A black box, 28 cm by 28 cm, bearing a blue -X- at its center, with a seal beneath it that read Lux Games. On the opposite side stood the name Microsoft, as vivid and clear as an idea made manifest. For an entire month they worked as much as humanly possible, pushing every limit they could. The pilot of the first level took a long time—exactly a year and a half—while they drew on all the knowledge they had taken from existing consoles and improved upon it. Fortunately for them, nothing was out of reach. The team embraced Billy's vision, using every insight available, and began focusing on the creation of microchips. Companies like NVIDIA and Intel were close at hand, working on the finer details that would give rise to one of the landmark machines of the 21st century.
NVIDIA developed a GeForce microchip that embraced the emerging 3D polygon technology, advancing the miniaturization of the GPU for consoles. The GeForce chip, running at 500 megahertz within a narrow time frame, represented such a leap in development that every minute detail was scrutinized—culminating in RAM capacities of 64 to 128 MB. It was utterly mind-bending, enough to leave the CEOs of both companies deep in thought. Microsoft and Apple, observing from their own strategic corners, watched the progress with delight.
Seven renowned executives sat at a long table while Rachel stood behind Steve Jobs, notebook in hand. Her presence felt almost essential.
-Well, it's something big for the market's taste,- sighed Steve Jobs, noting that it was bulkier than the PlayStation 1, though he knew there was good reason for it.
-It was a brilliant idea to use the USB system and the kind of connections typically found in phones and computers. The way the controls work, and the reasoning behind each area, is quite intriguing,- sighed Bill Gates.
-I've heard that id Software hired a hundred new people to help with polygon technology, to push game design to the tenth power. We're talking about performance at a level never seen before,- replied Paul Allen.
-The issue is we still can't launch it. The engine overheats badly, and we haven't yet found the right balance of components,- said Phil Spencer.
-So, it's still just a prototype,- murmured Steve Jobs, still captivated by the design. Every element reflected a clever idea—the colors fascinated him, from the enamel to the structure—everything was so well-suited to the task, drawing on every detail that seemed to call for attention.
-We're aiming to lower the price, Steve. As you know, in many areas the final product often isn't what people expect. They've already achieved progress we haven't seen in years,- Paul Allen responded.
-Too many controls, many of which we could later see applied in scientific technologies. The bottleneck is almost the relic of our era, the thing holding us back,- replied Phil Spencer. The real problem lay in adaptation—working with the technical safeguards of each component. Availability was what mattered most. For months he had considered leaving the project to the deputy director, but the man was a true grump. So Phil had to double down on the work—requesting research support, leveraging every bit of data, expanding resources, attending tech conferences to recruit new talent. He even pursued the engineers Sega had laid off after their console failures—talented but now unemployed—snapped up by American money after their dismissals. Even the mighty Sony had to struggle while each company presented its own strengths.
On one side, Microsoft teamed with Pixar to create a software network that optimized every ounce of processing power. Apple, relying on its hardware design expertise, extended an aesthetic that few could match while integrating Intel's ecosystem with a custom CPU and IBM's massive-scale manufacturing support. Profits were slimmer, but they used NVIDIA to develop a GPU designed exclusively for gaming—achieving more precise and consistent progress.
Meanwhile, they forged alliances with companies like Capcom, Konami, and id Software to develop demanding games, while Microsoft also worked on its own titles. It was all part of a deliberate calculation. The result was a device priced at $300—neither gaining nor losing a cent on each unit sold. It was a monumental effort, where it seemed every game soon to launch was harnessed for the cause—three titles set for major release, powered by both America's resources and the legacy of earlier gaming generations.
-The delivery deadline is set for March 1998,- Phil answered, fully aware of the question.
-How long will it take you to resolve the problems?- asked Steve Jobs.
-We already have solutions—two side-mounted fans with small air vents on the edges. We'll also use a secondary memory system that splits functions across two layers via a motherboard that's simply perfect for our needs. In any case, we require work that's already partially done,- Phil replied with calm assurance, then revealed a large television screen on which he began demonstrating their progress—organizing everything in front of the display.
The improved Lux Party design—where characters from Lux Animation appeared in games—came to life before their eyes. The image was sharper, more vibrant; each drawing could be appreciated as a work of art in itself.
-By using a more comprehensive color palette and polygons at a ratio of 100 to 1 compared to previous generations, I can confidently say that for the next four years we won't see another console as good or as reliable,- said Phil, switching to another title—this time a more thrilling, spectacular car racing game. The glow of headlights on the screen impressed everyone with the sheer quality of the visuals.
-Our goal is to maintain a $300 retail price to compete with Sony, while continuing to improve each component and carrying out long-term discussions on how to cut costs and prepare for the next stages,- Phil said, his sharp gaze fixed on his bosses. There was a certain gravity in his look. Apple's representatives often attended these meetings, and the alliance between Apple and Microsoft highlighted how they were already shaping the future of computing—each eager to bring these advancements into their own products.
-Moreover, the gaming company SanDisk has done an outstanding job creating this 64-gigabyte memory unit, capable of storing more than anything our competitors offer,- added Phil, displaying a sleek, finger-sized black memory stick—so impressive it caught everyone's attention. It came bundled with the console.
Phil stepped back as the heavyweights of the table began discussing the broader opportunities—not only for video games but for computer development as well. They had harnessed the work and dedication of thousands to create that box, and now they were focused on improving it further, even twice over, while also daring to pursue a portable console—so bold was the American spirit behind it all.
-Billy wants that done—a small portable console,- Rachel said, laying out a five-year development roadmap, the timeframe for launching the next two consoles.
The list was tough and ambitious:
RAM: 1 GB
Processor: 2,900 MHz to 3,600 MHz
GPU: triple capacity
Hard drive: 120 GB to 240 GB
Graphics cards: triple performance
-That's what we want for the portable console, and even for the next-generation home console—improving every design is our only goal,- Rachel affirmed to herself, knowing all she needed was to tackle a few extra challenges.
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