Base Conference Express: From Superchain to Super App
At 6:00 AM on July 17th, Base held its long-awaited launch event.
The content update regarding the Base chain itself is not complex. Chain performance has increased by 10x, and the logo has changed from a circle to a square. What is truly noteworthy is that the Coinbase Wallet has been updated to The Base App, a new entry product with high expectations.
This means that Base is no longer satisfied with being a "user-friendly chain." It is starting to build its own traffic entry points and actively participate in the construction of user paths. Having both the underlying layer and the entry point in its own hands is something that very few Layer 2 projects can currently achieve.
## From Superchain to Super App
Base has always emphasized that it is part of the Superchain, a reusable, scalable, and composable general-purpose Layer 2. However, in terms of both technical roadmap and ecological strategy, Base is clearly starting to move away from a purely infrastructure role and towards becoming a platform operator.
The Base App is the result of this shift. It is no longer a "wallet" tool in the traditional sense, but rather an attempt to integrate on-chain identity, transactions, social networking, payments, and AI Agent modules to form a unified entry point. Its design philosophy is closer to integrated products like WeChat and Telegram, rather than asset management tools like MetaMask or Rainbow.
In other words, Base not only wants to be a place where applications can be deployed, but also wants to be the interface that users see when they first enter Web3.
This change in strategy represents the convergence of the boundaries between "building infrastructure" and "building user products." BlockBeats previously obtained internal testing access to the App, and the review article can be found at: One Step Ahead of Twitter, the New Coinbase Wallet Evolves into WeChat
## Why Build the Entry Point Yourself?
The reason Base launched The Base App is not because the chain itself has any major bottlenecks, but because the entire Layer 2 market has entered a stage of homogenization.
Performance is no longer the only indicator of competitiveness; most projects have sufficient throughput. Instead, the key to differentiation is who can capture traffic and who can build a complete user path.
Web3 has always lacked a default entry point, and various components are trying to complete onboarding independently, but the actual results are not ideal.
In this context, Base's decision to build its own entry point is based on its practical considerations:
Coinbase itself has a C-end foundation and capabilities such as compliance, payment, and fiat currency entry points, making it one of the institutions closest to an "application distribution platform";
Instead of waiting for developers to build spontaneously, it is better to first build a set of reference paradigms to form a product-driven closed loop;
Compared to using subsidies and airdrops to exchange for traffic, a high-frequency entry point has more long-term user value.
For any chain that wants to build an ecosystem, not controlling the entry point is equivalent to handing over the initiative. Base's decision to build its own entry point can be understood as a more long-term oriented decision made at the current stage.
## A Noteworthy Use Case: Integration of AI Agent and Social Features
Although the main update of The Base App does not particularly emphasize AI capabilities, it mentions a noteworthy feature integration when introducing the social module and mini app architecture: calling on-chain assets through AI Agent in chat scenarios.
In the demonstration, users can directly enter natural language in the chat box, such as "Split the cost of last week's trip." The AI Agent can identify the conversation partner, calculate the amount payable, and automatically call the wallet to complete the payment. The entire process does not require jumping between interfaces or relying on external dApps.
From an experience perspective, this is a compression of the on-chain operation path; from a technical architecture perspective, it is a deep integration of self-custodial wallets and natural language systems. Its feasibility depends on the simultaneous fulfillment of three conditions:
User assets are self-custodial and can be authorized for Agent execution;
The chat and asset modules are connected and have a unified account system;
The Agent can understand natural language semantics and map them to on-chain operations.
This type of functionality is not new. Previously, some projects have tried to combine AI Agent with on-chain transactions, but most of them focus on directions such as cryptocurrency speculation, market analysis, and investment research assistants, with scenarios that are more focused on the high-frequency operations of individual investors. In contrast, The Base App embeds it in the social module, which is closer to account collaboration in real social relationships and more relevant to daily needs.
Although this path is still in its early stages, it does show a possibility: the interaction method of Web3 is shifting from "click operations" to "natural language commands."
Account Abstraction, MPC wallets, and other technologies optimize execution efficiency; while design attempts like The Base App are closer to a reconstruction of the usage path itself, targeting the cognitive threshold itself.
