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After finishing the video call with Lin Xiaoguang, Zhong Ming first closed the design document of the new game, and then took out the hand-painted tablet to draw the shape of the new controller.

Is there any difference between the handle and the handle?

Of course not, the difference is huge!

Some basic layouts of the handles are indeed difficult to change. For example, other people’s handles have two joysticks, two shoulder buttons, and two trigger buttons. If you have to make three joysticks and one shoulder button, then no It's strange to die violently.

The basic layout of the handle is indeed the most suitable device currently researched by many hardware design experts in combination with ergonomics. It fully considers the comfort and convenience of players holding the handle. Making changes in these places will only become "for Innovation and innovation", in the eyes of insiders, is just a joke.

As for the functions on the handle, such as adding an electronic screen, adding a touchpad, adding a speaker, adding new buttons, etc., these solutions have basically been tried by countless people, some have been left behind, and some have been removed.

Those remaining functions may indeed be essential, or can slightly improve the experience, while those removed may be useless and increase the cost.

Compared with making software, making hardware requires more awe, because there are too many aspects to consider when making hardware, including the actual configuration and practicality, as well as the shape and feel of the hardware. Things that affect the whole body. Some hardware manufacturers have some unique quirks in appearance, resulting in lower product yields and various quality problems, which is simply not worth the candle.

The development of a handle that is ahead of the times requires a huge investment in research and development, and the application of new technologies in the handle also requires a huge investment in research and development resources. It is obviously impossible for Zhong Ming to spend tens of millions to research new technology to make a handle. He is not so rich now. What Zhong Ming wants to do is to combine the current technology to optimize and improve the handle.

...

Zhong Ming quickly drew a sketch of the new handle on the hand-painted board, and the functions and methods of each component were also noted next to it.

This shape is Zhong Ming's previous XBOX elite controller. It is said that Microsoft spent more than 100 million US dollars to develop this controller. It is impossible for Zhong Ming to spend so much money on technological breakthroughs, but many successful elements on the elite controller can be used for reference.

The first is the shape of the controller. The general layout of the controllers of Switch, PS4, and XBOX is similar, but the specific shapes are different. According to the feedback from players in the previous life, the XBOX controller should be the most liked by players. Of course, the controllers of Sony and Nintendo are not bad, but if you have to compare them, there is still some gap with the controllers of XBOX.

This set of handles, in addition to the most basic handle configuration, also comes with additional accessories: a set of raised rocker caps, a set of mushroom head rocker caps, two sets of four picks in total, and a classic The cross key button - because the default cross key button has been changed to an eight-direction cross key with a depression in the middle that is suitable for hand fighting games.

And these accessories are all magnetically adsorbed, which is very convenient to install.

There are corresponding slots on the left and right joysticks of the handle, the position of the cross key, and the position where the middle finger is pressed on the back. Simply put the corresponding button or paddle up to achieve the adsorption effect, a real fool-like operation.

In addition to replaceable rocker caps and cross keys, the handle also supports changing the trigger key travel, as well as free mapping of new function keys to the paddles on the back.

This is also the smartest part of this controller. It does not force changes and optimizations. The optimizations it makes just touch the pain points of players, and they are all functions that players can actually use.

For rocker caps, different players have different usage habits. Some people like to use traditional rocker caps and use their thumbs to touch the concave position on the top of the rocker cap. Some people like to push the joystick from the side. The usage is different. , The height and shape of the rocker cap will naturally affect the feel.

Even many players have slightly different ways of pushing the joystick because of the different types of games they are playing. This difference may not even be felt by them.

After replacing a variety of rocker caps, players can change them at any time according to their habits.

The advantage of the long rocker cap is that when turning the direction of the same magnitude, the player's hand needs to draw a larger circle, so that whether it is moving or turning the angle of view, it can be more accurate-especially when looking up at close range against taller enemies.

The mushroom-shaped keycaps allow players to rub the joystick caps frequently for a long time without rubbing their hands red due to friction, let alone fatigue or pain, which is also a huge improvement for the gaming experience.

In terms of cross keys, the official standard cross key is an eight-way direction key with a depression in the middle. Its biggest function is that you can easily make combos you want when playing fighting games, and because the eight-way cross key The surface is very smooth, no matter how you rub it continuously, it will not hurt your hands.

In addition, there are some items in the game that are selected with the arrow keys. Originally, using the four-way cross key to select the item on the upper right required two clicks, but now only one click is enough.

Although there are very few players playing fighting games in this world, there are still a group of people, and this design is good news for them.

There are two special buttons on the back of the handle. After being pulled, the key travel of the two trigger keys can be changed-one is the more common deep key travel, and the other is shallow key travel.

This design is also very practical. The deep key range is very suitable for racing games. It can simulate the feeling of accelerator and brake very well. Press the right trigger button slowly, and the car will accelerate slowly. Press it lightly Press the left trigger, and the car will decelerate slightly instead of stopping all at once.

In shooting games, players can shorten the key travel of the trigger button according to their own preferences, so that the shooting can be triggered with a single press, and it does not need to be so tiring.

In addition, there are paddles on the back of the handle. These paddles are also magnetically adsorbed. There are four in total. Players can choose to use some of them according to their needs. When in use, the official driver allows players to map any function keys to these paddles, and then these paddles can take on new functions.

There are two biggest functions of these paddles. One is to add new buttons for the players. Many players always feel that the buttons are not enough when playing games with the handle, or some keys are inconvenient to press. The paddles can solve this problem very well. The problem; the second is that in some games, players need to press a certain key very frequently, such as the normal attack key in some RPG games. It's easy to keep pressing down.

