Video Game Tycoon in Tokyo-Chapter 803: A Familiar Scene

"Ah! President!"

As Takayuki entered the office, he saw several engineers still wearing cleanroom suits — and of course, Airi Hayasawa.

She was dressed in the company's engineering uniform, looking sharp and professional, radiating the aura of a strong, capable woman.

It felt like just yesterday she had been a fresh graduate, unsure and overwhelmed. But now, she had become someone fully capable of leading on her own. Even though her academic background and technical knowledge weren't as strong as those on her team, her experience — and her ability to follow Takayuki's guidance — made up for everything.

"You're here," Airi turned with a smile.

Takayuki nodded. "You guys were just discussing the trigger button design?"

"Yep," Airi confirmed. "Izumi-san thinks we should implement a two-stage trigger on the detachable controller to enhance the experience, especially in racing games. But others argue it'll increase manufacturing and maintenance costs, making it not worth the trade-off."

"That would indeed raise costs, and the failure rate might be a concern too, right?"

"Exactly. But since you voted in favor earlier, we figured that might settle the debate."

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Takayuki shook his head."You all made valid points. I only overheard the part about improving the controller — I hadn't considered the cost and maintenance issues. That does matter."

"So you're withholding your vote for now?"

"Yeah, I'll hold off for the moment." He turned to the young engineer who made the suggestion. "Izumi-san, right?"

The man, probably in his twenties, stood up straighter. He was one of the younger team members, recently recruited by Airi specifically for his exceptional talent in mechanical and electronic engineering — no interview, just straight into the team.

"Yes, President Takayuki. I'm Daigo Izumi. I'm currently in charge of Switch's mechanical features and expansion modules."

Takayuki nodded."Your idea is great, but have you considered how two-stage triggers would impact development complexity and cost?"

"Absolutely," Izumi replied confidently. "That's why I suggested just two stages. More than that would drastically increase failure rates. But I believe two-stage triggers are just right for a handheld console."

Handhelds always require trade-offs. They don't have the flexibility of home consoles.

Even just designing the Switch's cooling system had taken ages — even with Takayuki's knowledge from his past life, it couldn't be replicated directly. It wasn't until they partnered with a capable chip manufacturer who helped co-design the cooling solution that the problem was finally solved.

The card slot, detachable controller — every component had been time-consuming to develop.

Now with more features being added, naturally, more issues would arise.

"Alright," Takayuki said. "If you believe it's doable, prove it. It's just a controller component, so if it doesn't work out, we'll revert to the old design. It won't affect the console itself."

Izumi's eyes lit up."Thank you, sir! I'll get right on it — I promise I'll come up with a repair-friendly, cost-efficient solution for the prototype!"

"Good luck."

Izumi rushed off to work, and Takayuki turned back to Airi.

"Ayano told me you've made progress with the Switch. Let's hear it."

"Oh right! That was days ago when I told her. What've you been busy with lately?"

"Game development, obviously. I'm planning to launch the next title on the Switch."

"Huh? Already working on a new one? Let me guess... a new Mario game?"

Takayuki shook his head. "Nope. Not this time."

"Zelda?"

"No."

"Dragon Quest?"

...

"Final Fantasy?"

Takayuki cut her off. "None of the above. It's a new series. You'll see it eventually. No need to rush."

"Fine, fine."

"Anyway, let's talk about your progress."

"Right!" Airi clapped her hands. "Wait here for a moment. You guys too — don't go anywhere!"

She dashed out of the room.

A few minutes later, she returned carrying the latest Switch prototype.

The last time Takayuki saw it was months ago, shortly after solving the cooling issue with the chip partner.

Back then, it was just a rough board with a heatsink and a screen — no casing.

Now, the prototype had a full shell.

"Here it is!" Airi said proudly."This is our final design for the cooling airflow system. We've managed to keep the system temperature under 60°C at all times. Should meet your expectations."

"So just the cooling system is finalized?"

"Not just that," Airi said with excitement."We've completed the OS too! Guys, bring the dock over so we can give the President a proper demo!"

A few engineers brought over a base unit — something like a cradle. It looked different from the Switch dock Takayuki remembered, but functionally it was the same: charging, and connecting to a TV or monitor. Since it was a simple part, it had been developed early on.

The design could still be adjusted later.

Airi inserted the prototype into the dock — and the office's big screen lit up.

That interface was one Takayuki knew all too well.