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Nintendo Denies Report of Plans to Release Demo Games on iOS
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Downward spiral
Idiots. Nintendo on ios and other smartphones would EXPOLODE! Could you imagine Mario, Zelda and metroid on your ipad? They are fools to continue to overlook this market.
I predict that they will keep being stingy with their software library, wait forever, and then attempt to release a Nintendo smartphone of some type which will flop because everyone is engrained in ios and android. Or they will release something totally crappy like an android/Nintendo phone which, after the initial excitement , will also flop, because they will be overlooking the rest of the market.
Seriously, the only smart move is to release the older Nintendo games on ios and android, and reap major profits. That way they can continue to develop their newer titles for their newer hardware, and make money both ways.
Idiots. Nintendo on ios and other smartphones would EXPOLODE! Could you imagine Mario, Zelda and metroid on your ipad? They are fools to continue to overlook this market.
I predict that they will keep being stingy with their software library, wait forever, and then attempt to release a Nintendo smartphone of some type which will flop because everyone is engrained in ios and android. Or they will release something totally crappy like an android/Nintendo phone which, after the initial excitement , will also flop, because they will be overlooking the rest of the market.
Seriously, the only smart move is to release the older Nintendo games on ios and android, and reap major profits. That way they can continue to develop their newer titles for their newer hardware, and make money both ways.
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I honestly don't care about playing games on iOS. I would much rather see them focusing on making games for their own handhelds than smartphones.
The gaming experience on smartphones is just not good enough, in my opinion. Playing a platform game like Mario on a touch screen seems absolutely horrible. Sure, you could buy a controller, but how often are you going to carry that with you? You might as well just bring your 3DS (which isn't that much more expensive than the iOS controllers that are out right now!).
The gaming experience on smartphones is just not good enough, in my opinion. Playing a platform game like Mario on a touch screen seems absolutely horrible. Sure, you could buy a controller, but how often are you going to carry that with you? You might as well just bring your 3DS (which isn't that much more expensive than the iOS controllers that are out right now!).
Anyone who believed that rumor obviously don't know Nintendo very well. Nintendo doesn't lease their games to others. Their exclusives is what keeps them going. Even with their loss it would be suicide to release even demos on another platform. Not to mention i don't think an iphone or ipad could handle a 3ds or wii u game. Too much of watering down.
Square Enix are racking in around $1 million a day on their latest mobile app:
http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Big+in+Japan/news.asp?c=56873&territory=asia
http://www.pocketgamer.biz/r/PG.Biz/Big+in+Japan/news.asp?c=56873&territory=asia
I usually don't talk against the "Apple Fans" here because I am one of them but many of you guys here need to get off your high horses suggesting that Nintendo is stupid for not "giving in" to Apple. Nintendo's success over the years has been a lot like Apple's if you think about it. They make a product and serve a market that other companies don't or won't. Nintendo serves the under "Rated M for maturity" consumer and the Wii was very successful for this. They are just having a downward turn right now due to Microsoft and Sony's machines taking center stage.
Giving in is selling out. Nintendo deciding to make iOS games would make more sense when and if Nintendo decides to get out of the hardware or console business.
Giving in is selling out. Nintendo deciding to make iOS games would make more sense when and if Nintendo decides to get out of the hardware or console business.
Again, this is not the case and would be a dumb move for Nintendo.
Nintendo is not a technology company. They are a video game company. A video game company with the most well known and valuable 1st party titles and intellectual property.
Why spend a ton of R&D money on making a cell phone? The cell phone market is already crowded as it is, and competing in that market requires more than just a phone that can play 1st party Nintendo titles. release cycles for phones are shorter than consoles, Nintendo would be burning up cash to keep up in a market for a device that does only one thing they do well (games), where would Nintendo get the knowledge for designing phones from?
Nintendo needs to find a way to make games we want to play again, games we're willing to shell out to get a Wii U or other device they make to play said games.
I think the problem is that the casual crowd that loved the Wii all got iPhones, and now Nintendo can't keep relying on the casual gamers and the Nintendo faithful (myself included).
The so called 'core gamers' are only buying consoles, many Nintendo faithful also have an Xbox or Playstation, but not the other way around.
Nintendo needs to make a machine that can play their top notch 1st party titles AND Grand Theft Auto/Infamous/Halo type games as well.
Scenarios
Various scenarios - some a bit 'out there':
Nintendo bring out a smartphone and become a new entrant to the market. Massively popular in Japan, popular in USA and make some inroads to Europe. Walled-gardens galore - seen as a safe choice for kids and becomes older gamer's 'second phone'. Very competitive on price, with Nintendo making money on the games. Connects to TV's.
Nintendo release a new portable console; which does reasonably well and a new set-top console, which does poorly. Market share decreases again. This happens twice over. Eventually, they take the Sega route but form an exclusive deal with either Sony or Microsoft to only release their games on that platform. Huge amounts of money involved. Nintendo remains platform-exclusive with the news for the next decade or two being 'which platform will get the next 3 year deal with Nintendo'. (I can't see Nintendo being a platform-agnostic software house. They seem to want some means of controlling/choosing hardware).
