The game " Dream Guide " received an extremely enthusiastic response as soon as it was advertised. People didn't care about how the game was actually played; they only knew that a set of gaming equipment cost $50,000, making it a game that only the truly wealthy could afford.
The game's official website only launched a pre-sale of 50,000 units, which were distributed according to different regions, with only 5,000 units allocated to China.
With the backing of some of the world's top entertainment groups and technology companies, the pre-sale was exceptionally successful. The influx of traffic nearly crashed the website, and the equipment was sold out overnight.
Subsequently, this device, known as the " Space Box," was sold for over $100,000 on the black market.
On the first day of the China Lunar New Year, a movie called " The Little Broken Ball " began its unstoppable box office success, while at the same time, the game " Dream Guide " was quietly launched.
A few days later, the first batch of players who received the gaming equipment began enthusiastically recommending the game on various social media platforms.
"I'm speechless. This is what intelligent gaming should be! This is what VR should be!"
"I feel like I've opened the door to another world!"
"This is the coolest game I've ever played, bar none!"
"Now I finally know how God created the world!"
"Oh my god, I feel like I've been living in a dream all this time. Only when I put on the helmet do I feel like I'm back in the real world!"
"I tell you, I am God!" and _book_
Aside from the positive reviews, no detailed game reviews have been published on major forums, including information on core gameplay, story, walkthrough strategies, and playability assessments. Some netizens even suspected that the game was actually unplayed and that the posts were all from paid trolls.
However, purchasing Space Box involves a rather strict process, requiring not only real-name registration but also, it is said, the provision of physical health data, and there are even rumors of verifying genetic information.
While a single account creation box can be used to create multiple accounts, it is highly intelligent and capable of recognizing player identities. Adding an account requires collecting relevant identity information and obtaining official game approval.
In this situation, the possibility of online trolls is unlikely, and it would be meaningless. The role of online trolls is to influence the general public, who lack judgment, through online discourse. However, for a game that ordinary people cannot afford, online trolls have no influence on consumer behavior.
Fifty thousand boxes would at most mean a few hundred thousand players worldwide, which is too niche for a game. But its mystery and buzz allowed it to gain global attention in a very short time.
Some people called gamers idiots for spending hundreds of thousands on a game. Others immediately countered that plenty of people spend hundreds of thousands on games; which game doesn't cost money? In contrast, * Dream Guide * itself isn't free; it's just that the bundled hardware makes it seem expensive.
Subsequently, several renowned scientists spoke out, believing that the Space Box is a groundbreaking product, comparable to the invention of computers and smartphones, and will lead the transformation of life sciences and information technology into deeper fields.
It is widely believed that a new era has arrived.
As a result, more and more people are asking when the price of the Space Box will drop and when the second batch of Space Box will be released.
Soon after, the official release plan for the Space Box was announced. Pre-orders for the second batch of boxes will begin on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month of the China New Year, but the physical products will not be shipped out until three months later.
The pre-sale will reach three million units, yet the price remains at $50,000.
This news has sparked widespread discontent: Why is it still so expensive? Why are the poor being excluded? Technological change shouldn't be the exclusive domain of the rich!
Online, increasingly louder calls have emerged against technological monopolies and for technological equality.
However, the pre-sale items were sold out in less than a day.
Perhaps to make up for what he owed his son, Xia Changzheng often bought gifts for Xia Tian.
He didn't know what " Dream Guide " was, let alone that the Xia Family had contributed to the project's success. He had only heard that it was a very advanced intelligent game, and not something that ordinary people could afford; a single VR headset alone cost hundreds of thousands.
Although he has withdrawn from the power center of the Xia Family, he still retains his shares and dividends, and his annual income from managing some peripheral industries is also considerable, so money is not a problem for him, especially since it is only a few hundred thousand.
He knew that Xia Tian liked to play games, so he decided to buy a set for his son.
What gave him a headache was that he couldn't buy this thing. He asked many people for help and finally spent nearly two million to get one through the black market.
Xia Tian fell in love with the game after playing it just once. In the game, he found his mother. He and his mother lived happily together. He even built a castle for his mother, with a giant dragon guarding the gate, so no one could bully his mother anymore.
"Can I really see Mom in the game?" Xia Chujue asked, her big eyes blinking, a little disbelieving yet full of anticipation.
"Of course it's true!" Xia Tian said confidently, "It's as real as seeing Uncle Qingmu in my dream! You've all seen Uncle Qingmu in your dreams, right?"
Yu Meiren was initially somewhat skeptical, began to believe Xia Tian when he mentioned Qingmu from her dream. She recalled the first time Qingmu appeared in her dream; that time, she saw her father in a police uniform. It was that moment that made her believe her father wasn't Poison Scorpion, but a good person.
Those scenes are still vivid in my mind, as if they really happened.
"But that's my godfather's skill! My godfather is a very capable person, just like my father!" Xia Chujue said.
Xia Tian that they still didn't believe him, Xia Tian asked, "Do you ever have lucid dreams?"
"I know! I know!" Xia Chujue exclaimed. "My dad taught me when I was little, but my godfather says I was born knowing how!"
Yu Meiren also said, "I can do it too! Qingmu Yeye taught me, and the Boss Coal and Hanran also taught me!"
Xia Tian said, "That game was like having a lucid dream."
"What's so fun about that? We can make it ourselves!" Xia Chujue said.
Xia Tian said, "But the space in lucid dreams is so small! Uncle Qingmu said it's related to our Mental Power. We need strong Mental Power for a large dream space. Also, our dreams are different every time, and changing them each time consumes a lot of Mental Power. You shouldn't dream too often and waste your Mental Power, otherwise you'll get very tired and easily distracted in class during the day. Be careful not to get called in for a lecture by the head teacher!"
He admonished the two little girls like a little adult, saying that the prestigious private school they attended was indeed very strict in its management.
"But games are different. Every time you enter, the space from last time is still there, so you can continue to dream and expand in the original space, and that world will get bigger and bigger. Now I feel like the castle I built is real, and my mother lives there. Whenever I want to see my mother, I just put on the helmet and can go to the castle to meet her, just like I can go home after school every day."
Yu Meiren's heart skipped a beat. "Is it really that magical? If I build a Kuaziba, can I just put on the helmet and go home, see Grandpa Enkun sitting in the yard smoking, and be with my mom and dad?"
Xia Chujue also asked, "Then can I go back to the island every day to see my mom and dad?"
Xia Tian said, "Of course you can! And you can keep pets, anything you want—cats, dogs, penguins, dinosaurs... basically anything you can think of."
"Ah, then I want to raise dolphins, and I also want to raise three dragons!" Meimei said excitedly.
"I want to raise... a bird just like the Boss Coal!" Yu Meiren said, a little embarrassed.
Xia Tian chuckled and said, "I have one too, and I often ride it while flying!"