Zaboru grinned as he looked at the sea of excited developers in front of him. The energy inside the ZEB hall had already changed completely. Earlier, it was a serious company meeting. Now, it felt more like everyone in the room was waiting for a forbidden treasure chest to be opened.
"Okay!" Zaboru said, his voice carrying easily through the hall. "I won't lie to you guys. ZEPS 4 is much further along than most of you probably expected. In fact..." He paused on purpose, letting the silence stretch just enough to make everyone lean in. "ZEPS 4 is almost done. Can you believe it?"
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then the room exploded.
Some developers gasped. Some turned toward each other with wide eyes. The USA teams looked genuinely shocked, the Korean and London teams started whispering quickly, and even several Japanese developers who already knew a little more still looked stunned. "Almost done?" someone from Team Frost muttered in disbelief. "How the hell is it almost done already?" Another developer from Team Dynasty whispered, "That's not a console development schedule. That's a miracle wearing a motherboard."
Then, one by one, the realization settled in.
Zanichi.
Of course.
Everyone in ZAGE knew Zanichi Renkonan's reputation. He was not just ZAGE's CTO. He was the quiet monster behind much of ZAGE's hardware strength, specialized hardware team could make engineers from other companies stare at schematics and question their career choices.
Zaboru saw their reactions and laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking. If it was anyone else, this would sound like nonsense. But it's my father and his specialized hardware team we're talking about. They've been locked in for months, actually years if we count the early research, and right now ZEPS 4 is around eighty percent complete. It still needs a lot of testing, debugging, heat management checks, firmware polish, developer kit refinement, and probably several arguments between my father and the laws of physics, but the machine itself is already very real."
The developers laughed, but the excitement only grew stronger.
Zaboru stepped aside slightly and smiled. "So, without further ado, let's call the man himself. My father, ZAGE's CTO, and the scariest hardware engineer I know... Zanichi Renkonan!"
The hall erupted in applause.
Then Zanichi entered.
Unlike Zaboru's dramatic stage presence, Zanichi walked in like a man who had been dragged away from a workshop five minutes too early. His hair was slightly messy, his eyes looked tired, and his shirt sleeves were rolled up. In one hand, he carried a black metallic box with a strange matte finish, and under his other arm was a thick folder of technical documents. He did not wave. He did not smile grandly. He did not act like a man about to reveal one of the most terrifying consoles in the world.
He simply walked to the front, placed the black metallic box on the table, connected it to the presentation computer, and inserted a USB drive.
The applause slowly died down.
Zanichi looked at the room, then casually said, "Hey, guys. Okay, I haven't slept properly for a while, I haven't had the best coffee today, and worse, I haven't had the best shit either, so let's keep this close. If you have more questions later, continue on Slack, okay?"
For a second, the hall froze.
Then laughter burst out everywhere.
Even Zaboru covered his mouth and looked away because hearing his father open the ZEPS 4 hardware reveal like that was too ridiculous. John Romero was laughing openly, someone from Shigeru Miyamoto almost choked on water, and Yugo Kanai looked like he was trying to decide whether Zanichi's sentence was vulgar or badass or both.
Zanichi did not care.
He clicked the presentation file.
The screen behind him went black for a moment.
Then the ZEPS 4 design appeared.
The entire hall fell silent again.
On the massive display was a beautiful console with a premium silver and jet-black body. It was wider than previous ZEPS machines, with smooth, confident edges and a design that looked powerful without becoming ugly. The front had a slot-loading ZAGE Blue Disc drive, while above and beside the disc area were large cartridge slots for older ZEPS 1 and ZEPS 2 games. There were four USB ports on the front, two Memory Card EX slots above them, visible power and eject buttons with a clean feel, and a body shape that somehow carried the black monolith confidence of PS2, the premium presence of PS3, and the accessible elegance of Wii.
It looked like a console from the future.
It looked expensive.
It looked dangerous.
It looked like something competitors would see and immediately schedule an emergency meeting.
Zaboru grinned. The overall feeling was exactly what he wanted. PS2 practicality, PS3-like premium confidence, and Wii-like accessibility, but still undeniably ZAGE.
Zanichi pointed lazily at the image and said, "This is ZEPS 4."
That casual sentence made the room feel even stranger. He had just shown them a machine that looked like it could redefine the industry, and he introduced it like someone showing a new toaster model.
Then Zanichi continued, "Boss gave me the original concept direction. Strong next-generation hardware, online foundation, built-in storage, Blue Disc format, backward compatibility, media features, motion controller support, and a design that doesn't look like a brick someone polished in a garage." He glanced at his son. "As usual, his ideas were ridiculous, but annoyingly genius."
Zaboru smiled proudly. "I'll take that compliment."
