Nintendo Finally Considers Smartphone Move After Third Straight Annual Loss

[QuarterSwede]

Like I said, I tried all the launch games. Super Mario Galaxy wasn't a launch game. I'd already sold my Wii when it came out.

Besides I don't like platform games. The whole fact that the only good games are the Mario ones proves my point.

I agree that the launch was sad. That's the reason I haven't bought one yet. There just isn't much to play on it. Some people don't think Nintendo can survive on their first party titles but I do. They have so far because they continue to be some of the best gaming experiences out.

I had a thought while listening to the amazing The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Soundtrack (YouTube link), part of what made SMG1 so amazing was the orchestral soundtrack. Zelda really could use the same treatment. Since they've put the basis down for how it all began with Skyward Sword it would be awesome if they went back to a classic Zelda done the way everyone wants, realistically on the Wii U, and I don't mean another remake. New story, new characters. That would be a huge temptation for me and I suspect a lot of others.

 

[alent1234]

the wii U could have been more popular if it played DVD's and blu rays and had the usual smart TV services other than netflix

at this point its an extra box on your TV that you have to make room for along with the other boxes

 

[Gudi]

I don't understand why everyone covering this is proclaiming Nintendo NEED to start making mobile games?

Because there are hundreds of millions of smartphones out there, replacing dedicated handheld gaming devices.

Nintendo are the Apple of the gaming world. They are cash rich with 15 Billion in the bank and can support losses for the next 20 years.

And shareholders will wait patiently till all the money is used up? Some may think losing 17% in a day is a problem.

The one mistake they seem to have made this gen, if any, is that usually they sell the console at a profit and everyone else sells it at a loss - Whereas this go round they are loosing money on every Wii U sold.

So it's a good sign that Nintendo needs to lower their global sales forecast from 9 million to 2.8 million consoles.

Not that I'm a huge Nintendo fan. I just hate to see lazy tech journalism.

The journalism is fine. You're just blind to the problems Nintendo is in.

 

[iosuser]

Mario or Donkey Kong on iphone, oh please no The last thing I want is all my favorite games coming on iPhones or iPads that need a $100 controller and endless IAP purchases. They know the second they release a title for iOS and Android they've effectively killed their console business, and the last nail will come from piracy.

I've bought several of the Sonic the Hedgehog titles. Never gone past the first level on any of them. Touchscreen controls simply don't work on video games. I've bought probably $300 worth of iOS games and apps ($0 in IAP which I positively will not support). Not once have I finished a single game since they're pretty much all just solo time wasters. The one iOS game that I've gotten pretty far into is Bit Trip Runner, but even on the iPad Air framerate is inconsistent. Just one sample for comparison, I just finished Hero mode on Zelda Link Between World, and I will probably play it for the third time. The vast majority of major Nintendo titles I've finished multiple times. My kids and I love playing 3-player Mario 3D World on my Wii U. All that will come to an end if Nintendo becomes another Sega. We are looking forward to playing the new Donkey Kong for the Wii U. Mario Kart, Smash Bros, etc, the list goes on and on.

I'm definitely in the minority here. I don't mind buying game consoles since they last several years. I don't care about having the fanciest graphics - I finished Thomas was Alone on the PS Vita yesterday in one sitting. That game has graphics that are not much more complex than Pong, but it is one of the best puzzle platformer I've played. I've also bought Stealth Inc on it, and promptly deleted it off my iPhone and iPads.

 

[alent1234]

when your flagship console has no third party games coming out for it you know its pretty much dead

 

[0098386]

when your flagship console has no third party games coming out for it you know its pretty much dead

They don't have a flagship console. Since the 80's Nintendo has been about both console and handhelds. The Wii didn't have much in the way of 3rd party support either and that went on to become the 2nd best selling console ever, it may even take 1st once the remaining stock has been sold off.

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Mario or Donkey Kong on iphone, oh please no The last thing I want is all my favorite games coming on iPhones or iPads that need a $100 controller and endless IAP purchases. They know the second they release a title for iOS and Android they've effectively killed their console business, and the last nail will come from piracy.

