These words left Oguchi Hisao silent.
He had struggled and thrived at Sega for many years, accustomed to the military-style, harsh management of the Hayao Nakayama era.
After Takuya Nakayama took over, the entire company's atmosphere was quietly changing.
This flatter management style, more akin to a Silicon Valley Internet company, had initially made him feel very uncomfortable. But the solid performance figures proved that this path was viable.
"I understand." Oguchi Hisao nodded and closed the notebook in his hand.
Takuya Nakayama patted his shoulder and walked back to the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the neon lights of Los Angeles gradually light up.
Memories from his past life flashed through his mind.
E3 1996 was originally the turning point that led to the decline of the Sega Saturn. Nintendo and Sony had shone brightly at this exhibition, backing Sega into a corner.
But now, the trajectory of history had been forcibly altered by him.
The Jupiter Console's global installed base had surpassed ten million units, backed by an unprecedentedly strong third-party lineup. The sheer scale of Final Fantasy VII—a massive four-disc epic—had sent shockwaves through the industry.
But Takuya Nakayama couldn't afford to be complacent.
The day's events at the show made it clear: his competitors were already pivoting. Nintendo's deep reserves of talent and Sony's agility were Damocles' swords hanging over his head.
Ten minutes later, the intelligence report was complete. The videotapes were labeled, and the key products from each manufacturer were neatly organized into a spreadsheet.
Takuya checked the time and signaled his assistant to bring in the pre-ordered dinner.
Several hotel staff members wheeled carts into the suite and lifted the cloches, revealing rows of exquisitely packaged Japanese teishoku set meals.
"Good work, everyone. Let's eat," Takuya said, stepping forward. He picked up a meal and handed it to the nearest analyst. "My assistant found an old-school Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo right after we landed this afternoon. I made sure they added thick-cut eel and tempura. I hope it suits your tastes."
The future president personally handed out dinner, a gesture that instantly relaxed the atmosphere in the suite.
The junior staff, who rarely even saw a Managing Director's face at Headquarters, accepted the meal boxes with grateful surprise, offering repeated thanks. After a long day of non-stop work in a foreign land, the comfort of a hot, home-cooked meal directly translated into a psychological sense of belonging.
Holding his own set meal, Oguchi Hisao watched Takuya Nakayama chatting and laughing with the subordinates. He felt a deeper understanding of the earlier remarks about "uniting hearts and minds." Management was not just about issuing orders; it was about winning people over.
Half an hour later, the last of the miso soup had been finished. The assistant swiftly collected the empty meal boxes and wiped the table clean.
The air in the suite turned serious once more.
The intelligence briefing formally began.
Oguchi Hisao stood before the whiteboard, marker in hand, and scanned the team—now well-fed and visibly more alert.
"Alright everyone, time is precious. Let's set some ground rules for today's meeting." Oguchi Hisao drew a horizontal line on the whiteboard. "Don't waste time on minor details or filler games. Once you've covered the core information, focus on our analysis and strategic response. If an issue can't be addressed immediately during the trade show, mark it for a follow-up session afterward. This way, we can end the meeting early, get some rest, and recharge for tomorrow."
His concise opening set a clear, efficient tone for the meeting.
Takuya Nakayama, seated at the head of the conference table, nodded slightly, his hands clasped before him.
The intelligence officer responsible for the Nintendo booth stood up first and distributed a thick report to everyone.
"Let's start with Nintendo. The N64 is priced at $199 in the US and 25,000 yen in Japan. It will launch globally on June 23rd." The officer got straight to the point. "This price is within our expectations, but to keep it low, they've made significant compromises in the hardware. The cartridges have a maximum capacity of only 64 megabits, which means the N64 won't be able to handle large amounts of high-resolution textures and CG."
...animations."
"But their software performance makes up for it," Oguchi Hisao added. "What's the feedback from the Super Mario 64 demo?"
The executive pulled up a covertly recorded video from the trade show and projected it onto the TV.
"It's absolutely stunning," the executive said, his tone tinged with awe. "Shigeru Miyamoto has established an incredibly comprehensive set of physical interaction rules within the 3D space. Our playtesters queued up twice, and their conclusion is that this control logic based on the analog stick has a very low learning curve but an extremely high skill ceiling. Even though we have a game like Gundam Battle Operation that has already laid the groundwork for 3D game control logic, its design still has many brilliant points. It's taught a lesson to all the companies currently still fumbling with 3D perspectives."
The meeting room fell silent.
Sega had titles like Gundam Battle Operation and Sonic 3D in the 3D action genre, but when it came to the sense of exploration in an open world, Super Mario 64 was indeed far ahead.
Takuya Nakayama watched the plumber running back and forth on the TV screen, knowing full well the weight this game would hold in video game history.
"There's no need to panic," Takuya Nakayama said, breaking the silence. "Super Mario 64 is a benchmark, there's no denying that. But Nintendo's cartridge strategy is a dead end. Third-party developers simply can't stomach the high manufacturing costs and tiny storage limits. Square's four-disc set of Final Fantasy VII this morning is the best proof of that. We're offering a vast ocean; Nintendo is offering an exquisite bonsai. Against Jupiter's installed base and the sheer capacity of optical discs, a few first-party masterpieces alone won't sustain the entire next-gen ecosystem."
He turned to Oguchi Hisao.
"Hisao, make Super Mario 64's control logic and physics feedback a priority for research. After the show, have the 3D action teams tear it apart. We may be ahead, but we can't afford to be complacent. We must absorb the most advanced interaction concepts."
Oguchi Hisao made a heavy note in his notebook.
"Next up is Sony," another intelligence officer from the South Hall took over, "At this afternoon's press conference, a new face named Kazuo Hirai led the entire presentation. They announced three RPGs and Naughty Dog's Crash Bandicoot."
"RPGs are nothing to worry about," Oguchi Hisao analyzed. "The scale of G-Craft and Media.Vision is leagues below Square and our own first-party studios. Sony is trying to compensate for a lack of quality with quantity. In the short term, this won't pose a substantial threat to Jupiter's RPG lineup."
"The real focus is on the games Kazuo Hirai showcased at the end." The intelligence officer pulled up footage of PaRappa the Rapper and Everybody's Golf. "A music-rhythm game, a minimalist golf game... Hirai explicitly stated that PlayStation is targeting not just hardcore gamers, but non-gamers as well. Especially since they have the player base carrying over from DDR."
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