Before CSK’s Mr. Okawa passed away, he visited Gates many times. He earnestly hoped that if Dreamcast compatibility could be incorporated into XBOX, Sega would provide its library of titles for XBOX and create a path forward for Dreamcast customers. Mr. Okawa insisted that an internet connection was essential, while MS maintained that internet connectivity was unnecessary, and the talks collapsed.
Gates went so far as to tell CSK’s Mr. Okawa, “If you are going to talk about connecting a game console to the internet, you are wasting your time, so go home.” On his way back from Seattle to Napa by private jet, Mr. Okawa made an intermediate stop (?) in Phoenix, where I was visiting, and gave me a ride. Right before my eyes, he decided at that moment to donate more than ¥4 billion to MIT.Using that ¥4 billion as funding, MIT would later present as its own plan the idea for a $100 computer, which had been conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi. Mr. Okawa asked, “Mr. Negroponte at MIT is working hard for children and internet connectivity, isn’t he?” The instant I answered, “Yes!” Mr. Okawa instructed that the money be transferred to MIT.
Mr. Okawa apparently felt that, despite negotiating with Gates through his own efforts, he had been unable to offer Dreamcast customers a succession plan. He also seems to have wondered whether his involvement had been good for Sega. Before his death, he donated ¥85 billion of his personal assets to Sega, saying, “Could you use this to fill in at least some of the hole I made?” Then he passed away. (http://twitter.com/SamFURUKAWA/status/7612161941)
It is surprising that Mr. Okawa showed more foresight than Bill Gates on this issue. I also did not know that the idea for the $100 PC came from Mr. Nishi, or that Mr. Okawa was the source of funding for the MIT project…. I think these accomplishments deserve far greater recognition around the world.