I've bought several of the Sonic the Hedgehog titles. Never gone past the first level on any of them. Touchscreen controls simply don't work on video games. I've bought probably $300 worth of iOS games and apps ($0 in IAP which I positively will not support). Not once have I finished a single game since they're pretty much all just solo time wasters. The one iOS game that I've gotten pretty far into is Bit Trip Runner, but even on the iPad Air framerate is inconsistent. Just one sample for comparison, I just finished Hero mode on Zelda Link Between World, and I will probably play it for the third time. The vast majority of major Nintendo titles I've finished multiple times. My kids and I love playing 3-player Mario 3D World on my Wii U. All that will come to an end if Nintendo becomes another Sega. We are looking forward to playing the new Donkey Kong for the Wii U. Mario Kart, Smash Bros, etc, the list goes on and on.

I agree with everything you said. IAP and touchscreen controls are pretty horrible in gaming. I really wanted to like Sonic 1+2 on iOS but even the new Christopher Whitehead versions haven't improved masking 20% of the screen playing "guess the button you're pressing".

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Because there are hundreds of millions of smartphones out there, replacing dedicated handheld gaming devices.

Replacing? Is that why the 3DS is probably going to be the 2nd best selling handheld of all time, right behind the DS which had most of it's life overshadowed by smart phones? Is that how Pokemon X and Y on the 3DS is the fastest selling Pokemon game to date?
You understand that getting an iPhone didn't stop me from buying an SLR camera, a big TV or a bluray player? I like, and millions others it seems, to get devices that are better than my phone for specific tasks like gaming, film watching, web browsing...

 

[tuxon86]

As a proud old gamer (been plying videogame since 1979), I'm more and more going back to the "good old days" of video gaming instead of spending $$$ on the new fps of today. Too much emphasis on video resolution and not enough on gameplay. Hell, some games sound more like a job than something to pick up and relax after a day at work. I really don't need two jobs...

So I bought myself a RetroN3 console. This baby plays NES, SNES and Genesis carts. I also have a PS1, PS2, a Dreamcast, and of course an XBox360 and a PS3. I own more games now on the older gen than I do for the XB360 and PS3, on which I mostly play HD remakes of the older games that I get on XBLive and PSN+.

I tried emulation before getting those retro consoles, but something is a bit off when you play via emulation. The audio isn't really on par, or the timing is off (I have an i7-3770k PC). In short I prefer the original to the copy.

As for playing on a phone or tablet... Why? I have a 27" CRT for my NES/SNES/Genesis/PS1 and a 60" HDTV for the rest via an upconverter for the Dreamcast and PS2. I understand if your main gaming is on the road, but I prefer to sit in my recliner with a cold one while blasting aliens in Gyruss.

 

[Renzatic]

...but I prefer to sit in my recliner with a cold one while blasting aliens in Gyruss.

Pttf. Tempest 2000 was better.

 

[tuxon86]

Pttf. Tempest 2000 was better.

Tempest on the Vectrex pwnd that version

 

[Renzatic]

Tempest on the Vectrex pwnd that version

Okay, if you actually owned a Vectrex back in the day, you're a helluva lot more hardcore than I'll ever be.

 

[iosuser]

You understand that getting an iPhone didn't stop me from buying an SLR camera, a big TV or a bluray player? I like, and millions others it seems, to get devices that are better than my phone for specific tasks like gaming, film watching, web browsing...

Totally. Video game is all about the experience, and having precision control is the bulk of it. Playiing Sonic on the iPhone is much worse than running OSX on a Windows laptop, which is saying it's a horrible experience. The smartphone is totally jack of all trades and truly master of none. Good for passing time at the bus stop or looking things up on the internet, but you'll switch over to the more dedicate device as soon as you have access to them. No I'm not knocking the smartphone. It's one of the greatest inventions ever, but a great gaming device it is not.

 

[tuxon86]

Okay, if you actually owned a Vectrex back in the day, you're a helluva lot more hardcore than I'll ever be.

I'm always on the lookout to get one on EBay, but still fonctionnal units sells for big $$$ due to the retro gaming popularity lately.

The most afordable retro console to get presently is the Dreamcast. They sold over 10 million of them so they are quite a few available on EBay for a couple of ten dollars bills. Most of the time there is nothing really wrong with them.

Now that those rechargeable batteries inside are dead, people are getting fed up of entering the date each time so they sell them. The battery is soldered to the board, but it's an easy fix to replace it with a new 3v coin battery. Same thing with the fan they used. It has a speed sensor, and over time the fan wears down and can't reach the minimal speed so the unit just shutdown. Again that is an easy fix with a new 5.00$ fan.

Games are easy to get for the dreamcast if you search for them. The Dreamcast didn't use any DRM and today it takes about 3 minutes to burn a CD-R... I do try to find original copies of my favorite games, but for the more rare titles, a copy does the job instead.

