Seeing that everyone was in a good mood today, Lin Lixin simply let them make a fuss.
Besides the staff from the Myst production team, a number of people from Lucasfilm and Gamenova also came in scattered groups.
After working overtime for some time, although the legendary "one-to-one" replica of the Myst map is still just a shell, the main island where they are currently using it as a temporary office is starting to take shape.
The houses are still the same RVs, trailers, and shipping containers.
There's no way around it; just dealing with the damp soil here will take some Kung-Fu Master.
However, the basic infrastructure and other essentials are almost complete.
Umbrella Corporation even set up a temporary game room here.
In their spare time, everyone can go out and have some fun.
With the supply of food and supplies and the arrival of refrigeration equipment, apart from the slightly subpar accommodations, it's actually quite nice to have a vacation here.
After all, I can just go home and sleep tonight; this is California, not far away.
"Although I've seen it before, I still can't help but marvel every time I see it; Gamenova's style is truly unique."
Lucas, sitting on another beach chair not far from Lin Lixin, raised his eyelids, looked at the noisy group of people, and said with a smile, "This relaxed and pleasant atmosphere is much better than many bureaucratic and oppressive companies."
Lucas wholeheartedly agreed, thanks to the fact that Lucasfilm itself was completely controlled by him and Lin Lixin, and that Lucasfilm and its various subsidiaries operated under a similar model.
He firmly believes that this kind of atmosphere is what fosters brilliant ideas and creates productivity.
"This is nothing! You haven't seen our Bullfrog Studio; we're always having parties, it never stops."
Lin Lixin waved his hand helplessly, sat up, and shouted at Sam, who was blindfolded and about to engage in some kind of bizarre party game.
" Sam, come here for a second."
Sam finally managed to escape from the crowd and quickly walked up to Lin Lixin.
How are graphics card sales going?
Lin Lixin has been running around these days and has hardly returned to Gamenova except when necessary.
The data needs to be checked carefully; it's the foundation that supports Gamenova in undertaking large-scale projects.
"It depends on which one you're asking about."
Sam shrugged; he knew Lin Lixin was going to ask that. He didn't even need to look up the data; he simply recited the data he had compiled earlier, in detail:
"As for the Radeon 9000... it's a bit lacking. Currently, sales are stuck at just over a million, but less than two million copies, all versions combined."
"So few? Have you considered the versions that Hermes uses and those on other workstations?"
"Forget it, if we only consider single cards, then that number needs to be cut by more than half again."
Sam recalled for a moment, then nodded affirmatively once again.
"Lin, graphics cards aren't for gaming, this sales volume is quite good. Aren't there also the engineering cards that General Electric procured in bulk?"
Compared to these consumer-grade odds and ends, the engineering cards are the real source of revenue on the production line.
To be honest, even with the current sales of nearly 2 million copies, the actual profit is still less than that of simply selling a batch of memory modules.
The profit margin is simply too low.
Not to mention its outrageously high price.
The money from one ticket is enough to buy a brand new game console at a game store, and you can also pick up a bunch of popular AAA titles while you're at it.
If you buy a graphics card, it's basically only good for playing Quake and Need for Speed. The price-performance ratio is really too low...
"Hmm... that's true."
Lin Lixin pondered for a moment.
Considering the current PC market share, this number isn't actually bad.
In the graphics card market, if we only consider the average consumer, the real market share still belongs to 2D cards.
"How about the Trident?"
He asked it casually.
Trident is arguably the most competitive 2D graphics card manufacturer.
That is, Trident Microsystems. Micron has even taken on a lot of their OEM orders, which is one of their good sources of revenue.
Unlike Gamenova, Trident has chosen a completely opposite positioning.
It has low cost, simple chip structure, and good compatibility.
Although its performance is very average and it's almost impossible to run video games like Quake, it's more than enough if you're just using it as a basic graphics card for your computer.
This has led to Trident's seemingly obscure presence in the graphics card market, yet its sales figures are incredibly high, even staggering.
Any Wintel compatible machine, or even a pre-built machine from another manufacturer, will choose to install one to solve the display problem.
"I'm not sure about recently, but the month before last... at least 20 million copies."
"These aren't even in the same league..."
Lin Lixin shook his head helplessly.
Unfortunately, modern computer users simply don't need graphics cards.
If you just want to play Need for Speed, just borrow a friend's high-end computer and have some fun.
