The Meticulous Strategy for Victory, Born from 'Revenge'
What Retro Games Taught Us About Life: The PlayStation 2 Chapter (Part 1)
In the early 2000s, with the fervor of the original PlayStation's "revolution" still in the air, Sony's next move was a quiet but overwhelming "triumphant advance" to completely dominate the market.
The driving force was a passionate desire for "revenge" against Nintendo. However, the reason they were able to stand at the pinnacle of the world was not just because they were passionate. Sony sublimated that passion into an extremely cool-headed "strategy."
At the time, their rivals were Nintendo's "GameCube," Sega's "Dreamcast," and Microsoft's "Xbox." Sony thoroughly researched these competitors and prepared three secret weapons for the battle.
The first secret weapon was the "DVD player function." It was a "Trojan Horse" operation, sending a state-of-the-art AV device into the living room in the form of a game console. The second weapon was "backward compatibility." It allowed the assets of tens of millions of original PlayStation users to be carried over to the PS2. And the third weapon was the exclusive rights to "killer software."
Under this meticulous strategy, the PlayStation 2's victory may have been assured before the fight even began.
What Retro Games Taught Us About Life: The PlayStation 2 Chapter (Part 2)
Part 2: The Triumphant Advance That Proved the Sony Way of Battle
(Previously on...) Armed with three meticulously prepared "secret weapons," the PlayStation 2 entered the 21st-century game market. Its advance could no longer be stopped by anyone.
The true target of the PS2 may no longer have been the hardcore game fans. Its real aim was us—the ones who once loved games but had drifted away upon entering adulthood.
I was one of them. By the time the PS2 came out, I had already lost my passion for gaming. However, I still clearly remember the PS2 emerging as an option when I was looking for a DVD player, the newest media format at the time. As a "DVD player that also comes with games," the price of the PS2 was far too appealing.
This strategy was fundamentally different from that of Nintendo, who created "interesting toys," or Sega, who tried to deliver the "heat of the arcade." It was the power of thorough market analysis, born from a "tenacity to win," and a "clear product proposition" based on that research.
This was the Sony way of battle—a way that was not just about defeating a rival, but about elevating the culture of gaming itself to a new stage.
What Retro Games Taught Us About Life: The PlayStation 2 Chapter (Part 3)
Part 3: 'Light and Shadow' ~The Pressure Carried by a Genius and the Price of Victory~
(Previously on...) With a thorough strategy, the PS2 overwhelmed its rivals, drew in even those who didn't know games, and became the most successful game console in history. At the center of this success was always the "Father of PlayStation," Ken Kutaragi.
The pressure he carried in developing the PS2, after becoming a "hero" with the success of the original, is unimaginable. "Failure is not an option." This weight sometimes isolated him within Sony. His aggressive statements created friction with other divisions, and the overwhelming success of the PS2, in turn, elevated him into a "solitary figure" who was difficult to approach.
This story teaches us an unwavering truth for modern business and for all challengers who seek to accomplish something.
Fiery passion alone cannot change the world. Only when that passion is forged into a "blade" called calm strategy can one cut a path into a new era. But that blade, at times, may become a double-edged sword that deeply wounds its wielder as well.