Nintendo Announces First Mobile Game 'Miitomo,' Arrives March 2016

[madsci954]

WTF Nintendo? Nobody wants this, nobody. Why would you even waste your time making this crap? GIVE US MARIO! Better yet, give us ZELDA! Give us something we ACTUALLY want. Not this crappy, boring, snooze fest you call a game. It might be popular in Asian countries honestly. In the US - nope.



See this is what I'm talking about. Why are these companies so short sighted? Create a controller that works and is Nintendo branded and can work on the phone and ATV and release that bitch with awesome games/ports. MILLIONS!!!!!

It's time to look to the FUTURE NINTENDO! Mobile gaming is the ****. Nobody wants to carry around a GB anymore. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Nobody outside of Japan you mean.

I love Nintendo (I was a Nintendo fanboy long before I was an Apple fanboy) but they make and market games that would work really well in Japan. In the US and Europe, not so well. Like Apple, they are very stubborn with their products.

And also like Apple, they want to control 100% of the experience. If you want Zelda or Mario Kart on mobile, buy a 3DS and you have those games as well as many others on mobile.

 

[AbSoluTc]

Nobody outside of Japan you mean.

I love Nintendo (I was a Nintendo fanboy long before I was an Apple fanboy) but they make and market games that would work really well in Japan. In the US and Europe, not so well. Like Apple, they are very stubborn with their products.

And also like Apple, they want to control 100% of the experience. If you want Zelda or Mario Kart on mobile, buy a 3DS and you have those games as well as many others on mobile.

I had a 3DS XL for a while but the screen wasn't that good. It was nice but could be so much better.

 

[levitynyc]

WTF Nintendo? Nobody wants this, nobody. Why would you even waste your time making this crap? GIVE US MARIO! Better yet, give us ZELDA! Give us something we ACTUALLY want. Not this crappy, boring, snooze fest you call a game. It might be popular in Asian countries honestly. In the US - nope.



See this is what I'm talking about. Why are these companies so short sighted? Create a controller that works and is Nintendo branded and can work on the phone and ATV and release that bitch with awesome games/ports. MILLIONS!!!!!

It's time to look to the FUTURE NINTENDO! Mobile gaming is the ****. Nobody wants to carry around a GB anymore. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Nintendo sells millions of 3DS systems.

Putting out some Bluetooth controller and 30 year old ports would kill Nintendo.

Jesus, I have to get off this thread. So many dumb comments and ideas.

Sure, you want an original Mario game on iOS with touch controls? Guess what? It's going to control like **** and it's going to cost $29.99.

Buying it?

"WHY DOESNT APPLE RELEASE OSX AS SOFTWARE BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD BUY IT AND IT WOULD SELL MILLIONS? WHY DONT THEY LICENSE IOS TO OUT ON SAMSUNG PHONES?"

Same argument.

 

[johngordon]

Oh come on - this is so naff looking and not what anyone wanted its actually hilarious.

 

[levitynyc]

The current strategy of companion games with in-app purchases do nothing to lure people to the consoles and handhelds, since you need to have any of those in the first place in order to make any sense of the companion games.

And the money is made on the games, not on the console (linke printers, razor blades etc). If I would be Nintendo, then I would look for a strategy that ensures a good playing experience on a variety of platforms. Making sure that my games are distributed as far as possible. That could mean finding a way for devices such as iPhone, iPad and Apple TV to use custom or existing controllers.

It is not a case where Nintendo games do not work on iOS PERIOD. You need to look further and investigate possibilities how the game playing experience can be transferred. There are ways to do that (e.g. by offering controller - game bundles).

Unlike MS and Sony, Nintendo portable systems are NOT loss leaders.

 

[diamond.g]

Unlike MS and Sony, Nintendo portable systems are NOT loss leaders.

Which is why they have survived for as long as they have, they don't have to rely on third party games like the others do.

In case no one has noticed, there is a reason why Nintendo releases games on Fridays now (in Japan). Pokemon was/is a literal license to print money...

 

[AbSoluTc]

Nintendo sells millions of 3DS systems.

Putting out some Bluetooth controller and 30 year old ports would kill Nintendo.

Jesus, I have to get off this thread. So many dumb comments and ideas.

