Kapitel 308: Chapter 308: The New Game Console
On the surface, Legendary World seemed to be in chaos, and by the end of the year, things could spiral into a truly dreadful situation.
The case of Legendary World was being cited by various universities. At Harvard Business School, a group of students even came up with plenty of ideas for William White.
The critics were clearly hurt. They admired Keynes and emphasized the government's role in economic activities.
The events surrounding Legendary World were undoubtedly due to government intervention. They were earning money seriously when suddenly the government said no; they had to share the profits.
Well, is there anything more ridiculous in this world?
If there is, it must be the seven baby Bells. It's clear to anyone that the so-called break-up was nothing but a joke.
Did communication costs go down?
Not at all, right?
Competition turned even more brutal, with non-Bell telecom companies almost completely wiped out.
At least in academic circles, this so-called antitrust effort wasn't well received. As for the average Joe, their heads were swimming with one conspiracy after another.
Could it be that the Japanese people really bribed our higher-ups? Otherwise, none of this makes sense.
You guys claim the Japanese control the exchange rate; so what?
And now? Where are our job opportunities?
That jerk, William White, used a forced confrontation that left a bunch of big shots scratching their heads.
The reality was that several game companies from the Japan side received severe warnings from their higher-ups. If they dared to pull any nonsense, many would end up in trouble.
Damn.
Faced with the fully armed NBC, the big shots felt powerless to complain.
Do you have no shame?
Is this game console made in America?
...
"Dad, isn't this total nonsense? Do you really think the public will believe it?"
"Ha! It seems that way. Does it really matter if it's true or not? The key is that he's skewed the public opinion."
Bush Jr. looked confused, and after a long pause, he said, "This guy seems really suited for promotional work."
"Ha! Don't even talk about that lousy actor; even your dad can't afford him - he's the richest man in the world! Tsk-tsk."
No matter how upset outsiders felt, William White didn't care; he focused on the next steps in his plan. He couldn't afford to let the Japanese surprise him from behind; if that happened, he'd really be left with no tears to cry.
...
After so long in development, the PS2 was finally taking shape. It featured a 16-bit Motorola processor, paired with a sound card and 2D video accelerator. This configuration was horrifyingly powerful, and there was no doubt about its performance.
In fact, in terms of graphics processing, this PS2 game console easily surpassed all the 386 PCs on the market.
"Sir, the product is definitely great, but the price is a bit of an issue."
"Ha! Tom, you need to learn to look at problems from a developmental perspective. That so-called Moore's Law does hold some truth."
Intel's 80386 had been out for a while. According to that so-called Moore's Law, the efficiency of current processors would double in less than 12 months.
Legendary World wouldn't be able to finish the PS2 in twelve months. After all, everybody played on different channels. To sell this game console, having just the console wasn't enough; without several heavyweight games, it would be tough to sell.
Legendary World was caught in a bind, while the game companies they spun off had a different fate. After a rigorous selection process, those with no skills were weeded out, leaving only true programming experts.
...
An absurd royalty system was merely window dressing. Leaving that aside, the first-mover advantage was something most companies could only look up to.
William White wasn't too concerned about this 16-bit game console. Like personal PCs, a 16-bit processor was merely transitional; their lifespan wasn't very long.
If it hadn't been for Sony making a sudden leap forward, Nintendo would have had its way. No competitor would keep launching new models without any rivals.
Now, the PS game console had already gathered thirty million users worldwide. That number was constantly being surpassed. According to market research firms, the final user count could exceed fifty million.
The curious public felt a bit lost. It seemed like there were no competitors; wasn't this antitrust action just wasting taxpayers' money?
What was the objective?
The public didn't get it, but those in the gaming industry surely did. With PSP sales added in, they'd have a cool hundred million users in two years; if just 5% of them bought a game, the profits would be insane.
Charging toll fees?
No problem; what's the meaning of not letting us through?
Everyone knew that game cartridges made more money than the game console itself. As long as their games were good and the promotion was decent, making money felt easier than drinking water.
Now, things had changed. Before, as long as the proposal was decent, Legendary World wouldn't complain. But now, it seemed the whole country had ground to a halt.
William White's attitude surprised them. They naively thought he would compromise. After all, with so many restrictive terms, it was definitely monopolistic; there wasn't really any debate about it.
"Our PS2 system is still under development. Due to compatibility issues, we aren't opening up licensing, and the royalty system will no longer apply to the PS2. For the reasons, please refer to the relevant hearings by the Department of Justice."
A notice from Legendary World set off fireworks in the gaming industry.
Don't you all like to make a fuss?
We won't play with you anymore. As for monopoly or not, who cares?
Some said, go develop your own.
Ha! What was William White's backbone?
Over a hundred million terminal users.
If he didn't have that, how could you compete with him?
"Chief, what should we do?"
"Ha! Don't even think about your own system. I'm under great pressure, and regarding that so-called PS2, they'll bring in franchisees. Honestly, it's just changing the name with no real difference."
"Shameful."
"Ha! You're wrong. If it were us, we'd make the same choice."
The Japanese people were pretty stable emotionally, leaving a bunch of folks on Wall Street dumbfounded.
"Damn it, they must have reached some kind of agreement." A bunch of fund managers were agitated, unsure whether to hold onto the stock or sell it.
After all, compared to the previous high, the current price seemed very reasonable. But could they actually get through this?
Get through it?
That was out of the question; that was another matter. The PS2 was still on paper, and it was none of their business. The management at Legendary World even claimed they were already planning for the PS3. If the Department of Justice was interested, they could investigate us forever.
What the hell, can things be played this way?
You say the royalty system isn't suitable?
Fine, we'll just call it something else.
How about a testing fee?
If you don't like that, we can keep changing it. By the time we get to PS13, you'll probably be numb.
A person could be this shameless, no wonder this guy is the richest in America. His level really isn't just talk, but come on -- do you take the Secretary of Justice for a nobody?
What a load of nonsense with PS13; by the time you get to PS3, the Department of Justice's reputation would be in tatters. This level of continuous slap in the face is nothing short of an insult to the current system.
*****
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