Gamestar Electronic Entertainment's search for a second flash memory card manufacturer was quite speedy, and the other party promptly offered a price, ranging from one to five dollars more expensive per card compared to the previous average. The cost of cards with different capacities would also vary.
There's not much room for choice here; negotiations are inevitable, but ensuring the players' needs come first is paramount.
However, just as the contract was signed, Takayuki immediately made a decision.
Flash memory cards absolutely cannot be restricted anymore.
He must buy a flash memory manufacturer.
It doesn't need to be too large; it just needs to have some independent patents, and preferably a complete mature research and development team. He hopes to continuously develop to reduce the cost of cards.
He wants to prove with facts that cards should be the best carrier for handheld consoles.
The significance of whether a console uses cards or discs is not significant, but for handheld consoles, cards are definitely more suitable.
But buying a flash memory manufacturer is not an easy task. However, this world actually lacks companies that are on the verge of bankruptcy.
It would be much simpler to buy such a company. Takayuki immediately instructed relevant departments to investigate worldwide. The flash memory industry is relatively mature, and unlike processor chips, monopolies are not as severe. Finding a relatively smaller flash memory company isn't too difficult.
However, Takayuki's expectations were a bit too simple. It took the company's staff almost a month to barely find a company that met the requirements.
This company is from Poland and used to be somewhat famous. The company's boss caused it to verge on bankruptcy due to failed investments, but their asking price is relatively high because several companies have set their sights on them. It's mainly because this company has quite a few patented technologies, which are still valuable. If they want to fully acquire it, it would probably require at least over twenty billion US dollars.
And the several companies preparing to bid also have substantial financial resources. The final negotiated price may very well exceed thirty billion US dollars.
If Takayuki stubbornly buys it, he would have almost no cash left, and he can forget about splurging on a non-profit-making AAA game or a Final Fantasy 7 movie that might not break even.
Takayuki thought about it seriously and decided to give it a try.
After all, it's just the bidding stage. If it goes beyond the expected price, he can withdraw and find another.
And while waiting, two more months passed. Surray Electronics took advantage of this time to expand rapidly, using all means to promote their disc standard and products, vigorously advocating that discs are the future.
If Takayuki hadn't experienced the future, he might have almost believed it.
Back then, even though the cost of flash memory was higher than discs, it still ultimately prevailed.
The reasons for this are actually quite understandable.
Besides the fact that discs themselves are not as convenient as flash memory, there is also the fact that their ability to read and write data cannot compare to flash memory.
A flash memory chip the size of a fingernail can store 1TB of content and can be copied and deleted at any time, making it many times more convenient than discs.
In the end, the only advantage of discs might be their longer lifespan, making them more suitable for some long-term storage purposes.
But that's a niche industry.
However, many people in this world do not have the advantage of foresight.
Such a large company as Surray Electronics is also unlikely to foresee the future.
Instead, they are taking advantage of this opportunity to increase disc production capacity because discs are now starting to be in short supply. They need to send more people to provide technical support, which can even be provided for free, but of course, patent fees cannot be compromised.
"President, these are the latest sales data for Surray Electronics' new game consoles and game discs. The situation is somewhat grim."
After Surray Electronics' sales report for the new quarter was released, it was immediately placed on Takayuki's desk.
In three months, the sales of the PNV handheld console exceeded five million units, which is very commendable. Among these, they once again touted the benefits of discs.
Then, the sales data for the PNF home game console was 2.3 million units.
Because the GS1 home console on Gamestar's side also uses discs as physical carriers, it was also introduced to reduce the cost of physical home console games, and it uses Surray Electronics' competitor's standard and technology. Both sides are fiercely competing in this regard because the Morgan Group is betting on it, and Gamestar is one of the major clients. The disc standard of this company can also compete with Surray Electronics' standard without falling behind.
The physical discs on the GS1 side naturally did not encounter any problems, so it was even more popular than the home console.
Now it seems that neither Surray Electronics' home consoles nor handheld consoles have surpassed Gamestar's side.
But their growth momentum is very fast, and they really shouldn't be underestimated.
Takayuki glanced at the competitor's sales data, and then re-examined his own sales data.
In three months, GSL handheld consoles sold nearly seven million units, with an advantage of over one million units compared to Surray Electronics. There's really nothing to be afraid of.
In these three months, GS1 also sold over six million units, still more than Surray Electronics, but he can't be careless.
Surray Electronics has indeed found some direction this time.
However, the capacity issue on their side won't last too long, and the competition ahead will be more interesting.
But Takayuki also remembered the burning flash memory factory and those flash memory companies that raised prices during this time, all of which he noted down. He'll settle scores with them one by one later.
Oh, maybe he can fan the flames a bit?
Looking at the sales performance of his GS1 disc games, Takayuki suddenly got an idea.
Why not leak the sales data of GS1 disc games through some channels and see how these guys react? Maybe they'll mistakenly believe that discs have a bright future and become anxious. Then he might even pick up some opportunities.
Thinking of this, Takayuki revealed a somewhat villainous smile.
He has never been a little lamb. He even enjoys being a big bad wolf, but he just didn't have many opportunities in the past because he's the Lion King of the gaming industry, and there were hardly any opponents.
Thinking of this, Takayuki called back Tsukino Aya, whom he hadn't seen for over three months.
Now it's time for her to show her skills. Previously, it was Tsukino Aya who helped him find some secret channels to do some unsavory things. This time, he can use her help again.