game trailblazer

Chapter 294 The Business War at the End of the Century ([-])
Zhang Lexing looked at Qin Nengjun, the president of Blue Bird Co., Ltd. on the screen in front of him, and asked, "How is the situation with RB now?"

Qin Nengjun on the screen thought for a while, and replied: "Boss, according to the latest statistics, the sales of DreamBox128 game consoles have begun to pick up, and the sales of several recently launched games have also improved compared to the previous period. It seems that PS2 game consoles After the listing, players no longer continue to hold coins for purchase..."

"Is there any specific sales data?" Zhang Lexing asked again.

"There is already a part of it. You can see this, but due to time constraints, the current data is not complete enough." Qin Nengjun picked up a document, gestured and said: "I have attached it to your email, and I will send it to you later. You can see it."

Zhang Lexing nodded, and then pressed the remote control. The screen in front of him changed, and Chen Zhipeng, the head of the game hardware project team of the Hong Kong Game Research Institute, appeared in the center of the screen.

"Have you received the PS2 game console that was transported by air?" Zhang Lexing asked.

About a second later, Chen Zhipeng reflected on the screen and replied: "Oh, I just received it, and it has been sent to the laboratory for research."

"Is there any difference compared with the PS2 development kit you got earlier?" Zhang Lexing asked.

"From the appearance point of view, it is not much different from the PS2 test machine in the kit, but the specific details need to be further compared." Chen Zhipeng replied with a delay of about one second.

"Then what is the result of the evaluation of the PS2 development kit?" Zhang Lexing asked a question he was most concerned about, which may be related to the development potential of the PS2 game console in the early stage.

"Well, the main situation is this..." Chen Zhipeng dug out a document and began to introduce it.

According to Chen Zhipeng, the performance of the PS2 game console itself is still good, and the design is relatively reasonable, but there are still some shortcomings.For example, the biggest selling point is the EE processor, which claims to have the function of emotional engine. Through the cooperation of CPU, FPU and two vector units, the EE processor can theoretically complete 21 floating-point operation cycles per clock, reaching 6.2GFLOPS. However, in fact, due to the need for sequential execution and the lack of support from the secondary cache, the actual performance of the EE processor cannot reach the theoretical value. According to the evaluation of the researcher of the Game Research Institute, in general, the EE processor can reach the theoretical value About 60% of the value, which is 3.72GFLOPS.

The graphics processor GS included in the PS2 is the most boasted by Sony Computer Entertainment. When the technical indicators were first disclosed, it was claimed that the PS2 can achieve 7500 million polygon processing capabilities per second, and the storage bandwidth of the graphics processor is as high as 48GB per second.However, after analysis and research by Chen Zhipeng and others, it was found that this is just a publicity strategy of Ken Kutaragi, or that the GS graphics processor can only be achieved in theory.After evaluation, in fact, the number of polygons that can be used in a PS2 game is about 200 million to 300 million. Only in this case can a better balanced effect be achieved.

The above two points are only one aspect of the PS2 problem. In fact, the biggest problem is the imperfect multi-processing environment and development tools of the PS2. The "PROdg" development software produced by the British company "SNSYSTEMS" is not bad, but it cooperates with Sony Computer Entertainment. The development kits that have been saved have become less harmonious. Perhaps the thinking of Sony’s department responsible for the development kits is still in the PSX era five years ago, and those game developers who are new to PS2 are imagined as skilled veterans. As a result, the development kit can theoretically design a more efficient program, but the premise is that the developer is very familiar with the PS2 hardware.

It is said that many programmers almost fainted when they first got this PS2 development kit. There is no way to avoid it. The development manual is written too professionally, even for many old programmers from the PS2 era. The commonly used functions such as "anti-aliasing" are even more incomprehensible. I don't know if it is because of too much haste or other reasons. There are still many errors in the code examples given in the development manual. Even if they are input as they are, they will not pass compilation.To be honest, even Chen Zhipeng and his group of seasoned veterans feel a little helpless when faced with the PS2 development kit.

