Chapter 425 - 265: Mirage Electronics

For instance, this complete set he’s holding can sell for over a thousand bucks, named Deluxe Edition.

A slightly scaled-down version is named Elite Edition, priced at 699 yuan/set. The extremely reduced version is called Youth Edition, priced at 399 yuan/set.

This way, it not only meets the demand for a lower price to attract more players but also offers a high-priced version for affluent players seeking a better experience.

Simply perfect!

"The Youth Edition isn’t for profit; sell it at cost, maybe do a promotion sale occasionally. It’s mainly for letting players get a taste. As for the Elite and Deluxe Editions, those are the main money makers—there’s always someone willing to pay for high specs."

Chen Ba said this and had already thought out a complete marketing plan for the product.

If everything goes as expected, this set of peripherals will hit the market alongside the release of "Star Emperor 2." When the time comes, he’ll find a way to hint to gamers that using these peripherals makes you more powerful!

This way, players who pursue the ultimate gaming experience and intensity would definitely use this set of peripherals.

"Don’t forget, in the player base of the first "Star Emperor," there are not many things, but plenty of Fu guys..."

Patting the shoulder of the factory manager, Chen Ba generously encouraged, "Ramp up production and stocking; the future of this product is certainly bright!"

Whether the future is bright or not, we don’t know, but since you’re the boss and you’re calling the shots, we’ll do just as you say!

The factory manager confidently guaranteed that once "Star Emperor 2" is released, he would ensure a stockpile of 200,000 sets of the product.

Receiving this guarantee, Chen Ba left the factory satisfied and returned to Zhonghai to have dinner with the founders and management of Mirage Electronics.

During the meal, Chen Ba didn’t forget to remind these people to maintain communication with Tianba Studio, especially the "Star Emperor 2" development team.

After all, this set of peripherals was originally designed for "Star Emperor 2," so its compatibility must be seamless!

"Don’t worry, we will."

"But I’m curious, what will the final presentation look like after adaptation?"

The final effect?

Hearing this, Chen Ba set down his wine glass, recalling a conversation he had with Yang Dong years ago.

At that time, he told Dong that they were going to make an unusual fighting game, set in a fantasy world where the characters are all Great Emperor Venerables.

Then Dong asked him: "In a fantasy setting, do the mighty really just have fistfights and kicks?"

"What’s wrong with fistfights and kicks?"

Chen Ba’s response was, even though these were the strongest characters at the pinnacle of a fantasy world, having them fight with fistfights and kicks is somewhat low.

But, as long as you add some special effects and enhance the performance of those fights, it’s not an issue at all!

A simple punch or kick could transform into an invincible "Celestial Emperor Fist" and "Celestial Emperor’s Kick," with astonishing power!

Even now, his answer remains the same.

What’s wrong with fistfights and kicks?

The peripherals provided by Mirage Electronics can only simulate the players’ punching and kicking actions. It might look silly without special effects.

But the players don’t have effects in real life. In the game, characters have special effects. With those effects, their fights can dismantle anything.

"Is that so..."

Mirage Electronics’ executives blinked, already envisioning the scene in their minds.

Wearing sensor gloves, throwing a punch, and on the screen, extreme visual effects appear with a shadowy fist that crushes enemies to dust.

Perfect!

This fits a man’s juvenile fantasies. If they had this as kids, they might have been overjoyed to the point of passing out.

"By the way, Ba!"

As if recalling something, Mirage Electronics’ president asked: "We’ve signed the contract, so when are we announcing it to the world?"

"No rush, I’ll decide the date."

Chen Ba initially thought they could announce it now, but then he had a sudden thought: why not use the all-encompassing "Mountain Village Memories" to divine a lucky date?

"Didn’t you always say ’Mountain Village Memories’ was not superstitious but scientific? Why are you now buying into it?" Yang Dong was puzzled.

Chen Ba: "..."

He didn’t believe in it before because he knew better than anyone about the divination system—it’s definitely science, not superstition.

But as more and more Tianba Community users shared their posts, especially those sharing their "cyber fortune-telling" results, he became a bit dubious.

User A used the "Mountain Village Memories" divination system to predict their blind date’s success, and it turned out accurate, the date was a big success!

User B used the "Mountain Village Memories" divination system to bless their postgraduate entrance exams, got a bad omen, and indeed didn’t pass!

There were too many similar cases.

With the increasing posts like this, players who initially followed for fun started—just like Chen Ba—to feel a slight sense of doubt about the world.

What’s going on?

Are the few using "Mountain Village Memories" to divine their real-life prospects really just having fun? Why does it turn out so accurate?

How could this fun trend seem to become reality as they go along?

You can’t blame people for thinking this way; it’s just that, in Tianba Community, there are quite a few posts proving the reliability of the "Mountain Village Memories" divination system.

With such a large number of posts, it inevitably gives the impression that the "Mountain Village Memories" divination system, aside from predicting game luck, can also predict real-life fortunes!

"I’m just saying..."

"Isn’t it possible that only those who find it effective will post and share, while those who find it ineffective wouldn’t bother to post at all?" Yang Dong rolled his eyes.

"Makes sense!"

This reminder made Chen Ba realize, indeed, that’s the case.

There are indeed many posts proving the "Mountain Village Memories" is effective, but that’s because those who didn’t find it effective simply wouldn’t post to pad their experience.

"Now I’m relieved."

Chen Ba breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Gave me a scare, almost made me think ’Mountain Village Memories’ was some mystical science!"

"Regarding mystical science, you can’t deny, ’Mountain Village Memories’ is quite mystical..."

Yang Dong laughed and said: "Although real-life events can’t be predicted by ’Mountain Village Memories,’ events on the internet can’t escape its divination system."

The internet’s top mystical master!

For luck-based games like draws, unboxing, card pulling, many players would always pray to the "Hu Xi" master for a reading before starting.

The most outrageous thing is...

The "Hu Xi" game character, initially only known within the gaming circle, quickly became famous across the entire Chinese internet.

Not only that, creative merchants even produced "Hu Xi" portraits, images, phone cases, and keychains, which were popular after hitting the market.

Undoubtedly, they infringed on rights.

"Hu Xi" isn’t the Jade Emperor, nor the Bodhisattva Guanyin. As a virtual character, his likeness is copyrighted, and the copyright belongs to Tianba Studio.

These merchants used Hu Xi’s likeness to produce various goods without Tianba Studio’s authorization and would be liable for damages if pursued.

But neither Chen Ba nor Yang Dong intended to hold anyone accountable.

Because they’re unsure now.

Hu Xi, originally a fictitious "game character," suddenly seems deified, possessing a vast number of devout followers and fans across the internet!

To be fair, fanatics aren’t easy to handle.

For meme-speak among netizens and players, that’s one thing—but in reality, quite a few middle-aged and older folks regard "Hu Xi" as a real-life master.

Chen Ba thinks that handling the "Hu Xi" matter requires careful consideration.

After all, this character now shows signs of "turning fiction into reality" and "making the imaginary real."

Such infringement, just turning a blind eye is enough! Pursuing full accountability and crackdowns could end up backfiring, gaining nothing worthwhile!