I Just Want Players to Save Money, They Insist on Giving Me!
Chapter 467 - 161: The Design Philosophy of the Next-Generation Handheld Console! The Curtain Slowly Rises!_3

Chapter 467: Chapter 161: The Design Philosophy of the Next-Generation Handheld Console! The Curtain Slowly Rises!_3

SE only needs to sign an exclusive contract with other game manufacturers, and you can only watch as the meat runs into someone else’s bowl.

But for Ke Jin,

these obstacles that seem insurmountable are no problem at all in front of him.

Handheld console?

The renowned Switch can still uphold the reputation of a next-generation console even six or seven years after its release.

And games that match the handheld?

If you mention that, I’m not troubled at all.

The Mario series, Pokémon series, Star Kirby series, as well as Animal Crossing, Fitness Ring, Jet Warrior, and so on—these classic IPs are all on everyone’s lips.

There’s also one game acclaimed as the best open-world game in the world.

"The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild"

Come on! SE!

Look at all these handheld IPs cradled in my arms and tell me loudly, who are you planning to boycott?

"Defeating him in his area of expertise is a key step in making a name for oneself," Ke Jin solidified the idea in his mind.

The next target, make a Switch!

And the games, focus on handheld!

If progress is fast enough, it will coincide perfectly with SE’s annual new device ’Slover13’ launch in the midsummer season.

Bring it on! Take them head-on! You’ll be the first one I’ll cut!

...

After organizing his thoughts, Ke Jin began to rely on his memory to summarize the core and features of the Switch and started sketching on paper to create a draft.

For matters unrelated to the game itself, Brother Tong Zi couldn’t offer much help.

Ke Jin could only rely on his memory, then find a contract manufacturer to begin model trial and error.

As long as the appearance, performance, and functionality are made strictly according to his requirements, the result won’t differ too much from the Switch of his previous life.

Even the frequently criticized "next-gen handheld with last-gen performance" issue could be upgraded by him along the way.

However, the biggest challenge lies in chip technology.

It’s a topic that nearly every country cannot avoid.

It has a broad scope, extending from aerospace, military technology, and medical equipment...

...to various types of electronic digital products.

Even smaller sectors like small furniture/toys can shine.

It’s a core pillar of the information civilization era.

To create a device dedicated to gaming, be it a home console or a portable handheld, chips are indispensable.

And chip technology is usually in the hands of the world’s leading tech companies, with some sophisticated technology even monopolized.

Ke Jin could give away game design solutions without charging a penny.

But as for chip processes...

Number One Player simply doesn’t have the capability to produce them.

Therefore, to build a handheld, it’s necessary to find a contract manufacturer.

In Ke Jin’s past life, the main contract manufacturers for the Switch were Foxconn and TSMC.

For chip technology support, it was also necessary to turn to Nvidia for a custom version of the castrated dual U, that is CPU and GPU.

But soon, a new problem arose.

Under Ke Jin’s authorization, when Qiao Yuan tried contacting the dedicated personnel at Foxconn and TSMC with intentions to customize a handheld, the response was lukewarm.

They even gave Ke Jin a quote that was somewhat hard to accept.

yuan per unit.

Moreover, Ke Jin needs to contact Nvidia or ATI himself, to file the required configurations and negotiate a price.

The cost of chip technology support will not be handled by these two manufacturers, so the actual production cost of each Switch may end up being even more expensive.

And that’s just the initial probing communication with the contract manufacturers.

The direct-connect and fast-charging technology of the dock, and the remote-sensing technology of the Joy-Con —

Ke Jin hasn’t even brought up these two new concepts yet.

If these were included in the cost,

Ke Jin estimated that the production cost would soar to 3000 yuan per unit.

Keep in mind, this is still just the production cost...

Naturally, there must be a certain profit margin when making our own handhelds.

Even if it’s only a small profit of a few hundred yuan per machine,

the overall price tag will be pushed to the critical level of 3500.

yuan... for tycoons, it’s nothing much.

But for many average players, it’s a matter of life and death.

What’s more, there’s a host of game cartridges waiting in line.

By then, let alone crushing SE,

our own company will go kaput due to the exorbitantly high price.

"Mr. Ke, do you think there might be a possibility that SE has already spoken to both large contract manufacturers, deliberately choking us?" After trying to make contact with the contract manufacturers intermittently over a week and earnestly negotiating many times to no avail, Qiao Yuan couldn’t help herself.

She had been with Number One Player Company for over half a month, and due to the positive internal atmosphere, she quickly adapted to the new environment.

Add to that the relatively approachable attitude of her boss, she felt quite relaxed and comfortable.

Now she was angrily leaning on the executive office desk, arms crossed, united with Ke Jin in a shared cause of animosity.

"I wouldn’t rule out that possibility," Ke Jin reflected while looking out the window.

SE’s handhelds have long been famous, with flagship stores both online and offline worldwide, and extensive connections.

In this lifetime, there is no Nintendo or Sony to act as obstacles.

Even in the West, the popular XBOX and SE operate in different domains.

XBOX focuses on large home consoles connected to TV ports, with digital and disc as the main playing methods.

SE, on the other hand, specializes in cartridge-based portable handhelds.

Their customer demands are different; the two are like water from different wells.

Therefore, SE’s handhelds are almost a monopoly, with annual sales calculated in tens of millions of units.

They have more leverage when negotiating with contract manufacturers.

Whereas our small company, let alone making an impact on the global scene, even within Huaxia Nation, once you step outside the gaming industry, its influence noticeably wanes.