Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: GameStation Pro
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“What in the world... How did they come up with this design...”
“GameStation is such a well-made console that we didn’t need many additions. Just a few structural tweaks and an expansion chip were enough to boost performance by up to double.”
Even after my explanation, Agarak just stared blankly at the blueprints I’d handed him.
Was it that shocking?
It was no exaggeration to say GameStation was his creation, so he probably never imagined a rival company—let alone a developer like Savior—could analyze it this thoroughly.
But this kind of thing happened more often than one might think.
Even Nendo, now hailed as the king of gaming, had gone through exactly what Agarak was experiencing when they first launched their console.
The famous story went that Vanko, now a Uni third-party developer, visited Nendo HQ, reverse-engineered their console to run their games on it, and shocked them so much they got recruited on the spot.
Of course, they didn’t go as far as dissecting the hardware and bringing new blueprints like this.
“Upgrading the memory and VRAM is a cost issue, fine. But texture compression, improved shading, and the GTE upgrade—that fixed hardware accelerator... How did Savior touch those?”
Agarak’s voice trembled as he stared at the blueprints in disbelief, finally voicing his question.
“We drew on some tech from the companies Savior recently acquired.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I’d based it on the blueprints Agarak showed me during our exclusive contract meeting last time, then redesigned them and sent the plans to our newly acquired companies to build.
But it hadn’t been easy.
It’s been a while since I had to hit the books.
I could whip up something new in computer engineering blindfolded, but console hardware design was a different beast.
There was some overlap in hardware principles, sure, but plenty of stark differences too, so even I had to study up for this one.
Anyone else would’ve needed at least a year or two to analyze GameStation’s design, even with the blueprints.
Tak.
“I’m starting to think showing you those blueprints back then was a mistake...”
Agarak let out a hollow laugh, his expression a mix of absurdity and defeat.
“Think of it as coming from good intentions—for Uni and GameStation’s future.”
“...Of course I’ll accept it. Ignoring blueprints like these over some petty blame game would be a sin.”
I hadn’t wanted to show Uni this upgraded GameStation design and risk raising alarms.
But,
We need at least this spec to show people what the Savior Engine can really do.
The original GameStation had clear limitations, so this was unavoidable.
“Hmm... We’ll need to come up with a name for this upgraded version. Can’t sell something with double the performance under the same skin as the original.”
“How about ‘Pro’?”
“Pro?”
“Yeah. Adding ‘Pro’ after GameStation makes it intuitive—signals a more powerful machine, and consumers will get it right away.”
My suggestion must’ve sounded solid, because Agarak mumbled “Pro” a few times.
It’s got the performance to justify the ‘Pro’ name.
I’d just tipped them off to a sales strategy and naming convention they’d use in the future—they’d make good use of it.
“But... handing over upgrade blueprints and even a name isn’t just a gift. What do you want?”
Classic straight talk from the guy in charge of Uni’s consoles.
The most frustrating thing about dealing with Japanese companies was their endless circumlocution.
—“Your proposal is quite intriguing, and HQ is looking forward to positive responses. We hope to continue our relationship and develop it further...”
That was their standard rejection line, for reference.
Back at Nothing, I’d nearly died of frustration from their evasive bullshit during collaborations—not just once or twice.
Agarak, refreshingly direct for a Japanese salaryman, cut straight to the chase, and I loved it.
These blueprints alone are worth tens of millions. Can’t give ’em away for free.
No matter how much we needed it for our upcoming games, handing it over gratis would make us suckers.
“Since you asked... There is something I’d like to request from Uni.”
“A request, huh... Honestly, asking for cash would be easier on my conscience. But go ahead.”
“We want to acquire a factory in Japan.”
“A factory?”
Agarak’s eyes narrowed suspiciously at my words.
Makes sense—he’d wonder why someone who’d perfectly dissected their console blueprints wanted a factory.
“What Savior wants is a plant that can manufacture ROM cartridges with our own designs.”
“Wait, ROM cartridges?”
“Yes. Savior’s planning to dip into the handheld market—not consoles.”
Most ROM cartridge plants are Nendo-owned, but some haven’t fallen yet. And those are hurting from Nendo’s squeeze, so with the right price, we can snag one.
Agarak seemed to relax at Savior making handhelds instead of consoles.
Consoles are still too soon. But handhelds? Different story.
I wanted to jump into console manufacturing yesterday, but with our acquisitions still settling, it was impossible.
Handhelds, though? We could do it now.
The CPU and RAM could come from NexGen and 3Dfx tech we’d just acquired.
For the key display,
Color LCDs as Savior specified? Surf’s the most efficient for quality and cost. Lucky we’ve got ties there—I’ll broker it.
Uni hooked us up with Surf, the Japanese firm, so no issues there.
Last hurdle: storage for the handheld.
ROM cartridges beat CDs for now, so we needed our own production plant.
Problem was, Nendo owned 90% of them.
Worst case, source from Nendo—but prices would skyrocket.
That’s why other companies had flopped in consoles—Nendo’s stranglehold on cartridge plants.
Pre-CD, cartridges were it, and Nendo gouged everyone, bankrupting rivals left and right.
Even developers spat at “cartridge” thanks to Nendo’s fees.
Only Seton escaped, locking in supply deals before Nendo swept the plants.
Explains why only Nendo and Seton survived the console wars so far.
CD era’s coming—Nendo and Seton won’t dominate forever.
With CDs taking over from cartridges and floppies, their grip was slipping.
Nendo was shifting—starving out plants instead of buying them outright.
I was exploiting that gap to grab a ROM cartridge factory for our handheld.
Japan hates foreign buyouts, though, so we needed Uni as a middleman.
Hence trading the blueprints for their cooperation.
Half our funds, half theirs—Japanese gov wouldn’t bat an eye.
“Yes, Scarlett. Negotiations wrapped successfully.”
“Thank goodness. HQ’s a madhouse with the big move.”
While I was in Japan collaborating with Uni, Scarlett was swamped back at the U.S. HQ.
Even now, post-negotiation call from her had frantic voices buzzing in the background.
Assigning all our acquired staff, original Savior crew, and new hires to the massive office tower we’d bought—a huge operation.
We have to take this building!
Employee count had hit thousands; Redwood City had no space left.
Final two candidates:
One: Preston, a 50-story behemoth from bankrupt rocket firm Starstruck Inc.
Wrong era, man.
Launched a decade later, it could’ve been SpaceX-level. Cursed by timing.
The other: AE’s old 38-story HQ.
Hahaha! We’re dying for Huck Savior’s next game! Ready with record deals!
AE had ballooned faster than I remembered, exclusive-distributing our hits and upgrading to a bigger pad.
Their old building hit the market, and I wanted it.
But,
No way! That building could tank our IPO image.
Scarlett vetoed it, landing us the 50-story giant.
Taking on debt to build trust... What a world.
Savior had killer cash flow—every game and software a smash hit.
No investments, no loans. Scarlett called that our weakness.
Companies hoarding reserves get undervalued at IPO. Seen as defensive, not expanding.
Too much cash = IPO discount. So Scarlett pushed bank ties and loans now.
Hence buying the oversized Preston with bank debt.
Can’t dump everything on Scarlett.
She was busier than me, handling finances.
Even a pro like her could slip under the load—or her absence could shake Savior.
We needed fresh talent: IT management and analysis expertise.