Boss Lin forced compatibility with Wintel!
Goodness...
Which racing enthusiast wouldn't be excited after watching today's PV?
No, even players who weren't previously interested in racing games would find it hard to control their emotions when faced with such a PV.
Gamenova has a history of racing games.
But that was so long ago!
That was the arcade racing game "Rock N' Roll Racing" that Blizzard developed when it was just founded.
It used a lot of 3D-to-2D pseudo-3D technology and Sega's arcade cabinet.
Today, in an era where various manufacturers are frantically developing motion-sensing and screen-scrolling games, Rock N' Roll Racing has long since become somewhat outdated.
Even the best-selling masterpieces from Gamenova are inevitably swept away by the tides of time.
In an era of explosive growth in hardware capabilities, a one-year generational gap is already a world of difference.
But "Rock N' Roll Racing" has been around for many years.
Many racing enthusiasts were hoping that Gamenova would one day suddenly announce that they were making a racing game. But unfortunately, they never got a proper racing game until the 1990s.
However, as a substitute, Sega, the flagship of Gamenova, has produced a number of racing arcade machines of various models over the years.
It covers a variety of themes including motorcycles, boats, airplanes, racing cars, and sports cars.
There are motion-sensing systems and pure steering wheel systems.
They come up with all sorts of tricks and methods to solidify their arcade market share.
While Sega may not be able to consistently deliver groundbreaking technological leaps and huge surprises like Gamenova, it has never been a company that incrementally improves its arcade technology.
Each work represents a significant improvement, which is enough to keep my interest consistently high.
And today!
Just when everyone thought that Gamenova would probably hand over its racing business to Sega in the future.
Sage Lin's large hand exerted its force silently.
Need for speed!
The literal translation is "A thirst for speed!" Holy crap, can you believe this is a PC game?
It's not just for PCs, but also a wide-compatible PC game that supports Next-Step, Windows, and DOS operating systems.
The only problem is that your PC needs to support VGA to run it.
According to the official configuration requirements, running this game requires OpenGL graphics library support.
In other words, you must purchase a NovaRadeon series graphics card.
Regardless of the model, you need at least one copy so the game knows how to use hardware acceleration to run 3D graphics.
As for the detailed graphics card requirements?
Well... that's what the official statement says:
[Minimum Requirements]:
[Requires a 32-bit processor and operating system (i)]
[Operating System]:
[next-step (recommended, strongest performance release)] [ms-dos (good performance)]
[Windows 3.1/3.0 (requires translation layer)]
[processor]:
[ARM-32-bit Hermes Edition (Recommended, optimal for GPU scheduling)]
[Intel 80486 (good performance)]
[Memory]: 2MB RAM
[OpenGL version]: 2.33
As for the highest configuration, the official answer is simply the Novaradeon 9000, which will be launched simultaneously with Independence Day.
The meaning is quite clear.
Don't worry, even a beat-up PC can run it; our optimization is top-notch. But want to play the full-power version? Sorry, your computer's capabilities are limited. We still recommend you buy a newer graphics card (preferably one with 4MB of VRAM).
This configuration list...
At first glance, there seems to be no problem.
But those familiar with Gamenova can immediately spot something unusual.
wtf?
Why is it compatible with Windows?
Could it even use an Intel 80486 processor directly?
Has Hermes stopped making laptop computers?
The answer is no.
At the same time as the configuration list was released, Dell immediately updated its product lineup.
Hermes has launched a new model of its laptop computer, the Hermes-Pro.
Based on the internal developers' naming convention, it can also be called... Hermes)! Whether it's the CPU, memory, or graphics card, they've all received some level of upgrades.
At the same time, the mold was also significantly modified.
Unlike the standard version which is ready to use out of the box, the customizable version's molds are inherently designed for customization.
Players can delidify and upgrade the video memory and RAM as needed.
The graphics card is a custom-designed, non-reference card jointly branded by Dell and its partner manufacturers.
It natively features multiple slots, allowing users to actively add video memory to expand the NovaRadeon 9000.
Memory can also be easily expanded in the same way.
It's more expensive than the standard version, but it also offers greater freedom and has a higher potential.
This is a mobile workstation designed for professional users.
What about users who have already purchased the standard version or have their own PC but still want to buy a graphics card separately?
Bro, come and try our vesa-localbus external graphics card enclosure!
The performance loss is only about 10%, and the latency increase is less than 5ns. It's ready to use out of the box, allowing you to immediately enjoy a brand new 3D world experience!
Thanks to this completely innovative serial bus design, as long as the processor supports vesa-localbus, all devices can be externally expanded via the bus.
i486 can, ARM can, even...
