Return to 1958 and build a century-old giant

Chapter 840 Handheld Consoles and D-pad Patents
Those present naturally had no objections; they decided to discuss it first.
"What about negotiations with the public?" one person asked.

Old Zhou said, "Continue. Our country is so big, one car brand is definitely not enough. It would be better to have multiple brands working together. We have been negotiating with Volkswagen for almost two years, but there is still no result."
Ladies and gentlemen, the foreign automotive industry looks down on us, so let's work together to introduce overseas automotive technology and production lines. Only in this way can we develop our own national automotive industry.

Director Wang asked, "Then, shall we go to Hong Kong to find this Mr. Yang Wendong?"

Old Zhou said, "There's no rush. We don't know much about Mini cars yet. It would be inappropriate to rush over to Yang Wendong. Besides, he's a businessman and doesn't understand the technology. We need to be fully prepared before we go to discuss this."

He also knew the importance of Hong Kong in the eyes of the central government and that no mistakes could be made.
As the founder of a top Hong Kong conglomerate, Yang Wendong holds a prominent position and has maintained good relations with the mainland over the years. It wouldn't be difficult for him to meet with Yang, but it's not something that can be done repeatedly, so it's necessary to prepare the specific details all at once.

In addition, since Hong Kong is involved, he also needs to report to his superiors. It would be even better if the central government could use its greater connections.

Director Wang said, "Alright, I'll send a team to the UK right away to find out the specifics. However, I'm afraid the application for overseas funding might be a bit difficult."

There's a severe shortage of foreign exchange in China right now. A group of people going abroad for business trips would need at least tens of thousands of US dollars, and it's not easy to get approval for that.

Previously, during their negotiations with Germany, they would shamelessly invite the Germans to the mainland because the foreign exchange costs were too high for them to go to Germany, and since they represented the country, they couldn't afford to rent cheap hotels. Fortunately, the Germans didn't seem to care much about this, as they were also planning to invest in the mainland, so they came frequently.

Old Zhou thought for a moment and said, "How about this, let the Ministry of Foreign Affairs collect some basic information and send it to us. We're unfamiliar with the area, so we might not be able to find out more. I'll also ask a friend of mine in England to investigate."

"Alright, that's the only way." Director Wang looked at the documents in his hand and said, "If we can secure at least one project, even a small one, we can have something to report to our superiors."

The domestic leadership also attaches great importance to the introduction of the automobile industry. Automobiles are not only for enjoyment, but also necessary production tools that can improve the efficiency of the entire society. Moreover, a strong automobile industry can also have a great impact on the military industry, as demonstrated by World War I.

"Yes, and I've seen pictures of the Mini. Although it's a bit small, it's fuel-efficient and meets our current needs in China," Old Zhou said with a smile.

Although China is now an oil exporter, there are very few ways to earn foreign exchange. Oil exports account for one-third of the country's foreign exchange reserves. In order to earn more foreign exchange, the domestic consumption of oil is naturally restricted.
This is also a major reason why there is a need to upgrade cars in China. Cars that we used to own or import from Russia were too fuel-inefficient. In the long run, it is more cost-effective to buy cars from abroad.

Yang Wendong was naturally unaware of what was happening on the mainland. After acquiring Mini, he officially entered the automotive industry. However, this industry requires a long time to cultivate, and it has only just begun. He doesn't need to rush and should let things develop naturally. There will be great opportunities later.
April arrived quickly, and Yang Wendong returned to North Point, Hong Kong. It was still an industrial area with countless workers in different work clothes moving about on the streets. The most common of these was, of course, the work clothes of Glory Electronics.

The temperature in Hong Kong in April is just right, neither too hot nor too cold, and the breeze feels very comfortable on your face;

Yang Wendong was also in a good mood because the second-generation Honor personal computer had been successfully developed.

In the first generation, Yang Wendong himself was not very involved because the Hong Kong team had limited resources. He told them to just follow the basic overseas model and learn from it. In the process, they absorbed talent and summarized experience.

The second generation was the product that Yang Wendong needed to create. He also participated in this generation and put forward his own requirements.

When they arrived at Glory Electronics' laboratory, many people were already waiting at the door. Wang Zhiqun and He Guoyuan, who were at the front, quickly stepped forward and said, "Mr. Yang."