Sure, you want an original Mario game on iOS with touch controls? Guess what? It's going to control like **** and it's going to cost $29.99.

Buying it?

"WHY DOESNT APPLE RELEASE OSX AS SOFTWARE BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD BUY IT AND IT WOULD SELL MILLIONS? WHY DONT THEY LICENSE IOS TO OUT ON SAMSUNG PHONES?"

Same argument.

To answer the OS X as software question, because there is too much hardware variation to support. It would be a nightmare and would probably run like ****.

Now the other end of that spectrum, Nintendo partnering with Apple would be ideal. Both control freaks means Nintendo can produce a refined product on a product Apple controls. It would work nicely. Oh, I would also pay up to $49.99 for a controller to play ported classic Nintendo games on my iPhone. I am sure there are a lot of other people out there that would say the same thing. That controller would also work on my ATV too.

Nintendo is a fool to ignore such a HUGE revenue stream. It's right there, waiting to be tapped dry like what Nestle is doing to California's water supply.

They just have to do it right. If they release current games, it would impact their own mobile hardware offerings and revenue. That's why they need to do the classics first. I would not impact their mobile/current systems. It would only be an additional revenue stream.

 

[levitynyc]

To answer the OS X as software question, because there is too much hardware variation to support. It would be a nightmare and would probably run like ****.

Now the other end of that spectrum, Nintendo partnering with Apple would be ideal. Both control freaks means Nintendo can produce a refined product on a product Apple controls. It would work nicely. Oh, I would also pay up to $49.99 for a controller to play ported classic Nintendo games on my iPhone. I am sure there are a lot of other people out there that would say the same thing. That controller would also work on my ATV too.

Nintendo is a fool to ignore such a HUGE revenue stream. It's right there, waiting to be tapped dry like what Nestle is doing to California's water supply.

They just have to do it right. If they release current games, it would impact their own mobile hardware offerings and revenue. That's why they need to do the classics first. I would not impact their mobile/current systems. It would only be an additional revenue stream.

Why would they put out classics if they sell them on their own platform as well?

Why would they invest millions in creating a controller that would bring people away from their platform?

There would be plenty of hardware variations. Which iPhone do you have? Which version of IOS are you running?

 

[ryansimmons323]

I don't know why people expected anything more than this.

As a person that loves Nintendo, I'm glad that these 'games' are just this sort of thing, because Nintendo has always been about hardware and software. Like Apple, almost.

It would be a shame if Nintendo just became another Sega.

 

[levitynyc]

I don't know why people expected anything more than this.

As a person that loves Nintendo, I'm glad that these 'games' are just this sort of thing, because Nintendo has always been about hardware and software. Like Apple, almost.

It would be a shame if Nintendo just became another Sega.

People wanted Super Mario Brothers level 1-1 on their phone so they could play for 10 minutes and never think of it again...and have it be free. "IT BRINGS IN NEW PEOPLE TO NINTENDO!"

 

[vertsix]

Because a GBA Emulator was too hard...

$1-$5 a game and Nintendo would make millions.

Nintendo values their IPs, so no. Porting to mobile would mean devaluing their IPs, of which some are the most successful in the world.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon on my phone, but it's for the best that they stay on Nintendo consoles.

Not hyped for this, but am for Pokemon Go. That looks amazing and could be the next big thing.

(IP = intellectual property)

 

[peterdevries]

Unlike MS and Sony, Nintendo portable systems are NOT loss leaders.

I know, but if you look at the whole system Nintendo makes the largest portion of its profit on the games (1 console and multiple games).

 

[neoelectronaut]

Yet Apple reported a record profit and Nintendo are flirting with bankruptcy. Maybe Nintendo should listen to what the people want.

Dude. Dude. That's a hell of a reality distortion field you've got going there.

Nintendo has never been anywhere near close to bankruptcy.

 

[iosuser]

Nintendo sells millions of 3DS systems.

Putting out some Bluetooth controller and 30 year old ports would kill Nintendo.

Jesus, I have to get off this thread. So many dumb comments and ideas.

Sure, you want an original Mario game on iOS with touch controls? Guess what? It's going to control like **** and it's going to cost $29.99.

Buying it?

"WHY DOESNT APPLE RELEASE OSX AS SOFTWARE BECAUSE PEOPLE WOULD BUY IT AND IT WOULD SELL MILLIONS? WHY DONT THEY LICENSE IOS TO OUT ON SAMSUNG PHONES?"