In contrast, the development environment provided by the DreamBox128 game console is simply outrageously convenient. Not only does it have an integrated editing environment like VisualC++, it also provides a general programming interface imitating DirectX, and even programmers who have never been in the game circle before Can also write code decently.The underlying support of the operating system, the convenient integrated code editing environment, and the relatively low-cost development kit, comparing the two, the DreamBox128 and PS2 are superior, and this may be the final choice of many game developers, especially small and medium game developers. One of the reasons why DreamBox128 is their development platform.

……

After listening to Chen Zhipeng's introduction, Zhang Lexing pressed the remote control, turned off the TV screen in front of him and the satellite equipment connected to the video, and then pushed open the cover of the side window, and the brilliant sunlight came in through the thick glass , the light in the cabin became brighter.Zhang Lexing is not in his office on Lockhart Road in Wanchai, Hong Kong at this time, nor is he in his seaside villa, but is sitting on his private plane "BL901 Global Express".

"The plane is about to arrive in the sky above Tokyo. Please fasten your seat belts. The plane is about to start landing..." When Zhang Lexing was looking out through the porthole, the radio on the plane rang, and the sweet voice of the stewardess came from inside. .

Zhang Lexing came to Tokyo this time, not because he was worried about the sales of DreamBox128. He had already made so many preparations and grabbed the leading position. Hit him to death, and then hit him to death himself.The reason why he still flies here at this time is that he just wants to go to Akihabara to see what the legendary buying frenzy looks like. By the way, he also wants to collect a set of PS2 game consoles, although this thing is now Competitors, but for him, the curator of the "Video Game History Museum", for a person who runs the museum with a fair heart, the PS2 game console is definitely valuable for collection.

As the "BL901 Global Express" descended, the portholes were gradually covered by thick clouds, as if in a room full of smoke, nothing could be seen clearly.After a while, the plane trembled slightly and jumped out of the clouds. Zhang Lexing looked out the porthole and suddenly found a large ocean below, which looked like Tokyo Bay. It seemed that Tokyo had really arrived ...

Akihabara Electric Street, in front of the famous Itanium chain video game store, also gathered a large number of people. They were all waiting in line to buy games on the DreamBox128 console, including Hidaka Genno.Relying on the good performance of games on the DreamBox128 console for half a year, especially the excellent connotation of "Dragon Quest 7", Hidaka Genno has been completely conquered and has become an avid DB128 fan. He would buy a set and take it home.

But this time Hidaka came here not just to buy games, but to see the Gundam limited edition DreamBox128 game console that went on sale at 49600 o'clock, including a set of "Mobile Suit Gundam X" games, priced at 10000 yen. Only 128 sets will be sold.From an economic point of view, this set of Gundam Limited Edition DreamBox9800 game console is definitely not as cost-effective as the regular version. It is almost 9901 yen higher, and you can already buy a new set of games. In other words, this is priceless, because in addition to the game, this set of game consoles also has a GX-[-]-DX body model that is also a limited edition and is not open for retail sale.

Hidaka Genno also belongs to this type of people. Since he bought the model of the GS-9900G-FALCON, he has learned about the existence of the GX-9901-DX body from the instructions, and the two can be combined to form the MA form. But he tried his best and couldn't find any model of GX-9901-DX airframe on the market, and occasionally he encountered a model that looked a bit like it, but it was just a gimmick.It was not until nearly a month ago that he finally learned about the GX-9901-DX body. It turned out that he had to buy a limited edition DreamBox128 game console to have a chance to get a set.In order not to miss this unique opportunity, he has been queuing up since four days ago, just to be able to seize the first opportunity among the 10000 opportunities.

As the bell rang at nine o'clock, the closed doors of the Itanium Game Store finally opened, and all the players in the queue became nervous. It was obvious that the 10000 sets of Gundam Limited Edition could not all be in this store. According to estimates by some well-informed sources, under normal circumstances, a store can get about 60 to 80 sets, and the rest is the ordinary version of the DreamBox128 game console, which means fierce competition and the risk of not being able to buy it.

