The Millennium Semiconductor Survival Guide

Zhou Xin looked up at the luxurious and exquisite lighting on the ceiling of the hotel lobby, and said lightly:

"Hopefully. I've always believed that as the performance of PCs improves, video games will become more and more abundant, and the value of Riot Games will become more and more prominent.

In the future, the market for virtual items will grow at an unimaginable speed, which is also an opportunity for the fist.

We will get involved in the trading of game items in the future. In other words, Riot is not just a game channel, it will penetrate into all aspects of video games. "

After the Internet companies of later generations develop into a giant model, they will try their best to build an ecology.

This is true of Huaguo's Internet companies, and the same is true of American's Internet companies. Take Microsoft as an example. From MSN, Bing to OpenAI, they have always maintained an aggressive attitude towards the field of Internet services.

Google has also acquired a large number of Internet products, from YouTube to the Android operating system.

Zhou Xin’s idea is not unusual to Bill Gates, Bill Gates agreed: “Actually, I think we can spin off Microsoft’s game department and merge it with Riot Games in the near future.

Riot Games is only short of the content of the game console from the full product service of video games.

I know that Microsoft's game console project is still in the internal research and development stage, and at the same time it faces external opponents, such as Nintendo, Sony and Sega, so it is difficult for Microsoft's game department to come up with a price.

After we have produced the product and it has been fully verified by the market, we can conduct in-depth discussions on this matter. "

Zhou Xin asked: "What do you think about the way Microsoft's operating system is sold online?

That is what we have communicated before. Put the download link of the Microsoft operating system on the official website. After downloading, users have a one-month trial period. After one month is up, they need to purchase a verification code through electronic payment before continuing to use it. "

Bill showed a embarrassed look: "Newman, from the bottom of my heart, I really hope to adopt this method.

Using online sales can greatly reduce our costs.

Microsoft's channel costs, marketing costs, and production costs are a very high cost. If we adopt the method of online sales, we can save this part of the cost and give part of the profit to users.

The windows 98 se that we launched this year, sells for about $180 to $210, at least half of which is channel costs and production costs.

Taking the online method, the price can be compressed to $120, and our profit will be even higher.

At the same time, it is also conducive to Microsoft's unified pricing across the country.

But this involves a relatively large adjustment of the entire company, and it is difficult for me to make a decision so quickly.

Because the online sale means that the price has to be re-priced, and at the same time, we have to renegotiate the contract with our original retailers, distributors and other partners. From the production side to the production of CDs to packaging materials to user manuals, the involved supply chain All downstream companies have to re-plan their annual production targets.

All these aspects involved do not mean that I can implement it immediately after I make a decision.

You mentioned it to me before, and I asked our internal strategic research department to do a detailed research report, and conducted a specific research on the impact if we adopt the online sales model.

The final result is that it can't be done yet, but it will be done sooner or later in the future. "

Bill continued after a pause, "I actually agree with you about video games.

Moore's Law determines that the performance of the chip has been improving. The better the performance of the chip, the memory and CPU will be improved accordingly, so the game content and game screen that the hardware can support will have a qualitative leap.

In 1980, when I was only 25 years old, I was helping IBM develop the PC-DOS operating system. At that time, the most popular video games were "Space Invaders" developed by Taito and "Pac-Man" developed by Namco.

Judging from the current perspective, the graphics of these two games are very simple, and the most popular games last year were "Angry Birds" and "Plants vs. Zombies".

In 1980, the hardware and monitors at that time did not support the birth of games such as "Angry Birds" and "Plants vs. Zombies".

Plants and zombies are probably just very abstract pixels.

In the future, with the advancement of hardware equipment, we will have more and richer games.

I think 3D technology is one of the directions of future video games.

During the ten years from 1990 to 1999, the game platform continued to iterate. Nintendo evolved from Super Nintendo to today’s Nintendo N64. Sony’s PS entered the market and achieved great success.

The game types have also changed from single action and role-playing games to today's real-time strategy games and shooting games.