"Hmm," Yang Wendong nodded. They were all acquaintances, so there was no need for small talk. "Let's go inside and take a look at our new computer."

"This way," Wang Zhiqun said quickly.

The group quickly entered a room inside the laboratory, where Yang Wendong saw the personal computer in his mind on the table in the middle.

This is a computer with the main unit and screen separated, connected by several data cables. This allows it to be moved separately, greatly reducing the overall weight of the computer.
It's important to understand that computers in this era were very heavy; even an adult woman couldn't lift one, and it usually required two people to carry it. People born in the 80s in the previous generation should have had speakers, and just the large back screen alone was heavy enough.

In this era, the host and screen are integrated, with the host and keyboard at the bottom and the screen at the top, which is both bulky and inconvenient for heat dissipation.

"Has the patent for the split design been registered?" Yang Wendong asked.

Wang Zhiqun replied, "It's already registered, but once this kind of idea comes out, others can find ways to circumvent it."

"Let them take a detour, at least we'll be the first one there." Yang Wendong didn't seem to care.

Many things cannot be completely controlled by applying for a patent. Some ideas, such as four tires for a car, even if patented, can only mean that there is a tire structure, not a patent for "four tires". It cannot prevent others from not using four tires.
Historically, IBM was the one that pioneered the modular personal computer, and even it couldn't stop others from using the modular design; at most, they might differ in structure.

Wang Zhiqun laughed and said, "Yes, we have also applied for a patent for our mouse, but we can only apply for a structural patent. However, others cannot use the patent for the middle button."

"Let me see." Yang Wendong also started using the mouse next to the computer.

The mouse was invented in the early 60s. However, the early mice had a simple structure: a wooden shell, a button, and a small ball on the bottom.

Later, it was optimized by some American technology companies, adding a right-click button, but the middle scroll wheel was never invented.

Although we are not yet in the internet age and there is no need to scroll through web pages, computers in this era still need to input code or navigate between different pages. Having a middle mouse button would make things much more convenient, so Yang Wendong put forward his idea.
This little thing is much simpler, and with the capabilities of the Hong Kong team, they are able to make it. "It feels pretty good to use." Yang Wendong seemed to be having that feeling of going online again, and added, "However, I don't plan to restrict others from using this middle button. Instead, I want to make it available to everyone. I just need to charge a small patent fee."

Some patents cannot be kept to oneself. Not to mention that different countries have enforcement laws for indispensable patents, even if they don't, if many people need to use a patent but cannot use it, it will inevitably promote the demand for other inventions.
While the middle mouse button is convenient, if it is restricted, someone might invent other alternatives.
Instead of doing that, why not just make it public and collect a small patent fee for each mouse in the future? In the same way, you can become someone who has made a major invention on the personal computer. Why not?

He Guoyuan laughed and said, "Mr. Yang is right. If we release this patent, and personal computers become widespread in the future, there will be a global demand for hundreds of millions of mice every year. If we charge one cent per mouse, that will amount to tens of millions a year."

"These are all small amounts of money; the main thing is our computers." Yang Wendong then looked at his computer.

Wang Zhiqun quickly introduced, "Mr. Yang, this computer is our V2 model. It's made according to your requirements."

He explained while demonstrating the Honor V2 computer, saying that it could not only be used for office work, but also had many games built-in, including the previous arcade games.
"Not bad. The V1 model didn't sell very well before, so I hope our V2 will achieve even better results." Yang Wendong was somewhat satisfied after reviewing the data.
This basically meets very basic computer needs and isn't much worse than Apple's. Of course, this refers to the previous generation. We don't know what Apple is researching now. In addition, there are competitors such as IBM, HP, and Texas Instruments.

Wang Zhiqun said, "I plan to send a batch to the US market at the end of the month to test the waters, and then see what the next step will be based on user feedback."

“Okay, you can decide this yourselves.” Yang Wendong didn’t interfere, because operations weren’t his forte.
As a time traveler, he can come up with some future ideas for the product and expand the channels and after-sales service in the early stages using a capital model. However, production, quality control, and marketing can only rely on these professionals.

Wang Zhiqun said, "Okay, I will also make a special trip to the United States and visit Mr. Wozniak of Apple while I'm there."

