Chapter 893: Mm, It Smells So Good!
On August 27th, at Thunderbolt Interactive Entertainment headquarters.
As soon as the doors opened, many players rushed straight to the merchandise store inside the headquarters, because they still had Switch Pro consoles for sale!
Thunderbolt Interactive Entertainment’s merchandise store was similar in nature to Lehui retail outlets, selling various game-related merchandise, naturally including the Switch Pro and Matrix Glasses. These physical stores obtained stock through special channels ahead of time, so even if online sales sold out, there were still some units in the physical stores.
The players ran as hard as they could, but there was no helping it—Thunderbolt Interactive Entertainment’s headquarters was simply too massive. Afraid that walking slowly would mean missing out, they all sprinted until they were gasping for breath.
“Give me three Switch Pros!” the first player to burst into the merchandise store said, panting heavily.
The sales assistant politely replied, “Sorry, sir, each ID card is limited to one unit.”
“Fine, then hurry up and give me a Pro and a flagship Matrix Glasses bundle!”
“Same here, give me a bundle!”
“Give me a Pro!”
The players were relatively well-mannered, lining up voluntarily and maintaining order. Soon, long queues formed in front of several merchandise stores in the headquarters.
People kept leaving, but the lines only grew longer…
Before long, the merchandise stores ran out of stock too…
Because these weren’t dedicated retail outlets with their own warehouses, they couldn’t store many devices. A little bit of selling, and they were gone.
When she learned there was no stock left, the girl at the front of the line nearly burst into tears…
Oh, the bitterness in her heart!
She had gotten up early to queue, only to miss out by one person. Anyone in her shoes would have a mental breakdown…
Many players asked, “Isn’t there still stock in your display case?”
The sales assistant helplessly explained, “Those are demo units for testing, not for sale…”
The players felt utterly hopeless—they still hadn’t bought one!
By now, going to other Lehui stores would probably be too late; they were surely sold out too.
No choice but to wait.
Since Chen Mo had solemnly promised to stock up heavily and guarantee everyone could buy one—or else Zhou Jiangping would wear a dress—there was still hope.
Perhaps sensing the players’ disappointment, a sweet-voiced female announcer over the experience zone’s PA system said, “Starting today for three days, the Switch experience zone in the headquarters will be free to use for three days. Players can enjoy the Switch experience zone or head to the VR game experience zone to play *The Legend of Zelda*.”
Hearing about the free experience, the players felt much better. Although the experience zone’s hourly fee was only a few bucks, cheaper than an internet café, free was always good!
No longer crowding around the merchandise store, the players scattered to the Switch experience zone and the VR game experience zone to play *The Legend of Zelda*.
…
For players who owned VR game pods at home, there was much less to worry about.
The VR version of *The Legend of Zelda* couldn’t sell out—it was all digital. As soon as *The Legend of Zelda* launched, many players bought it and then got lost in the land of Hyrule, catching grasshoppers, riding horses, exploring shrines, completely forgetting about rescuing the princess.
Many VR players said, “You guys actually thought you could snag a Switch Pro? Smiling without a word—VR game pods are the way to go!”
That said, more than half of those VR players had secretly tried to grab a Switch Pro…
Because the VR version of *The Legend of Zelda* came with a free Switch version. Not buying a Switch to play it would be a loss, right?
Especially since many players regretted it after playing the VR version of *The Legend of Zelda*.
Regret what? Regret not grabbing a Switch back then!
When the Switch Pro launched at midnight last night, many VR game pod players hadn’t taken it seriously, watching from the sidelines like spectators at a fight.
“I’ll just quietly watch you guys fight over it; I’ve got my VR game pod anyway.”
“Buying a Pro? No way. I’ve got a VR game pod—why buy a Pro? I’d rather snap the free cartridge in half, toss it downstairs, and swallow it whole than ever buy a Pro!”
But after playing the VR version of *The Legend of Zelda*, these players discovered that this game was incredibly fun!
For some reason, the game was especially addictive—a few hours would fly by in the blink of an eye.
That’s when the biggest drawback of the VR game pod became apparent: it wasn’t portable at all…
This thing was probably the least portable electronic device ever. Forget taking it out—even moving it a little was a huge hassle.
Many VR players found themselves, on the way to work, on the subway, during lunch breaks, or at gatherings, thinking, “If I had a Switch, I could play *The Legend of Zelda* right now!”
Even just half an hour would be great—half an hour could clear one shrine!
Originally, these high-and-mighty VR players had emphasized game experience, and some even mocked the “budget VR effect” of the Switch Pro plus flagship Matrix Glasses. But faced with the urgent need to play the game, who cared about bad VR effects? As long as it was playable, that was good enough!
Many VR players simply dug out their old, dust-covered Switch consoles and happily played at 720p resolution…
Mm, it smells so good!
Only then did they remember to buy a Pro, but by then, they were all sold out…
No choice but to wait for the next batch!
Many earlier comments predicting the Switch Pro’s failure were dug up and mercilessly mocked by bored players.
“Tell me a joke: the Switch is a console for women and kids. Looks like their purchasing power is really strong, huh? 23333”
“The Switch is a console for women and kids, sure, but don’t underestimate it. Girls’ spending power is no joke! Besides, the Switch appeals to both genders—male players buy it too!”
“So, consoles for women and kids are the best!”
“Who said the Switch doesn’t need a high-end version? 720p *The Legend of Zelda* vs. 4K or even VR *The Legend of Zelda*—which one do you want to play?”
“Earlier, people said the flagship Matrix Glasses had no higher-end games to play. Well, here it is!”
“Haha, how could Chen Mo make that mistake? Complaining about no games? He’ll set it straight right away! Now, the Switch Pro and flagship Matrix Glasses can run the portable VR version of *The Legend of Zelda*—isn’t that reason enough?”
“Damn it, I believed those online analysts before, thinking I didn’t need to buy it. Turns out, it wasn’t about whether I wanted to buy it—there was no stock!”
“Forget it, from now on, whenever Lehui releases new hardware that’s Chen Mo’s direct project, I’ll buy it without hesitation. I’ve learned my lesson. Listening to those keyboard warriors online, you’d end up celebrating the wrong New Year!”
Luckily, even though the Switch Pro was temporarily out of stock, players could still play *The Legend of Zelda*—either the VR version, at VR internet cafés, or on the old Switch.
Some players, too desperate to wait, took advantage of the old Switch’s clearance sale, bought one for over a thousand, and started playing.
After playing, they were even more determined to buy the Switch Pro.
This game was just too fun!