Sony PS4 in China, Rugged road

December 11, 2014, Sony and Shanghai Oriental Pearl held a press conference in Shanghai, announced the national line version of PlayStation 4 (hereinafter referred to as PS4), PlayStation Vita (hereinafter referred to as PSV) and game software details, this is the following Microsoft Xbox One into China , PS4 also officially killed into the Chinese market, opened up the game host competition pattern.

The message that the game's practitioners and gamers have long awaited quickly spread in the game circle, "although the current lock zone (can not play edition game), but today is a historic moment," for many in the sense of a child with red and white machine practitioners, "Mario", "Dou Luo", "Salamander Snake" such as the need to use the joystick operation of the game picture vividly, and then extended to the Palm machine Gameboy, PS (1 generation) and so on.

Missed the last century host development period, the Chinese people in the end of the tour, page tour and hand swim from behind, and today, China's entire game market after the United States and Japan ranked third in the world, which has not counted the host market share. Touch the CEO Chenhao Zhi in the conference scene hair friend Circle said, Cocos development of the game can also be on PS4 and PSV, the practitioner said, "Our children can also in the home machine in addition to the experience of the Final Fantasy," "Live Football" (PES) series, "Grand Theft rook" (GTA) series of classic games, as well as China's own development of the game ", Sony said that the works from local Chinese developers: snail's" Nine Yang Magic ", Unity China" Mr. Pumpkin Big Adventure ", the Spirit of the game Studio" Shadow of the Blade Mirage ", Shanghai Mu and" Thousand Ketchen ", Coconut Game Studio" Little daydreams and the perfect World agent of the game "star War a" and so on, will be launched in the PS4 version of the country.

Chinese game access PS4 This moment, the market for China's host game obviously significant.

Looking at the host dream of the Chinese people gradually into the future in the home market imagination began to enlarge, however, PS4 in the next time really smooth sailing? Before we analyze this, let's look at the future of China's host market.

PS4 have a market? IDC says China is the world's largest shipping area

IDC, in "China's handheld and dedicated gaming equipment and application market 2006~2010 analysis and prediction," said in 2005, China handheld and video game hardware market size of 164 million U.S. dollars, shipments of 1.09 million units, is expected by 2010, China's handheld and video game hardware market sales revenue will reach 465 million U.S. dollars, shipments of 3.65 million units.

"2013-2017 China Gaming Industry Investment risk forecast and future Prospect Analysis Report", published by the China Research Institute of Pu Hua, shows that in 2012, the sales revenue of Chinese handheld and video game hardware market has actually reached about 500 million U.S. dollars, shipments of about 4 million units.

Plus Xbox One and PS4 are officially killed in the Chinese market today, the future of China will be expected to become the world's largest game consoles market.

IDC analysts believe that for video game makers, China is undoubtedly the most attractive potential market for the next few years and the last gold mine to be developed.

The number of gamers in China is growing fast, fuelled by online gaming. After experiencing the freshness of online games, many players begin to feel more deeply about the fun of the game itself, and then choose the video game products with better gameplay, richer content and stronger visual impact.

But what is it actually going to be?

Unfortunately, the abnormal market Niedergo PS4 will be struggling

2000, to avoid negative effects on the mental health of young people the Ministry of Culture and other 7 departments issued a red "on the development of electronic game management site special Management advice", the document stipulates: From the date of the publication of this opinion, for the domestic video game equipment and its 0, accessories production, sales stop. Any enterprise or individual may no longer engage in the production and sales activities of video game equipment and its 0, accessories for domestic.

After the game ban was issued, China's gaming machine market went underground, in 13 years to cultivate a world's largest underground gaming machine market, parallel game sales in many channels, there are reports that the gaming machine market in its heyday, Sony game machine sales in the Chinese market accounted for more than One-fourth of its global sales, all are parallel imports.

In the face of such a large consumer, the lifting of the ban appears to make the industry in China 8084.html "booming, but in fact, in the face of such a malformed development of the Chinese market, the host may face a variety of problems:

1, the Chinese market has become accustomed to the "parallel imports + cracked version of the game", so that consumers spend hundreds of to buy genuine game software is difficult;

2, no grading, many foreign good games, not suitable for children to play but adults play a very normal game will not come in, and foreign classic host games with violent pornographic elements;

3, new products in China need time to review, players can not wait to buy parallel imports.

4, and if the host players do not pay, targeted by the hand-trained players, but also only the impulse to purchase, and let him buy experience so heavy home games, operating habits may not be able to adapt.

5, with home host to occupy the living room, there are box games.

For domestic manufacturers, but also face several major problems:

1, the development cost is expensive, one game will be 4 million or 5 million, the development cycle is very long, at least one or two years, after the listing effect how still difficult to speak;

2, the host game's technical requirements are particularly high, including art, rendering, inside the various ecological system settings, engine development, technical difficulty is very big.

3, the host is not like the free mode of online games, making how many discs, selling or hoarding in that, the risk of uncontrollable costs.

Therefore, after the lifting of the host industry has just started, the need for powerful game companies or hardware companies to invest, driving the development of the industry. And in the process, how to develop enough attractive fun games also test the wisdom of domestic manufacturers.

Extension: China once wanted to be its own host to train the market

Little known is, in fact, the Chinese people also launched their own game host.

July 1995, Taiwan-China Electronics launched the first BIT of domestic game host "A ' CAN". Selling sales in mainland China was not ideal, software is also very few, the only advantage is the localization of the design and Chinese, can be in pirated cards and drives in the game market, its high software prices can not allow Chinese players to accept, and at that time the biggest obstacle is the parents, many dozen "learning machine" The name of the sale of the home machine has a good result, and then the electronic temporary withdrawal of the joint-China, resulting in a ' can be left out of the sad situation.

Super.jpg

Super A ' Can F-16 is a 16-bit machine that is sold in Taiwan by Lian Hua Electronics (Dunhuang Technology by its subsidiary) in 1995

For a ' can, the reference to the author Mendel's words: "is a carrying the Chinese to the game industry dream of the work, the fact that the Chinese should not have such a dream." Not only the Chinese people should not, the French, the British, Koreans, Americans should not, in the 20th century market environment, the only God allowed to dominate the game industry, only the Japanese, not because of the Japanese strength, but historical contingency. This industry is far more profound than the human imagination at the time, even after 10 years, the industry is difficult to analyze the original success and failure of the reasons, it will take 20, 30 years to see clearly. ”

And after a ' can, subject to technical and economic development, the domestic gaming industry began to focus on software rather than hardware, PC games everywhere, but also did not allow most players to pay for genuine games. In the future, we have technology production consoles, we are willing to pay for the game, consumers have formed a strong brand awareness, buy are Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo platform on the game, developers gradually transformed to swim the page tour, after all, input-output ratio is obvious.

In the end of the trip to burn a lot of money, page swim saturation, the hands of the fierce tour of the host country line hosts, seems to be a good content and brand output direction, when this new platform is focused on and investment, will lead to a day of results, this is the host plot of the practitioners did not realize the dream, this day, it seems not far away, Maybe we'll see it in our lifetime.