Horrible! Actually playing this kind of game!

Chapter 122 26. I broke out in cold sweat

All eyes are focused on Sega's new handheld console on the big screen.

Compared with the GG launched by Sega in 1990, this handheld console is much slimmer. It is about the size of a palm, and the total length when held horizontally is similar to the future Huawei Mate30.

On both sides are the direction keys and buttons, and in the middle is the screen.

When you hold it horizontally, you can feel quite comfortable.

Tom Kolinsky, with a proud smile on his face.

Today, it is destined to belong to Sega.

Kolinsky held the Sega GP in his hand and said, "Sega GP, total weight 256g. It is about the size of one hand."

The people below may not have much idea about this.

But everyone present at Rentian today frowned.

This time last year, the total weight of Sega's GG handheld console was more than 450 grams, almost 1 kilogram, which was about the same as a big brick.

The weight of GAME BOY is 300g.

This time, Sega directly reduced the weight to 250.

Rentendo Yokoi Gunpei, who was sitting in the audience today and is also the leader of GB's production team, had an incredible expression on his face when he heard this weight.

It felt like being hit in the back of the head with a sap.

In his field of knowledge and concepts, it is almost impossible to make a game console so small and thin.

This was beyond his comprehension, and Gunpei Yokoi almost jumped out of his chair.

"This is impossible. How can the existing technology make a game console reach this level? Don't they use batteries?"

…

Collinski picked up the new handheld console with one hand, "Before I formally explain this handheld console, please allow me to demonstrate it for everyone so that everyone here can have a more intuitive experience."

After saying that, Kolinski inserted a cassette into the game console, and the live broadcast camera quickly pulled in the lens in order to show the demonstration effect.

In 1992, there was no technology that could directly connect electronic devices to project screens, but live broadcast technology was already quite mature.

The process was broadcast live to the audience through several large color TVs and electronic screens.

The audience held their breath, anticipating what they would see next.

Not far from Qing Zhiyuan, the employees of Rentiantian couldn't help but become a little nervous.

However, Rentendo's director of development, Gunpei Yokoi, was sitting in the audience, looking extremely calm.

Gunpei Yokoi is regarded as the second legendary figure in Rentendo. He is a leader in the hardware field. He developed and designed the Game \u0026 Watch, Famicom, and Game Boy. He is known as the father of the game boy.

The cross key was invented by Gunpei Yokoi.

With his big eyes open, he silently stared at the game console in Kollinski's hand on the stage. Rather than worrying about what was there or not, he was more concerned about the game console itself.

…

Kolinski turned on the power and the screen immediately lit up.

What appears is the starting interface of "Sonic the Hedgehog".

Sonic is a blue hedgehog with blue spines covering most of his body, peach-yellow skin covering his arms, mouth, chest and abdomen, and black eyes.

He has six feather-like thorns on his head, two thorns protrude from the back, and a short tail.

He wears a pair of lightweight, ultra-frictional red sneakers with white laces, cuffs, and gold buckles, and a pair of white gloves with sock-like cuffs.

Little Sonic wagged his finger on the screen.

Press the button and immediately enter the initial position of the game.

The little hedgehog stood on the left side of the grassland and ran under the control of Collinski.

This is a side-scrolling game, similar to Super Mario, but much faster than Mario in terms of speed. When Sonic the Hedgehog jumps, his whole body will curl up into a ball, like a sharp-edged monster. big gear.

The speed of rotation also gives people an adrenaline rush.

Originally, according to the company's strategy, in order to make the game console sell better, Sega's most popular games should be directly integrated into it. The first advantage of this is to bind games to Sega and build up reputation.

On the other hand, when players buy a game console, they are equivalent to receiving a box of Sonic the Hedgehog cartridge worth 4,000 yen. Nothing is more exciting to players than this.

But on the GP handheld console, in order to further save space on the game console and make the handheld console smaller and lighter, this time Sega did not directly integrate the Sonic the Hedgehog game into the hardware.

When they saw Sonic the Hedgehog, a burst of warm applause broke out again.

There were even small children screaming.

"Look, it's Sonic!"

"Colorful!"

"Oh my God, it's quite amazing to have this effect on a handheld device."

"Color screen game console! Sure enough, Sega is still Sega. Color screen game console is obviously much better than black and white screen."

"Well, there's nothing more joyful than being able to play Sonic anytime, anywhere, right?"

…

Everything around us is in English. After all, this is Chicago in the United States, and the media and audiences who come here are basically foreigners.

Fortunately, Qing Zhiyuan learned English well in his previous life, and he was a top student who graduated from the 985 Program. He also had to read English literature frequently, so he could hear clearly.

When he heard "There is nothing more worthy of happiness than Sonic", Qing Zhiyuan smiled contemptuously in his heart.

That’s because Pokémon hasn’t been born yet. When our Pokémon is finished, you’ll know what a handheld overlord is.

Next to her, Tsuda Nao's English wasn't very good. Seeing Qing Zhiyuan's silly smile, she started laughing too.