Zanichi snorted but still proud of his son
The room chuckled, but many developers were staring at the screen like they had forgotten how to blink.
Zanichi tapped the black metallic box beside him. "What I did was improve the idea so the hardware actually made sense. Zaboru wanted something that could combine high-end power, ease of development, motion input, online services, backward compatibility, media playback, and long-term ecosystem support. That sounds simple when written on paper. In reality, it's a headache. A very expensive headache but well it's me we talking about."
He switched the screen to an internal diagram. It showed the Z4-Core "Raijin" CPU, Z4-Vision "Amaterasu" GPU, unified GDDR3 memory, eDRAM block, storage controller, audio DSP, wireless module, Blue Disc drive, backward compatibility layer, and several internal buses mapped in clean detail.
The developers leaned forward almost in unison.
Zanichi continued, "The CPU is ZAGE/AMD Z4-Core Raijin. 3.4 GHz, 4 cores, 8 threads, with 4 vector and media co-processors. The GPU is ZAGE/NVIDIA Z4-Vision Amaterasu, 600 MHz, designed around unified memory with 16 MB eDRAM to help with frame buffer operations, anti-aliasing, and some bandwidth-sensitive rendering tasks. Main memory is 768 MB GDDR3 unified, 256-bit bus, around 44.8 GB per second bandwidth."
The hall became deathly quiet.
Several developers looked like they had just been punched by numbers.
John Carmack's eyes sharpened.
Satoru Iwata adjusted his glasses slowly.
Yugo Kanai's mouth opened as if he was witnessing religious scripture rendered in silicon.
Zanichi continued as if none of this was dramatic. "Storage options are 80, 160, and 250 GB HDD depending on model. Disc format is ZAGE Blue-Ray Disc still on testing by AKAI, 25 or 50 GB. Standard target is 720p. It supports 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and 1080p, but before anyone gets stupid, no, not every big game should chase 1080p. Use 720p as the main target. Use 1080p for lighter games, menus, movies"
A few developers laughed nervously because the warning was obviously aimed at them before they could even make bad decisions.
Zanichi clicked again, showing the controller design. "Standard controller but now Wireless with Bluetooth technology, similar philosophy to ZEPS 3 but improved. Better grip, better analog sticks, better triggers, without cable and also earphone jack on the console. Also, separate motion controller with gyro, accelerometer, and pointer sensor. Do not turn every game into arm-flailing nonsense. Use it when it improves the experience."
Zanichi clicked to the next screen. "Online side: ZAGE Network, ZAGE ID account system, friends list, text messaging, voice chat through headset yeah you can put headset on the controller, ZAGE Trophys, Z-Store, demos, downloadable games, expansion content. Built-in apps include ZAGE Forum, YouTube, Z-Store.com, YaDo Anime Channel, Nickelodion, Z-Pad media player ,Media Player, Photo Viewer, Music Player, Internet Browser, and profile/avatar system. Basically, Zaboru wanted a game console, a media box, an online portal, and a social hub all in one machine, because apparently making my life easy is illegal."
Zaboru shrugged with a shameless smile. "I believe in you, Dad."
Zanichi looked at him flatly. "Hah say that to my sleep."
The room erupted again.
Then Zanichi switched to backward compatibility. "ZEPS 1 and ZEPS 2 cartridge slots are built into the console body. There will also be adapters for ZGB and ZGBA games. ZEPS 3 compatibility is hardware-assisted with a software layer. Most titles should run. Enhancements include faster loading, optional texture smoothing, memory card import, and ZEPS 4 controller emulation for ZEPS 3 control mapping. There will also be a ZEPS 3 memory card adapter."
This time, the applause started without warning.
It was not loud at first, but it spread quickly. Many of the developers had worked on ZEPS 3 games. They knew how important that library was, and they knew how much backward compatibility meant to both players and developers. Zaboru looked at the room and smiled. This was not just a technical feature. This was respect for history.
Zanichi waited for the applause to calm down before saying, "This is not yet complete, but it should be soon. You can start development next month, but wait for the Unreal Engine 4 build and the official development guidelines. I already prepared some documentation, performance targets, memory budgeting rules, thermal guidelines, controller input standards, and a few things that will stop you from doing something stupid too early."
John Romero immediately shouted, "Only a few?"
Zanichi looked at him. "I don't have enough paper to stop all of you from doing stupid things."
The room burst into laughter.
Zanichi then looked across the hall and said, "I'll take three questions now. Three. Not thirty. I know this room. If I say unlimited, we'll still be here when ZEPS 5 launches."
Every hand in the room almost went up.
Zanichi sighed. "See? Animals."
Zaboru laughed from the side. "Okay, first question. Yugo."
