Game Market 1983

Consumer Electronics Show (CES).)

Starting in 1967, the event took place annually, alternating between the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Hilton Hotel.

Hosted this year at the Las Vegas Convention Center, more than 200 companies around the world have already registered, and spectators expected to be the largest ever.

If this crowd is gathered because of game providers like our Pentagon or Mintendo, it's a mistake.

Of course, some are looking forward to the official announcement by CES of Saturn, a new device from the NEGA, but unfortunately the most notable item at CES in 1994 was the 'mobile phone’.

In fact, the mobile phone that we know is much more historic than we thought.

The Drance Portable phone used in the early 80s weighed four kilograms and had to be carried on its shoulders.

It was the ‘TEC8000’ that was launched in Motorola in '88 that changed to the size it could hold. At that time, the first phone sold for 2,400 million won was very heavy at 771 grams.

The product that I could use if I threw it away, because it was not damaged or waterproof, was actually treated as a 'weapon’ due to the many injuries that the drunk caused to hurt the other person using his cell phone.

It became the foundation of the mobile phone that we know, starting with Microtech 2, which was launched in Motorola in '92, flipping it down to 219g.

Of course, this product was also an enormous expensive model at the time, so it was a limited model used by entrepreneurs and senior citizens, and gradually the walls began to crumble from 94 to 95.

“Sir, have you seen the new cell phone from Motorola this time? ”

“Yes, I did. ”

Kaori, who had been to Motorola's Exhibition Hall, spoke to me, dropping her purse.

Japan's mobile phone carriers have recently gone through a series of interest-free installments for mobile phone replenishment, but the basic calls are still very expensive.

Today is CES's first day.

The event was mainly held with broadcasters and businessmen, as the public had not been permitted to enter and enter.

Thanks to this, I did not feel particularly crowded or unique to the venue.

I also visited the booths of each company as I slowly walked around the venue during the morning.

Kaori and Miyazaki, who had been following me around for a short time because of their English, have now run to feel resilient and interact with their staff every time they see something new that is familiar with the atmosphere of the venue.

“Wow, it really feels like I'm in the future. It's creepy to think that what I've seen here is going to appear in the world in as little as three months and as long as a year. ”

This conference made me feel like I was in an old electronics museum, even though it might be a total collection of appliances in the future.

‘It's a little sad that we can't be touched together in this situation...’

I took them straight across the event and entered the game category exclusive area at the far end.

There were four video game consoles participating in the CES event, the largest booth was Mintendo, who is currently ranked # 1 in gaming sales.

In the center of the curtain covering the entire booth with a yellow curtain was a question mark marked with a dot, reminiscent of an item box appearing in the Super Maridge.

There were already a lot of people around the booth because Mintendo was firmly positioned in the United States.

“Are you preparing a surprise show in Mintendo? ”

“Are you going to announce a new device? ”

“Then I read in the paper a while ago that Mintendo and Sensoni are jointly building a new console. ”

“No, I heard Sensoni had a disagreement after releasing a new mintendo storage medium to the CD. ”

“Really? So Mintendo doesn't want to use CDs? ”

“Well, I have to go public at the conference, but so far Mintendo hasn't responded to any new devices...”

As you look around in the crowd, Sensoni's booth is located close to Mintendo's booth.

Starting with Walkman, AV equipment and broadcasting equipment. After expanding to TV, Sensoni's brand power was already shoulder to shoulder with some of the world's top companies.

The geodesic console and TV had a very close relationship, so there was a booth next to the booth where the console companies assembled, along with Mitsubashi, and a corporate booth specializing in displays such as silver and Daegu in Korea.

As Korea's electronic product development became active in the '90s, international expositions often made Korean companies feel uncomfortable because they started to stand out.

Meanwhile, unlike Mintendo Booth, which was quiet because everything was private, the booth on the NEGA side was quite responsive to visitors.

At the end of last year, the ‘real fighter’, made from the arcade substrate ‘MODEL1’, was also a popular cultural impact on the US market.

“Wow... that's amazing. I can't believe the day is coming when I'm going to play with 3D graphics like this…”

A user playing a real fighter in the NEGA booth was moving the lever with admiration.

The character in the screen rotates around the 3D space, aiming for gaps in the opponent's space, sometimes causing those watching to become enthusiastic about the delight of blowing into the outside with a heavy single blow.

NEGA Sathorn, which is expected to be released at the end of the year in Japan, was originally not expected to be released due to the overwhelming popularity of Real Fighters, but users had hoped that Saturn would be able to enjoy the game at home.

In that situation, 'Real Fighters are not scheduled to be released to Saturn.’ It was clear that they could not bear the anger of the users.

So? Saturn's issue date was set for the end of the year in '94, but the price and concurrent issue titles have not yet been confirmed.