Same argument.

I was just gonna say the same thing. Just imagine hackintosh builds, but much worse as all Nintendo titles have the tightest and most precise controls in its games. Nintendo games play the way they do because Nintendo controls both hardware and software, much like Apple does.

If Nintendo ever does port over their most valuable IPs to mobile, it will be their last dying breath. Sure they'll rake in some millions for couple of years, but they will turn into another Sega. And just imagine the piracy that runs rampant on mobile, namely on Android - if they released Mario on Android, there'll be hundreds of millions installed but they'll net $10k in actual sales

 

[Iconoclysm]

This is just sad...

RIP Iwata and the good ole days of Nintendo.

What? This was Iwata's doing. And the "good ole days" belong to Yamauchi not Iwata.

 

[Iconoclysm]

See I have thought about picking up a 3DS for Pokemon and Mario - but after 3 weeks when I beat the games, I have a unit I will never use again.

Then sell it used? But you won't be beating these games in 3 weeks. Maybe you haven't looked at how many there really are.

 

[LordQ]

Seriously? They could've shown Zelda Shuffle and I wouldn't be mad but this sucks.

 

[Iconoclysm]

DUH -- because Mario may be the most valuable video game franchise of all. That's why. He's Nintendo's big gun. I'd be willing to bet money that they won't bring him outside of Nintendo hardware unless they're totally desperate.

They know how much Mario is worth. If you want to play Mario, they're going to make you buy Nintendo hardware in order to do so.

To be fair, they have a standard of quality that can't be met without a huge budget for Mario games as well. Yes, those "New" SMB games are lower quality, 2D, etc...maybe those could be done on another platform. However, Mario is usually a tech demo for each of their new consoles as well as a big budget game.

 

[Iconoclysm]

I didn't realize how out of touch Nintendo was until reading this story.

You say that now but take a look at what the other companies are doing...I'd rather they do nothing at all.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Nintendo may want us to do that, but we don't want to. We want Mario-like games on our mobile devices. The customer is always right

There's many people that refuse to buy a Nintendo console.



So, they're more willing to cut their nose off to spite their face? They'd make a ton of money by giving people what want.

There's a reason they're constantly having to report disappointing financial results.

If the "customer" isn't buying Nintendo hardware then they are not a "customer". Ask Apple to put Logic Pro on Windows, see them laugh you out the door.

They are making a ton of money giving people what they want RIGHT NOW. And yes, there IS a reason they are giving disappointing financial results and the biggest of all reasons is the value of the Yen. You're asking Nintendo to put up their company on fire sale and pretending that they should bow to the almighty "customer". No thanks.

 

[peterdevries]

Dude. Dude. That's a hell of a reality distortion field you've got going there.

Nintendo has never been anywhere near close to bankruptcy.

Although that is true, their sales revenue has halved since 2011 (looking at the financials now). Mostly due to a decrease in 3DS devices and games. Still they achieved in generating a profit in FY2015 after some losses in the previous 3 years. Much of that profit is generated from a general increase in efficiency, but some of that comes at a deferred cost (e.g. a decrease in marketing means a decrease in sales in the future). The company has enough liquid assets to cover their liabilities, so debt-wise they are also fine.

This leads me to the conclusion that on the face of it this is a healthy company, but that the overall trend is not favourable. They have a consistent downward trend in sales since 2011 (it halved in this period). That, coupled with the general view that they are not seen anymore as the innovators in the console market (what is the status of their new big console?) is a worrying sign indeed.

 

[peterdevries]

I love Nintendo (I was a Nintendo fanboy long before I was an Apple fanboy) but they make and market games that would work really well in Japan.

Not a very smart strategy if you generate 70% of your income overseas.

 

[neoelectronaut]

Jesus, I have to get off this thread. So many dumb comments and ideas.

It's nice to see you a few others with some sanity at least.

Good to see that not everyone is drinking "APPLE IS GOD" Kool-Aid.