 

[Unami]

noooooo

imho they should give away their whole Virtual Console Library for free with their newest consoles - they already got that software - everyone and their kitchen sink would buy that "New-NES"

 

[Icaras]

In the news: "Nintendo forecasts £205m loss amid poor Wii U sales".

Yes but the Wii was the best selling console of last generation, the ps4 and xbox one did not exist 2 months ago, and the 3DS, well, you know that story. So I don't see what was incorrect with my statement.

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And I'll take back all the credit you gave him, by citing his 2010 statement completely:

Satoru Iwata, the Nintendo president, is understood to have told his senior executives recently to regard the battle with Sony as a victory already won and to treat Apple, and its iPhone and iPad devices, as the "enemy of the future".

He thought he had already won against Sony? So he didn't even understand the console market back than. A PlayStation is like a dedicated high-end gaming PC. That polygon-heavy part of the market is not in danger by smartphones. Nintendos core business of light gaming side-scrollers is. The PS4 was about to become the best-selling console of its generation and he forethought the opposite. How could he claim victory, when Nintendo was the one to avoid direct competition by approaching seniors!

Good point. In hindsight, he should deserve little to no credit for screwing up the last two years this badly, and it's Nintendo being arrogant as always.

What amuses me is that when the news is bad for Nintendo, they don't like to mention the competition and claim to be in sort of a market of their own.

 

[spjonez]

Because there are hundreds of millions of smartphones out there, replacing dedicated handheld gaming devices.
And shareholders will wait patiently till all the money is used up? Some may think losing 17% in a day is a problem.
So it's a good sign that Nintendo needs to lower their global sales forecast from 9 million to 2.8 million consoles.
The journalism is fine. You're just blind to the problems Nintendo is in.

No it's not good, nobody said it was, but it's certainly not as bad as some make it out to be. Historically no console manufacturer has gone bankrupt due to poor sales of a single generation. In fact, every single one of them has been at the bottom at one point or another, and aside from Sega which had multiple failed console's in a row none of them has gone under because of it.

 

[brinary001]

I think Nintendo still hasn't quite woken up yet. They're going to remain cocky and arrogant for some time. Maybe a year or so from now when they see Wii U sales plummet even further and the horrible of idea of the 2DS coming back to haunt them, they'll attempt a partnership with Apple and/or Google. Plus, as Sony and Microsoft dominate more and more with similar titles to that of the Mario franchise (e.g. Little Big Planet), people will just find a way to be happy with their one or two consoles instead of finding a reason to buy all three. I love Little Big Planet, but I'll ALWAYS be a Mario kid at heart.

Man oh man, could you imagine playing classic titles like Goldeneye, Zelda, Mariokart, etc., on your iDevice??? LICENSED??? Through the first-party channel with full support from the devs??? I wouldn't get any work done for days. Check that- weeks.

 

[mono1980]

Right now, they should start by looking into creating games that take advantage of the iOS controller APIs and create controllers themselves. They way they have a platform that and business strategy that will help them sell hardware + software.

I completely agree with this. They will never make a good Mario game for iOS without a hardware controller.

 

[Renzatic]

I'm always on the lookout to get one on EBay, but still fonctionnal units sells for big $$$ due to the retro gaming popularity lately.

The most afordable retro console to get presently is the Dreamcast. They sold over 10 million of them so they are quite a few available on EBay for a couple of ten dollars bills. Most of the time there is nothing really wrong with them.

Now that those rechargeable batteries inside are dead, people are getting fed up of entering the date each time so they sell them. The battery is soldered to the board, but it's an easy fix to replace it with a new 3v coin battery. Same thing with the fan they used. It has a speed sensor, and over time the fan wears down and can't reach the minimal speed so the unit just shutdown. Again that is an easy fix with a new 5.00$ fan.

Games are easy to get for the dreamcast if you search for them. The Dreamcast didn't use any DRM and today it takes about 3 minutes to burn a CD-R... I do try to find original copies of my favorite games, but for the more rare titles, a copy does the job instead.

What's sad is that I actually had a Dreamcast for a couple of months back when they were still relatively new. An old friend of mine who's mom used to spoil him rotten grabbed him each and every console available, and he'd always inevitably sell it to me at a considerable discount the moment he got tired of it (or read something bad about it in gaming magazines). He's the reason why I managed to get a SegaCD for $30, a Saturn for $100 when they were still $399, and a Dreamcast for $50.

