Investment Life

PlayStation, and a simpler title: PS.

As home game consoles, Sony's PS series and Microsoft's Xbox series are the two most popular brands in later generations. Anyone who knows a little about video games will know the products of these two companies.

But Chen Yuanming is not a real game fan. All the games he is familiar with come from the experience of building computers for Internet cafes when he sold computers. Like most amateur players in China, Warcraft, Red Alert, Counter-Strike or Baldur’s Gate It is the best choice for killing time in his spare time.Therefore, after the establishment of Golden Stone, he valued Blizzard so much, extended his hand to Westwood Studio, and acquired Interplay, which gave birth to Black Island Studio, in advance.

Because of this difference in interest, he doesn't know much about home game consoles, but Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox360 are exceptions. What caught his attention was the 2006 DVD format war.

Similar to the DVD format dispute in 1995, Sony and Toshiba successively released their next-generation high-definition DVD formats in 2006. Sony's was named Blu-ray (Blu-ray), and Toshiba's was called HD-DVD.The battle for control of the next generation of multimedia formats is even more intense this time around.Sony has received the support of optical storage manufacturers including Panasonic, Philips, and Pioneer, the world's four major PC manufacturers Dell, HP, Lenovo, Acer, and Hollywood film giants such as Disney and Fox; and behind Toshiba is Silicon Valley overlords such as Microsoft, Intel, and NEC.

Since both camps were extremely powerful and it was a matter of life and death, the war lasted for two full years and ended in early 2008 with Sony's Blu-ray victory. The EVD standard was a battle, but it didn’t make waves at all. Hongguang was completely sunk by the domestic piracy industry, and it couldn’t even go out of the country.For this matter, how many business magazines have written long reports, even if they have no interest in it, they can still understand a lot.

Sony's PS3 and Microsoft's Xbox360 belong to both camps. PS3 can only recognize Blu-ray discs, while Xbox supports HD formats.Thanks to the gossip from the media and websites, even if he has never played any games on these two consoles, Chen Yuanming is no stranger to their product information.

And through the memories of the past, some meanings that I hadn't noticed before surfaced. PS uses CD-Rom, PS2 uses DVD-Rom, and PS3 can not only play Blu-ray, but also conduct virtual battles through the network platform.Coincidentally, Microsoft's Xbox360 can also be connected online and play CDs.In other words, when a family has such a home game console, they probably no longer need to buy a dedicated DVD player.

This is hard to imagine in the Chinese market. After all, the price of game consoles is too expensive, and game consoles have always been regarded as natural enemies that affect children’s studies. Families rarely buy game consoles to replace video players.But in western developed countries, there are fewer psychological barriers. The global sales of PS alone exceeds 1 million units. When this kind of game console is further integrated with the home network, can it replace the computer console and directly display it on the TV? networking?Can it replace the set-top box and send and receive TV signals?

Chen Yuanming has experienced the high-tech era of the later generations, and he knows better than anyone that "singleness" is not an advantage in the future world.Mobile phones are not only used to make calls, but also to send text messages, take photos, connect to the Internet, and operate functions that were unimaginable more than ten years ago.Apple's iPhone, which went on the market at the end of 2007, has completely subverted people's perception of mobile phones. It is not like the multifunctional mobile phones produced by Blackberry or Nokia before, but has become a substitute close to computers.

In addition to mobile phones, how many other products have undergone similar changes?TVs began to have USB ports, which support playing and downloading videos; cameras have become digital, film has become fleeting, batteries can be recharged, memory cards can be connected to computers; MP4s can play video and audio at the same time, and can read text files It is all over the streets and alleys... Belonging to the future, it is an era of mutual integration of science and technology. A single level of high-end can no longer suppress the comprehensive performance, and multi-function is the only way out.

But what about Feiyan's long-term plan?They are still developing DVD players and optical drives, and some people have proposed the concept of vehicles and mobiles, but they are only DVD players after all and cannot be used for other purposes.Even if it occupies more than 60% of the Chinese market in the player field, even if it can gain a firm foothold in the world, even if it is the first to release the Blu-ray format, it will only be less than ten years away.

After 2006, CDs will be gradually eliminated, and even pirated copies will lose their living space. Computers will be the center of the next generation of home entertainment.When the Internet speed is further improved, people don't even need to download videos directly. They have Tudou and YouTube, and online browsing is estimated to be the mainstream in the future.What Sony PS3 and Microsoft Xbox360 bring is further enlightenment, maybe playing movies, stand-alone games and even social networking or TV viewing can all be realized with a small game console, and they will no longer be pure game consoles , but a new generation of home entertainment center that replaces computers, video players, and TV set-top boxes.

And this possibility, ten years ago today, has already begun to lay out.