…

Compared to others, Gunpei Yokoi looked much calmer. He looked at the Sega GP in Kolinski's hands and whispered to his colleagues next to him, "Such a game console must consume a lot of power, and it is harmful to the GameBoy structure." Not much of a threat.”

Before he finished speaking, the screen of the Sega game console that Kolinski was demonstrating suddenly flashed twice, and then went completely black.

There was silence.

Then two seconds later, a burst of laughter broke out.

"Hahaha……"

"Isn't Sega GP too rubbish? How long have you been running for just now, and it just dies?"

"That's funny. Wouldn't they check the machine beforehand? At least get a handheld console that can run the game demo?"

"What happened? Did he die suddenly, or was he burned?"

"Is there something wrong with the screen, or is it that the battery is simply drained?"

"It's so funny. This is the first time I've seen such an interesting demonstration at a press conference."

"Sega is really embarrassed this time."

…

Yokoi Gunpei was also amused by the incident at the scene.

"Is this the new handheld console jointly developed by Sega and Sony? It hasn't even been officially released yet, but there was such a big problem during the demonstration. Do you still have the nerve to say that your handheld console is excellent?"

"Yes, there is something wrong with the quality of the game console itself, right? What do you think, are you taking it out without going through inspection?"

"Maybe it was a simple accident."

In short, as sworn enemies, the employees of Rentendo laughed very happily when they saw such a situation at Sega.

…

Damn it.

Qing Zhiyuan couldn't help but sigh in his heart——

What kind of luck is this, Sega?

It's probably similar to the blue screen of Microsoft's demo system, right?

Historically, Sega, an unlucky company, has been really ill-fated.

It seems that luck was never on Sega's side from the beginning.

Seeing this, Qing Zhiyuan broke out in a cold sweat. If something like this happened to him on stage, he wouldn't know how to deal with it.

Moreover, my heart felt cold.

It's a bad start, it's a bad start.

…

Although Kolinski, who was closest, did not instinctively throw away the game console, he could still smell the burning smell emanating from it.

But this person's reaction ability was also very fast, and he burst out laughing.

This smile immediately stunned everyone present.

After two seconds, everyone became quiet.

At this time, Kolinsky stuffed the GP game console into his trouser pocket and asked calmly, "What is everyone's biggest concern about the color screen game console?"

"Is the screen not clear enough?"

"Is the game console's operation feeling bad?"

He cruised around the edge of the stage, looking politely at the crowd with a smile.

At this moment, everyone was a little confused.

How could he remain so calm despite such a big demonstration accident?

Could it be that we laughed wrongly just now?

In fact, was all this planned?

Everyone in Rentian had similar expressions. They looked at each other and found it difficult to understand what was happening now.

How strong is this Kollinsky's psychological quality?

"Both." Kolinski smiled, raised a finger and wiggled it twice, "But no."

"The biggest problem with color screen handheld computers is battery consumption."

If at first everyone was shocked, laughing, and skeptical about Sega's new handheld console, then by this time, everyone seemed to have calmed down and was brought back to a rational state by Kollinski.

"Just now, what I demonstrated to you is how long a small battery can last a color-screen game console if old-era battery technology is used." Collinski concluded.

Then he took out a dry battery from his trouser pocket.

"This should also be a concern for players."

Kolinski smiled, and by this point he had covered up the problem of screen burnt-out, converting it into a drain on battery power.

Then, he threw the dry battery in his hand heavily to his feet and stepped on it again.

"In the new era, we no longer need dry batteries. Because we have newer technology."

After saying that, Kolinsky took out a brand new Sega GP from another trouser pocket.

He turned the fuselage over, opened the back cover, took out the lithium-ion battery, and lifted it up.

The camera zooms in quickly.

Countless spectators stood up from their seats in curiosity, including Gunpei Yokoi of Rentendo.

"This is our brand new lithium-ion battery technology provided by Sony." Collinski smiled and waved to the staff in the audience.

The staff looked confused and didn't understand what he was going to do.

"The reason why the screen went black just now is because I used a exhausted battery. Next, I will replace it with a new battery to demonstrate to you."

Hearing this, the staff member suddenly understood and came to his senses. He quickly dug out a lithium-ion battery from his backpack, quickly ran to the stage and handed it to Kolinski.

After re-inserting the battery, start the game console and the screen will light up.

“Down there—Sega!

GAME POCKET!

Demonstration for you again. "

Hua Hua Hua Hua Hua Hua...

A burst of warm applause broke out at the scene, and countless spectators stood up and cheered. They just felt that the scene designed by Sega just now was so wonderful.

"It was really scary. I thought there was really an accident."

"Isn't this performance too dramatic?"

"I thought the GP game console was really broken just now, but I didn't expect it to be just a part of Sega's design."

"Fake, it made me think it was true."

"But I have to say that Sega's performance was quite successful. I was attracted immediately."

"And impressive, isn't it?"

…

Qing Zhiyuan was stunned, but looking at the reactions of the people around him, they laughed exaggeratedly and blushed, as if they had believed what Kolinski said——

It was just a pre-rehearsed demonstration.

