Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo

"This... is our latest game console," Airi Hayasawa announced. "And its name is Switch. It's a brand-new attempt from us, and we hope you'll like it."

...

"Is this... really a game console? It feels kind of weird."

"Yeah, it looks a bit all over the place."

"Don't say that. This is a Gamestar Electronic Entertainment product. Even if it's a little strange, it should be fine. I mean, you know they're going to show some amazing games."

"Exactly. No matter what the console looks like, the games themselves are what really matter."

At that moment, Airi Hayasawa had no idea how players watching the livestream were reacting.

The Direct had been pre-recorded a few days earlier, but she was so nervous she hadn't dared to watch the broadcast herself.

...

She never thought she'd get so nervous—especially since she had felt perfectly fine during the recording.

Because of this, she didn't catch the wave of confusion and skepticism viewers were having.

Players and many in the industry were left scratching their heads.

Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had really gone and made a handheld console.

Some insiders had previously assumed the rumors were wrong—just another wild guess from the "uncle leak crowd."

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Technically, those rumors were wrong, because the Switch also functioned as a home console.

But now that it had that functionality, did that mean Gamestar wouldn't be releasing a new full-fledged home console—like the GSX?

If that was the case, would developers still have to make high-end games?

This console was clearly very unconventional. Past consoles from the company had always been pretty standard-looking. But this one—huge screen, bulky body—didn't seem portable at all.

No one wanted to carry something like that in their pocket. It was practically a brick.

What on earth had Gamestar just unveiled?

In the video, Airi Hayasawa smiled as she explained the new system—highlighting the Switch's detachable Joy-Con design, motion controls, and several newly introduced gameplay features.

The detachable controllers were smaller and more compact than those of previous home consoles—easy to hold without feeling awkward.

She personally demoed the game 1-2-Switch in the video, showcasing the console's motion capabilities, which had improved significantly compared to previous generations.

This wasn't just to show players how to play—it was also aimed at game developers, helping them understand the hardware's potential so they could build around it more easily.

"Huh? 1-2-Switch actually looks kinda fun."

"Looks like the game comes free with the console too. Might as well try it if I'm buying one anyway."

"Still... it's weird though."

After a brief overview of the hardware and features, Airi said, "I know what everyone is really waiting for—the games themselves. So I won't keep going on about the features."

"Here we go! Time for the real stuff!"

The console might look weird, but great games make up for anything—that's what truly mattered to players, and they quickly tuned back in.

Even Ueto Hayakawa straightened up.

He too had been taken aback by the console's unusual design.

It really was unlike anything they had ever seen. Whether or not players would accept such a new form remained to be seen.

"President, the comments and forum threads are already filled with criticism of the console's design. Looks like Gamestar might've finally tripped up."

One of Ueto's subordinates said this with a trace of schadenfreude.

But Ueto simply shook his head. "It's too early to say. The launch isn't off to a great start, sure, but..."

Having competed with Gamestar for years, Ueto knew better than to count them out so easily.

In more than a decade of history, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had rarely stumbled. Their growth had been aggressive, smooth, and almost unstoppable. Failure just didn't seem to happen to them.

His subordinate was a newer recruit and hadn't experienced the fierce competition with Gamestar firsthand.

Meanwhile, feedback from forums and livestream chats was being sent directly to Takayuki himself. But his reaction was calm.

You think it looks weird? Good.

If it didn't, it wouldn't be worthy of this design.

Back in the original world, the Switch had also received plenty of skepticism at launch.

But how did that story end? Despite its underpowered specs, the Switch went on to dominate the home console market.

The other two console makers had to rely on high-end graphics and blockbuster productions to compete with Switch. When it came to gameplay innovation, they had already bowed out of the fight.

At that point, Nintendo had no real weakness except for graphics.

Many had said that if Nintendo had released the Switch with PS4-level graphics, it would've crushed the competition—its sales would've skyrocketed even more.

But back then, Nintendo had just come off a major failure and didn't want to take risks. Staying focused on the Switch platform proved to be the wiser move.

That decision made sense—Nintendo's game development team was only so large. If they boosted the console's power, they'd also be increasing the workload, which could have crushed their creativity.

More workload meant less innovation. In hindsight, Nintendo's restraint was probably a smart call.

But later, the speed of industrialized game development skyrocketed.

After 2017, visuals and production efficiency improved rapidly, and the Switch started to fall behind. What had been cutting-edge in 2017 quickly became outdated.

But Gamestar didn't have any of those problems.

Today, Gamestar Electronic Entertainment had over 10,000 full-time developers, and was on track to surpass 20,000.

These weren't tech-company employees scattered across departments—they were actual, professional game developers.

With a dev team this large, Gamestar didn't have to worry about the same issues that Nintendo once faced.