been difficult to schedule projects lately.

"Although we've prepared quite a few support games for NF, scheduling them is tricky."

What exactly is the mission of the initial escort? Lin Lixin had already figured it out a long time ago.

After such a long hiatus, Will Wright is finally able to make a comeback.

Back in the day, before Maxis was utterly crushed by EA, it had quite a few critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles.

There is one standalone IP that, despite having only one main installment, has had a significant impact on the history of simulation games.

but...

It's too early to start development now.

Before the development platform is fully formed, he still needs to create some less extreme works as a transition.

"Things have come to this... Let's head to Skywalker Ranch!"

For some games, it's actually better suited to be developed by one of Gamenova's subsidiary studios than by Gamenova headquarters. For example, it would be cooler for Bullfrog to develop simulation games, while smaller games are better left to Activision.

This is similar to brand building.

When this pattern continues long enough, enough excellent works will form a matrix and a network.

Players can quickly grasp the genre of a game just by looking at the developer's name.

The same principle applies in reverse.

Just like how Activision is the first name that comes to mind for gamers today when they think of web-based games.

Lucas Arts's role within the Gamenova camp has been very clear from the beginning.

Adventure games, puzzle games.

And... winning an award.

Those works that have won a ton of awards and gained immense prestige, but whose commercial success may not be so great, can all be given to Lucas for credit.

And this work...

There were no elaborate or high-end visuals, nor a large amount of text. In the room, everyone sat in a circle, waiting for Lin Lixin to speak.

"Old Testament Chapter 11 of the Ultima of the Bible - [The Tower of Babel]."