“Yes, he has been a great help to us. You should go and meet him.” Yang Wendong nodded and said, “Actually, I also need to prepare to go to the United States. Apple is about to go public.”

Originally, Apple was scheduled to launch in December of this year, but due to its early launch, it is now preparing to launch in June, six months earlier.
In terms of valuation, Apple is valued at approximately $16 billion. He holds a 25% stake, which is still several hundred million dollars. Naturally, he would want to go there, and he also has some other businesses in the United States.

Wang Zhiqun laughed and said, "The timing was a bit off, otherwise I could have taken a ride on Yang Sheng's plane."

"If you'd like to sit, there will be an opportunity in the future," Yang Wendong smiled, then asked, "How's our LCD industry doing?"

“LCD?” Ho Kwok-yuen immediately replied, “Currently, our LCDs are mainly supplied to many calculator and electronic watch manufacturers in Hong Kong, and we are already one of the largest suppliers in Asia.”

Wang Zhiqun smiled and said, "The core of the electronic watch industry is LCD, and we have basically mastered this part."

Honor Electronics had participated in the electronic watch market in its early years, but later gave up because it was difficult to build a brand. Even small factories could make them. The only difficulty was the LCD screen.
Therefore, under Yang Wendong's instruction, Glory Electronics focused on making LCDs and supplied them to electronic watch factories throughout Hong Kong. If there was demand overseas, they would also provide them.

Relying solely on electronic watches, Honor Electronics' LCD shipments reach tens of millions annually, and this number continues to rise.

"Hmm, can you manufacture that 3-inch LCD screen?" Yang Wendong asked.

“3 inches? That big?” He Guoyuan hesitated for a moment before saying, “Mr. Yang, the largest we have right now is 2.0 inches, and that’s with Nintendo, which you invested in before. We might be able to produce anything bigger, but the yield rate probably wouldn’t be very high.”

"Next, you need to urge the LCD factory to try to research or introduce the technology. I want to produce 3.0-inch screens, or at the very least 2.5 inches," Yang Wendong said. "Nintendo is developing a handheld console, and we need to make the same product."

In the 80s, besides arcade and home game consoles, there was also the portable handheld game console. This huge market may not have been as big as home game consoles, but it was still bigger than arcade games, and he certainly wouldn't forget about it.
However, in the electronics field, the more portable and smaller a device is, the higher its technological content tends to be, because factors such as cost, heat dissipation, and chips must be considered.
Handheld consoles have actually existed for a long time, but Yang Wendong did not participate in them because the first generation and even the subsequent models were no good and were completely electronic waste. The main reason was that the technology was not yet in place and portable consoles could not be made.

But now that the time is almost up, Nintendo is also making its own plans, and I can start to consider it.

"Handheld console, okay, I understand. I'll arrange for the LCD factory to conduct tests as soon as possible," He Guoyuan said hurriedly.

Wang Zhiqun also said, "I will also start researching other hardware."

Yang Wendong nodded and said, "Yes, once we've finished the research, we'll integrate some of our game elements into it. I think there will definitely be a sufficient market for it."

He wasn't in a hurry for handheld consoles, because the core of a handheld console is still games, and classic games such as Snake, Chinese Blocks, Space Invaders, and Pac-Man are all in his hands. Even if others make better handheld consoles, it's useless without games.

As early as the mid-70s, some American companies wanted to bring their games to handheld consoles, but he refused them all. On the one hand, he wanted to make his own games, and on the other hand, he wanted to wait for the technology to mature before making his own handheld console.
Otherwise, if the handheld hardware is too poor, even if the games are good, but the game runs slowly or overheats, that won't work and will ruin the market.

So it doesn't matter if we're a little later than other brands. This is different from the logic of arcade games. Arcade games have a lot of room for development, and as long as you spend money, you can definitely make a good one. But a few years ago, no matter how much money you spent, you couldn't make a good handheld game. The heat dissipation of complex games alone was an unsolvable problem. We could only wait for better chips to appear.

"Our game is bound to have a very large market," Wang Zhiqun said with a smile.

Yang Wendong added, "Oh, right, and this too. This is a patent I've already applied for. Take a look, it's called a cross key."

"Cross key? How come there are so many patents?" Wang Zhiqun asked in surprise after seeing the series of documents.

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(End of this chapter)