The smooth Web2-like experience of the above AI or various on-chain functions in the Base App is attributed to the official launch of the underlying architecture innovation FlashBlock. Base had cooperated with Flashbots to build the development module Flashblocks in February, which has been launched on the testnet. Jesse announced that the module was officially launched on the mainnet two hours before the launch event.
Developers can achieve integration through the RPC interface or WebSocket that supports Flashblocks. It is recommended to use the former to obtain a more stable fallback mechanism. Flashblocks adopts a time-ordered transaction mechanism, which avoids the traditional "high-priced transactions jumping the queue" phenomenon, and sets a segmented packaging strategy for high Gas limit transactions to ensure the fairness of block resource allocation. Flashblocks can theoretically reduce the effective block time from 2 seconds to 200 milliseconds, which also makes today's Base 10x faster than yesterday's Base and 2x faster than Solana. For most Web2 applications, the standard for "smooth experience" is to complete interaction feedback within 100~300 milliseconds, which is obviously achieved.
## The Battle for Web3 Entry Points is Unfolding Again
Base is clearly not the only one who wants to be an entry point. But from the current point of view, these entry points either lack a traffic base, or the scenario construction is incomplete, or they lack execution capabilities. And Base has a key variable: Coinbase.
Coinbase has a traffic base of nearly 100 million users on the one hand, and on the other hand, it can provide a complete closed loop for the Base App by connecting the fiat currency entry point with the on-chain account - technology, users, payment, transaction, and deposit/withdrawal are all connected.
The essence of the entry point battle is the battle for scenario dominance. Whoever can define how users open Web3 every day is qualified to reconstruct the industry order.
In the absence of new narratives in Web3, the shift in product form may be the new narrative itself.
Base's launch event was not complex, but it released a clear signal: the competition between public chains is transitioning from "chain capabilities" to "entry point capabilities."
Base is taking the initiative to build a complete closed loop from App to chain, not for temporary traffic, but for long-term user path dominance.
It may not immediately become "Web3's WeChat," and may not even change user habits in the short term. But it at least shows us that there are still many blank areas between infrastructure and user products that can be filled.
When "who owns the entry point" becomes the new starting point of consensus, the competition between public chains will also move towards a new stage.
[BlockBeats]
Base Conference Express: From Superchain to Super App
At 6:00 AM on July 17th, Base held its long-awaited launch event.
The content update regarding the Base chain itself is not complex. Chain performance has increased by 10x, and the logo has changed from a circle to a square. What is truly noteworthy is that the Coinbase Wallet has been updated to The Base App, a new entry product with high expectations.
This means that Base is no longer satisfied with being a "user-friendly chain." It is starting to build its own traffic entry points and actively participate in the construction of user paths. Having both the underlying layer and the entry point in its own hands is something that very few Layer 2 projects can currently achieve.
## From Superchain to Super App
Base has always emphasized that it is part of the Superchain, a reusable, scalable, and composable general-purpose Layer 2. However, in terms of both technical roadmap and ecological strategy, Base is clearly starting to move away from a purely infrastructure role and towards becoming a platform operator.
The Base App is the result of this shift. It is no longer a "wallet" tool in the traditional sense, but rather an attempt to integrate on-chain identity, transactions, social networking, payments, and AI Agent modules to form a unified entry point. Its design philosophy is closer to integrated products like WeChat and Telegram, rather than asset management tools like MetaMask or Rainbow.
In other words, Base not only wants to be a place where applications can be deployed, but also wants to be the interface that users see when they first enter Web3.
This change in strategy represents the convergence of the boundaries between "building infrastructure" and "building user products." BlockBeats previously obtained internal testing access to the App, and the review article can be found at: One Step Ahead of Twitter, the New Coinbase Wallet Evolves into WeChat
## Why Build the Entry Point Yourself?
The reason Base launched The Base App is not because the chain itself has any major bottlenecks, but because the entire Layer 2 market has entered a stage of homogenization.
Performance is no longer the only indicator of competitiveness; most projects have sufficient throughput. Instead, the key to differentiation is who can capture traffic and who can build a complete user path.
Web3 has always lacked a default entry point, and various components are trying to complete onboarding independently, but the actual results are not ideal.
