America: The Godfather of Game Development

Chapter 75 The Handheld Console Arrives! The Governor and NovaPocket

"Why not just announce the new game and generate some buzz beforehand?"

Steve fiddled with the sleek handheld console in his hand, his eyes practically shooting laser beams.

GAMENOVA is really going all out this time.

"We'll give players a surprise, but NovaPocket can already start preparing for the marketing campaign."

Electronic Games is known for its expertise in hardware reviews, and this time Lin Li-hsin contacted Steve and invited him to do a hands-on review.

Carrying the internal testing machine and several cartridges that had already been ported, Steve hurriedly returned to the editorial department.

After saying goodbye to Steve, Lin Lixin didn't rest. Sam immediately drove him to the film set.

The governor, whom we haven't seen in a long time, is sitting on a small stool, fiddling with his golden broom-shaped wig.

Since Street Fighter became a hit across the country, Schwarzenegger has clearly felt that he may never be able to shake off this label for the rest of his life.

Wherever he goes, people point at him and call him "Gulie".

There are even cases where people write threatening letters to Guile because they were bullied badly by him during battles.

However, since we're in the film and television industry, if we don't even have this much resistance, we shouldn't be doing this job.

Schwarzenegger is actually starting to enjoy this feeling.

Many celebrities spend their entire lives trying to leave an indelible, classic image in the minds of their fans.

But he has already done it.

Whether it's Terminator, Contra, or Street Fighter, they all created classic characters for him that are absolutely worthy of being remembered in film history.

And a large part of this is inseparable from the people in front of us.

"Lin, we finally have another chance to work together."

Lin Lixin smiled and looked around. "Where's Guohao?"

"In the dressing room."

During the conversation, Brandon Lee pushed open the door and walked out, dressed in the same outfit he wore when he starred in "Street Fighter".

"Forest!"

When he saw Lin Lixin, his eyes lit up, and he quickly ran to the two of them.

Since his outstanding performance in Street Fighter, Brandon Lee's value in Hollywood has soared, and he has received numerous offers for action films.

When Li Guohao heard that Lin Lixin had invited him to star in the promotional video for GAMENOVA's new phone, he agreed without hesitation.

Seeing that the two were ready, Lin Lixin took out two cardboard boxes from his bag and opened them on the table.

Inside, two NovaPockets, one red and one blue, lay quietly.

Its overall design was personally handled by Vivian. Unlike the Game Boy, the NovaPocket's buttons are more in line with the modern handheld console design, and are arranged horizontally.

The left side features four separate directional keys (up, down, left, right) to avoid patent conflicts with the D-pad.

In addition, to compensate for the awkward operation caused by the D-pad, Lin Lixin added a "slide pad" design.

Its surface consists of a flat pad with a non-slip textured design, allowing it to move freely within a circular area.

This design was naturally inspired by classic handheld consoles such as the PSP.

Although it feels several levels inferior to modern mushroom-shaped joysticks, it has an unparalleled advantage in terms of size.

On the right are the four function keys ABXY.

The overall lines of the body are smooth, perfectly embodying the term "industrial aesthetics," without any superfluous decorations.

Behind it are the battery compartment and the cartridge drive, making the most of almost all the space in the machine.

This machine is a pleasure to look at, let alone hold it in your hands and play with it.

"Oh My God……"

The two of them stared wide-eyed the moment they saw it.

In Schwarzenegger's imagination, a handheld console should be like the Game & Watch, or some kind of home console with a built-in screen, which can be played anywhere.

But he never imagined that a portable device could be designed so ingeniously and beautifully.

Schwarzenegger carefully took it out of the box; the contrast between his massive muscles and hands and the small handheld console made the scene particularly bizarre.

Four AA batteries had already been installed. Gently push the power button, and the GAMENOVA logo flashed.

In addition to inserting a cartridge, the NovaPocket comes pre-installed with Tetris on its chip.

You can enjoy the game even without inserting a cartridge.

Schwarzenegger glanced at Lin Lixin, and after seeing him nod in acknowledgment, he pressed the start button to begin the game.

The image resolution is extremely low!

Compared to the CRT monitors of arcade and console games that Schwarzenegger was already used to, the pitiful 160x144 resolution of this small LCD screen was truly an eyesore.

Surprisingly, the low resolution didn't cause him much discomfort; in fact, Tetris's graphics were comparable to the original arcade version.

The feeling was truly magical, as if Tetris, a game he had played countless times, had completely changed after being put on a handheld console.

It's like a brand new game.

Schwarzenegger, who originally intended to just try it out briefly, got completely absorbed and played for a full half hour before being snapped out of it by Brandon Lee, who was the first to come to his senses.

Li Guohao's performance was no better. He swallowed hard, looking at the red handheld console in his hand, realizing that it was bound to become a groundbreaking product.

"A game console that can be played anytime, anywhere, whether standing, sitting, or lying down..."

Let alone a game console that supports freely interchangeable cartridges, even just having the Tetris alone is enough to make this machine a classic.

"In short, we need to basically complete the filming of the performance today; the rest will be handled in post-production."

Lin Lixin clapped his hands to signal the two to pay attention.

The promotional video was divided into three parts, each performed independently by one of the two actors, and a segment featuring both actors performing together.

……

"Action!"

With a click from the clapperboard, the lights went out instantly under control.

"boom!"

Suddenly, a burst of fire erupted in the middle of the silent scene.

As the lighting changes, the scene gradually becomes clearer.

Schwarzenegger, dressed in Guile's outfit, crawled across the rainforest battlefield, occasionally unleashing a sonic chop.

After a series of intense montages, he suddenly stopped moving after a clear "cut," gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, and walked out of the set under the camera's guidance, sitting down on a chair in the rest area.

It turns out they were just filming a clip.

Schwarzenegger, with his back to the camera, was intently fiddling with something.

As the camera zoomed in and circled around to his front, it was revealed that he was holding a game console that was smaller than the palm of his hand.

In the image, a long strip slowly falls onto the empty space he had prepared, and with a "beep," it is completely erased.

"Wuhu!"

"Arnold, time to shoot the next scene—"

"it is good."

Upon hearing the shout, Schwarzenegger picked up a cup, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and stuffed the handheld console directly into his pocket before returning to the set, followed by the camera.