At this moment, Chen Yuanming almost felt frustrated.In terms of business acumen, he can't compete with real geniuses like Akio Morita, Bill Gates, and Jobs. The most terrifying thing about them is that they can see through the development of the times and point out the direction for the future of ten years, or even two or thirty years.This kind of talent can never be compensated by diligence and hard work, and the gap is so obvious that it is daunting.

But do you want to throw in the towel?Taking a deep breath, Chen Yuanming crushed this idea under his feet without hesitation.As far as the future of ten years is concerned, he also has enough cognition and a team that has begun to take shape. Among the people he knows, there are still geniuses like Lin Xuewen, Yan Qiaosen, and Yu Yongan. Here, China will also produce another group of influential figures, who have truly achieved success through hardships. What about those geniuses who lack opportunities or are unlucky?It is estimated that it is more car-loaded.

He may not be a genius, but he has the strength and energy to support those geniuses, a stage that is so vast that it is jaw-dropping.In ten years, too many choices have been made.

"Chen, do you know these words?"

A voice interrupted his thoughts, and Chen Yuanming turned his gaze to the screen.There, a row of standard Japanese menus is displayed on a computer screen.It's a racing game, and there's a long list of menus up front for car selection and presentation.

Mike and David from the Condor studio are skillfully switching the menu and choosing the model they like, and they don't look like they can't read Japanese at all.Chen Yuanming smiled, and shook his head at Alan who asked the question.

"I can only recognize some Chinese characters, but I can't understand the sentences. This is Japanese, not Chinese."

"Is there a big difference between them?" Allen couldn't help but asked curiously, "Our art director Sam is a crazy panda fan. When he was a child, he often visited the pair of panda babies in Washington Park and was obsessed with them. The Japanese samurai, now his desk is full of things like panda warriors, and he encouraged us to add pandas to the Warcraft system. He said that Japanese and Chinese are very similar, you know, similar to a simplified version?"

Chen Yuanming shook his head helplessly, "No, pandas are from China, and samurai swords are from Japan. Chinese and Japanese are two completely different languages, just like English has many Latin words, but it comes from Germanic The language family is the same, the difference is huge.”

"However..." After a pause, Chen Yuanming showed a slight smile, "The sales of "Warcraft 2" this year are very good. If you are interested, I can arrange a China tour and take you to the hometown of pandas."

"What?!" Allen exclaimed, "Is it possible? Can I travel to China now?! Sam! Come on, Sam!!"

There was a sudden commotion in the office, the sounds of games and shouts were intertwined and mixed, and it became a mess.Looking at this lively scene, Chen Yuanming smiled. It might be a good thing to start a wave of cultural baptism from Warcraft.He has such a wealth of resources, how can he shut himself up and let the opportunity pass by.

A few days later, the heads of Zero Hour Company, Feiyan Company, and the Eagle's Nest department sat together.

On the large desk, there was a brand new PS game console, and the machine compartment was opened like a demonstration, revealing the CD inside.Another one was plugged into the multimedia screen not far away. Under the signal of Chen Yuanming, the assistant joystick opened the game, and clicked on each interface to operate.

The demonstration only took ten minutes, and the entire PS operation process was fully displayed.Chen Yuanming clicked on the machine in front of him, "This is the PlayStation home game console released by Sony at the end of last year. It is not a VCD player, but a game console."

As he said that, he picked up the game CD that was placed next to him, "Did you see it? The CD is made in Japan. Due to the technology sharing of the VCD Alliance, this CD also uses the CSS area code. They define their area as Zone 2." , the lock code technology can effectively prevent players in other regions from reading the disc, but this lock code is applied to the game.”

"It also recognizes the locked disc. Such a machine is more than one step ahead of our current VCD player. It is compatible with the functions of game consoles and video players. The visual effect is quite good, although playing videos for a long time may cause problems. It has some impact on the machine, but it is enough to meet the needs of ordinary families for video players. Its current price is only 299 US dollars. If such a machine enters the European and American markets, and even develops a next-generation product that can read DVDs, it will be great for us What kind of impact will it have on the player industry?"

"We don't plan to launch VCD in the European and American markets, but the price of DVD is expected to be between 270-310 US dollars. Maybe the price can be further reduced in the future, but the current research and development costs are not cheap. If there is no direct conflict, I suggest not to do it for the time being. Price adjustments..."

Yan Qiaosen's answer was a little heavy. He had already learned the news from Chen Yuanming the day before yesterday. He is a real layman in the game industry, but this new product that has both player and game functions will undoubtedly have a great influence on the game industry. Yan's market expansion in Europe and the United States has had a certain impact.The price reduction is definitely not the best choice.