Yugo Kanai stood up so fast his chair almost moved backward. He looked overwhelmed, excited, and spiritually unstable. "Zanichi-san!" he said, then immediately corrected himself after realizing how strange that sounded. "I mean, For the motion controller and standard controller, how should we think about design priority? Should we create games around motion input first, or treat it as an additional control layer? Because if we overuse it, it might become a gimmick, but if we underuse it, we might waste one of ZEPS 4's biggest identities."
Zanichi sighed and said, "This is a question for our boss after all. He's the one who designed that part of the concept." Then he looked at Zaboru with tired eyes, as if silently saying, You created this headache, so explain it yourself.
Zaboru chuckled and stepped forward. "Alright, alright. I'll answer this one." He looked at Yugo and said, "Good question. Motion control should not replace standard control unless the game is built around it from the beginning. Think of it like a new input language, not a magic trick. If you use it just because it looks futuristic, players will get tired and annoyed. But if you use it where it naturally fits, it can make the player feel closer to the action."
He then raised one finger and continued, "For example, sports games can use it very well because the player already understands physical movement. Swinging a bat, throwing a ball, aiming a shot, boxing, bowling, tennis, golf, fishing—those things already exist in people's bodies. Party games can also use it because they are about laughter, simple rules, and everyone joining in. Rhythm games can use it too, because movement and timing already belong together. Even some action games can use it for sword swings, aiming, quick gestures, or special attacks."
Several developers nodded, already imagining the possibilities.
Zaboru's expression became more careful as he added, "But for traditional action games, RPGs, horror games, and cinematic adventures, you need restraint. Don't force the player to shake the controller every five seconds just because the controller can detect shaking. That becomes annoying very fast. Use tilt for small adjustments. Use pointer control for aiming if it feels better. Use gestures for moments that should feel special. In horror, maybe a small motion controls a flashlight or a desperate action. In an RPG, maybe motion is only used for a mini-game, a puzzle, or a special system but the game should be able to be fully played with Standard controller options though."
Hideo Kojima smiled slightly and said, "So motion control is not the main dish every time. Sometimes it is seasoning."
Zaboru pointed at him. "Exactly. If the whole meal becomes seasoning, the player will vomit."
The room laughed, and even Zanichi snorted quietly.
Zaboru continued, "There will be games where motion control becomes the heart of the experience, and there will be games where it should barely appear at all. Both are correct. What matters is whether the control method serves the game. If the player gets tired for no reason, you failed. If the player forgets the controller and simply feels like they are doing something inside the game, you succeeded."
Yugo nodded intensely, looking like he was receiving commandments from a sacred game design temple. "Boss-sama so cool"
Yugo sat down looking enlightened.
Zaboru grinned. "Second question. Carmack."
John Carmack stood up calmly, and the mood shifted immediately. Everyone knew Carmack would not ask something simple. "With 768 MB unified memory and the eDRAM block, how strict are the expected memory partitions between CPU-side systems, GPU assets, audio, streaming, and online background services? If the system OS and built-in services are always active, developers need to know how much memory we can actually depend on. Also, for 720p target rendering, how much freedom do we have with texture resolution, shadow buffers, and streaming world data?"
Several developers stared at him.
Toshi whispered, "What the hell, he asked five questions in one."
Shinji muttered, "That's why he's Carmack i mean look at that hair that one take years to grow!."
Zanichi, however, answered immediately. "The OS reserve is still being finalized, but we're designing the system so developers get a large stable pool instead of constantly fighting background services. Don't assume you get all 768 MB. That's stupid. But the available pool will be much larger than anything you had on ZEPS 3, and because it's unified, you can budget more flexibly between CPU systems and GPU assets. The 16 MB eDRAM should be treated as a high-speed helper for frame buffer operations, not a place to dump your bad planning."
Carmack nodded slowly, already processing.
Zanichi continued, "For 720p, you'll have enough room for high-quality textures if you stream properly. Don't load everything like an idiot. Use data locality, chunking, compression, and prefetching. Shadow buffers depend on the game. If you want cinematic lighting everywhere, budget for it. If you want large open environments, prioritize streaming. If you want 60 frames, stop being greedy in ten directions at once. ZEPS 4 gives you freedom, not permission to become stupid."
The hall laughed, but Carmack smiled faintly. "That's a good answer."
Zanichi shrugged. "Of course it is."
Zaboru laughed and said, "Last question. Iwata-san."
Satoru Iwata stood carefully and adjusted his glasses. Unlike Yugo's emotional excitement or Carmack's technical precision, Iwata's expression carried calm thoughtfulness. "Zanichi-san, Zaboru-san, ZEPS 4 sounds extremely powerful, but power can also increase the development burden. I don't expect we can continue using the same kind of workload and pipeline we had during ZEPS 3 development. So what is the real goal?"
