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Nintendo Unveils New Web-Based Service for Smartphones
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Self destruct? The Wii sold 100 million units, more than PS3 and 360, and the 3DS has sold 45mil in three years, 10x more than the PS Vita. They're sitting on a huge stockpile of cash from the Wii and DS days and their first party games are still outstanding.
They'll be fine.
Agree with all of this. And they could make a fortune off of other Bluetooth accessories like a classic NES controller.
Hmm, why is this Macrumors news?
Anyhoo, does anyone really care about a Nintendo app if it doesn't play games? I can just look up videos on youtube if I want to watch someone else play games. I feel bad for Nintendo, but they just make bad decision after bad decision. Their last great decision/innovation was the Wii with the motion sensor, but then they let the competition own it.
It's a web app, not a native app, and it's ONLY for people who play or are interested in Mario Kart 8 which comes out for Wii U this month.
Nintendo has already done this with their social networking system, Miiverse. Again a web app. Or smartphone/tablet formatted website.
It makes so much sense. You almost have to think that someone at Nintendo has proposed this line of thinking, just sad that management is so stuck in the past.
Nintendo vehemently disagrees with you. Nintendo machines for Nintendo games: see my earlier post.
Please note: Microsoft & Sony ALSO aren't rushing to put any of their own made legacy games on iOS either.
Dear racer,
Go spend $150 and buy a 3DS so you can play NES games.
Till then, enjoy your freemium junk.
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It makes so much sense. You almost have to think that someone at Nintendo has proposed this line of thinking, just sad that management is so stuck in the past.
Who does no one ask Sony and MS to do the same?
You realize Nintendo can continue to post loss for 30 years and still be fine, right?
It doesn't make sense to compare these companies as they have fundamentally different structures and business models. Nintendo does not have any other meaningful business lines besides games, and they need to move fast, even if they have quite a bit of cash.
You are talking in past tense, and rightly so. All of the devices that you mention have passed their peaks and sales are declining. Nintendo's stockpile of cash doesn't mean anything in that regard. Nintendo's shareholders will not allow this to continue and they are within rights. It is not the purose of a stockpile of cash to be eaten up because the company does not have the capability to adapt or reinvent itself when the market changes.
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There is not a Nintendo shareholder on this planet that would allow that. They need to start earning money.
FYI - Nintendo is now making profit on the Wii U (and have been on the 3DS/2DS for a while). Sony and MS are losing money for each unit sold.
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Sega has bad console after bad console after bad console (Sega CD, 32X, Saturn, Dreamcast). Nintendo is just coming off the #1 selling console and still has the #1 selling handheld (by a landslide).
Only the delusional think that is an option. Sony would sooner release for other platforms over Nintendo.
Also Sega recently = well over a decade
I think this would catapult the AppleTV to a new level of want for current and new consumers.
The AppleTV should also allow free Netflix and Hulu.
Oh, and it should have Halo 6 and the next Star Wars films early.
What we've seen in this thread are some non-gamers voicing their opinions and thoughts about what Nintendo should do to save their gaming business. Collectively the response seems to be "iOS will save Nintendo".
Then the Sega example is used. Yes Sega are making iOS games but they still aren't making money. iOS hasn't saved Sega.
As we are all aware, Nintendo have, and still make, some of the greatest video games in the world. And you've always had to play them by buying Nintendo hardware (let's not talk about piracy here). This is not going to change. Their President has told us that this isn't going to change.
all i need say is GBA4iOS!
They've got great games they could make a killing but almost all simple game formats for touch screens have been made, they're already too late to really make a real impact.
They've got great games they could make a killing but almost all simple game formats for touch screens have been made, they're already too late to really make a real impact.
An emulator where you'll play the Nintendo games through piracy.
If GBA4iOS is all you have to say then you're definitely not the customer Nintendo want as you're happily playing Nintendo GBA games ALREADY without paying for them.
its sad that this looks like a very viable excuse.
