Nebula Games employees will join the company one after another after the new year. At the same time, major online game manufacturers are also making various big moves in the new year.
The main directions originate from two blocks.
The first one is the battle royale gameplay triggered by 'War Zone'. Many game manufacturers are trying to launch new content.
Secondly, there is the open world created by the globally popular "Red Dead Redemption".
Many game manufacturers have followed suit.
Although many game manufacturers do not understand the core of the open world.
But a similar gimmick is enough.
As for how they look similar
Excellent picture performance, large map and various endless tasks.
Especially atrai, a new project was announced non-stop.
As for the type, naturally it is open world.
However, this time atrai did not use any IP adaptation method, but the designer who was responsible for the new project was an ordinary designer.
Judging from the content released by atrai, some senior designers in the game industry basically understand its ideas.
That is to use scraps from "Operation Storm" and "Beautiful World" to create a new game, and then call it an open world, similar to a canned product.
On the one hand, it is to test the waters of the open world, and on the other hand, it can also be regarded as making a fortune.
As for word of mouth
It sounds like their atrai had a good reputation before.
In Nebula Games, many new employees have also been added.
"This time it has completely transformed into the shape of Nebula Games." Meng Zuo said with emotion in the office.
After going back and thinking about it for a lot of time, he finally contacted Chen Xu and joined Nebula Games.
After all, there isn’t much to choose from. There are only a few domestic first-tier game manufacturers.
And he also made an agreement with NetDragon, so he joined Nebula Games directly after the year.
"Teacher Meng, please don't say such weird words." Chen Xu next to him was speechless.
But it is also relatively happy. Because it wasn’t just Meng Zuo, he also brought a small group of technical staff.
Of course, many of these people's corresponding contracts with NetDragon will not be able to join the company until one or two months later, because they are still responsible for NetDragon's projects and need to complete the handover.
As for things like non-competition contracts, the company had already communicated with NetDragon before.
After all, the two parties are still in the honeymoon period of cooperation.
"Hey, Mr. Chen, what are you doing?" Meng Zuo suddenly noticed a device on Chen Xu's desk.
"Shenyou Machine, of course, is now a brand of Nebula Games." Chen Xu smiled.
This is considered an old brand in China, and of course it is old. To be honest, it is really not worth the money.
After a little contact, a little bit of intention was revealed, and Shenyou wanted to sell it.
Of course, it was not acquired in the name of Nebula Games, otherwise it would probably take a lot of trouble.
"Mr. Chen, are we really going to make a handheld console?" Meng Zuo looked at Chen Xu and asked. It can be said that he has a strong sense of belonging to the camp.
"That's right, Teacher Meng. As I said before, I actually think there is still a market for handheld consoles." Chen Xu smiled and nodded.
Regarding handheld consoles, Chen Xu didn't even think about cooperating with third-party manufacturers.
After all, switch is not that strong in terms of technology, it is more of a design concept and matching game.
Moreover, in terms of technology and parallel world, it is also much stronger than in previous generations. At least it is completely sufficient for use on the switch.
"Mr. Chen, please don't call me Teacher Meng. Just call me by my name. But where should we go next?" Meng Zuo asked Chen Xu.
Hearing Meng Zuo's words, Chen Xu nodded, but he actually didn't care much about this.
"The next step is mainly about games. Nebula Games has cooperated with third-party game manufacturers, and some games will be transplanted by then."
"At the same time, some suitable games under Nebula Games will also be transplanted at that time." Chen Xu looked at Meng Zuo and said.
After all, it is impossible to have no games at the beginning of the launch.
It is definitely impossible to develop all new games.
So that is to transplant some classic games, third-party game manufacturers and their old games under Nebula Games.
Of course, when the price comes, we will definitely have to take our time.
It is impossible to say that old games are more expensive than new ones like the previous version of Switch.
After all, in the parallel world, the cost of this kind of platform transplant is not high.
… … …
While Chen Xu was talking about these aspects to Meng Zuo, he also started to lay out the content.
A piece of gossip spread from the Internet, that is, Nebula Games acquired the Shenyou handheld console.
Many players didn't believe this news at first. After all, in the eyes of most people, handheld consoles are basically products that are about to be eliminated.
Otherwise, how could Shenyou, the former big brother in the handheld industry, have gotten to this point
It wasn't until some players discovered that Nebula Games' related logos and corresponding links were added to Shenyou's official website that they were sure this was true.
After the news spread, players and people in the gaming industry were instantly shocked.
There are many discussions among players on various major forums.
"Ye Qing is back, does that mean the Fugue handheld device has been resurrected?"
"Ahem... Let me remind you upstairs that your youth is still gone, because the wandering mind has turned into the game between Mr. Chen and Xingyun."
"By the way, why did Mr. Chen run away to make a handheld console? Hurry up and develop the sequel to "Red Dead Redemption"!"
"Are you thinking about Taozi? Do you want a sequel to Big Cousin? I'm also thinking about developing a VR version of "Warcraft"! Stormwind City and the numerical easter eggs in it are already there! When will the game be released!"