In order to make the performance more dramatic and eye-catching.

The logic in everyone’s mind is——

If there is a problem with the game console, why can it be cured by just inserting a new battery?

Then the battery must be dead, not the console malfunctioning.

So after the series of operations just now, Kolinski successfully dispelled the audience's doubts.

But only Qing Zhiyuan and Collinski, who was standing on the stage, knew very well that the performance just now was definitely not a pre-planned performance.

There is a real problem.

Kolinski first put the burned-out game console into one pocket, and then took out the good game console from the other side.

It's not the same console at all.

Problems are very common in reality. After all, products have a high yield rate. Even if two qualified game consoles have been prepared before, it is not impossible for something to happen.

…

At this point, Qing Zhiyuan was already breaking into a cold sweat, but he had to applaud Kolinski with admiration.

Being able to put things right today mainly relies on Kolinski’s strong psychological quality, extraordinary reaction ability, and——

A little bit of preparation for a rainy day.

If I hadn't put a game console in the pocket on the other side beforehand, I wouldn't have been able to get around it just now.

But this also illustrates one thing -

That is, Sega's new handheld console is indeed small enough, almost as small as a future mobile phone, so that it can truly fit in your pocket.

At the same time, the suit that Kollinski wore today was quite suitable. When it was open, it could cover the trouser pockets on both sides. Otherwise, the bulging part would let the audience know that he actually had two game consoles hidden on his body.

As long as it is covered up today, it won't matter even if someone discovers the real [magic technique] based on media images in the future.

The most that can be proven is that Kolinsky used two game consoles to demonstrate, but who can prove that the first game console actually malfunctioned?

…

When he saw the lithium-ion battery, Gunpei Yokoi finally understood——

No wonder this game console is so small and lightweight.

After working on it for a long time, it turned out to be the battery.

“I didn’t expect that there is already such powerful technology in the world.”

Yokoi Gunpei's eyes were dim, and he sat slumped on the chair like a deflated rubber ball.

…

Successfully completed the demonstration of Sonic the Hedgehog.

Tom Kolinsky introduces various parameters of Sega GP:

"Screen size 3.2 inches."

(The screen size of iPhone12 is 6.1 inches, 1 inch is equal to 2.54cm, and 3.2 inches is about 8cm. The screen calculation is based on the diagonal length, that is, if the size of a square, the side length is 5.6cm)

In fact, it is already a very small screen, only about half the size of an ordinary smartphone screen in 2023.

It is precisely because the screen is small that Sony's lithium-ion battery can carry it.

The current Sega GP is probably equivalent to the color screen mobile phone of the future. But the screen is larger than those phones.

"8-bit computer can display 4096 colors. The resolution is 160x146."

"The battery life can reach 3 to 5 hours."

Speaking of which, Collinski showed off the charger and charging cable technology.

"The lithium battery technology developed by Sony can be charged directly without the need to purchase additional dry batteries."

The battery life of 3 to 5 hours is actually nothing. After all, the battery life of Gameboy is 8 to 15 hours.

This shows that the power consumption of color screen game consoles is indeed too high.

But it’s expensive to be able to charge.

In the future, as long as the smartphone can be charged, what does it matter if the battery life is only 3 hours while playing games?

…

There is such a terrifying technology?

Rentendo Yokoi Gunpei said it was hard to believe, but when he saw it with his own eyes, his heart was shaken.

If true, then battery technology will bring about earth-shaking changes in the entire handheld console.

…

After introducing Sega's GP handheld console, everyone at the scene stared with big eyes, waiting for Kolinsky's final news.

That is the price issue that everyone is most concerned about.

The current market price of GameBoy is 12,500 yen, and the price in Europe and the United States is US$99.

And it’s still a black and white screen.

So GP has such a strong performance advantage, and its shortcomings in battery life have also been made up for. It can't be cheaper than Gameboy, right?

Everyone was mentally evaluating the price.

It costs about 25,000 yen, or about $199.

As a result, Kolinski picked up the phone, with a smile on his lips, and said directly, "99!"

"Wow!"

There was a roar of mountains and tsunami below.

The audience couldn't help but cheer.

"Walter Falk? Did I hear correctly? Is this really the price of a Sega GP?"

"Color screen phone, new battery, thin and light, and the price is the same as GB?!"

"Is Sega crazy? Can this pay for itself?"

"Whether he is crazy or not, I must be crazy!"

"That's terrible Sega."

"Okay, isn't Sega too conscientious?"

…

Kolinsky was about to leave, but he turned back halfway and said into the microphone, "August!"

At this point, Sega's press conference has come to an end.

Kolinski finished introducing Sega’s new handheld console.

All the audience members stood up from their seats and applauded.

There was a roar of thunder.

Qing Zhiyuan clapped his hands vigorously, not only because of the success of the press conference, but also because he was happy that Collinski was able to turn the tide.

To this day, he still has lingering fears.

However, all this has passed.

A bright future awaits Sega and pokeni in the future.

On Rentendo's side, Junpei Yokoi and Randy didn't look very good.

I just tried my best to smile when facing the camera.

…