I can probably imagine the hoards of people who grew up in the days of NES and Gameboy who would be more than willing to pay for the ability to play NES-> N64 titles, or Gameboy -> DS titles on our phones.
None of these titles are really going to convince us to go out and buy all new consoles for. I'm not spending $150 for a 3DS to play Pokemon again.
but would be willing to pay $5-10 to have it on my phone / tablet.
I have read the articles reporting on the financial report. The Wii U might make a profit now, but sales are far below expectations and slowing. This in a phase of the product where sales should be increasing as a consequence of the introduction of additional titles (which is part of the problem). The DS line is still selling well, but it is a cash cow for Nintendo with not nearly the equal margin as the Wii U console line.
I don’t mean this as an attack, but what you and many others here fail to realize is the business side of this and the direction that the business is going in. It is not about the here and now, but about where Nintendo is going. In that respect the comparison with Playstation and XBOX is off, as we all know that both consoles are performing well, increasing sales of hardware as well as software. In contrast to the Wii U, for the XBOX and Playstation we expect to see increase of sales over the coming years. And Nintendo has got nothing announced in the pipeline as a follow-up or invigorator to the Wii U.
In a broader sense Nintendo is failing to address where the entire consumer electronics and entertainment market is going. The other parties are investing heavily in integration with smartphones and cable TV, while Nintendo only provides gimmicks and lackluster alternatives such as the subject of this news item. The sales trend of Nintendo is very clearly showing the problem of the business and that is that it is starting to fail to address the needs of the consumer.
In the sense of the here and now, it is true that Nintendo has a lot of cash. But like I said we need to realize where Nintendo is going. If I were a Nintendo shareholder (small-time or large) I would not be happy with this direction. The value of my investment is increasing as a consequence of reduced sales and a failure to reinvent the business. Pressure is currently mounding on Nintendo to act. If they decide to not release games on other platforms than that is fine, but than they had better introduce a promising new product line soon or expect a dramatic impact on the share price.
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Oh, I'm very well aware that they won't. Integrated hardware and software is their paradigm, and it's one that's historically a loser, most especially when that paradigm is predicated on gimmicky input methods. Wii Motion notwithstanding, since it's basically a gyro mouse, one of the triumphs of the Wii was its controller in that it cut out the crap. D-Pad, Start/Select, and two buttons in a rectangular chassis. Reliable and instantly comprehensible. Then they take two steps back with their gamepad controller nonsense for the Wii U.
No they aren't. They're still clinging to the hardcore lunacy. Microsoft especially is letting the XBox continue to be a fiscal black hole dragging their entertainment division into oblivion. That's why it'll be sold or spun off in the next few years. Sony, on the other hand, is changing course a little with the Vita, and accelerating release of their PS One, PS2 and PSP libraries. It's not perfect or particularly fast but the will is there.
One thing I do find ironic is that people decry Nintendo doing it, when integrated hardware/software is Apple's bread and butter.
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$20? $2, give Apple 60c and revive your fortunes. It's a whole new world but you can't sell Mario Kart for 20 bucks any more, because it's a whole new world.
It seems Nintendo is always around 7-8 years behind the competition in terms of connectivity to the internet. They just recently added actual user ID's to their online accounts, something the original xbox live had since 2002 - 12 years ago. Microsoft has also had an app for iOS devices since the mid-cycle of the 360.
I know Nintendo likes to be the family friendly company - but it is possible to have a decent system and still keep kids safe on their network.
I know Nintendo likes to be the family friendly company - but it is possible to have a decent system and still keep kids safe on their network.
1. If they still make the greatest video games, than they should invest in telling people about this, because currently XBOX and Playstation are the consoles that are selling the games and the Wii U's are declining in sales.
2. If the WiiU doesn't miraculously revive in sales or if Nintendo doesn't very quickly introduce a new product that competes with the aforementioned consoles, than the president will need to change his strategy in whatever way makes sense.
Just because a CEO says something will not happen, doesn't mean that it won't. Look at the iPad mini.