In this context, Base's decision to build its own entry point is based on its practical considerations:
Coinbase itself has a C-end foundation and capabilities such as compliance, payment, and fiat currency entry points, making it one of the institutions closest to an "application distribution platform";
Instead of waiting for developers to build spontaneously, it is better to first build a set of reference paradigms to form a product-driven closed loop;
Compared to using subsidies and airdrops to exchange for traffic, a high-frequency entry point has more long-term user value.
For any chain that wants to build an ecosystem, not controlling the entry point is equivalent to handing over the initiative. Base's decision to build its own entry point can be understood as a more long-term oriented decision made at the current stage.
## A Noteworthy Use Case: Integration of AI Agent and Social Features
Although the main update of The Base App does not particularly emphasize AI capabilities, it mentions a noteworthy feature integration when introducing the social module and mini app architecture: calling on-chain assets through AI Agent in chat scenarios.
In the demonstration, users can directly enter natural language in the chat box, such as "Split the cost of last week's trip." The AI Agent can identify the conversation partner, calculate the amount payable, and automatically call the wallet to complete the payment. The entire process does not require jumping between interfaces or relying on external dApps.
From an experience perspective, this is a compression of the on-chain operation path; from a technical architecture perspective, it is a deep integration of self-custodial wallets and natural language systems. Its feasibility depends on the simultaneous fulfillment of three conditions:
User assets are self-custodial and can be authorized for Agent execution;
The chat and asset modules are connected and have a unified account system;
The Agent can understand natural language semantics and map them to on-chain operations.
This type of functionality is not new. Previously, some projects have tried to combine AI Agent with on-chain transactions, but most of them focus on directions such as cryptocurrency speculation, market analysis, and investment research assistants, with scenarios that are more focused on the high-frequency operations of individual investors. In contrast, The Base App embeds it in the social module, which is closer to account collaboration in real social relationships and more relevant to daily needs.
Although this path is still in its early stages, it does show a possibility: the interaction method of Web3 is shifting from "click operations" to "natural language commands."
Account Abstraction, MPC wallets, and other technologies optimize execution efficiency; while design attempts like The Base App are closer to a reconstruction of the usage path itself, targeting the cognitive threshold itself.
The smooth Web2-like experience of the above AI or various on-chain functions in the Base App is attributed to the official launch of the underlying architecture innovation FlashBlock. Base had cooperated with Flashbots to build the development module Flashblocks in February, which has been launched on the testnet. Jesse announced that the module was officially launched on the mainnet two hours before the launch event.
Developers can achieve integration through the RPC interface or WebSocket that supports Flashblocks. It is recommended to use the former to obtain a more stable fallback mechanism. Flashblocks adopts a time-ordered transaction mechanism, which avoids the traditional "high-priced transactions jumping the queue" phenomenon, and sets a segmented packaging strategy for high Gas limit transactions to ensure the fairness of block resource allocation. Flashblocks can theoretically reduce the effective block time from 2 seconds to 200 milliseconds, which also makes today's Base 10x faster than yesterday's Base and 2x faster than Solana. For most Web2 applications, the standard for "smooth experience" is to complete interaction feedback within 100~300 milliseconds, which is obviously achieved.
## The Battle for Web3 Entry Points is Unfolding Again
Base is clearly not the only one who wants to be an entry point. But from the current point of view, these entry points either lack a traffic base, or the scenario construction is incomplete, or they lack execution capabilities. And Base has a key variable: Coinbase.
Coinbase has a traffic base of nearly 100 million users on the one hand, and on the other hand, it can provide a complete closed loop for the Base App by connecting the fiat currency entry point with the on-chain account - technology, users, payment, transaction, and deposit/withdrawal are all connected.
The essence of the entry point battle is the battle for scenario dominance. Whoever can define how users open Web3 every day is qualified to reconstruct the industry order.
In the absence of new narratives in Web3, the shift in product form may be the new narrative itself.
Base's launch event was not complex, but it released a clear signal: the competition between public chains is transitioning from "chain capabilities" to "entry point capabilities."
Base is taking the initiative to build a complete closed loop from App to chain, not for temporary traffic, but for long-term user path dominance.
It may not immediately become "Web3's WeChat," and may not even change user habits in the short term. But it at least shows us that there are still many blank areas between infrastructure and user products that can be filled.
When "who owns the entry point" becomes the new starting point of consensus, the competition between public chains will also move towards a new stage.
[BlockBeats]