Usually I'd keep them for a few months, play a few interesting games on them, then sell them off for a slight profit (I was always a Nintendo and Sony guy back in the day). The one I wished I kept, though, was the Dreamcast.

...oh, and Suikoden 1 & 2, which I could've sold for roughly $50 billion these days.

 

[dopeytree]

Easy

I'm sorry but I think they should just ditch hardware except maybe controllers. Maybe make some controllers that are compatible with iPhone/Android & PC.

Then re release all their catalogue of games for all platforms. Starting with PC on steam then also PS3/4 & xbox 360/One.
Then iPhone & android.

Basically just ditch hardware & reap the rich software catalogue they have & try & do it before sony brings out the PS+ Gakai feature in 2015.

Look how well the GTA series have done on iPhone & android.

Everyone would lap up Zelda!

 

[hayesk]

Man oh man, could you imagine playing classic titles like Goldeneye, Zelda, Mariokart, etc., on your iDevice??? LICENSED??? Through the first-party channel with full support from the devs??? I wouldn't get any work done for days. Check that- weeks.

Not without a really good controller attachment. And I haven't seen one yet.

 

[0098386]

I tried emulation before getting those retro consoles, but something is a bit off when you play via emulation. The audio isn't really on par, or the timing is off (I have an i7-3770k PC). In short I prefer the original to the copy.

I've on a nostalgia trip at the moment with the Gameboy line. I'm buying spare+modding an original GB, GB Pocket and a Color (already got a fully backlit GBA), and picking up the games I missed out on first time around. You're completely right. Emulation isn't the same, it isn't even using the same controller, it's everything you get with it... charging up some AA's, finding a good spot beneath a light, enjoying tinny mono sound (well at least iPhones and iPads can do that part!).

Totally. Video game is all about the experience, and having precision control is the bulk of it. Playiing Sonic on the iPhone is much worse than running OSX on a Windows laptop, which is saying it's a horrible experience. The smartphone is totally jack of all trades and truly master of none. Good for passing time at the bus stop or looking things up on the internet, but you'll switch over to the more dedicate device as soon as you have access to them. No I'm not knocking the smartphone. It's one of the greatest inventions ever, but a great gaming device it is not.

Exactly. My iPhone is used as a camera when my SLR memory cards are full, I'd never watch a full length movie on my tiny iPhone or iPad when there's a giant TV+surround available, and iOS games are very short and disposable. There's no real value in them and most are designed with financial exploitation in mind than actual gameplay innovation.

It's not sad that some people find these "games" enjoyable, as everyone has different tastes and expectations for games, what's sad is how they think this is the definitive gaming experience and that everyone else should abandon their markets and all give Apple their 30%.

When each generation sells more and more consoles than the last, and game budgets increase, convention/interest numbers increase, software sales increase and they say these markets are doomed then they might want to stop sipping the Kool Aid.

 

[brinary001]

Not without a really good controller attachment. And I haven't seen one yet.

Granted, this requires a jailbreak. But hey, it's something.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1698488/

 

[0098386]

I'm sorry but I think they should just ditch hardware except maybe controllers. Maybe make some controllers that are compatible with iPhone/Android & PC.

Look how well the GTA series have done on iPhone & android.

Everyone would lap up Zelda!

Yeah, instead of taking 100% (minus distribution and manufacturing) of first-party games and consoles I'm sure they'd like to just take 70% of first-party games instead.

GTA games have received some ports of PS2 and DS games on iPhone and Android. They're a compromise if you don't own a PS3 but I find shrinking something so big down onto a tiny screen definitely detracts from the atmosphere.

Everyone already laps up Zelda . I've got Zelda I, II, Link's Awakening, both Oracle games, Ocarina of Time and Link Between Worlds on my 3DS. I hope they re-release Majora's Mask on it too.

 

[fertilized-egg]

Replacing? Is that why the 3DS is probably going to be the 2nd best selling handheld of all time, right behind the DS

I wouldn't be so sure about that. The original GB combined with the GBC sold 100 million units, followed by GameBoy Advance variants at over 80 million and Playstation Portable at about 80 million. The 3DS may overtake them but it also may not.

You understand that getting an iPhone didn't stop me from buying an SLR camera

The DSLR market has contracted by about 20% this year. It's not a good example of a thriving industry.

 

[trip1ex]

Because there are hundreds of millions of smartphones out there, replacing dedicated handheld gaming devices.

But their handheld business makes money. It is their console business that isn't in good shape right now.

Putting their games on smartphones would do nothing for the console business.