Game development begins with destroying Girls' Frontline.

Page 537

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Based on the current situation.

If Lin Li were to collaborate with ZTE to develop mobile phones, the nature of the situation would change.

When the referee himself takes to the field, collaborators become competitors for other manufacturers, making it difficult to move things forward.

Take ten thousand steps back.

If Xinghuo really wants to create its own mobile phone brand, there's absolutely no need for cooperation.

Based on the current mature industrial chain in China.

You can absolutely make it yourself.

Although he declined ZTE's invitation, this incident made Lin Li start thinking about gaming hardware.

Game developers and hardware manufacturers seem to be one entity.

However, there are actually differences between the two.

Because hardware, whether it's a home console or a handheld, is essentially an extension of a platform.

Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, including Google and Apple.

They can take a cut from the game because they are the platform provider.

Google, Apple—that's a bit abstract.

Because mobile phones have many functions besides games.

But essentially, if you think of a mobile phone as a "handheld game console," you'll understand that Apple and Google's revenue-sharing model for games is the same as Sony, Microsoft, and Steam.

Of these, Nintendo is perhaps the only slight exception.

Because its games form a self-contained system, and it has a large and diverse selection of first-party games, it can support the existence of a platform on its own.

In some ways, Spark is quite similar to Nintendo.

There are plenty of first-party works, and every IP is bursting with vitality.

and so.

To make hardware, you need a platform.

Otherwise, he's just a clown.

For example, two years ago, when Fuze Technology officially launched the "Warhawk F1" game console in Beijing, it was a typical case of not understanding the premise of the existence of consoles.

Without an ecosystem and a platform foundation, even if you create a host, it will just be a pile of scrap metal.

Based on this premise.

In 21, Steam, the last player in the console gaming world, made its debut.

Steam Deck's success is due in part to the development of its software and hardware.

On the other hand, it's also because the size of the Steam platform is large enough to support Steam in making hardware.

The Steam Deck, originally scheduled for release at the end of 21, was actually released in 22 due to the availability of face masks.

It achieved unprecedented success upon its launch, selling 3 million units by around October 2023.

Is this still the limit for Steam Deck? Because when it was first released for sale, Steam Deck was in short supply, and ramping up production takes time.

If there is sufficient inventory, sales in the first year will definitely be even higher.

But even so.

Selling 3 million units in a year is also a pretty good number.

It's worth noting that the last purely handheld gaming console was the PS Vita, which sold less than 100 million units in its first year.

Of course, Lin Li wasn't actually interested in the hardware profits from Steam Deck.

What he cares about is the logic behind Steam Deck.

Behind every 300 million Steam handheld consoles are 300 million Steam users.

It's worth noting that Steam Deck's biggest selling point isn't the hardware.

Instead, it's SteamOS, and therefore...

Users who have purchased Steam Deck have already paid for the hardware, so they will basically buy any PC game on Steam.

Other channels were not within their consideration.

In other words.

Every Steam Deck user is a Steam user.

They dug their own pockets out of the open PC.

That's amazing.

Moreover, it is foreseeable that in the future...

The number of Steam Deck users will continue to grow.

If production costs can be reduced, prices can be pushed down further, attracting even more customers.

Chapter 112 The Thoroughbred

Although the current Spark platform is still in its growth stage, it does not yet have the capability to immediately release hardware.

However, if we push the timeline back two years...

That will definitely be different again.

Steam needs a moat.

Even a spark is needed.

Therefore, Lin Li has also been studying carefully why Steam Deck was successful.

In fact, SD's success was also due to many coincidences.

Think about it carefully, it was around 22 years ago.

The only true handheld console is the Switch Lite.

However, the Switch Lite is not a perfect handheld console; its capabilities are simply too poor.

For non-Nintendo players, the game library is also a problem; the latest AAA titles are either unavailable or so poorly optimized that they don't resemble AAA games at all.

That's the external reason, then comes the internal one.

The success of SD is inseparable from the development of its software and hardware.

Let's leave the hardware aside for now and just talk about the software.

Steam OS is no ordinary system; its development began in 15.

At that time, it was still called Steam Machine, or Steam console project.

Although the initial Steam OS offered very little improvement in game performance and the actual experience was basically the same, it did not achieve the effect that Gabe Newell had touted.

In addition, Steam's console prices are too high.

It has limited functionality; it can do everything that Steam consoles can do on PC, and it's even cheaper on PC.

If that were to succeed, there would be no doubt about it.

However, although the project failed, it allowed Steam to accumulate a lot of hardware and software development experience.

Especially system-level optimization.

Don't underestimate this point; Steam Deck's success is inseparable from the support of Steam OS.

A simple comparison makes it easy to see the difference.

Compared to traditional PC handhelds.

In terms of the game's gameplay.

Steam Deck can be woken up directly, just like other game consoles.

Once you wake up, you can enter the game you played last time and start playing.

For other Windows handheld consoles, the same steps are required: turn on the console, open Steam, open the game, and load the progress from where you left off.

One took 3 seconds, and the other took 3 minutes.

You can put the game to sleep on Steam Deck if you're not playing.

The Windows handheld console can only be turned off; otherwise, it will run out of power after going into sleep mode.

Therefore, even after Steam Deck, many PC handheld consoles emerged.

However, Steam Deck's sales were not significantly reduced.

These are all products of Steam's technological accumulation.

Then look at the sparks.

At that time, our research on hardware was so extensive that it was practically nonexistent.

Lin Li himself knows absolutely nothing about hardware.

As for the game system, he had absolutely no experience with it, even more so than being completely clueless.

However, he does have an understanding of the market.

Lin Li knew one thing clearly.

That is, if he were to release a handheld or console in 22, or even earlier, to compete with Steam Deck.

So at the end of 18.

Spark's handheld console division must be established, and the development of software and hardware must be put on the agenda.

Otherwise, there won't be enough time.

That's enough for someone in his position.

However, it has been established.

Where do people come from?

It's important to know that developing handheld consoles and making games are two separate processes.

This time, Chen Hongzhang was ordered to go find the person.

After receiving Lin Li's personnel request, the Human Resources Department contacted her first.

why?

Because Chen Hongzhang has a lot of contact with people in the hardware field.

Although it's in the mobile phone sector.

However, to some extent, mobile phones can also be considered a type of handheld console, and the two are related.

So why did Chen Hongzhang come into contact with so many people involved in mobile phone hardware?

Oh... that's quite a coincidence.

Because Gionee went bankrupt this year, and it happened quite suddenly and in a very strange way.

It wasn't because the operations were bad or the product was bad, but because the boss was gambling.

This was a collapse from top to bottom.

Many Gionee stores received notices overnight that the company had gone bankrupt...

Therefore, around the time Gionee went bankrupt, almost all domestic mobile phone manufacturers rushed to it like hungry wolves.

Human resources departments from various companies are on the front lines.

The departments surrounding Xinghuo also rushed in at the time.

Although when I was rushing in, I was mostly thinking, "It's stupid not to take advantage of a bargain."

Xinghuo did poach some people, but not many.

Chen Hongzhang, as the deputy director of the human resources department, was also involved in this matter.