Of course, this paddle may also make some players uncomfortable, because the paddle is at the position of the middle finger of the player. If some people are used to holding the handle when they are nervous, they may touch it by mistake. This requires players to adapt themselves, just like many players. Changing from two-finger operation to three-finger operation when playing mobile games requires a familiar process.

In any case, the designer must provide these solutions so that players can choose freely.

Another important design is the circular touchpad in the center above the handle and the high-precision gyroscope built into the handle.

The position of this circular touchpad is similar to that of the rectangular touchpad of PS4, and its shape is similar to the touchpad of the steam handle, both of which are slightly concave in the center of the circle. The most important function of this touchpad is to allow players to perform some mouse-like operations in the game.

For example, in business simulation games, players often need to select a certain area on the map to build a building, or build a road, etc. This operation is difficult to complete with the original joystick. The best operation method is to use keyboard and mouse.

But with this circular touchpad, it’s easy to say. Players only need to use their thumbs to drag it gently, and then they can cooperate with the left-hand cross key to complete some specific operations, such as placing the building in a very precise place. .

The sensitivity of this circular touchpad is much higher than that of the joystick. It is similar to the touchpads of many laptops. Players can quickly adapt to it after a little familiarity. This also allows this handle to perfectly support many simulation games.

In addition, the handle will also be equipped with a high-precision gyroscope, which is mainly used to improve shooting accuracy in FPS games.

In FPS games, the player can control the direction with the right joystick. If fine-tuning is still needed at this time, and the player does not want to use the right joystick or touchpad, he can directly tilt the handle to aim—just like the players in Zhong Ming’s previous life. Like in The Legend of Zelda.

This is a great boon for many players who like to play FPS games on consoles. Of course, Shimmer Studios kindly recommends that if you want to play FPS games, it is best to buy a whole set of GS1 emulators to get the most perfect shooting experience.

In addition, due to the large amount of metal products used in the handle, the weight of the entire handle will be significantly higher than other handles, making the player feel more weighty in the hand, so that the feel of the entire handle will also be improved.

...

Soon, Zhong Ming finally finished writing the design of the handle and sent it directly to Lin Xiaoguang.

Lin Xiaoguang's first reaction after reading it was to be stunned: "So complicated???"

Apparently, what Zhong Ming wrote has completely exceeded his expectations. Lin Xiaoguang didn’t understand why Zhong Ming gave him three months to make this controller before, but now he understands that it really takes three months!

This handle is different from any handle on the market. It has a touchpad and a gyroscope. The key travel of the trigger button, these have to change the internal structure.

"Mr. Zhong, is this necessary to make it so complicated? The experience for players has indeed been improved a lot, but the price of this pair of handles should also be very expensive, and it is very likely that it will sell for about 1,000 yuan Yes. At this price, there is no competitive advantage in the market.”

Lin Xiaoguang doesn't think these innovations are bad, of course innovation is good, and any improvement to the player's feel is definitely valuable. But the key is that the improvement of the feel will inevitably mean the increase of the price. Once the price goes up, the target group of players will naturally be narrowed.

Zhong Ming replied: "It doesn't matter, we bundle the controller with the GS1 X mainframe for sale. Anyway, rich people will buy it, and it's not a big problem if it costs a few hundred dollars."

"It's not a big deal if it costs a few hundred dollars!" Lin Xiaoguang asked, "Then, what about the GS1 S?"

"GS1 S can be equipped with the most common handle, as long as it can be used. GS1 S mainly takes the cheap route, while GS1 X takes the high-end route. In addition, the handle is also sold separately. The specific price depends on the cost. It’s not impossible to reach 1,000 yuan.”

Lin Xiaoguang didn't answer for the time being, but was quickly calculating the prices of the two hosts.

The current two mainframe devices, GS1 S and GS1 X, have a huge difference in configuration, so the pre-order price gap is also very large, the former is 2499, and the latter is 4199.

Here, Lin Xiaoguang reserved the price of the handle, 200 yuan.

In other words, for a machine without a handle, GS1 S should sell for 2299, while GS1 X should sell for 3999.

But how could the host not have a handle? Definitely take it.

Now that Zhong Ming wants to bundle this elite controller with GS1 X, the price of GS1 X will directly rise to 4999 (if the price of adding a new controller is around 1000), this price is a bit embarrassing.

Even if the profit is compressed at 4999, it can be compressed to 4899 at most. For players, this price is not particularly sensitive and meaningless. If it can be compressed from 3100 to 2999, it will be more intuitive to the player, but for GS1 X, it is obviously impossible to compress the number of thousands.

In other words, the final pricing is very likely to be like this:

GS1 S version host (with ordinary handle): 2499

GS1 X version host (with elite controller): 4999

GS1 version elite controller: 999

At present, the price of mainframes on the market is basically around 2500~3000 for the cheapest, and around 4500 for the most expensive. That is to say, the lowest configuration version of the GS1 host is not competitive in price compared with the cheapest host on the market, while the high-end version of the GS1 host is more expensive than the most expensive host on the market.

Of course, considering the price of the elite controller, the price of the GS1 X should be 4000, which is 500 yuan cheaper than the most expensive console on the market, but...whether players will consider this price so rationally, there is a question mark .

Players are likely to "disturb" directly when they see the number "4999".

As for the handle, it is even more expensive. Currently, the most expensive handle on the market is basically only around 500 yuan. This elite handle is crazily piled up, directly doubling the price.

According to the general thinking, when hardware manufacturers enter a new field, they usually first gain a foothold at a low price, and then slowly raise the price to enter the high-end field steadily. This is what the GS1 emulator did before, but looking at the current situation of the console and the handle, it seems that it is going to be done in one step?

The X version is twice as expensive as the S version, will any players really buy it?

Lin Xiaoguang was also very disturbed in his heart.