Chapter 491: Chen Mo Wants to Make a Handheld Console?
The student who had asked the question said thoughtfully, "I think I kind of understand. Teacher Chen Mo, you mean that the performance of a handheld console can completely surpass that of a phone, and it can even run some very large-scale open-world games. But is that possible?"
Chen Mo smiled. "With the current level of technology, it's completely feasible. The reason no one has done it is simply because everyone has fallen into a misconception."
Chen Mo continued his lecture, but the few lecturers and professors in the back row also looked skeptical.
Although what Chen Mo was saying had its own logic, it seemed completely contrary to common sense in the gaming industry. These lecturers didn't feel comfortable interrupting Chen Mo or questioning him directly, because what he was talking about was ultimately a matter of opinion, with no definitive answer.
Chen Mo said that handheld consoles still had room to survive in this world. To prove this point, there would need to be a handheld console that became popular worldwide, or at least domestically.
But currently, there was none.
Of course, Chen Mo could say that it was because the handheld console manufacturers in this world were too inferior, completely unable to produce the kind of handheld console he had in mind.
Chen Mo didn't dwell too much on this point and continued with his lecture as planned. However, this doubt was deeply rooted in many people's minds.
...
Chen Mo's first lecture went smoothly. He was naturally eloquent, and his insights into gaming far surpassed those of ordinary scholars. Many students felt they had gained a lot.
However, when the recording of the lecture was posted on the official website of World University One, voices of doubt began to emerge.
Most of the criticism focused on one point: Chen Mo said that handheld consoles still had room to survive in this era. Wasn't that nonsense?
"Aren't handheld consoles already obsolete antiques? With smartphones being so advanced now, what games can't you play on them? Why would anyone specifically buy a handheld console?"
"Yeah, I think Chen Mo might be a bit too presumptuous. Maybe he has some personal attachment to handheld consoles, so he thinks others like them too?"
"This is a university lecture. Isn't Chen Mo misleading the students? While unverified theories can be proposed, stating something that's clearly a fallacy or crooked reasoning seems a bit irresponsible."
"I also think Chen Mo might have been too unrestrained for his first lecture. He got carried away and started talking nonsense."
Many people seized on this opportunity to force Chen Mo to apologize, admit he was misleading students, and retract his erroneous statements.
Chen Mo's relationships within the gaming industry were decent, but his relationship with channel distributors could only be described as incompatible as fire and water. Predictably, when something like this happened, all sorts of troublemakers would come out of the woodwork.
These people had a purpose. If Chen Mo came out and apologized, admitting he was wrong, it would clearly reflect poorly on his professional competence and damage his reputation.
In the designer chat group, this incident also sparked a lot of discussion.
"What's going on? Is the big shot Chen Mo here?"
"What happened?"
"It seems that when Chen Mo was giving a lecture at World University One, he made a common-sense mistake. Now a bunch of haters have seized on it and are making a big deal out of it. The noise online is huge."
"How could that be? How could Chen Mo make a common-sense mistake?"
"What exactly was the common-sense mistake?"
"It seems Chen Mo said that handheld consoles still have room to survive in this era."
"...That does seem a bit off. But it's not that big of a deal, is it? Why are so many people clinging to it? It might just be a slip of the tongue."
"Someone must be trying to stir up trouble!"
As everyone was chatting, Chen Mo replied, "Why do you all think that statement is wrong?"
Everyone was a bit stunned.
Although they were pleasantly surprised that Chen Mo had shown up, it seemed like he didn't think he was wrong at all.
Zhang Xiaokong typed, "The current mainstream view in the industry is indeed that handheld consoles are already obsolete!"
Chen Mo countered, "Is the mainstream view always correct?"
Everyone was dumbfounded. What, Chen Mo was still confident? It wasn't him who was wrong, but the world?
Zhang Xiaokong said, "Chen Mo, it's not really like that. The main issue is that you're making this claim without being able to prove it. Aren't you just asking for trouble?"
Chen Mo typed, "I can prove it!"
"Huh?" Zhang Xiaokong was stunned. "You can prove it? How? Can you produce a handheld console that sells well?"
Chen Mo said, "Yes, I am planning to make a handheld console that will sell well."
Everyone: "..."
The chat instantly went silent. No one knew how to respond.
No wonder. Chen Mo's statement was too shocking!
How could a game designer suddenly decide to make a handheld console? So many hardware designers couldn't do it, but he could?
And besides, hardly anyone was making handheld consoles anymore!
However, since everyone in this group was a friend of Chen Mo's, once they knew he had a plan, they stopped asking further questions.
As for whether he could succeed, they would just have to wait until Chen Mo's handheld console was actually produced...
...
By the time Chen Mo returned to the capital, many people were still discussing this topic online. Clearly, it wouldn't die down anytime soon.
Some of these people were paid trolls fanning the flames, while others genuinely didn't believe in Chen Mo's claim.
Chen Mo smiled. "Perfect, you're creating buzz for me. I might as well ride the wave."
Chen Mo simply posted a Weibo update: "It seems a lot of people think I can't make a good handheld console? No problem. Once I've made it, you'll all agree with my point of view."
Wasn't it just making a handheld console? He could do it.
The technological level of this parallel world was even higher than that of Chen Mo's previous life. Making a handheld console wasn't actually that difficult. It was just a matter of mindset—many people thought that with smartphones, there was no need for handheld consoles, so no one had really looked into it.
To make a handheld console, Chen Mo didn't need to design it himself. He just needed to come up with the concept and find some reliable manufacturers to produce it for him.
It was like in Chen Mo's previous life, where many phone manufacturers used contract manufacturing. For example, Xiaomi made phones, computers, lights, and power strips. They did all these things by just handling the design, then finding factories to produce them and selling them online.
Similarly, Chen Mo didn't need to manufacture the handheld console himself. He just needed to hand over the relevant design to professionals.
But even so, it was still incredibly shocking!
Many onlookers were stunned. Chen Mo's fiery temper... was really something!
"Damn, just to prove his point, he's really going to make a handheld console? Chen Mo is freaking awesome..."
"I salute your guts. When the grass grows tall on your grave, I'll come and burn some incense for you..."
"Chen Mo... is he refusing to admit he's wrong? Is he getting arrogant?"
"I think Chen Mo is so confident that he can definitely make a handheld console!"
"The key isn't making it; it's whether anyone will buy it!"
"Awesome. Regardless of whether Chen Mo succeeds or not, his 'if I say I'll do it, I'll do it' attitude is worth learning from!"
Some were amazed, some were pessimistic. But overall, after Chen Mo announced he would make a handheld console, no one kept hounding him. There was no point in continuing a war of words.
Who was right and who was wrong would only be known once the handheld console came out!
...
When Chen Mo returned to the experience store, the news had already spread there.
Qian Kun said in shock, "Store manager, it's only been two days, and you've already made another big headline? Are you really going to make a handheld console?"
Chen Mo nodded. "What's the matter?"
Qian Kun asked, "What about us? Are we going to work on the handheld console too?"
Chen Mo smiled. "No need. When this handheld console hits the market, it will come with a new set of games. You'll mainly be busy with the new games. Don't worry about the handheld console; I'll handle the arrangements."