As Smart phone develop, control-pad addons become increasingly common. Ultimately, Nintendo release a control pad addon, possibly with an approving nod from Apple. Apple finally provide a dedicated 'premium games' section in the apple store; where Nintendo get placed in the spot light, as well as other Apple-decreed games. Gamers will own an Iphone with the Nintendo branded control-addon.
Various scenarios - some a bit 'out there':
Nintendo bring out a smartphone and become a new entrant to the market. Massively popular in Japan, popular in USA and make some inroads to Europe. Walled-gardens galore - seen as a safe choice for kids and becomes older gamer's 'second phone'. Very competitive on price, with Nintendo making money on the games. Connects to TV's.
Nintendo release a new portable console; which does reasonably well and a new set-top console, which does poorly. Market share decreases again. This happens twice over. Eventually, they take the Sega route but form an exclusive deal with either Sony or Microsoft to only release their games on that platform. Huge amounts of money involved. Nintendo remains platform-exclusive with the news for the next decade or two being 'which platform will get the next 3 year deal with Nintendo'. (I can't see Nintendo being a platform-agnostic software house. They seem to want some means of controlling/choosing hardware).
As Smart phone develop, control-pad addons become increasingly common. Ultimately, Nintendo release a control pad addon, possibly with an approving nod from Apple. Apple finally provide a dedicated 'premium games' section in the apple store; where Nintendo get placed in the spot light, as well as other Apple-decreed games. Gamers will own an Iphone with the Nintendo branded control-addon.
I think Nintendo are clearly at a turning point.
Many people in their 20s and 30s (i.e., the people who can afford smartphones and are perhaps more likely to pay for gaming content) grew up with Nintendo games. If Nintendo released on Android/ios in the near future, then I think it is likely that those 20 and 30-year olds will purchase the content, which will allow the brand and, more importantly, the game franchises to survive. However, if the content remains restricted to what is essentially a handheld game console designed primarily for children (albeit also for a niche group of adults), then there is the real danger that the people who grew up with Nintendo will "grow out" of it and the franchises will fall out of our collective memories.
The problem is of course exacerbated for Nintendo by the fact that not many children are taking up Wii U/3DS systems - so Ninetnedo is not even able to foster a "next generation" of fans.
Any talk of a new Nintendo smartphone is just fanciful. It is difficult enough to get people to transition from the Android to ios ecosystem (and vice versa), and both of which are pretty well established (with sizeable catalogues of content) - nevermind getting people to switch to a niche Nintendo ecosystem. I think that horse has already finished the race, nevermind bolted.
Many people in their 20s and 30s (i.e., the people who can afford smartphones and are perhaps more likely to pay for gaming content) grew up with Nintendo games. If Nintendo released on Android/ios in the near future, then I think it is likely that those 20 and 30-year olds will purchase the content, which will allow the brand and, more importantly, the game franchises to survive. However, if the content remains restricted to what is essentially a handheld game console designed primarily for children (albeit also for a niche group of adults), then there is the real danger that the people who grew up with Nintendo will "grow out" of it and the franchises will fall out of our collective memories.
The problem is of course exacerbated for Nintendo by the fact that not many children are taking up Wii U/3DS systems - so Ninetnedo is not even able to foster a "next generation" of fans.
Any talk of a new Nintendo smartphone is just fanciful. It is difficult enough to get people to transition from the Android to ios ecosystem (and vice versa), and both of which are pretty well established (with sizeable catalogues of content) - nevermind getting people to switch to a niche Nintendo ecosystem. I think that horse has already finished the race, nevermind bolted.
Can you explain to me how its a smart move for Nintendo to spend R&D money porting games designed for controllers onto touchscreen devices, just to lose up to 30 percent profit or more on?
Nintendo makes the most profit when you buy their current generation or previous generation games on their devices.
Touch controls are horrible for certain games, the precision offered by a controller cannot be surpassed by a touchscreen.
The damage to Nintendo's brand would be catastrophic if they abandoned hardware.
Yeah, I really don't get how a company producing both hardware and software is BRILLIANT AND INNOVATIVE when Apple does it, but BACKWARDS when Nintendo does it. Or a company preferring a walled garden approach and conservative hardware offerings. Or relying on the loyalty of users who have been customers for three decades or more. Or not thinking that being the marketshare leader is everything.
Nintendo and Apple have a ridiculous amount in common. Saying that Nintendo is doomed but Apple is golden isn't exactly solid reasoning.
According to the Wikipedia (give me another source if there is a good one for all 3):
Xbox One sales - 3.0 million
PS 4 sales - 4.2 million
Wii U sales - 4.3 million
And Wii U is FAILING? I love how some people interpret numbers.
