In the console market, it seems that Sury Electronics has already given up the struggle.
Or perhaps they no longer aim to secure a certain position in the home console market.
So, they've shifted focus to the handheld platform, as Gamestar Electronics hasn't seemed to have any major development plans in this area recently, only releasing updates for a few fixed games.
Simply put, Sury Electronics believes they can capture more of the handheld market.
As a result, the competition between Sury Electronics and Gamestar Electronics has become less intense recently.
However, when the Titanfall game's teaser was released, Sury Electronics still showed a great deal of attention.
The smooth CG quality has already become an industry benchmark; it's pretty impressive.
They have also seen the actual gameplay, and based on the feedback from the internet, they noticed a huge number of players are excited about it.
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Hirokawa Uemoto also urged his team to come up with a similar product, but it ended up being a mere imitation, and producing something of the same quality as Titanfall in a short time was an unrealistic dream.
Currently, a normal major production usually takes at least two years.
Gamestar Electronics is unique in that they always manage to complete a top-tier large game in just two years—are they really walking the wrong path?
Fortunately, this game is only going to be released on the home computer platform and Gamestar Electronics' home game console platform.
In the handheld market, Sury Electronics still seems to be doing well.
However, even in this favorable environment, there are still some things troubling Hirokawa Uemoto.
That would be the growing mobile internet market.
Previously, handheld consoles were mainly entertainment products for people to use outdoors.
With Sury Electronics' strong multi-industry development capabilities, their latest handheld console offers rich multimedia features.
However, the mini-CD format they pushed for didn't prove very successful.
In this aspect, Gamestar Electronics actually holds the upper hand.
If the performance is the same, Gamestar Electronics can win over players with a smaller form factor, as storage cards take up much less space compared to the mini-CD drives.
This has made Sury Electronics question if they've gone down the wrong path.
But that's just a doubt, for now.
Until Mikfo released what can be considered the world's ultimate smartphone, this doubt was slowly turning into certainty.
It seems that in the handheld entertainment field, relying on a disc system is really foolish.
A small storage card can hold vast amounts of content, while a disc system requires huge space.
The cost of a disc may be cheaper, but in the mobile field, people prefer to exchange money for reduced space and increased functionality.
Recently, the most discussed and threatening topic Sury Electronics has heard of is the MK1 smartphone.
Because it's fashionable, portable, and can handle multiple functions.
Gaming, music, videos, photography, calls, and real-time internet access are all the major strengths of the smartphone.
And handheld consoles may perform better in gaming graphics and performance, but how many people are truly devoted to gaming?
More people prefer multifunctional entertainment products.
Also, calling is a feature everyone needs; that's the main thing.
Multifunctional entertainment products are slowly eroding the handheld market, which has made Sury Electronics even more cautious. Therefore, they're developing more features for their handheld consoles and have plans to directly eliminate the seemingly redundant disc system, adding more entertainment features.
But this hasn't slowed down the expansion and erosion caused by smartphones.
Of course, this is something Hirokawa Uemoto has to worry about. On the other hand, Gamestar Electronics continues with its well-paced promotion of the new consoles.
After the first wave of Titanfall teasers were released, the online topic popularity skyrocketed.
Gamestar Electronics' marketing team naturally started to build on this momentum, using all their resources to boost the publicity.
According to their research, Titanfall is the most discussed game in Gamestar Electronics' history.
If this trend continues, Titanfall might break several of Gamestar Electronics' existing sales records.
For example, the first-week sales record.
This has always been firmly held by Mario, with Mario Galaxy being the highest, crossing five million sales after the game console's release.
This isn't just about promoting the game over and over; it's more about hoping to break previous records and reach a new peak.
However, it's certainly very difficult. If it weren't, it wouldn't be challenging, and it wouldn't excite people.
In the three major sales battlefields—America, Asia, and Europe—Titanfall's promotional materials are being launched at the highest scale.
From the most direct ground promotion to advertisements on major TV stations, the cost for this alone has already reached $100 million, which is a substantial investment.
But this money is nothing, as long as the sales hit the target, the promotional costs will be fully recovered.
The most important thing is the game development progress.
Based on the current development status, the game is nearing completion, about 80% done. The remaining work involves adjusting the game and fixing bugs. If the cycle is short, everything can be wrapped up in about six months.
Six months is also a perfect promotional rhythm, allowing the media to collaborate.
So, Gamestar Electronics decided on the release date for Titanfall.
Early 2007.
And they will officially release a game demo before Christmas 2006.
The demo will include a complete training level and a multiplayer battle map for online gameplay.
Titanfall will impress not only in its storytelling but also in its long-lasting online mode.
Gamestar Electronics believes that with the right handling, Titanfall's multiplayer mode might become a new competitive event. Recently, the eSports scene has been struggling with a lack of new competitive events, especially in first-person shooters. There are only Counter-Strike and Brown Entertainment's WWII online battle game, with too few choices for players. Several future sci-fi-themed first-person shooter online games are just what the community needs.
After Gamestar Electronics announced the release pace for Titanfall, the excitement from players grew even more.
Previously, they could only wait for months for updates, but recently, Titanfall's movements have been growing more frequent, which is a very good sign, indicating the game might be released soon.
And most importantly, the demo is finally coming!
So, is it possible to pilot the Titan mechs in the game?