In addition to the CPU and backward compatible supporting circuits, there are several more critical, but also less technically difficult adjustments.

For example, an external keyboard interface is added so that you can type with a dedicated keyboard.

There is also the latest style of Sony's floppy drive, which is convenient for data storage when used as a learning machine - the first generation of game consoles listed in 83, even the floppy drive is locked in a read-only state, and data cannot be written. At that time, cartridge machines did not record batteries, and the technology did not support the development of "games that could be saved".

It has now been 86 years, and the CPU level of the industry has generally risen from Intel's 80286 level to 80386 level, and other supporting technologies have also followed. Therefore, the issue of savevability of the game should also be considered.

Of course, the only way to solve the problem is to develop a new generation of memory card belts, and the floppy drive machine needs to be replaced with a new external floppy drive.

In the memory of Gu Biao's previous life, on Nintendo's eight-bit game console, there were also some games that could be archived in the later period, such as the glorious company's "Three Kingdoms 2", because it was developed 1 year before the birth of Nintendo's second-generation game console SFC, so it could only be tinkered with under the framework of the original FC machine, and relied on the improvement of the processing power of the cartridge itself to make up for the shortcomings of the machine, but it still stubbornly became a classic of a generation.

In a word, Gu Biao's requirements for the Tiankun learning machine are to be able to practice typing and learn foreign languages, to be able to store learning data and game data, and to have flexible external devices. This will inevitably lead to an increase in cost, which will increase from about $168 to $198 per unit of the old floppy drive (the total cost of upgrading the CPU, an extra keyboard, and adjusting external circuits).

This price is actually very restrained, and it was basically not profitable when it was first listed, and it can even be said that if Motorola originally relied mainly on its own factory to produce CPUs and use Texas Instruments' technology outsourcing, the cost increase of CPUs alone would make Gu Biao lose money.

The only thing Gu Biao can count on is that the Motorola 68000 he used this time will be OEM by his own Xiangji. And Xiangjidian must be able to bring down the cost from the source, so that he can barely count on a little gross profit to amortize the marketing cost.

In the next few years, we will expect to further improve the process and efficiency of Xiangji, and further reduce the actual internal cost of the CPU, so that the price of $198 can make a considerable profit.

At the same time, with the launch of new products, Tiankun will also make a small price reduction for the first generation model that has been sold for three years. The original $128 cassette machine is expected to be reduced to $110 for shipment, and the original price of $168 for the floppy drive machine is reduced to $150 for shipment.

As for the explanation to consumers, of course, "due to the Moore's Law cycle, the cost of components has decreased".

Only by lowering the price a little bit can it be sold a little bit in third world countries, and this price strategy of Tiankun will have other wonderful uses in the future.

……

Regarding the planning of the Tiankun learning machine, I will not mention it for the time being.

Let's say that Mina followed Gu Biao and spent a warm and comfortable New Year in Qiantang.

With the Chinese New Year's Eve and Spring Festival, the last few days of the New Year holiday, the city of Qiantang gradually recovered, and people gradually enriched entertainment activities in addition to visiting relatives.

Gu Biao also took Mina, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, to the new theater near Lakeside Road, not far from Mina's upcoming Kentucky hometown chicken, and the Victory Theater, to watch the premiere of "Terminator" and "First Blood" in the mainland.

Of course, the so-called premiere here is a broadcast from many cities, and it is not a premiere. After all, these two films are old films that have been released in the United States for 5 years and 3 years respectively.

It's just that the first batch of copies of the first and second-tier city theaters, almost all of them choose to be released on the third day of the new year - the habit of the Chinese, the first day of the new year is to pay New Year's greetings to their parents, the second day of the new year is to pay New Year's greetings to the elders of the Yue family, the atmosphere of the New Year in the 80s is still very heavy, these two days are basically home New Year's greetings gnawing dried fruits, will not go out to play, even if the theater is open, there is no business.

Starting from the third day of the Lunar New Year, it is only in addition to the New Year's greetings that I take some time to engage in entertainment activities.

Diametrically opposed to the situation in which the population of large cities in later generations plummeted as soon as the Chinese New Year began, in 86 because the scale of the migrant labor tide was very small, the big cities were more lively during the Chinese New Year, and department stores, cinemas, temple fairs, and night markets were all full of business. Because the number of people who stayed in the city during the Chinese New Year did not decrease at all, on the contrary, everyone had time to buy and play.

At that time, perhaps only two cities, the Special Economic Zone and Guangdong, could enjoy the treatment of "millions of people flowing out of the Chinese New Year", not even the capital and Hujiang.

However, despite the advantages in terms of foot traffic, the promotion of the film is almost negligible.

