Reborn America, this is my time

Chapter 99 The Undercurrent Surges Under the Celebration

Still that office, still those three people.

But at this moment, the old man was not only not angry, but leaned on his seat with his legs crossed.

The fat subordinate in front of him was holding a document and reading it——

"According to the patent licensing fees we have received in the past two months, the entire North American game company is almost wiped out."

"After "Pac-Man" hit the market, people in North America are full of enthusiasm for this game."

"They love the yellow figure running madly through the maze, devouring beans."

"I also like those ghosts who are chasing after each other with their own characteristics."

"Under the continuous laying of "Pac-Man" arcade machines, other companies dare not launch new products at all."

"Because they are afraid that those boring games will rot in the warehouse after they are produced."

Such words made the old man smile and nod.

"Group annihilation?"

"Oh—this is really outrageous—"

He said with emotion:

"If someone told me a few years ago that in the future, someone could occupy North America with one work, then I would definitely not believe it."

"Because there is no difference between video games and movies and novels, they are all artificially created works. Since it is artificial, it cannot satisfy everyone, because everyone has different interests and hobbies."

"but……"

"Pac-Man is really different."

"When I saw it for the first time, or when I heard the exclamation of those professors at the press conference, I realized that this game is actually a combination of inspiration and technology. Its selling point is both inspiration and It’s technology that ordinary people have never seen before.”

"When the two appear at the same time, the current market feedback is normal."

"Although people living in different places have different interests and hobbies, as long as they are individuals, they will always have curiosity."

"When the media exaggerates a kind of magic to the world, people who hear the news will go and have a look."

"So, when "Pac-Man" has this kind of convenience, its success is inevitable, and of course, it cannot be copied."

The boss's words surprised the fat and thin subordinates.

They looked at each other quietly.

Both of them saw surprise in each other's eyes.

Although they concealed their actions as much as possible, how could the old man fail to notice when he was leaning on the seat?
After seeing his subordinate's small movements that he tried to conceal, he was in a good mood and immediately smiled and said, "What's wrong?"

"What's your reaction?"

"Can't I, as a human being, have the emotions of joy and admiration?"

"Yes!"

"Ethan Jones has threatened us several times before, but this time is different from before, right?"

"The previous "Snake" made us questioned."

"Later, Ralph Bell, it was to prevent us from receiving his patent fees."

"But does Pac-Man have anything to do with us this time?"

"Isn't this the whole industry being slapped by him?"

"Since everyone has been beaten, doesn't that mean that everyone has not been beaten?"

The old man spread his arms and looked at the two with a smile.

Such nonsense, but the fat and thin subordinates were dumbfounded when they heard it!
However, after hesitating for a second, the fatty smiled and said, "Boss, I think you are right."

"The ones who are most affected by the game of "Pac-Man" are those who make arcade machines."

"Those of us who make home consoles are not affected at all."

'? ? ? '

As soon as these words came out, the expression on the thin man's face became very exciting.

Not only that, but he also instinctively took a step to the side.

Because he always felt that his boss was sick, and he had a kind of madness, and his colleagues around him were also infected, and his IQ plummeted. In the huge office, he was the only one who was normal.

And his incompatible movements were also seen by the old man.

After discovering that his two subordinates had different expressions, he stopped talking and joking. Instead, he picked up the documents on the table and shook them out of thin air.

"Look at this."

"This is a document sent to me by the chairman a few days ago, from the work arrangement of the parent company Philips."

"When I saw this document, I understood why they have been holding us accountable for our work."

"Or rather..."

"Why do they keep paying attention to our work, especially our home game console products."

This remark made the fat man put away his teasing thoughts, and made the thin man serious.

The two stepped forward and took the file.

When they opened it, their brows became a wrinkle.

Because it says so-

[Following the latest work arrangement of the parent company Philips, starting today, you must focus on the real-time changes in the North American game market, and try to acquire those game companies that have encountered operational difficulties due to the emergence of "Pac-Man", including but not limited to last year Kee Games, which released Tanks, and Midway Games, which released Asteroids. 】

"Boss, what does this mean?"

The fat and thin subordinates didn't understand, and they cast puzzled looks at the old man.

The old man didn't mean to explain, but smiled and said: "Turn the page."

Following his instructions, the two bowed their heads again.

And the content on the second page of the document made their pupils shrink!
[According to the latest work arrangement of the parent company Philips, strategically abandoning the Odyssey 300 product, you can continue to sell, but at the same time, you must also pay close attention to the research and development of the next generation of products. In terms of major research and development directions, they have not delineated the content, you guys You can continue to use the ROM tape cartridge as a storage medium, but at the same time, they also hope that you can build a LaserDisc interface for the Odyssey. 】

When the word LaserDisc was captured by the fat and thin duo, the two raised their heads almost at the same time!