Even if you use a lower-end card, it only means the graphics are worse and the frame rate is lower, but it's still better than spending money.
"The price can't be lowered, and there's no other demand; it's still a luxury item after all."
The sluggishness of the PC market is an objective fact, and it's not something that can be changed overnight.
Lin Lixin stroked his chin, carefully considering the current situation. "PC prevalence, internet access, graphics card demand... well, it seems I'll still have to rely on games."
After much deliberation, it seems that only video games are truly adept at solving such complex problems.
Thinking about how he had originally planned to make this a big project for the Christmas season, Lin Lixin stretched and stood up from his chair.
After only two hours in the sun, his two sides are already a different color.
How's the PC rental business we talked about going?
The so-called PC rental is actually a mechanism that was piloted at Wynn in Las Vegas.
Simply put, it's basically... an internet cafe.
It's just that it's more primitive and lower-end.
This problem must be resolved first in order for the next project to proceed smoothly.
Internet cafes are a good model, at least in this era of skyrocketing semiconductor prices.
After all, many people only intend to play around for a while and experience the novelty.
After the initial enthusiasm fades, that's about it. If it's mandatory to purchase a high-end PC at a hefty price tag, that would be enough to deter many people.
Internet cafes, on the other hand, can spread these expenses out.
The store manager spends money to buy out the machines and relies on customers to generate sales volume to recoup the costs.
It's essentially just an arcade.
The payback period will obviously be very long, but the advantage is that the cash flow is stable, making it a hen that keeps laying eggs.
From the players' perspective, this mechanism also provides them with an opportunity to enjoy a similar level of gaming experience at a lower cost.
"The pilot programs in California have been running for a while now, and the feedback from the participating store managers has been quite positive."
Sam thought for a moment and replied,
"You can only afford to play in those large arcades, but they're not that big; the biggest one only has two rows of about a dozen computers."
Arcades are prime real estate; taking up even a little extra space might mean not being able to fit a particular arcade machine, indirectly impacting profits.
There's a trick to arranging the game to maximize player spending and keep them hooked, unable to leave.
The art of deciding where to place which machine requires studying classical texts. "Alright, go play now, and compile a list for me later."
Early the next morning, Lin Lixin and Sam drove to a business district in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Before the car even arrives, you can see the shop's GG sign prominently displayed from afar.
That was an arcade, and the largest one on the list.
The West Coast is not the East Coast; apart from places like downtown Los Angeles, you rarely see tall buildings here.
Everywhere you look, there are huge, single-level apartments.
This arcade was the same.
If you didn't see the sign, passersby would probably think this was a convenience store or a warehouse.
A super-large single-level apartment, big enough to fit two football fields side by side.
The car slowly came to a stop at the rear door.
The store manager was already waiting there. Upon seeing the imposing Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1, he immediately guessed that the person who had arrived must be Gamenova, whom he was waiting for.
Sure enough, the face he could never forget in his dreams appeared before him.
"Mr. Lin! Mr. Sam!"
Upon learning that Gamenova planned to visit his shop to check on things, the shop manager was so excited he couldn't sleep all night.
Although the swollen dark circles under her eyes were covered with concealer, her puffy face was still impossible to hide.
Lin wanted to check on the "PC gaming area"—was it still operating normally?
"Yes! Of course! There's a gentleman who's been here for three days straight... To be honest, I'm even a little worried about him."
The store manager nodded repeatedly, realizing that this wasn't the right time to talk, and quickly ushered the two inside.
As they passed through the staff entrance, the store manager led the two towards the PC area, explaining the situation to them as he went.
"Like I just said, that gentleman already smelled terrible. When he was sleepy, he would just lie down on the Table and sleep. He also used the restroom in our store. When he was hungry... he would just go to the fast food restaurant across the street and get a double cheeseburger."
As he spoke, the three of them arrived at the so-called "PC gaming area."
This is a corner of a huge arcade, with a slightly different decor from the rest of the area. At first glance, Lin Lixin almost mistook it for a computer lab at some unknown school.
A row of broken plywood Table, with the computer case shoved horizontally onto the surface, like most mainstream solutions on the market, taking up most of the desktop space.
The television was simply stacked on top of it and connected by cables.
At first glance, the mouse and keyboard do seem to be a good match.
But this thing is completely different from what I imagined.
Lin Lixin's lips twitched; he had been hoping to use this to push forward the next project.
"All I can say is... there's very good potential for advancement."