Chapter 795: Hise Smart Glasses
After the Matrix Glasses pre-sale began, three more hardware manufacturers launched their own smart glasses devices.
These three manufacturers were essentially top-tier hardware companies, both domestic and international, with products ranging from phones and PCs to VR gaming pods. Each had its own niche market and loyal brand following.
Among them, the most attention-grabbing was the new product released by Hise.
Hise was a foreign company in this parallel world with a solid reputation in smart hardware. Previously, Hise had released a smart helmet, but it received a lukewarm response. The specs and hardware were fine, but the main issue was that it was inconvenient to wear—long sessions caused neck pain, and it wasn’t something you could wear while moving around.
Plus, running around with a helmet on just looked a bit silly.
Clearly, Hise’s smart glasses and smart helmet were developed around the same time, with the glasses launching just a few days later.
Based on the specs and data Hise released, the configuration of these smart glasses was very similar to the Matrix Glasses. After all, the technological development level in this world was what it was, and similar products with the same price point wouldn’t differ too much in specs.
Many people who hadn’t managed to snag the Matrix Glasses, or who weren’t particularly trusting of domestic products, expressed excitement upon seeing the Hise smart glasses: “Nice, another option to choose from!”
Overseas, the Hise smart glasses received very positive reviews. Besides integrating most smartphone functions, these glasses also featured highly convenient photo and video capabilities, allowing users to record their experiences anytime, anywhere. The device also came with a built-in gyroscope that effectively corrected camera shake caused by the user’s movement, making it a very cost-effective device for outdoor streamers.
However, the price was on the higher side. It had only one price point: $1,399 USD. For domestic buyers, that translated to over 9,000 RMB, even more expensive than the high-end version of the Matrix Glasses.
In terms of specs, the Hise smart glasses and the high-end Matrix Glasses were roughly on par, both using the best materials and technology currently available on the market. But the Hise smart glasses had one clear advantage: they supported video recording and photography.
To store recordings and transmit live-stream signals, Hise had installed a relatively large storage device in the glasses, along with stronger signal transmission capabilities, which naturally drove up the price.
Seeing the Hise smart glasses, many people decided to buy them. Compared to other devices on the market, this product offered superior quality, plus it had recording and live-streaming features, which were very practical for certain groups of people.
As for the Matrix Glasses… many people only then realized that it seemed to lack photo and video recording capabilities?
At first, no one paid much attention to this, because all smart glasses of this type came with cameras. The camera was needed to capture the player’s field of view and convert it into virtual data. Since it had a camera, adding a recording function shouldn’t have been a big deal, right?
But many people checked the Matrix Glasses’ official website and found that, among the long list of features, there was no mention of photo, video, or live-streaming functions…
A lot of people were puzzled. “What’s Lehui thinking? This feature isn’t hard to implement—why cut corners here?”
Some who had pre-ordered the Matrix Glasses started to regret it. The Hise glasses were only a thousand RMB more expensive but supported recording and live-streaming, and had larger storage capacity. It seemed like the better choice!
For big spenders, spending 8,000 RMB already made adding another thousand for better performance a no-brainer.
Of course, this wasn’t an issue for those who bought the Youth Edition or Standard Edition, since the Hise smart glasses were simply too expensive for them, offering poor value for money.
Many were already speculating that, if no more competitive smart glasses emerged, the domestic market would likely see a competition between the Matrix Glasses and the Hise smart glasses.
The Hise smart glasses would probably dominate the high-end market, while the Matrix Glasses would take the low-end market. The Youth Edition’s pricing, in particular, was expected to spread among students and young people with limited budgets.
…
This Spring Festival, Chen Mo spent in the Imperial Capital.
Because the Game Committee had granted Thunder Entertainment special household registration quotas, from now on, Thunder Entertainment would receive 584 Imperial Capital household registration quotas each year. Chen Mo’s employees no longer had to drift without roots.
In truth, Chen Mo didn’t care much about such things. Once you made enough money, household registration became unimportant. On the other hand, middle-class workers with decent but not extravagant incomes valued it highly, as the quota determined their sense of belonging in a city.
584 quotas might not seem like much, but in reality, it was the highest number among all companies in the Imperial Capital with household registration quotas, even surpassing all banks and state-owned enterprises.
The reason for such generosity was mainly Thunder Entertainment’s dominant position in the gaming industry, its significant international influence, and its high tax contributions.
Thunder Entertainment was on track to become a major international game developer. Its VR games and high-tech devices were constantly changing people’s lives. It was only natural for such a company to receive support.
For Chen Mo, this was a good thing. Moving his parents to the Imperial Capital meant he wouldn’t have to travel back and forth during holidays.
Currently, Thunder Entertainment’s core employees numbered fewer than 500, and some were local Imperial Capital residents, so these quotas were more than enough.
But starting this year, Thunder Entertainment would begin further expansion. With the new headquarters coming into use, the total number of employees was likely to see explosive growth, so these quotas wouldn’t go to waste.
During this Spring Festival, the experience stores remained open, and there were still plenty of players.
Jia Peng, Chang Xiuya, and the others didn’t go home either, because they had also received quotas. To celebrate, many employees decided to bring their parents to the Imperial Capital for the New Year, saving themselves a lot of hassle.
In the lobby, Chen Mo was chatting with a few employees when a delivery guy pushed two large boxes inside.
“Ah, new toys have arrived.”
Chen Mo stood up, and several employees quickly gathered around to move the two big boxes into the lobby.
After Chen Mo signed for the delivery, Li Jingsi came over and asked, “Two such big boxes—what’s inside?”
“Open them and see,” Chen Mo said as he walked over to the boxes.
“Matrix Glasses? So many!” Jia Peng’s eyes lit up as he quickly pulled one out of the box.
The others were also pleasantly surprised. This glasses model had immediately caught the attention of a large number of players, and Chen Mo’s employees were no exception.
The Matrix Glasses on the official website were hard to get; even these people struggled to snag one.
But one advantage of being an internal employee was the ability to get these latest products through internal channels…
Chen Mo said, “There are 100 units in this batch. 50 will stay in the experience stores for trial use, and the other 50 will be up for a lucky draw among everyone.”
“Long live the boss!”
All the employees present were thrilled. Although their incomes meant they could easily buy a high-end Matrix Glasses set themselves, freebies like this were always welcome—who wouldn’t want something for nothing!