Behind the Remix OS hardware carnival: Which is more promising, upgrading monitors or making game consoles?

It has been a long time since I have seen a manufacturer that mainly promotes a third-party Android customized system being able to pull together a group of hardware giants to make such a big fuss.

On June 16, 2016, Jide Technology held its 2016 new product launch conference in Beijing. Using Windows and Mac ideas to transform the Android system has made the company's Remix OS well-known in the geek circle. This time, they have linked Remix's system software with "hard elements" such as AOC, ASUS, Acer and even BMW designers, and launched a large wave of hardware products.

Among these hardware products, the Mars cloud-based all-in-one machine developed in cooperation with display manufacturer AOC, and gaming PC products mainly based on Acer Android gaming laptops have become the highlights of Remix OS's hardware efforts. So, will ideas such as upgrading monitors or manufacturing game consoles become boosters for the development of Remix OS?

Monitor PC-like, mind-blowing practical functions

As the No. 1 in the display industry, AOC has previously launched products that walk the line between monitors and TVs. Monitors larger than 40 inches are completely in the form of bedroom TVs. This time, Remix OS is paired with AOC, which is like using the idea of ​​system + monitor to create a small smart TV.

Perhaps this is exactly what Remix OS meant when it released the Mars cloud-based all-in-one machine. At the press conference, it took over Tencent Video TV to tell everyone that they can "watch movies and TV series to their heart's content", and even the remote control that should come standard with the TV was available. Most importantly, a monitor is still a monitor after all, and even if it is used as a TV, there is no need to be bothered by the rules and regulations of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

On the other hand, if we simply discuss it as a monitor, the Mars cloud all-in-one has more advantages than traditional monitors. AOC's control over product quality is still relatively reliable, especially when you just want to open your computer to search on Google or watch a video. There is no need to open the host next to it that may be equipped with a Skylake i7 processor and a GTX 1080 graphics card. A single monitor can complete these lightweight tasks. Even for the sake of Mother Earth, saving electricity is excellent.

Android gaming consoles are dead, so what about Android gaming PCs?

Okay, let’s talk about the less optimistic part.

How many people will play large-scale games based on the Android system? This means that you need to prepare an Android laptop or set up an Internet cafe based on an Android PC, which is also what Remix OS is doing in conjunction with PC manufacturers such as Asus and Acer.

This inevitably reminds us of the Android game consoles that have cheated a number of Internet manufacturers such as Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, and 360 over the years. The reason why it is called a "cheat" is that Android is still Android. Although thanks to the efforts of manufacturers such as NVIDIA, you can already see some ported PC games on the Android platform, Android still cannot attract players to spend hours experiencing "Uncharted", "Halo" or LOL like game consoles and traditional PCs. The difference is like the mobile version of "Need for Speed ​​​​17" and the console version of "Need for Speed ​​​​17", the same name, but they are completely two games.

From the product itself, Remix OS and the Android gaming laptop launched by Acer are not outstanding enough. In essence, it is just an entry-level Windows PC with Remix system pre-installed. If the final situation is that users are more willing to install Windows to create a dual system, then the product gaming positioning and the purpose of Remix OS are not successful.

Cheap PC solution is still the best choice for Remix OS hardware implementation

Therefore, rationally speaking, with the hardware lineup of Remix OS, it is much more reliable to upgrade the existing hardware to be intelligent than to manufacture game consoles, just like the Remix X plan launched at the press conference. Why not turn more devices into small computers?

This also reminds people of the idea that the relevant person in charge of Jide Technology revealed to , that Remix OS can further lower the threshold for PCs and help computers become more widely popular in some special areas. From the Remix mini, which is similar to an Android box, to today's Mars cloud all-in-one machine, it can be understood as a further implementation of the original intention of this product.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.