The GC Console Surprise

"Mr. Alex, GC has really developed a game console, and it's about to be officially released!"

At the CA headquarters, the project leader of "The Collection of Cute Pets" burst into Alex's office with a notebook in hand. "They've even set up the official Pokémon website, and it will be on sale at 8 o'clock this evening!"

As the project leader explained, Indra had prepared a web server and built the Pokémon official website. This site not only facilitated the upcoming sales of the GBA and game cartridges but also featured player-uploaded strategy videos, forums, and official game announcements. Essentially, anything related to Pokémon could be found on this official website.

Initially, the exposure of this website was limited, and not many players had registered. However, once Indra announced the GBA and game cartridges would be sold on the official site, the number of registered users surged dramatically.

"What? They actually developed a game console?" Alex's focus was on the GBA, not the website. "This kind of concept machine should only be sold as a novelty, with a very limited quantity."

GBA! The concept itself was unprecedented. Neither CA nor any foreign game makers had thought of developing a game platform that could challenge computers. Given Earth's rapid technological development, computers' hardware could handle everything. Game companies only needed to develop computer-compatible games and focus on monetization strategies, not on creating a new console.

However, GC Studio not only introduced the concept of a game console but also developed it and prepared it for sale. This was unexpected. Alex still believed computers were the ultimate gaming platform and doubted GC's ability to mass-produce a concept like the GBA.

"No, Mr. Alex, the official website lists 50,000 units for sale!" The project leader's revelation shocked Alex.

"Fifty thousand? What are you kidding?" Alex couldn't believe it. "If I remember correctly, it hasn't even been ten days since Pokémon's release."

Producing 50,000 units of a game console like the GBA in such a short time seemed impossible. The only plausible explanation was that Indra had planned to promote the concept of game consoles long before Pokémon's official release. GBA production was already underway.

"Are they so confident?" Ray, another executive, was equally surprised. "Isn't GameChanger afraid of Pokémon flopping?"

The success of the GBA depended on the reputation and sales of the Pokémon game. If the PC version of Pokémon failed, these 50,000 GBAs would become a liability for GC Studio. However, Pokémon's immense popularity on the internet suggested otherwise.

"Don't worry, I checked the GBA description on the official website," Alex reassured Ray. "The machine's performance is quite ordinary. Many current games could outperform it."

"If I'm not mistaken, GBA is just something GC rushed out," he continued.

"Mr. Alex, you're right. The machine's performance is subpar!" Ray concurred. "How could GC expect to sell 50,000 units of such a low-performance device?"

Ray was skeptical about the GBA's prospects, given that even low-end gaming laptops could outperform it. He couldn't fathom how it could sell out, let alone in such quantities.

"The price isn't bad, but the quantity is excessive, and the performance is lacking..." Alex trailed off as the official launch time of the GBA approached. He decided to wait and see how the situation unfolded.

On the Pokémon official website, the GBA's sales button changed from green (pre-sale) to red (on sale), and within the next second, it turned grey. The grey text box read: SOLD OUT!

Ray and Alex were stunned.

"This... what is this? Is there a system error on the Pokémon website?" Ray quickly speculated. "Mr. Alex, could their server have crashed?"

"Probably," Alex nodded. "The Pokémon game's popularity likely caused an influx of users, crashing the website's server."

Alex couldn't think of any other explanation. The idea that 50,000 GBAs sold out in one second seemed absurd. But soon, they noticed the forum on the official website was still running normally. Players were posting about having successfully purchased GBA consoles and Pokémon Red game cartridges.

As more players shared their success in grabbing GBA consoles and game cartridges, the forum's reply function remained smooth. This led Alex and Ray to a bold realization.

"Could it be that... these 50,000 game consoles actually sold out in one second?" Alex mused.

"It's impossible! The GBA's performance is not as good as an ordinary computer. How could it sell so fast?" Ray countered.

In reality, GBA's main appeal wasn't its performance. Even in Indra's previous life, game consoles couldn't match computer performance. The allure of game consoles lay in their exclusive games.

For example, the GBA sold out in seconds not because of its hardware but because players wanted to experience "Pokémon Red/Green" on a new device or collect it as a novelty.

"Fifty thousand units... all sold out in a second..." Alex muttered, finally grasping the phenomenon. The demand for experiencing Pokémon on a new platform had driven players to snatch up the GBA, despite its modest specifications.