 

[levitynyc]

Although that is true, their sales revenue has halved since 2011 (looking at the financials now). Mostly due to a decrease in 3DS devices and games. Still they achieved in generating a profit in FY2015 after some losses in the previous 3 years. Much of that profit is generated from a general increase in efficiency, but some of that comes at a deferred cost (e.g. a decrease in marketing means a decrease in sales in the future). The company has enough liquid assets to cover their liabilities, so debt-wise they are also fine.

This leads me to the conclusion that on the face of it this is a healthy company, but that the overall trend is not favourable. They have a consistent downward trend in sales since 2011 (it halved in this period). That, coupled with the general view that they are not seen anymore as the innovators in the console market (what is the status of their new big console?) is a worrying sign indeed.

Nintendo's financials are down because they royally ****ed up with the Wii U.

They make a ton of money selling Amiibo figures now. Nintendo is a strong company financially that will be around 20 years from now

 

[shandyman]

Nintendo values their IPs, so no. Porting to mobile would mean devaluing their IPs, of which some are the most successful in the world.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love Mario, Zelda, or Pokemon on my phone, but it's for the best that they stay on Nintendo consoles.

Not hyped for this, but am for Pokemon Go. That looks amazing and could be the next big thing.

(IP = intellectual property)

People bang on about 'devaluing the IPs', but bearing in mind that there's millions of people that will never buy a 3DS or a Wii, Nintendo have an untapped market to target and that daft Miimoto thing won't appeal to them.

There's tons of people using emulators on their phone, either via jailbreak or the app that got through the App Store the other year.

There's also people that don't want to carry around another device, so the 3DS is pointless.

It's funny that people whinge about not having the choice, but now people are arguing that we shouldn't have the choice to have an emulator?! Pathetic of the forum!!

Also, releasing old NES/SNES/Game BOy games that are just gathering dust and not earning Nintendo any money means Nintendo might actually make a profit. They reported an Operating Profit, which is pitiful, but at least it's not a loss, like previously.

Dude. Dude. That's a hell of a reality distortion field you've got going there.

Nintendo has never been anywhere near close to bankruptcy.

Well they're nearer bankruptcy than any other company in the industry. They reported a $228m loss last year. 3rd year of losses in a row. No reality distortion field there.

If the "customer" isn't buying Nintendo hardware then they are not a "customer". Ask Apple to put Logic Pro on Windows, see them laugh you out the door.

They are making a ton of money giving people what they want RIGHT NOW. And yes, there IS a reason they are giving disappointing financial results and the biggest of all reasons is the value of the Yen. You're asking Nintendo to put up their company on fire sale and pretending that they should bow to the almighty "customer". No thanks.

I, along with many many many others, would pay for old NES/SNES/Game Boy games on iOS/Android. That's many potential customers, that would not buy Nintendo hardware. Nintendo cannot afford to be too picky. The fact they backtracked from 'No mobile apps ever' to this, is proof that they themselves realise it.

The biggest reason Nintendo's financials is because they're behind the times. The Wii & Wii U were underpowered consoles, with the Wii U mainly being gimmicky.

Although that is true, their sales revenue has halved since 2011 (looking at the financials now). Mostly due to a decrease in 3DS devices and games. Still they achieved in generating a profit in FY2015 after some losses in the previous 3 years. Much of that profit is generated from a general increase in efficiency, but some of that comes at a deferred cost (e.g. a decrease in marketing means a decrease in sales in the future). The company has enough liquid assets to cover their liabilities, so debt-wise they are also fine.

This leads me to the conclusion that on the face of it this is a healthy company, but that the overall trend is not favourable. They have a consistent downward trend in sales since 2011 (it halved in this period). That, coupled with the general view that they are not seen anymore as the innovators in the console market (what is the status of their new big console?) is a worrying sign indeed.

It's not even a decent profit, it's an operating profit, so once taxes and that hit, it'll probably still be a loss this year too, making it 4 years running.

Nintendo's financials are down because they royally ****ed up with the Wii U.

They make a ton of money selling Amiibo figures now. Nintendo is a strong company financially that will be around 20 years from now

The Amiibo figures are probably the only reason they might not make a loss this year, but that's not saying much

It's nice to see you a few others with some sanity at least.

Good to see that not everyone is drinking "APPLE IS GOD" Kool-Aid.

So, anyone that disagrees with you is on the kool aid? Pot, kettle, black much? Maybe you need to ease off the Nintendo Kool Aid (See, I can do it too )