Why does Smile Boom continue to make small-scale computers that are not profitable? 'Reiwa Latest Edition BASIC Circumstances” Report [CEDEC 2024]

Siri ``Petit Computer'' membolehkan anda memprogram menggunakan BASIC nostalgia pada konsol permainan seperti Nintendo Switch dan Nintendo DSi. Pembangun sendiri mengatakan bahawa faedahnya adalah ``anda boleh meneka'', tetapi mengapa Smile Boom meneruskan siri ini?Dalam kuliah CEDEC 2024"Keadaan ASAS Terkini Reiwa: Mengapa kita terus membuat komputer kecil"
, sejarah komputer kecil dan sebab untuk terus berbuat demikian telah dibincangkan.

● “Keadaan ASAS Terkini Reiwa: Mengapa Kami Terus Membuat Komputer Petit” Pembesar Suara

Encik Shoichi Hosoda (Ibu Pejabat Pembangunan Smile Boom)Encik Takaki Kobayashi (Pengarah Perwakilan Smile Boom)

Foto dari kiri: En. Shoichi Hosoda (Pengurus Ibu Pejabat Pembangunan Smile Boom) dan En. Takaki Kobayashi (Pengarah Wakil Smile Boom) Smile Boom ialah sebuah syarikat perisian yang diasaskan pada tahun 2008 oleh Takaki Kobayashi, pencipta permainan seperti ``Uddipoko'' dan ``Ore Ryori.'' Matlamatnya adalah untuk ``mengeluarkan satu produk dalaman setahun.'' ialah tersenarai. Sesetengah rumah perisian memberi tumpuan kepada kerja kontrak dan tidak mampu mengeluarkan produk mereka sendiri, tetapi mengeluarkan satu produk setahun boleh dikatakan sebagai langkah yang baik.
Salah satu produk dalaman sedemikian ialah siri "Komputer Petit", yang telah tersedia sejak 2011. Dilengkapi dengan ``SmileBASIC'', yang merupakan susunan bahasa pengaturcaraan BASIC untuk pemula, membolehkan pelbagai pengaturcaraan. Dalam erti kata lain, anda boleh menggunakan konsol permainan anda seperti komputer hobi nostalgia. Oleh kerana konsepnya yang menarik, Petit Computer menjadi "wajah" ledakan senyuman. Walau bagaimanapun, Encik Hosoda berkata bahawa produk Smile Boom sendiri sebenarnya tidak laku sama sekali, dan bahawa ``hampir semua kerja mereka tidak mampu untuk membayar kos pengeluaran.'' Sebaliknya, kedudukan kewangan syarikat adalah kukuh, dan ia telah berada dalam kegelapan selama 16 tahun berturut-turut. Dalam erti kata lain, syarikat terus mengeluarkan produk sendiri dengan perbelanjaan sendiri, tetapi apakah rahsia untuk menguruskan syarikat dengan cara yang baik. Ini adalah tema kuliah ini.








Pada asalnya, Smile Boom mempunyai matlamat untuk menjalankan perniagaannya semata-mata dengan menjual produknya sendiri. Ini, digabungkan dengan kepercayaan En. Kobayashi bahawa ``Saya ingin mencipta BASIC saya sendiri'' dan ``Sebuah rumah perisian mesti mencipta ASAS yang asli,'' membawa kepada pembangunan BASIC asal untuk syarikat (pada 1980-an, Encik Kobayashi Pelbagai jenis BASIC popular di dunia permainan, seperti Davy Software, yang terletak di Jepun, mengeluarkan ``dB-BASIC,'' dan Hudson, sebuah lagi rumah perisian Hokkaido, mengeluarkan ``Hu-BASIC.' ')Walau bagaimanapun, memandangkan Smile Boom baru sahaja diasaskan dan tidak mempunyai dana, sifat projek itu menyukarkan untuk membawanya kepada penerbit, jadi mereka perlahan-lahan membina prototaip pada Xbox 360. Mesin ini mempunyai papan kekunci kecil yang bersambung ke pengawal untuk berbual, dan diandaikan bahawa pengaturcaraan boleh dilakukan menggunakan ini.
Di bawah keadaan ini, projek kontrak besar datang ke dalam ledakan senyuman. Kami memutuskan untuk membuat BASIC daripada mengambil cukai daripada ganjaran, jadi pengeluaran bermula dengan bersungguh-sungguh. Model yang serasi ialah Nintendo DSi, yang boleh menggunakan panel sentuh sebagai papan kekunci perisian. Diputuskan bahawa format jualan akan dimuat turun, yang menghapuskan keperluan untuk bimbang tentang ketersediaan stok. Pembangunan dan penyahpepijatan disalurkan kepada syarikat luar, yang luar biasa untuk sistem pembangunan komputer kecil. Selain daripada kerja ini, komputer berskala kecil secara konsisten dibiayai secara dalaman.
Komputer Petit, yang dikeluarkan pada Mac 2011, menarik perhatian ramai, dan imej korporat baharu sebagai ``Syarikat Komputer Petit'' telah ditambah ke ledakan senyuman. Encik Hosoda sendiri mempunyai keraguan, ``Kenapa BASIC sekarang?'' sehingga dia diarahkan oleh Encik Kobayashi untuk menyertai pasukan pembangunan, tetapi selepas benar-benar menggunakannya, dia berkata, ``Selagi anda tahu arahan, anda boleh dapatkan keputusan segera.'' Dia berkata dia dapat mengesahkan semula merit "keluar."
Hampir 100% pembeli adalah dari generasi yang tahu tentang komputer hobi nostalgia. Walaupun sejumlah besar salinan telah dijual, harga 800 yen sebotol tidak membawa kepada jualan.


