72 New Product
Keidanren Kaikan, the Japanese Federation Building.
Taro Ikeda, President of Tora Corporation, attended the press conference hosted by the Suzuki Group.
Initially, he awaited Suzuki's subpar product but was instead disappointed when he saw the Suzuki Entertainment System.
'They offer learning features and a keyboard controller... Why didn't we consider this earlier?' Taro Ikeda pondered solemnly.
Other Tora executives also stood by his side, examining Suzuki's products, with a particular focus on the Suzuki console
They all wore solemn expressions.
They hadn't considered this idea before...
How did this notion slip their minds, allowing Suzuki to be the ones to introduce it?
Up at the front of the seats, Shiko and Seki exchanged a smile.
The one who initially proposed the concept of incorporating learning into the console was, in fact, their father...
Shiro Suzuki, who had a deep-seated aversion to video games due to the hardships it had brought upon his father and the way it had negatively impacted his son's life, had suggested integrating educational features into the video game console.
As a parent, he understood the significance of ensuring their children's education. With this idea, they were almost certain they had addressed the concerns of parents worried about their child's future.
---
[KiShin Headquarters]
On the company's television screens, employees watched the Suzuki Press Conference...
When they observed that the SES 16 Bit outperformed Tora in terms of performance and offered educational features, it raised significant concerns among them.
When this news reached Shin's ears, he let out a wry chuckle.
He had completely overlooked the fact that in his previous life, Nintendo had released the 'FamiCom Basic,' designed for educational purposes...
It completely slipped his mind because he had been so focused on video games...
But there was no other way around it; Suzuki Electronics had already implemented the idea before him in this world...
Well, it's not like he can't adopt that idea...
After all, he had already developed the Zapper Light Gun...
The release of the video game 'Duck Hunt' was about to happen...
Let's see how it will fare in comparison to Suzuki and Tora, both of which were giants compared to KiShin.
Shin smiled as he thought...
---
Many parents in Tokyo had been eager to purchase the Suzuki Entertainment System 16 bit for their children, especially given its reasonable price compared to Tora and KiShin.
The console itself cost 12,500 yen, but the keyboard controller was sold separately...
This was perhaps a shrewd move by Suzuki, as the keyboard controller was priced at around 5,700 yen.
Despite the high cost, since the keyboard controller was bundled with educational learning cartridges, many parents still chose to buy it.
However, some financially well-off young individuals decided to purchase the Suzuki Console to experience what the world of video games had to offer...
Like young Kiji, who bought the Suzuki video game called 'Officer Dog.'
Once he returned home, Kiji connected the SES 16 Bit to his television, powered it on, and saw the Suzuki logo appear on the screen.
Then, the title 'Officer Dog' flashed onto the screen.
The theme music sound quality was undoubtedly superior to the other two consoles, Tora and FamiCom.
The game revolved around a pet dog whose owner was suddenly kidnapped. The gameplay resembled a blend of 'Super Mario Bros.' and 'Happy.'
"What in the world... Are these big companies copying the smaller company KiShin?" Kiji was left somewhat speechless.
---
The sales of the Suzuki Entertainment System, along with its keyboard controllers and educational learning cartridges, totaled approximately 17 thousand units.
The SES 16-bit sales began to slowly catch up to Tora, with 9 thousand units sold.
Tora Corporation was gradually losing ground in the Japanese market. This prompted the Tora Corporation's board of directors to expedite their contracts with distribution partners in the USA market. Their aim was to establish a swift presence, especially since the first arcade and video game company in the USA, known as 'Atari,' had long since gone bankrupt, leaving them without competition.
Furthermore, the USA market was undeniably larger and wealthier than the Japanese market, promising significant profits.
The potential of the USA market far surpassed that of Japan. With this in mind, Tora Corporation swiftly forged partnerships with mass-market retailer WalMark and electronic retailer Tandee.
In just about a month, their products would begin appearing in various locations across the USA. The board of directors was racing against time, driven by their vigilance against the impending release of Suzuki Group's products in the USA market. Tora's directors were determined to establish their presence in the USA before Suzuki had the chance.
---
While Tora was engrossed in the new Suzuki Video Game console for its educational features over the past few days, Episode 5 of 'The Legend of Zelda' played on.
Loyal viewers watched with anticipation as Link battled Ganon's minions.
"Hahaha! You can't defeat me!!!" Ganon's underlings taunted as they observed Link's struggles.
"It seems Lord Aquamentus won't have to contend with him..." a robed man remarked.
"We'll handle him, sir," the minions assured.
The man nodded and departed.
Viewers watched with bated breath as they saw Link, surrounded by monstrous creatures, valiantly declare, "Ah! I'll save the princess!!!" and swung his sword, only to be pushed back.
The monster pushed him forcefully and launched a fierce attack, leaving Link battered and thrown aside.
Link's body collided with the wall, and he slid down. He gritted his teeth while gazing at the taunting monsters.
"Is... Is this the end?" Link thought, filled with despair. However, memories of his friends and family being wiped out by Ganon's forces surged within him. His eyes widened, and his determination ignited. "Not yet... I still have to... Save the world..."
Link's eyes seemed to shine as his sword emitted a brilliant light. He rose to his feet, and while the monsters continued to mock him, Link unconsciously swung his sword toward the distant foes.
The monsters regarded Link with disdain for attempting a long-distance attack, but their expressions shifted to shock when they saw the sword emitting light, followed by a swift slash that struck down one of the monsters instantly.
As exhilarating music played, Link stood triumphantly amidst the defeated monsters. Loyal viewers, initially concerned for Link, found themselves caught up in the excitement, only for the scene to suddenly cut to a commercial break...
Kuku and Kuro, who had been watching together, were eager to see how powerful Link would become. Their excitement waned momentarily when a KiShin advertisement appeared on the screen, featuring a young man holding a gun-shaped controller and shooting at the television...
Kuku and Kuro exchanged puzzled glances when they saw the young man holding a gun-shaped controller. They wondered if it was some kind of toy.
However, their confusion was quickly dispelled when they realized that the young man was playing a new video game released by KiShin called 'Duck Hunt.' The gun-shaped device was actually a controller that allowed players to aim at the screen and shoot the ducks flying and the dog holding a duck kept appearing behind the bushes.
Their interest piqued, both Kuku and Kuro, as well as the loyal viewers of 'The Legend of Zelda,' watched the advertisement with growing curiosity.
Kuro turned to Kuku and said, "It looks like we'll need to pool our allowances again to buy this."
Kuku hadn't initially been a fan of video games, as she was busy with traditional women's etiquette lessons taught by her mother, who was a traditional woman. However, after watching and enjoying 'The Legend of Zelda,' she had purchased the video game alongside Kuro. She had contributed 30% of the cost, with Kuro covering the remaining 70%, given that he had more free time to play.
Many loyal viewers of the show were also eager to get their hands on a KiShin game controller...