"Philips means, want to make our Odyssey a multifunctional home entertainment device???"

The thin man lost his voice.

The subordinate's reaction made the old man nod with a smile and said, "Yes."

"You are right."

"Philips wanted to make our Odyssey a comprehensive home entertainment system."

'? ? ? '

This idea shocked the fat and thin duo.

They frown at their superiors, eager for more news.

And the old man didn't mean to hide it, he stood up slowly while leaning on the armrest of the seat, and while walking towards the window to look outside, he also said: "Actually, a few days ago, when I was called out by the board of directors, I The reaction is the same as yours."

"It wasn't until that time that I understood why Philips acquired our company, because their core purpose was to promote their video disc technology, LaserDisc, on the continent of America through us."

"LaserDisc is a technology you should have heard of. It was developed on the basis of the optical video recording technology that appeared in 1963. As early as 1969, Philips had successfully developed it, and in 1972, it pushed this standard to to the market."

"You should be clear that there are countless difficulties in the emergence of a new standard to enter people's families. The first thing you need to face is the old standard that already exists in the industry, because before that, they have already understood the current market. A monopoly has been carried out, and in order to break this monopoly, the only thing technology manufacturers can do is to promote themselves."

"So, after constant selection, they chose us..."

"As for the reason, it's very simple, because when the LaserDisc technology is used, it involves the use of analog video signals, and up to now, only Professor Ralph Bell's home game console in North America is using video signals."

"This natural fit made Philips very satisfied, so it proposed to acquire us in 1974."

"According to Philips' original idea, it is to add a LaserDisc port to the Odyssey product to promote its video disc products to the North American people. For a broader market, it is necessary to allow the Odyssey product to have a certain degree of retention in the market. quantity."

Speaking of this, the old man's words are just a meal.

He who was still standing in front of the window looking at the world suddenly turned around, looked at the two subordinates with a smile, and said, "So..."

"You know why they're mad about the Ethan Jones thing?"

When this question came up, the fat and thin subordinates immediately nodded instinctively!

If they don't understand the truth of the matter at this moment, then they are stupid!
Why did Philips suddenly pay attention to Ethan Jones?
Why would Philips doubt their ability to work?

Isn't that because of the explosion of "Snake Game"!
If "Snake Game" is a game born in their Mi Luohua, then their Mi Luohua can completely use this game to make the Odyssey product skyrocket!
When Odyssey's market distribution surges, Philips will be able to promote their video disc standard to the North American people by adding a LaserDisc interface!

Just when this step comes up...

Philips will be able to destroy the life of the traditional video tape industry!
When every household bought an Odyssey, an Odyssey with a LaserDisc playback standard...

Then Philips can vigorously lobby Hollywood entertainment companies to let them use their own video discs to copy film and television programs!
At that time...

That would be a monopoly situation!
But unfortunately...

Ethan Jones doesn't belong to Mirovah.

Philips was very angry at the loss of the genius creativity of "Snake Game".

no way……

Who let the publicity opportunities at your fingertips be right in front of you!

"So...Philips doesn't care if Ethan Jones has a deal with Nolan Bushnell?"

Thinking of this, the thin man swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "They don't even care how much our lawsuit cost Ethan Jones?"

"Their previous questioning was just to vent their anger?"

This question kept the old man silent for a few seconds.

In the end, he shook his head and said, "You're right, but you're not right either."

"Philips cares about Snake Game, so they will hold us accountable for losing it."

"But at the same time, they discovered that the loss of "Snake Game", or the rise of Ethan Jones, brought them, and us, a better opportunity."

'? ? ? '

These words made the fat and thin people not understand.

The old man smiled and continued: "A few days ago, when the chairman called me over, he said that Philips is very happy now."

"It's nice to see this kind of dominance in the arcade market."

"When Ethan Jones alone dominates the arcade game market, other companies with excellent ideas in the market will inevitably fall into a difficult situation due to insufficient funds and absence in the market."

"Some people may choose to follow in the footsteps of Ethan Jones and continue to make CPU arcade machines."

"But more companies will be afraid of the difficulty of developing CPU games, and choose to stop there."

"At this time, we can buy those companies that are about to go bankrupt at a very low price, put those games that have caused huge waves in the game market into Odyssey, and attract a group of outstanding producers into Mirov... ..."

"Now, in the entire market, we are the only one making home game consoles!"

"But at the same time, in the entire market, there are still countless game companies that dare not make electronic arcade machines!"

"We just need to get those ideas on our home consoles, and we can invade every home in North America in a short time!"

"And this is what Philips wants to see most!"

When this fact appeared, the fat and thin subordinate immediately laughed...

And it's not just because they feel their jobs are saved.

It is also because they are looking forward to the grand goals of the parent company.