Hidaka Harano was also in a very nervous mood. Although he came early, someone else came earlier than him. Who would have imagined that he could be ranked 69th in the queue four days in advance, which can be said to have entered the medium risk Area, if you are unlucky, you will probably get nothing.Swallowing, Hidaka Genno slowly moved forward with the team, while watching the exit of the video game store nervously. Whenever someone appeared with a set of Gundam limited edition, his heart skipped a beat. Because it means one less hope.

While moving forward, Hidaka Genno counted silently, "1, 2, 3... 23... 37... 45... 58... 63", when there was only one person left in front of him, he The count in his heart has already exceeded 60, which means that the limited edition of Gundam may be sold out at any time, and his breathing can't help but be short of breath.

The person in front of him stepped into the video game store, and at the same time, another person came out holding a limited edition of Gundam. Hidaka Genno gritted his teeth and said silently: "64, there must be more."

Not long after, the clerk at the door signaled Hidaka Genno to go in. He just took a step, and a person holding a limited edition of Gundam came out from the video game store again. His heart skipped a beat, and he said mechanically: "65 , there will definitely be!"

When Hidaka Genno walked into the video game store, his eyes were immediately attracted by a table not far from the door. There were two sets of Gundam limited edition DreamBox128 game consoles on it, but at the same time, a pair of hands had already reached into it set.Hidaka Genno couldn't help buzzing his head. The situation had reached the most critical moment, and he couldn't care about anything else, so he ran to the place where the limited edition Gundam was kept, aiming at the last set.

The distance from the door to the stand with the limited edition of Gundam is only about ten meters away, but for some reason, Hidaka Genno seemed to have run for a long time to arrive. At this moment, only the last limited edition of Gundam is left in his eyes. Holding the Gundam Limited Edition with both hands, he finally let go of his hanging heart, leaving only the sense of happiness filling his whole body.

Taking a deep breath, Hidaka Genno tremblingly carried the Gundam Limited Edition to the cashier counter, handed over the banknotes that had been prepared for many days, and said tremblingly, "I, I want a Gundam Limited Edition!"

"Okay sir, the total is 49600 yen. I charge you 50000 yen, and I should ask you for 400 yen." The beautiful cashier took the banknotes, made a quick settlement, and then handed out the change: "You Please put it away!"

Hidaka Genno took the banknotes he was looking for, and hurried out without counting them. When he was leaving the door, he almost bumped into the players who came in later.When the player saw the limited edition of Gundam in his hand, his face darkened obviously, and then he rushed into the video game store without caring about hearing his apology.

Glancing back at the hurried figure, Hidaka Yuanno felt refreshed, then turned his head, humming a song, and walked outside in a leisurely manner, not because he was not in a hurry, but because he wanted to enjoy it again The envious attention of the people around.If it wasn't too risky, he even wanted to show off the GX-9901-DX body model, but after considering the rarity of this thing, he gave up this tempting idea.

"It's safer to keep good things at home!" Hidaka Yeno thought as he walked on the road.

……

The RB market is an important part of the Christmas business war this year. Of course, the DreamBox128 game console does not only use Mobile Suit Gundam to promote this method. "Broken Memories" has attracted the attention of many players with a style similar to "Silent Hill"."Metal Gear Solid (Metal Gear Solid) Complete Edition" from Konami is an enhanced version of the 3D version of "Metal Gear Solid" released last year. While the graphics are greatly enhanced, some special processes are added, and it maintains the The full voice characteristics of the previous work have been improved.

In addition, games that entered the Christmas sales list include "Parasite Eve 2", "Wheel of Time and Space", "Castlevania: Apocalypse", "SNK vs. CAPCOM", etc., as well as "Samurai Soul" from third parties: Zero", "The Cangma Lantern", "The Wind Comes to Xilin 2: Ghost Attack! Xilin City", "Armored Frontline", "Momotaro Dentetsu V" and so on.Although not every game can reach the level of "Final Fantasy", it is also very attractive to players, especially "Parasite Eve 2" produced by Square Enix, which has aroused the desire of many players to buy.

(End of this chapter)