Gu Biao and Mina are accustomed to the overwhelming pre-release publicity and distribution of movies in the United States, so at first glance, after the introduction in China, they just put posters at the door of the theater and paint at most an external wall advertisement, and there is no other means of publicity, they feel a little unsteady.

How can there be a movie that doesn't advertise at all before it's released?

"Alas, that's the way it is to buy out movies - you can't even get involved in the distribution process, and you can only be in a hurry if they don't promote it. After getting the ticket, Mina stood outside and watched the crowd from afar, complaining worriedly.

Mina, of course, wore a long trench coat with a stand-up collar that wrapped her whole body, and wore a hat and sunglasses. Gu Biao is also dressed in the same way, so that he is not afraid of being recognized by the micro-clothes who observe the people's feelings.

The tickets they bought were also relatively back-row, and they bought a bunch of tickets at one time, and there was a circle of bodyguards around them to ensure the safety of the two.

In the face of Mina's complaints, Gu Biao could only think of words: "Although the advertising work is a little rotten, do you think that "Shaolin Temple" was also like this back then, and it sold super high box office without publicity." ”

Mina nodded noncommittally: "That's the way it is, but "Shaolin Temple" is a movie 6 years ago after all, and the popularity of TV is a big problem. Now the stock of domestic TV sets,At least three or four times more than 6 years ago,Since the 83 CCTV Spring Festival Gala,There are more people with TVs every year。 ”

"You have to have faith in the quality of American blockbusters and word of mouth, let's go. Gu Biao finally encouraged the girl and stopped the topic.

This is the first time Gu Biao has taken Mina to watch a movie in a small city like Qiantang, and in the past few years, especially when they were studying at the Foreign Affairs University, they all watched movies in the capital.

Therefore, the facilities of the small city quickly surprised Mina, who was accustomed to the small cinema hall in the capital and even the screening room in the university.

The largest theater in the theater has as many as 2,000 seats.

Mina was surprised and asked, "Why is the theater in Qiantang bigger than in Beijing? ”

Gu Biao knows the reason: "In fact, the more second-tier cities are, the larger the largest theater halls, which are larger than the capital - if you really want to go to a third-tier city, it will be smaller."

Because it costs money to make copies, one projector in one hall will occupy one copy. Big cities, of course, want a single copy to sell thousands of tickets at a single screening. The capital is because the facilities are too complete and there are too many theaters, so it is diluted. ”

This is very different from the digital age of later generations, where the cost of reproducing movies was almost zero, and the encrypted file was simply sent. Or maybe after the ticket price of movies in later generations became expensive, the cost of making a film copy was ignored, and then you could get more small theaters and improve the movie-watching experience.

But in 86, it was still a few cents a movie ticket price, but the industrial cost was higher than that of later generations, and the cost of copying had to be carefully calculated.

Gu Biao brought Mina to the Victory Theater, which was not the largest theater in Qiantang at that time - until the early 90s, the main conference hall of the Provincial People's (Harmony) Great Hall, when there was no conference task, had to be a movie screening hall business to recover some venue maintenance costs. The scene could seat three or four thousand people in one hall, and it was divided into two floors, and the size of the movie screen was many times larger than all the so-called "giant screens" in later generations.

"No wonder I've never seen such a big hall, originally either in the capital or in a foreign country, or when I go back to my hometown, hundreds of people in a town at the same time can't make up the movie. Alas, after going abroad for so many years, it is a bit ungrounded. Mina sighed.

Gu Biao and the others came relatively early, and while the two were chatting, they saw that the hall of 2,000 people was actually full.

The lights dimmed, and the theater was still very noisy, everyone was talking or predicting the plot, and it seemed that they hadn't watched the movie, and they had been attracted to the ground by the gimmick of "I heard that this is an American blockbuster in recent years".

Before the feature film began, a one-minute commercial for "Gatorade" sports juice drink was played, and no one was disgusted at all, but when the advertising slogan mentioned "historic American brand", I felt a resonance, and I was envious of the kind of high-end consumer goods that symbolize the rich when I drink it.

Gu Biao also had to sigh in his heart that the cultural self-confidence of this era is indeed low.

Speaking of cultural self-confidence alone, the young people born in the 70s at this time may not be as good as the children of the post-00s who are not afraid of bears.

At least the environment in which the post-00 bear children grew up, and the Chinese generally have a few stinky money, and the waist board is hard.

Money strengthens the courage of the poor.

However, since nothing can be changed for the time being, what Gu Biao can do is only to absorb the commercial value generated by this kind of worship of the people to himself, so as not to let the real foreigners take advantage.

Anyway, someone has to take advantage of you, so I'm better to be cheaper.

"Oooo

"Whoa...... This...... The music is so futuristic. ”

"High-tech. ”

"It's an American blockbuster. ”