"Well, tomorrow, if you don't want to do it, you'll have to go public..."

I took a brief tour of the NEGA booth and walked over to the Pentagon booth.

Standing in symmetry with Mintendo Booth, the Pentagon Soft Booth was preparing for a private conference, as was Minten. You cover the event with a white curtain, and there is a glimpse of a busy shadow moving inside.

With the advantages of mobile devices on our backs, Raon, who is on his way to the North American market, was secretly looking forward to speaking at the conference.

“Wow, there are a lot of people on our side. ”

“I didn't know when I was only in Japan, but Raon's popularity is amazing in the United States. ”

Miyazaki, the manager of the Pentagon Shop, took a camera and began filming the crowds at the Pentagon booth.

Perhaps he was returning to Japan to show it to the Pentagon's staff.

&

The next day.

Starting in the morning, the crowds started to crowd inside the venue due to the crowds coming to the convention center.

Khaori came to us with a pale, dull look, having opened his booth slightly and checked out in the appearance of a different venue than yesterday.

“Th-there's a lot of people... outside. ”

I was checking on the event with the Kawaguchi representative and smiled at Kaori's words.

“For now, there is no greater global event than this, so it is natural for the crowd to overflow. ”

Then Morita, standing beside me, nodded, agreeing with me.

“I'm sure it is, but the console is more interesting this year. I think it's the rumors about the next generation of mechanisms. ”

“Our conference is scheduled for 3 p.m., right? ”

“Yes, once the NEGA is scheduled for a presentation at 11: 00 a.m., mintendo at 1: 00 p.m., 3DO at 2: 00 p.m. We are the last three o'clock. ”

“Hmm. Now that we're done preparing for the presentation, let's take a look at the NEGA situation. ”

Whether he was nervous about preparing for the afternoon's presentation, the Kawaguchi representative took a short inhale and nodded.

“Do it. ”

It's so convenient to have a deputy president.

After handing over the proceedings to Morita, I slightly removed the tent behind the booth and left the venue. And a moment of money on the corner to get to the NEGA booth. I felt suffocated by the crowd.

I understand Kaori's face is white and dull...

Laon's launch ceremony, which I've spent the night with so many users, hasn't been crowded this far...

Is it because of the expectation of the announcement of the next generation of machinery, as Kawaguchi said? This year CES seemed to have more gamers than the average crowd.

“A presentation about NEGA Saturn will take place shortly after 11: 00. Once again, we would like to remind you From 11: 00 in a few minutes...”

While listening to the announcement, I looked at the watch, and the time was pointing to 10: 58.

In the wake of the Real Fighter, the NEGA, which clearly demonstrated what the next game is, although it was pushed to the superfamily in the hometown of Japan to "defeat", the North American and European markets have secured a significant level of mania thanks to 'sonic’.

I moved near the NEGA booth where the presentation was taking place, squeezing through difficult crowds.

And after a while. Under a slightly darker light, Suzuki, the head game director of NEGA, was on stage.

“Ouch!! Suzuki Ryu!! ”

With numerous arcade game developments and his first 3D fighting game in mind, he had already made a name for himself as the best director in the gaming industry, such as Kumamoto Shigeru, Mintendo. And on stage with him was Yamanaka Hayao, president of the NEGA.

The presentation of the NEGA, led by the signage director and president, has generated tremendous expectations from the start.

The atmosphere began to rise in an instant, as well as releasing an innovative off-road racing game called 'real fighter’, based on the powerful 3D performance of the MODEL1 arcade substrate.

“Awesome!! That was amazing. ”

“I think the NEGA has prepared for the next wave of the war. ”

“Can I enjoy graphics like that at home!? ”

Yamanaka, the boss, was smiling satisfactorily in the enthusiasm of the NEGA users, but was it my own illusion that the smile felt a little stiff somewhere?

With the atmosphere up, people began to be very excited about the price of the NEGA Saturn, which was going to be announced soon.

“So how much is that? ”

“Since the original NEGA drive was $249, shouldn't it go that far? ”

“That's a fair price for a home game. ”

Given that the first 32-bit game 3DO launched last year came at a crazy price of $699 and was hit by a huge afterstorm, the price disclosure to consumers was a cautious part.

Shortly after the promotional footage prepared by the NEGA ended, Yamanaka carefully approached the center of the stage with his microphone in his hand.

Along with a short greeting to those visiting CES, he carefully opened his mouth with a piece of paper spread out.

“The launch price for the new console, NEGA Saturn...”

At last, the moment of destiny...

Quiet enough to hear the sound of foreign spills next to him, and Yamanaka's mouth finally opened.

“$399.”

“ · · · · · ·. ”

At the same time, the atmosphere within the president became very subtle.