I would more say that Xbox1 and PS 4 finally caught up to the Wii U, and the year ahead will determine who catches hold. Sure, the Wii U had a year's lead time, but they also didn't have any flagship Mario games until late November when Super Mario 3D World came out. In my opinion, the race starts now.
The Wii (100 million) well outperformed the PS3 (80 million) and Xbox 360 (78.2 million) in sales. I love how just because the hard-core gamers love the PS3 and Xbox 360 over the Wii (and also with the next generation), that they want to bury Nintendo again. All gamers aren't the same. If you want to say the Wii U is failing with 'hard core gamers' - go ahead, that's true, but saying the Wii U is failing overall is completely inaccurate.
Assuming sales price stayed constant, they would lose 30% margin on each title, but the other factor you are missing is number of titles sold. If they make $20 per title selling Nintendo's way, and $14 per title selling on iOS, they lose money per deal. But, would quantity of sales to up? I would be hard pressed to say they couldn't see a strong uptick in sales, rather than a hard decline like they've been seeing.
Good riddance to nintendo. Iconic games are one thing, but this awkward charade of a company is a whole other. They used to know what we wanted, now they are like a Japanese niche product think tank.
They wouldn't have to put Mario or Zelda on iPhone. All they'd have to do is let their past creative genius make game apps that work for the device.
Nintendo's most profitable platform is handled... That's where moving to iOS would sink their ship... The one that's doing just fine with bows on top. They are selling as many handless as Apple sells iPads nearly... And 3DS is several years old.... They still sell NORMAL DS that's 5+ years old.
Nintendo needs a platform that really embraces downloadable games. Their policies are antique at best... If they took a flat 30% cut rather than Dev kit, plus certification fee, plus license fee, plus distribution fee... They probably take more like 40% of wholesale not to mention crazy high barrier to entry of $100k+. For tech that's 3 years old when they START using it.
They could release more First party games.. Their first party games are very polished and repayable... But short, non interactive with what's going on, have minimal online play, and are released and abandon... They could make a killing just with something like extra Mario levels for old games. Just start making game carts with "upgrade" space as well as ROM... SD cards are $5 for 8+ GB... Lets update our tech kids.
I think people are vastly overestimating the sales Nintendo would see by throwing games onto iOS/Android/etc. Not to mention how poor they'd probably sell at Nintendo's usual $5-10 (or more) for a virtual console game. People are so used to $.99-2.99 these days that Nintendo's games would probably not even be able to compete for anyone but the "real gamers" that are likely to own Nintendo hardware anyway.
It's not that Apple, Google, Sony, or Microsoft are killing Nintendo. It's the realization of 'convergence' that was decades in the making. I actually don't think iPhone would have been the success that it is without the AppStore. Software is eating the world and in today's economy people, ESPECIALLY parents, are looking to kill as many birds with one shot as possible. Garmin was stubborn about their GPS services, and they shot themselves in the foot trying to make their own phone. Remember that? Same goes for point-and-shoot camera makers. Look at Apple's earnings yesterday and see how the iPod has fallen from grace.
People keep saying that "Nintendo needs to ride it out, Nintendo hits a home run every other console" etc etc. But I'm telling you, parents have quickly turned to giving their kids hand-me-down smartphones or tablets and are MORE than happy to feed their kids $1 games rather than upwards of $50 console games. Console games are totally superior, make no mistake, but app store games are "good enough" for those whose pockets the wallet resides. Sony and Microsoft get it, they have diversified their consoles to other entertainment outlets. Nintendo needs to cut off the dedicated device market and make a killing off controller and accessories.
The freight train is coming Nintendo, it's your choice to be on board or on the tracks:
http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/28/apple...ssory-to-product-line-ahead-of-major-changes/
People keep saying that "Nintendo needs to ride it out, Nintendo hits a home run every other console" etc etc. But I'm telling you, parents have quickly turned to giving their kids hand-me-down smartphones or tablets and are MORE than happy to feed their kids $1 games rather than upwards of $50 console games. Console games are totally superior, make no mistake, but app store games are "good enough" for those whose pockets the wallet resides. Sony and Microsoft get it, they have diversified their consoles to other entertainment outlets. Nintendo needs to cut off the dedicated device market and make a killing off controller and accessories.
The freight train is coming Nintendo, it's your choice to be on board or on the tracks:
http://9to5mac.com/2014/01/28/apple...ssory-to-product-line-ahead-of-major-changes/
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You're forgetting the money and time Nintendo would spend porting the software, you can't just flip a switch and suddenly the software is on a phone, you need a roomful of people, demos, prototypes, etc. It's not that simple.
The Wii U is a flop. Nintendo cut forecasts by nearly 70%. A confident company doesn't do that. They are forecasting less profits. They put a price cut and still cut forecasts massively. Mario will help, but you can't rely on that alone for ever. They need to expand into mobile gaming, but they are afraid to cannibalize the 3DS. The gaming industry is changing and Nintendo is ignoring it.