The global video game market has grown from 10 billion US dollars in 1990 to 60 billion US dollars today, and it is still maintaining a high-speed growth trend until today.

All in all, the market for video games has grown significantly over the past decade. Factors such as platform competition, diversification of game genres, global market expansion, emerging distribution channels, and a mature retail market have all contributed to the prosperity of video games. "

Because Microsoft has a long process of argumentation on whether to enter the field of console games, Bill Gates, as the leader of this strategy, has read these argumentation reports more than once.

He is very familiar with the history of video game development in the past, and he is also very optimistic about the future development of video games.

Of course, it is not optimistic and will not start the Xbox project.

Zhou Xin and Bill Gates touched the goblet again: "Since you are so optimistic, why do you think I will let Riot Games merge with Microsoft's game department?"

"For Riot Games, there is no competitor in the market, and Yahoo, the only competitor that may become Riot Games, has been unanimously rejected by players because of its plagiarism.

Microsoft's project faced challenges from the giants of Neon, Nintendo, Sony and Sega. Even with the backing of Microsoft to give blood to this project, Microsoft's game consoles are also facing a very severe test. "

Bill Gates turned to look at Zhou Xin: "I agree with your point of view, Riot can live well without merging with Microsoft's game department.

After the merger of Microsoft's game department and Riot Games, we can gain a certain initiative in the competition with Neon's host manufacturers.

Fist has built a brand. Although Microsoft is very famous, in the field of gamers, its reputation is not as good as Fist.

I don't deny this, just as users recognize Yahoo's portal and have limited acceptance of MSN.

If Riot merged Microsoft's gaming division with a stock swap, I'd make concessions from elsewhere.

For example, let NewPay become the only payment software sold online for the Windows operating system.

What do you think of this chip?

The share swap for the merger is still going on as usual, which is my bargaining chip to promote this matter. "

Zhou Xin was not surprised that Bill Gates realized the importance of NewPay to Zhou Xin. He would only overestimate and not underestimate Bill Gates' vision and strategic thinking.

"I still have to think about it."

"Newman, I know that NewPay is the most important company to you among all your companies. You will sell Quora and make Riot go public, but you have never let NewPay go public. Even the financing is through A/B shares.

There are not a few people who can see this. NewPay is very valuable, and it can become the infrastructure of the Internet in the future.

It doesn't surprise me that it will become the American Bank of the Internet. It has this potential, but there are many competitors who also see the potential in the electronic payment field.

The only payment channel for online sales of the windows operating system, should this be attractive for NewPay to become the American Bank in the field of electronic payment? "

American Bank is American's largest consumer bank.

Zhou Xin asked: "Since you realize that it is so important to me and you know the potential of electronic payment, why doesn't Microsoft make electronic payment?"

Microsoft never set foot in the field of electronic payments during Bill Gates’ tenure. It was not until 2016, after Bill Gates retired, that Microsoft launched Microsoft Wallet.

Microsoft Wallet is somewhat similar to Apple Pay and Google Pay.

Microsoft Wallet allows users to store information such as credit cards, debit cards and loyalty cards in one application, and complete payments through NFC technology.

Bill Gates said, "Because it's not interesting.

The electronic payment thing is really boring in my opinion.

I hope to do some more creative and imaginative work. Electronic payment is nothing more than realizing the credit card system through a computer.

I'm not saying it doesn't make sense, it makes sense, I use NewPay too, it's convenient, more convenient than a credit card at some point.

But let me make such a product, I feel very boring, I just need to think about which methods of traditional payment can be realized by computer. "

Bill Gates spread his hands with a helpless expression.

After a short pause, Bill Gates continued: "I often go to Huaguo, and I know many wealthy people in Huaguo.

Rich people in Huaguo like to buy tap water, electricity, natural gas companies and real estate after they are rich.

Their investment strategy is very conservative, hoping to ensure their asset appreciation through these fields.

In my opinion, electronic payment is actually a bit similar to these companies, and its functions and values ​​are also very similar. "

Today's first chapter