Chapter 514: How Bitter Is the Cartridge?
The trolls found another excuse: "This is definitely fake data! The sales aren't that high at all. It's all a scam, all bought by insiders to inflate numbers and create artificial scarcity!"
But somehow, a trending topic appeared on Weibo: The World's Bitterest Game Cartridge.
"The console and controllers are all sold out, so I could only buy a cartridge. Sigh."
"You can't even play with just the cartridge!"
"No problem, once the next batch of consoles comes out, won't I be able to play?"
"I heard from Chen Mo that the cartridge uses the world's bitterest substance, completely non-toxic and harmless, designed to prevent kids and pets from swallowing it. Go ahead, lick it and see if it's true!"
"Really? The world's bitterest substance? I don't believe it!"
"Can it be more bitter than Chinese herbal medicine?"
"Liar, this cartridge is clearly sweet!"
"Yeah, it tastes great when you lick it, with a hint of sweetness, but not cloying at all!"
"Whoa, you guys up there are lying! This cartridge is clearly sweet and spicy!"
"Nonsense, the salty faction is the righteous one!"
"I actually licked it, and I can't describe how I feel right now... I'm questioning life. I need some time alone to calm down..."
Chen Mo hadn't specifically promoted this, but the news still spread across different player communities.
Many people already knew that the cartridge was coated with the world's bitterest substance to prevent accidental ingestion.
But that only fueled everyone's urge to tempt fate...
Those who hadn't licked it wanted to, and those who had wanted to trick others into licking it. Somehow, this managed to become a trending topic...
So many players who hadn't bought the console or controllers just bought a cartridge first. On one hand, they were preparing ahead since they could play once the console arrived; on the other hand, they wanted to try it out and see just how bitter the world's bitterest substance really was...
Thus, a very strange phenomenon emerged: physical cartridges actually sold more than consoles and controllers combined, and most people bought physical copies instead of digital ones...
Naturally, a wave of Switch unboxing reviews appeared on major streaming platforms and video sites. "The host actually managed to snag one? This luck is unreal!"
"I think it's more about the hand speed being unreal!"
"Who cares about unboxing? We want to see you lick the cartridge! Hurry up, let's see what it tastes like!"
Choufengjun grinned as he watched the comments on his screen. To be honest, there were way more viewers than before, probably thanks to the buzz around this new console.
"Hello everyone, I'm Choufengjun. Today, I'm mainly reviewing Chen Mo's new handheld console. But before that, there's a little side quest: licking the cartridge."
"Some of you might be here for the first time, so let me explain. Apparently, to prevent accidental swallowing, Chen Mo added a bittering agent to this cartridge. It's extremely, extremely bitter."
"Today, I told my fan group that my Switch had arrived, and everyone said, 'We don't care about your Switch, we just want to see you lick the cartridge!'"
"Honestly, I'm curious too. How bitter can it really be? Alright, let me give it a lick."
With that, Choufengjun brought the cartridge to his lips and gave it a light lick.
"It's not that... Ugh!!!"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was already clutching his mouth and howling.
After a hurried apology, Choufengjun bolted out the door and rushed into the bathroom.
The comments went wild.
"Haha, no pain, no gain!"
"23333, the aftertaste is that strong?"
"I already screenshotted that. A new set of memes incoming!"
"Choufengjun's acting is too good. I licked it, and it wasn't that bitter at all. Try it yourself if you don't believe me!"
A full five minutes later, Choufengjun returned, clearly having brushed his teeth.
With a look of existential crisis, he said, "How do I describe the bitterness of this cartridge? Have you ever eaten those uncoated berberine tablets? If you have, I can tell you it tastes very similar. Basically, it's like swallowing crushed berberine pieces dry without water, and it might even be a bit more bitter..."
Ignoring the comments shouting "Do it again," Choufengjun wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued the unboxing.
"Alright, let's officially start the unboxing."
"Opening the first layer of the box, the layout is pretty nice. On the left are the two small controllers, and on the right is the console screen..."
Choufengjun went step by step through the unboxing demo, covering every accessory, the feel, and the actual game performance, introducing everything in detail.
Many viewers watched intently, with comments flowing nonstop.
"The actual console looks so beautiful, just like in the promotional video!"
"The size seems just right, and the screen is way bigger than a phone!"
"And those two controllers look really fun. There's even a satisfying click when you attach or detach them."
"And it really does switch seamlessly. Once you dock it, the TV shows the display in under five seconds?"
"This game looks really interesting too, and you can play it with special gestures?"
As Choufengjun continued his introduction, more and more people grew interested in this new console and its games.
Clearly, this console was completely different from the average phone on the market, especially the unique feel of playing with the two controllers.
Soon, Choufengjun's unboxing experience came to an end.
He fiddled with the console as he said, "Overall, this console has left me very impressed. It's a completely new type of gaming machine. Strictly speaking, it's a handheld that can output to a TV, and its price is indeed reasonable."
"I think, just like the promotional video said, this is truly a console designed to cater to everyone's needs. It doesn't have a definitive target audience, or rather, everyone is its potential target audience."
"Moreover, this console is already sold out, which shows just how popular it is. If you want to buy one, my advice is to pre-order the next batch immediately. This console will not disappoint you!"