"However, the handheld console feels like an antique that has been eliminated by the market. Why would Chen Xu specialize in it?"
"Yeah, it feels like there shouldn't be much room for handheld devices to survive, right?"
Many players and even some people in the gaming industry were surprised.
If it were not Nebula Games that made this decision, then many players and industry designers might think that the other party was absolutely out of their minds.
But now? Looking at the development of Nebula Games, many people really dare not draw conclusions.
But can handheld consoles really be saved
… … …
While there were various discussions and speculations from the outside world, Chen Xu in Nebula Game didn't pay much attention.
They didn’t even respond to the outside world. After all, Nebula Games is not a listed company and they don’t care what the market thinks. Furthermore, the switch will not be truly open to players for a while, so there is no need to respond for the time being.
In the office, Chen Xu received the person in charge of Shenyou.
Yan Xiong, who is also an engineer in the Shenyou R&D Department, sat on the bench in the conference room with some anxiety.
After all, it’s really hard to say what direction the fugue will take in the future.
At the same time, he also had a glimmer of hope. After all, it was Nebula Games that acquired them.
As a game practitioner, Shenyou naturally understands the importance of Nebula Games.
"Next, in the handheld console business, all production lines will be stopped, and we will develop a brand new handheld console."
"Related to the requirements for a new product, Dr. Yan, please come and take a look to see if there are any technical problems."
Chen Xu watched Yan Xiong hand over a first draft.
"Switch?" Yan Xiong looked at the title of the file and was stunned for a moment.
"Well, the name of the new handheld console." Chen Xu nodded lightly.
Switch, in English translation, is a switching converter.
It sounds a bit nondescript, but it is actually very appropriate to refer to the mode of the handheld switch.
Because one of the biggest features of the switch is that as a handheld console, it can switch back and forth between a home console and a handheld console.
At the same time, a matching joy-con can be combined into a dual handle and a motion controller, fully utilizing the characteristics of the switch to the extreme.
It can be said that when the switch was born, all its functions were designed to serve games, and this is the biggest difference between handheld consoles and mobile phones.
Chen Xu did not study the specific hardware technology and could just leave it to professionals.
The design of this handheld console gave Yan Xiong some surprises, which could be said to have never happened before.
The key point of switching between handheld and console at will is not novel.
Mainly the somatosensory mode and the joy-con handles that can be used by two people. These settings are very novel.
"Mr. Chen, from a technical point of view, it is completely achievable at the current level, but these functions need to be adapted by game manufacturers. If not..." Yan Xiong said nothing.
"And if you want to run a first-line masterpiece, the cost may reach five digits." Yan Xiong has some difficulties.
The reason why Shenyu has gotten to this point is not that he has not made a summary.
That's because the cost of handheld hardware is too high.
But he feels that this is an endless loop. The hardware cost is high, so he has to upgrade.
Otherwise, wouldn’t it mean that we cannot keep up with the times
No need for such high configuration,
"The output resolution in host mode supports 2K display, and the video output in handheld mode is 1080p. In addition, other configurations can be compressed directly, including the materials used, which are mainly lightweight. How much will it cost if it is fully reduced?" Chen Xu looked at Yan Xiong and said.
Hearing Chen Xu's words, Yan Xiong was a little stupid.
It’s not that the requirements are too high, but that this is too low, right
"Theoretically, the cost can be reduced to about 850. Of course, this is when the production line is expanded. If the volume is large enough, the cost can continue... But Mr. Chen's configuration?" Yan Xiong hesitated to speak.
Chen Xu was surprised when he heard Yan Xiong's words.
Compared with the switch in the previous life, his requirements are much higher.
Let’s not think about 4k for now. After all, the first version is 4k. How can Switch Pro surprise players in the future
At the same time, the price is cheap, which is also very important for early promotion.
After all, Nebula Games is not so luxurious as to say anything and lose $150 on selling a machine.
As for the configuration being too low, for a handheld console it supports up to 1080 output resolution. At the same time, if its configuration is well optimized, it can fully support games such as "Dark Soul" with 1080 resolution on the switch. Performance, in Chen Xu's opinion, is enough.
"The development of handheld consoles and the subsequent expansion of channels. Dr. Yan and you are already very familiar with this aspect, so I won't say more about this aspect."
"The price of the switch will remain at 1,199 yuan. Of course, the specific details will depend on how much the cost can be reduced. After deducting the expenses of dealers, offline and promotion, it will be enough to achieve a line of no loss. "Chen Xu thought for a while and asked Yan Xiong. ? ? ? ? ?
Listening to Chen Xu's words, Yan Xiong's little head was filled with question marks.
Did he hear wrongly
"Mr. Chen, you... what did you say?" Yan Xiong stuttered a little.
"From the time it leaves the factory to the time it is sold, we can ensure that every handheld console does not suffer losses." Chen Xu looked at Yan Xiong and said.
After receiving the affirmative answer, Yan Xiong was dumbfounded.
Is the purpose of selling a machine not to make a loss
This... what does this mean!
Chen Xu looked at Yan Xiong who was confused and didn't explain too much.