"That's right, price wars are always the stupidest way." Chen Yuanming threw the disc back on the table, "This PS may not have an impact on our VCD or future DVD industry. Its The time required for development is not short, but the design concept it contains is worth learning. Watching movies and TV is leisure and entertainment. What about singing karaoke? Playing game consoles? Chatting online? If you can use a The machine solves all the troubles, why should we make two machines?"

Looking around the crowd calmly, Chen Yuanming's voice didn't have a trace of urgency, but instead carried a bit of unshakable determination.

"There is nothing wrong with the idea of ​​developing DVD, and even formulating the mPEG-4 format based on the next-generation video resolution rate to achieve a higher limit for optical disc storage, but our vision cannot be limited to this. The car or mobile DVD that the R&D team is working on , the idea is very good, but it is narrow. Just like the landline can be turned into a mobile phone, and the cassette can be turned into a CD, miniaturization, personalization, and multimedia should be the future development trend. What we want to do is not only to use video playback Players to play discs, but also consider making devices that have storage and playback capabilities in their own right, like this PS game console, devices that can span entertainment modes."

As he said that, he looked at Eagle's Nest Entertainment CEO George Carsent, who was sitting aside, "George, you are from within News Corp. You should know Mr. Murdoch's expectations for satellite TV very well. If there is a game console, at the same time If you can receive satellite signals and watch more satellite TV, would you choose to buy an additional set-top box? If this game console can be directly connected to Fox’s movie storage server, and you can pay for selected movies, they will continue Do you want to buy a CD?"

George hesitated for a moment, and replied earnestly, "If such a technology can be realized, I don't think consumers will pay for the product repeatedly. However, the current network transmission speed may not be able to support such an idea. It may need... er ...for decades?"

"It will be a long time, but not that long." Chen Yuanming shook his head firmly, "Perhaps within 20 years, these fanciful functions will be realized one by one. Therefore, what we need to do is to rush to the forefront of the times, first Root our brand in the hearts of consumers. Maybe we don’t have to take such a big step in one breath, but one small step at a time. One day, we will stand at the pinnacle of the times. What we have now is a very complete system, we have a research and development department like Zero Hour, a product department like Feiyan, and a third-party department like Eagle’s Nest, and even some graphics cards, the Internet, and personal computers. How to integrate these departments, Let them play a greater combat effectiveness together, which is the root of everything."

"We can't just focus on the present, we must have a longer-term goal. Maybe one day, CDs will withdraw from people's daily life like magnetic tapes, but Feiyan, a large group, cannot disappear, but changes are more trendy and more suitable for The development of the new era. Just like the founder of the land of Silicon Valley, Fairchild, it used to be so huge, so brilliant, like a real mountain, but when the torrent of the times comes, it can’t leave anything behind, We’ll just get swept away. We’re not going to be a fairy boy, we’re going to be an unbeatable giant like IBM.”

Having said that, Chen Yuanming's eyes returned to the PS game console in front of him, "Or take a step closer, just like our enemy Sony. In terms of DVD standards, we beat him by a small step, but on this game console, What we lost was the distance of an era. To understand our enemy, imitate our enemy, and defeat our enemy on the same battlefield. Only with such courage and confidence can Feiyan grow stronger and develop step by step. Become a company with vigorous vitality, a group that will not collapse."

After a pause, Chen Yuanming seemed to think of something interesting, showing a teasing smile. "Every great battle needs a code name, and I think this one we're fighting should have an appropriate name, let's call it 'The Battle of the Living Room'. I hope that in 20 years, every household will have a code name." At least one Feiyan product, at that time, is the moment of our real victory!"

Yes, one way is right, all ways are right.What is unfolding in front of us now is a clearer path.He still remembers that in 1997, Apple's stock price would fall to the bottom of $3. He once planned to buy a large number of Apple's shares at this time, waiting for its skyrocketing.But now?The iPod that saved Apple's tech was high?It is nothing but an mP3, what really makes it popular is the downloading and playing system of iTunes.

In the same way, the scape browser has troubled him so much, can he only use the initial bundle?not necessarily.What it lacks is the loyalty of consumers. If scape and ICQ are bundled together, or even a free mail system like Hotmail is added, it will be difficult for the social circle around ICQ and Hotmail to leave the control of this browser.

In fact, in many cases, what is outstanding is not the product itself, but the marketing model that the product has, and the bond it establishes with other industries and users.As long as this bond is unbreakable, the product is invincible.

A very simple idea, but one that really works.After spending three full years, and maybe half his life in his previous life, he finally found the essence of a business operation. How can such a harvest not make people ecstatic.

With a slight smile, Chen Yuanming looked down at the stack of documents in front of him.Since 1995 would mark a new era for Silicon Valley, let his industries be the hurricane of the era.

To destroy and change the world in his memory!