The second work, ``Petit Computer mkII'', was started after a large-scale project was cancelled. The Petit Computer mkII was created by combining the planning of an app for the Petit Computer to manage files and exchange files between users, and improvements to SmileBASIC. This is where the small computer development style was established, with no set release date, a low priority, and development carried out using spare time and free time, with 2 to 3 people involved (4 to 8 people in total). I am doing it.
The reason why the release date has not been determined and the reason why it is a low priority is because we are prioritizing other projects that will make money. It is said that the sales of the small computer itself are not used as an asset to the company's management. Petit Computer MkII was also expanded overseas and was sold in the United States and Europe, but the reaction was good in the United States, but not so much in Europe, resulting in contrasting results.


"Petit Computer No. 3 SmileBASIC" has been transferred to the Nintendo 3DS. I had been working on reworking SmileBASIC in between other large projects, and when I had some free time, I started working on it. The theme was ``Petit computer that pops out with stereoscopic vision'', and the ``LOCATE'' command, which normally specifies only the X and Y axes, can be specified up to the Z axis in Petit Computer 3, making use of the characteristics of the model. .
According to Mr. Hosoda, ``It sold quite well,'' with the number of users among elementary and junior high school students increasing. This was due to the high affinity between the Nintendo 3DS communication service ``Miiverse'' and Petit Computer. It seems that a virtuous cycle has been created in which when people ask questions about programming on Miiverse, veterans will teach them.
However, in addition to the server operating costs, the company had to rely on an outside party to check the ``public programs'' registered by users, so the company was left with ``you'll have to guess'' as to its profits and losses.


``Petit Computer BIG'' for Wii U started out as a desire to program on a large screen, but the pace slowed down as we were busy with other projects. The structure was such that he would work on projects during the day, and then proceed with the development of a small computer BIG late at night.


The latest work is "Petit Computer 4 SmileBASIC" for Switch. After the busy project was over, the world was seeing a Switch boom, and programming education was also attracting attention. Since BASIC is an educational language, it was targeted at beginners in programming. It is said that this decision was made thanks to the series of Petit Computers and the fact that they had loyal fans.
After its successful release, Petit Computer 4 continues to sell well even after five years, and is now able to cover operating costs such as daily server fees and fees for checking published programs.


Although there have been price reductions in the history of petit computers, Mr. Hosoda reflects that this was a bad strategy from a long-term perspective. In particular, for Petit Computer BIG, the price was lowered from 3,000 yen for home use to 1,000 yen, but Petit Computer No. 3, which was released at the same time, had no choice but to lower its price, which affected profits. That's what it means.
Also, it seems that if the prices were lowered, the effect of the sale would also decrease. In response to this, Petit Computer 4 adopted the same strategy as Steam, which regularly holds sales. Sales are an effective way for already released software to attract attention through download sales, so Petit Computer 4 is also on sale to coincide with indie game sales.
Additionally, although Petit Computer No. 3 was set at a price that made it easy for children to ask their parents, it was ultimately not the parents who paid for it, so this was not very effective either. There is a tendency to think simplistically that products for children mean low prices that can be paid with children's pocket money, but this is not the case, and this can be said to be valuable knowledge gained through practical experience.


In order to continue to run a healthy business even if your company's products are not selling, you should prioritize your own product projects by giving them a low priority by thinking, ``Make it anyway,'' ``The time to sell is when it's ready,'' and ``I have a chance to make it when I have free time.'' He continued, ``I don't expect any sales.''
To this end, it is important to keep in mind to "secure stable financial resources" and to take on many long-term, high-priced, and flame-retardant projects (projects that are unlikely to catch fire), even if they are not large-scale, and to handle them efficiently. Even if the company's products do not sell themselves, they are useful for sales activities when looking for contract work, so Smile Boom considers their products to be ``promotional goods.''
To that end, Mr. Hosoda says that it is necessary to avoid genres in which other companies offer similar products. A small software house like ours can continue to operate even if it releases its own products that are unprofitable, so companies that want to release their own products but are only doing contract work should definitely cross the line. ``If you handle it well, you won't go bankrupt even if it doesn't sell!'' , he encouraged from his own experience.

This lecture also talks about educational activities using the Petit Computer series. Although Petit Computer was created without education in mind, it was well-received by educators and was in demand for workshops.
It's difficult to explain everything about programming languages, so we decided to use the ``shakyo'' method, which focuses on the fun of typing in a prepared list and turning it into a game. However, when trying to get the child to type in a 1,000-line list in six hours, the child would sometimes lose concentration and cry.
Since everyone has a Switch and it can be easily connected to an external display, it is the perfect model to use in a workshop. Although this may be taken away, Mr. Kobayashi continues to hold workshops because of his desire to ``nurturing people.''


It's a difficult topic to decide which to focus on: the creative activity of creating your own work, or the work you do to make a living. I'm sure there are many software houses and individual developers who continue to worry about these issues, and I think this lecture gave them courage. Smile Boom's efforts, which not only produce their own products but also hold workshops to develop people, are worthy of attention.

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