Rebirth 08: Can a mobile game company also build a tech empire?

Chapter 113 First Release Experience

Jiang Sheng glanced at his phone.

It's 8:30 in the morning.

From the time I got the phone until now.

He was completely immersed in the experience.

They forgot everything around them.

He looked at the Conquer Online 1 in his hand again and sighed sincerely.

"It's worth it, so worth it!"

Then, satisfied, he put his phone in his pocket and walked out of the electronics mall.

Outside the gate, the line was still very long.

But the staff had already started putting up signs saying "Sold Out".

"What? It's gone?"

"I've only been waiting in line for two hours!"

"Didn't it just open not long ago?"

"Could you check the inventory again? Maybe there's still some left?"

Those who couldn't buy one sighed in disappointment.

Some people, unwilling to give up, asked if there would be a restock tomorrow.

Some people started discussing trying their luck at other stores.

Jiang Sheng gripped the Journey 1 in his pocket tightly.

I suddenly felt a sense of relief.

That day, Jiang Sheng walked into the company with his new mobile phone.

His software company is located on the twelfth floor of an office building.

Most of the employees are young people aged 20 to 35.

Electronic products have a natural appeal to them.

Good morning, Sheng-ge!

Xiao Liu from the next workstation looked up and greeted him.

But her gaze lingered on the white phone in his hand.

"Huh? This is... Conquer Online 1?"

"Yes, I bought it in line today."

Jiang Sheng waved his phone with a hint of smugness.

Wow! The real device looks even better than the photos!

Xiao Liu came over.

"Can I take a look?"

Jiang Sheng generously handed it over.

Xiao Liu carefully took it and examined it repeatedly.

"The craftsmanship and the quality of this phone don't feel like something that costs 1999 at all!"

At this time, several colleagues also arrived one after another.

Seeing the phone in Xiao Liu's hand, they all gathered around.

"Conquer Online 1? Jiang Sheng, you bought it?"

"Let me see! Everyone online says it's selling like hotcakes!"

"I was watching Taobao this morning, but when I clicked on it, it was gone!"

Before long, seven or eight people had gathered around Jiang Sheng's workstation.

He simply put his phone on the table.

Let everyone try it out freely.

Li Fei from the product department picked up his phone and examined it carefully.

"This level of craftsmanship—is it really only 1999?"

"Absolutely true."

Jiang Sheng replied.

Li Fei operated it for a while.

His expression gradually changed from curiosity to surprise.

He quickly swiped the screen.

Opening and closing multiple applications.

Test multitasking switching.

Then long press the icon to create a folder.

Finally, pull down the notification bar to see the WiFi and flashlight functions neatly arranged.

"This experience,"

Li Fei raised his head and looked at Jiang Sheng.

"It's so much better than my HTC G1. The G1 costs over 3,000 yuan and it often lags."

"ZUI is indeed very well optimized."

Technical Director Zhang Ming also took the phone and tried it out.

"With deep customization of the Android underlying layer, many pain points have been solved. Our company's internal communication software should take note of this quick contact search function."

"Where's the camera? Let's try it out."

A colleague made a suggestion.

Jiang Sheng opened the camera app.

The focusing speed is very fast.

There is almost no delay when pressing the shutter.

He took a few pictures of the office.

The image quality looks quite good on a mobile phone screen.

The colors are accurately reproduced and the details are well preserved.

"For 500 megapixels, this effect is acceptable."

Zhang Ming commented.

"The key is the speed; there's absolutely no delay during continuous shooting."

"Where's the game? Didn't they say they'd give away a limited-edition 'Famine' character?"

"Yes, it comes pre-installed."

Jiang Sheng opened "Famine".

Showcase the first-release limited-edition character and skin.

The game ran so smoothly that it amazed my colleagues once again.

"Can I try it out?"

"I want to try it too!"

The next half hour.

Jiang Sheng's workstation has been transformed into a small experiential area.

My colleagues took turns trying out Conquer Online 1.

Everyone's reaction was roughly the same.

From curiosity to surprise, and then to admiration.

"Is this really a mobile game?"

I thought at least a PSP 3000 would be needed to run this kind of graphics.

A young programmer said.

"The E3 Best Game Design award wasn't won for nothing."

Jiang Sheng said proudly.

"This phone has completely changed my perception of domestically produced phones."

Li Fei said.

"I used to use HTC and thought Android phones were just so-so, but the ZUI system in Journey 1 has indeed made a lot of practical optimizations."

"At a price of 1999, the price-performance ratio is unbeatable."

Xiao Liu has already started checking his bank card balance.

"Jiang Sheng, where did you buy it? Do you still have any in stock?"

"I queued for two hours on Zhujiang Road this morning to buy it, and I guess it's out of stock now."

Jiang Sheng shook his head.

"However, they should restock in the next couple of days."

"Never mind, I'm definitely buying one!"

Li Fei took out his phone.

"I'll go online and take a look now."

"It's definitely sold out online; we'll have to wait for the next batch."

"I'll wait! This phone is worth it!"

Jiang Sheng's intuition was correct.

Online sales are even more booming.

9:00 AM on October 10th.

Journey 1 is available for purchase simultaneously on Taobao, JD.com, and the official website.

A total of 50,000 units have been stocked across the three platforms.

This figure was already quite considerable in 2009.

However, demand far exceeds supply.

The moment the product was launched on the official Taobao store.

Page views surged.

The server experienced a period of lag.

All 20,000 mobile phones were sold in 3 minutes and 17 seconds.

Countless netizens complained online.

"It's gone as soon as you click on it!"

"I checked the inventory ten minutes in advance, and it was sold out the moment I refreshed the page!"

"The 'Buy Now' button is unclickable!"

"Are you kidding me? Only three minutes?!"

JD.com's situation is similar.

Although the platform server is relatively stable.

However, the stock was even smaller, and it sold out in 1 minute and 48 seconds.

The official website of Journey Technology crashed for fifteen minutes.

After the system was restored, all models were shown as out of stock.

By noon, all copies of Journey 1 were sold out across all online channels.

Scalpers have started reselling these items at inflated prices on secondhand platforms.

The 8GB version, originally priced at 1999 yuan, has been resold for 2500-2800 yuan.

The 16GB version costs over 3000 yuan.

Even so, buyers continued to flock to the store.

Online, the first batch of users who received Conquer Online 1 have begun sharing their experiences.

That afternoon, a large number of unboxing videos and preliminary reviews appeared on Z-Dimension.

One of the videos is titled "Full Hands-on Experience with Journey 1: Is it Worth 1999 Yuan?"

Within three hours of its release, it garnered over 500,000 views.

In the video, the content creator "Tech Xiaoxin" conducted a detailed test of various aspects of Conquer Online 1.

From appearance and workmanship to screen display.

From system smoothness to game performance.

From photo quality to battery life.

At the end of the video, he concluded: "If you ask me whether it's worth buying Conquer Online 1 for 1999 yuan, my answer is, it's absolutely worth it!"

For 1999 yuan, you get exquisite craftsmanship with double-sided glass and a metal frame, smooth functionality and a user-friendly ZUI system, performance capable of running games like "Hunger" smoothly, and the dedication and sincerity of ZT Technology in its product design. At this price point, its design, workmanship, and system experience completely surpass all competitors, proving that Chinese companies can also make world-class smartphones!

Of course, if I had to point out a downside, it would be that it's too hard to buy!

When I recorded this video, it was sold out on all major platforms.