The room became quieter.
That question hit something deeper than specs. It was not only about how strong ZEPS 4 was. It was about how ZAGE would survive creating games for something this powerful without crushing its own developers under ambition.
Zanichi looked at Iwata for a moment, then gave a rare approving smile. "That might be the most important question." Then he glanced toward Zaboru with tired eyes and said, "You should ask Boss regarding this stuff. He's the one who dreamed up this monster."
A few people chuckled, while Zaboru smiled and stepped forward. "Of course, Satoru. You're right. We will not use the exact same pipeline as ZEPS 3 development. If we do that, ZEPS 4 will swallow us alive. The machine is too powerful, the features are too wide, and the scale of games we can make is much larger than before. So our teams will become more specialized from now on. Each team will focus more clearly on certain types of projects, certain strengths, and certain technical goals."
He looked across the hall and continued, "That does not mean teams will become isolated. ZAGE will still share technology, knowledge, tools, and experience across branches. But we cannot treat every team like they must do everything at once. Team IZAN, Team NIWA, Team NOVA, Team KODO, Team FUMA, Team Dynasty, Team Myth, Team OMNI, Team Enigma, Team Tempest, Team Blaze, Team Frost, and Team Nexus all have different strengths. ZEPS 4 is powerful enough to let those strengths grow even further."
Zaboru smiled slightly and added, "And don't worry. With Unreal Engine 4 in our arsenal, stronger development kits, better documentation, shared libraries, sample projects, online tools, and our technical support structure, we can make great games without forcing every team to reinvent the wheel. The point is not to make development heavier just because the console is stronger. The point is to make our ambition easier to reach."
Satoru Iwata nodded slowly, clearly satisfied by the answer, while several other developers looked relieved. Zaboru then grinned and said, "Besides, I already have plenty of ideas in my head. For ZEPS 4, I guarantee there will be many masterpieces coming from here. Hehehe and you know what? i'm here with you guys so don't worry hahaha!."
The room laughed, but the laughter quickly turned into applause.
This time, it was stronger.
Zaboru glanced at his father with a soft smile. Zanichi looked casual, blunt, and tired as usual, but Zaboru knew better than anyone how much his father had done. ZEPS 4 had started as Zaboru's dream, a vision built from memories, ambition, and impossible expectations. But Zanichi had taken that dream, challenged it, refined it, and pushed it even further than Zaboru originally imagined. Without his father's insane hardware capability and the specialized team under him, ZEPS 4 would have remained only a beautiful plan on paper.
Now, it was becoming real.
That thought made Zaboru genuinely happy. Not just as ZAGE's president, but as Zanichi's son. He looked at the man who had turned his reckless dream into a terrifying machine and felt so proud that he almost looked like an idiot smiling at his own father in front of the entire company.
When the applause faded, Zaboru stepped closer and said warmly, "Thank you, Dad."
Zanichi yawned and replied, "You're welcome. I'm going to find better coffee after this."
Zaboru chuckled and said, "Please don't leave yet. You're still needed."
Zanichi sighed like a man betrayed by family, while the room laughed again.Then Zaboru turned back toward everyone. The meeting was almost at its end, but now the room felt completely different from before. At the beginning, ZEPS 4 had been an idea. A rumor. A mysterious future. Now it had a shape. It had a body. It had numbers, systems, ports, discs, controllers, online services, apps, and a philosophy behind it.
Zaboru placed one hand on the podium and looked across the hall.
"ZEPS 4 will have many features. It will have ZAGE Network, ZAGE ID, online multiplayer, voice chat, friends list, ZAGE Trophys, Z-Store, downloadable games, expansion content, built-in apps, media playback, screenshots, short gameplay clips, and more. It will support old games, new games, physical games, digital games, hardcore games, casual games, single-player games, online games, motion games, cinematic games, experimental games, and games we probably haven't even imagined yet."
The developers listened closely.
Zaboru smiled.
"But if I had to give ZEPS 4 one motto, one phrase that explains what kind of machine this is supposed to be..." He paused and looked at the console render behind him. "Then it is simple."
The screen behind him shifted to a black background.
Silver letters appeared slowly.
ZEPS 4
It only does everything.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then the hall erupted.
The applause was thunderous. Some developers stood. Others cheered.
Zaboru stood in front of all of them and smiled and Zanichi yawning he really Sleepy!.
ZEPS 4 was no longer merely a future project.
It had become real.
The Era that change it all will start.
To be continued.
AN : Unfortunately I'm asking A.I to generate the specs but don't think too much about it okay?, just thought it was combination of PS3 , WII AND XBOX together lol
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