Chapter 986: A Glass of 1982 Lafite
Chen Mo glanced at the virtual screen on his wristband. He was still a long way from unlocking [Intermediate Artificial Intelligence]. To collect all 10 million instances of player emotions, it would likely take at least half a year or more.
So, this tech point could be set aside for now. Instead, it was better to look at another tech point: storage capacity expansion under [Hardware Technology].
This tech point could increase the storage capacity of all smart devices by ten times and read speed by ten times, at the cost of 300 lottery draws.
Was this tech point significant? Of course it was. In terms of storage capacity, no one would ever complain about having too much space on their PC or phone. Moreover, a tenfold increase in read speed was already game-breaking. A loading bar that took ten seconds to finish would now complete in one second, and the loading process itself could even be hidden. This would be a leap forward in player gaming experience.
Thus, this tech point also offered excellent cost-effectiveness, especially for the "Oasis Project." Additionally, it was a crucial tech point for Matrix Glasses.
However, the current number of lottery draws was still insufficient, so they would have to wait.
After the Matrix Game Pod updated with "Oasis," many players became addicted to their luxury mansions, unable to tear themselves away. Many proposed adding more enjoyable content to the mansions.
For example, 1982 Lafite, Cuban cigars, global cuisine, more girls, and so on.
Many were extremely dissatisfied with Nuan Nuan's "epic enhancement." How could they live with an e-girl in the house who would beat them up just for touching her thigh? This was simply unbearable!
Chen Mo just chuckled at this. Did he not know their little schemes?
The Matrix Game Pod was still a novel concept. Playing with borderline content was like playing with fire; if things went wrong, it would be trouble. So, for now, caution was necessary, emphasizing the positive and constructive aspects of next-gen VR to ensure better development.
However, pleasures like food, wine, and other sensory experiences could be considered for future development plans. In reality, a bottle of 1982 Lafite would cost at least 100,000, but in the game, Serent was so generous that he slashed the price by 99.9%, selling it for just 1,000.
Don't complain about the price; there were other wines too. If you bought a bottle of Tsingtao Beer, it would only cost 0.1 yuan, all converted proportionally to market prices.
Luxury goods were luxury goods. Their price had to serve as a filter for consumers; not everyone could buy them casually. Otherwise, if 1982 Lafite and Tsingtao Beer were both almost free, wouldn't the wine lose all its prestige?
Besides, indulging in food and drink in the virtual world felt no different from the real world. From a sensory perspective, players were already getting a great deal. You couldn't seriously argue about nutritional value, could you? Who drinks 1982 Lafite for its nutritional value?
Apart from tobacco, alcohol, and food, other projects that brought players mental pleasure, like massages or sunbathing, could also be considered. But any borderline content, including projects explicitly banned by law, would definitely not be touched. The virtual world was not a lawless place. If some wealthy players experienced euphoric sensations in the virtual world and then sought them out in reality, that would be problematic.
Thus, similar experiences in the virtual world were much like those in the real world, only legal, with prices drastically reduced by 99.9%.
As one could imagine, this would become a major selling point for the Matrix Game Pod, bringing players one step closer to the "brain in a vat" escape from reality.
As for whether this would impact related industries in the real world... the result was almost certain. Many people could enjoy expensive food in the virtual world, so their frequency of spending big money on it in reality would decrease. However, in the short term, this impact should be minimal, almost negligible, since the shipment volume of Matrix Game Pods was still low, and most buyers were wealthy.
As for how these sensations were collected, it involved having many people taste-test, then using special consciousness-collection devices to capture their feelings when eating these foods. These feelings were synthesized and adjusted to create an optimal plan. When other players ate the corresponding food in the virtual world, the Matrix Game Pod would directly input that consciousness signal into their brains.
Since people's sensations varied—some had strong taste discrimination, others weak—the information collection would specifically select those with strong sensory abilities. As a result, players with less developed taste buds might find the virtual food even more delicious than the real thing.
The same principle applied to tobacco, alcohol, and other sensory pleasures. As these contents gradually enriched and perfected, it would be like rebuilding a massive derivative industry within the virtual world, a venture with minimal cost and maximum profit.
...
Chen Mo was still pondering future plans when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Assistant Lin Xiao pushed the door open and entered, saying to Chen Mo, "Store Manager, Global Technology contacted us, saying they want to collaborate on developing a new next-gen VR project."
Chen Mo was taken aback. "Global Technology? The developer of 'Earth Online'?"
Lin Xiao nodded. "Yes. They hope to release a new 'Earth Online' through the Matrix Game Pod and will pay us 30% of the net profit as platform and channel fees."
Chen Mo laughed. "30%? Are they treating us like beggars?"
Lin Xiao: "Their reasoning is that the Thunder Game Platform also takes at most 30% from independent game designers domestically. Moreover, they believe that 'Earth Online's' global popularity will serve as excellent publicity for the Matrix Game Pod..."
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair. "We only take 30% from domestic designers to promote independent game development in our country. That's a friendly price for our own people, and I've been taking a loss on it. Does Global Technology not realize how much sensory improvement 'Earth Online' would gain by moving to the Matrix Game Pod? They're treating us like fools, thinking we're that easy to deal with?"
"Then... should we ask them to increase the split? To 50%?" Lin Xiao asked.
Chen Mo waved his hand. "Forget it. Tell them we're not interested."
Lin Xiao nodded. "Alright. And if they keep raising the split percentage?"
Chen Mo grinned. "If they're willing to give us 90% of the net profit, then we'll consider it."
Lin Xiao smiled too. "Got it, Store Manager. I understand."
Obviously, how could Global Technology possibly give away 90% of their net profit? Wasn't that ridiculous? Chen Mo's stance was clear: he simply didn't want "Earth Online" to be on the Matrix Game Pod.
As Global Technology's most famous VR game, "Earth Online" had a long history and was continuously updated. Of course, after so many years, the game had become somewhat outdated, and Global Technology had many new ideas.
After the Matrix Game Pod was released, many foreign game companies panicked because foreign VR game pod manufacturers couldn't produce such a device.
Global Technology clearly understood how exceptional the Matrix Game Pod's experience was for virtual reality games, which was why they wanted to collaborate with Chen Mo, hoping "Earth Online" could continue its glory in the next-gen VR field.
But obviously, Chen Mo's attitude was "I want it all." He didn't care about "Earth Online"; he had better options.