Based on North America, set the rules for the global video playback standard?

If this Nima succeeds, then Mi Luohua will become a monopoly giant?

At that time, the special thing is to lie down and make money!

And their treatment...

It will also be infinitely improved!

"So it's still a good thing for us that Ethan Jones releases Pac-Man?"

"He directly disrupted the entire industry and gave us a new life?"

The fat man was a little surprised.

"I'm going to collect information about those game companies, see which companies have the idea of ​​changing careers, and see which companies have the possibility of bankruptcy!"

Such words also made the thin man nod constantly, and said: "I will contact the technical department and ask them to try to add a LaserDisc port to the next generation product, or to see if there is a LaserDisc player built into the Odyssey. possible."

The decisiveness of the subordinates made the old man very happy.

Nodding his head in agreement, he waved his hand and said, "Go."

However, just as the fat and thin subordinates were about to leave, the thin man who thought of something suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Then, he asked the question that just popped into his mind, "Boss, there are two more things."

"What is it, tell me." The old man was in a good mood.

"Is our next-generation Odyssey going to use a CPU?"

"of course."

"Then..." The thin man hesitated.

The old man understood what he wanted to say, and said, "Choose Intel."

"Okay." The thin man nodded immediately.

"What's the second thing?" the old man asked.

"The second thing is... what if Ethan Jones also makes a home game console?" The thin man was a little embarrassed.

Although he didn't want to tell the worst of the situation, sometimes, someone had to be the warrior.

"If Ethan Jones is also making a home console, all of us combined may not be able to beat him alone."

"Because his idea is really..."

"too strong."

This remark made the old man smile slightly, nodded and said: "Do you think Ethan Jones can still have excellent ideas after he created "Pac-Man" and "Snake Game"?"

"Oh--"

"Do you really believe what Steven Spielberg says?"

"Spielberg is clearly touting him."

"He, Ethan Jones, is just a human being, and he's not a god!"

"I can guarantee that there will be no more amazing ideas in his mind!"

Such absolute words made the thin man swallow his saliva.

And his hesitant expression made the old man smile and shake his head: "Okay, Okay, Philips is actually prepared for the worst."

"They thought about what it would be like if Ethan Jones could come up with a new idea."

"But after the assessment, they felt there was a threat, but not much."

"Because Philips is working with Sony to develop a new technology that allows optical discs to store data."

"If you have to describe it, it is equivalent to a CD version of ROM."

"Its storage capacity is expected to be several times or even ten times that of the magnetic cartridge version of ROM."

"At that point, no matter how creative Ethan Jones is, the world will have to use our stuff."

"So, our Odyssey just needs to hold on until this technology comes out."

"And this shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"After all, Ethan Jones is enjoying himself in the electronic arcade field."

"And even if North America is over, Liben still has a market waiting for him to open up."

"If I remember correctly, the original agent of "Snake Game" was taken by Nintendo?"

"Oh, this is really God bless us Mirova!"

"You go and call our old friend Hiroshi Yamauchi, and say that Ethan Jones' new idea "Pac-Man" has swept across North America, and the estimated revenue will exceed one billion, and the MOS 6502 under his name is The best CPU in the world for arcades and consoles, and then..."

"Trust me, Hiroshi Yamauchi will annoy him to death."

Having said that, a bright smile appeared on the old man's face.

As for the fat and thin subordinates, they were delighted.

Because they know they—

The future is expected!

　Note: ① In reality, Philips acquired Miravo to promote its own video disc standard, and they obtained the North American patent in 78.Mi Luohua's machines were sold until the 90s. ②CD-ROM technology was jointly developed by Philips and Sony. ③ I don’t know if you have heard the story of the console war in the 90s.To put it simply, Sony first pulled Nintendo to make game consoles, and wanted to promote its own CD standard through game consoles. However, because the contract agreement was not good for Nintendo, Nintendo tore up the contract and worked with Philips to research game consoles. Sony could only study it alone. , and then the PS came out, Nintendo lost the whole loss, and Philips, who played the role of cross-cutting love in this story, exploded on the spot.But in fact, before this story, in the 70s, Philips had done two standard-setting things. Specifically, it was written in the article that it used Mirov (in fact, there was Polygram) to promote the video disc standard and the compact disc standard.It was not Sony, but Philips that wanted to use video games to gain the right to speak in the industry.But in reality, Philips failed for two reasons. The first one was bad luck. The Odyssey machine couldn't sell Atari no matter what.The second one is still bad luck. When they came out with CD-ROM in 82, they wanted to make the second-generation Odyssey, and released it in 83. Then on Christmas in 82, ET swallowed up the entire North American game market. The collapse of Atari scared Philips directly to the second-generation Odyssey project.So when they teamed up with Nintendo, it was Philips' third attempt at setting a standard.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)