The Athena processor, which was originally designed for heterogeneous architectures, can certainly perform well, and its performance is even better.
In other words...
Bro, you're welcome. Your Sega Genesis can still fight for a few more years!
Praise be to Sage Lin!
so...
Should I buy this graphics card?
This is a very ambiguous question.
Frankly speaking, the first thought that flashes through most people's minds when they see it is...
Why? What does this mean? Since you can play without upgrading, is upgrading really necessary?
It's more like a productivity tool designed for large enterprises that truly need top-tier performance.
But ordinary users don't have this kind of productivity need.
What fool would spend a month's or even half a year's living expenses on a "toy" that they might only use for a short time?
Can...
Why do I want it so badly?
Look at its unique design.
The casing features a brushed metal finish, and the design of the device is stunning.
Even if you don't use it, it would be great just to have it there as a decoration...
Do I need you to tell me whether I need a graphics card or not?
I'm going to buy it, and nobody's going to stop me!
Harboring this unwavering pursuit of pseudo-demand, a large group of consumers pulled out their hard-earned money. Amidst gamenova's call to "Reject excessive consumption, please consume rationally," they purchased their first luxury item.
It's not gold or silver jewelry, nor diamonds, nor luxury watches or handbags.
It was actually a circuit board encased in a metal shell.
This bizarre scene left the merchants, who had racked their brains trying to sell the stones as gold, completely baffled.
"Mr. Lin, what are your thoughts on the recent surge in pre-orders for the Nova Adeon 9000?"
"Um... I'll say it again, everyone must consume rationally! Don't buy high-end graphics cards you won't need!"
Lin Lixin, his face tense, spoke earnestly to the camera.
"But since everyone has already bought them, there's nothing I can do. However, we can assure you that we will not let you down! Enjoy the ultimate picture experience brought by the NR9000!"
Across from him, Steve, the editor-in-chief in charge of taking notes, twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Why do I feel an urge to punch someone?
"Ahem, alright then, next question: why did Gamenova choose to make a DOS version this time? Did they think Hermes had already lost out in the market competition?"
Indeed, Hermes was launched with great fanfare.
The panic buying at the time was indeed quite alarming.
But once the hype died down, the actual number sold wasn't actually that high.
In terms of market share, it can't even beat Commodore 64 from Commodore.
It's basically an expensive toy with a Next-generation vibe.
Because of this, several PC games exclusive to Hermes also failed in sales, becoming some of Gamenova's worst-selling titles in recent years, surpassing Will's SimCity.
Many people believe that this adjustment to the exclusivity strategy is more like a compromise by Gamenova to the Wintel camp.
For closed platforms like c64 and amiga, porting them is basically equivalent to developing from scratch.
DOS is relatively mature, and the engine's compilation layer has a certain degree of native support during development.
Although there will definitely be some performance loss, the i486's incredible capabilities are more than enough to make up for it.
Choosing a PC that is compatible with both IBM-compatible machines and Gamenova's own PCs is equivalent to gaining access to a broader market.
But... it also meant losing control. "Forget about competition, we just want to create a better gaming experience for players. The i486's performance is powerful enough, that's all."
Lin Lixin smiled and waved his hand.
"Making games is our main job, right?"
Steve nodded helplessly and put down his pen.
It seems like I won't get anything useful out of you.
What is the real situation?
Steve simply couldn't believe that Lin Lixin was the kind of person who would be so easily bullied.
And that is indeed the case.
Why is Gamenova acquiring Wintel this time?
The answer is actually very simple...
They sell graphics cards and internet services. What are Gamenova's truly profitable businesses?
Semiconductors, game buyouts, game service fees, merchandise...
This only excludes Hermes, the futuristic laptop.
The value of ARM in the 1990s was still a false proposition.
Lin Lixin wasn't in a hurry, or rather, being in a hurry wouldn't have made any difference.
The key to ARM's successful turnaround was the explosive growth of mobile devices; now is not the time.
Instead of wasting time and energy fighting an unnecessary war of attrition with Wintel.
Instead of relying on their success, we should take advantage of their momentum and promote our graphics card business to every household.
And of course, there's Nexus's web services.
The larger Wintel becomes, the more users will rely on the network.
With the development of the Internet and the maturity of the PC market, the demand for graphics cards will also rise sharply.
The continuous expansion of the PC market has been laying the foundation for Gamenova. As the saying goes, the world of martial arts isn't about fighting and killing, but about human relationships and social interactions.
We're the pioneers in promoting the widespread adoption of PCs; we're family, after all.
Intel and Windows are so convenient!
As for what you said about Ubisoft replying about recruiting talent from the University of Helsinki in Finland?
Then don't worry about it.