Happy New Year! We trust that everyone has kicked off 2024 on a high note.
The new year is a prime moment for setting ambitions, so the abxylute team recapped our 2023 milestones and chart our course for 2024. On December 16th, 2023, our inaugural 3D-printed abxylute prototype was unveiled, marking a significant stride in our R&D journey. As we soar into the new year, we're committed to elevating our products and presence. From Kickstarter to our direct-to-consumer website, we're grateful for the journey with you, our valued supporters.
Hardware Updates:
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Future Model: This is likely a topic of great interest. The design and ergonomics of the abxylute are well-regarded features. Informed by the feedback from our users and our expertise, we are at the beginning stages of developing the next generation of our handheld device. The overall look will largely stay the same, but we're experimenting with a more powerful chip and mid-sized joysticks. This is a longer development process and we're currently in the testing phase. We expect to have news in the second half of this year. Alongside this, we may develop new hardware accessories. Should we decide to move forward with these projects, we will share updates with everyone.
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Grip Enhancements: The new grips are currently undergoing tests for device compatibility and comfort. We're experimenting with different designs and materials, aiming to finalize a cost-effective solution soon.
Software Innovations:
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OTA Updates: It has been some time since our last OTA update, and we are aiming to release a new one before early February. The upcoming OTA will introduce new features designed to improve the user experience, incorporating the most requested additions by our community, such as a variety of background themes and customizable mapping. Moreover, anticipate a significant update in the coming spring, which will introduce a completely new interface for abxylute. This is one of our current focal points.
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Joystick Calibration: In October, we launched an updated joystick curve adjustment feature through Keylinker, addressing the sensitivity issues highlighted by our user community. This solution has been well-received by a majority of abxylute users. Future adjustments, including those implemented directly through abxylute software, are planned and will be rolled out with subsequent OTAs. (If you missed the adjustment, please refer to the instruction here: https://abxylute.com/pages/use-keylinker-for-further-joystick-adjustment)
Logistics & Accessibility:
We have invested considerable effort in making abxylute more accessible worldwide. A notable achievement by the end of 2023 was the establishment of new warehouses in the US and Europe, allowing customers in these regions to bypass lengthy customs clearances and receive their abxylute within 2-7 days of ordering. This reduces waiting times and the risk of parcel loss. （Yay)
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Global Reach: We have also begun operations on Amazon US (Listing link: https://a.co/d/40XMRFT), and plan to expand to Amazon in other regions and even some offline presence this year.
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Inventory & Logistics: Managing inventory and logistics remains a challenge, but we're learning and improving. Our goal is to anticipate sales cycles better, allowing for earlier shipments and reduced shipping costs for our customers.
Team Growth:
- We remain a relatively small team, necessitating multitasking and stepping beyond our original areas of expertise to explore new commercial avenues. In the new year, we aspire to expand our development efficiency, community engagement, and partnerships in various forms, including online, offline, distribution channels, and collaborations with game studios.
Partnerships:
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Earlier this summer, we collaborated with the developers of PSPlay/XBXPlay to enhance the performance of these streaming softwares on abxylute, resolving issues such as screen tearing during streaming. At the end of the year, we initiated a partnership with Boosteroid Cloud Gaming, and will continue the collaboration in 2024.
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In the new year, we will continue to collaborate with more cloud services and remote play software providers to optimize their performance on our devices and to secure benefits for abxylute users, such as free trial periods or discounted subscriptions.
We're excited for what's ahead and thank you for being a part of our journey. Here's to a year of growth, innovation, and community!
Warm regards,
The abxylute Team
