It's a mobile device that has a lot of developers, a lot of games without learning curve, a device that I can kill time in the bath room and in the train.
How is Nintendo going to win?
How is Nintendo going to win?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Nintendo Takes Aim at Apple as 'Enemy of the Future'
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Million dollar games may be a differentiating factor for Nintendo, but like it or not they are competitors in gaming.
I bought my two boys each an iPod Touch because I was tired of giving them my iPhone. I did NOT buy them DS's. 3 years ago I probably would have boughtthem DS's.
You need to schedule a meeting with Nintendos CEO STAT. Seems like you know something that their executive team is missing and your valuable information will perhaps helps them re-shape their strategy!
Oh, I love Nintendo first party titles, and I still think Nintendo is among the best developers in the world, but really, it's quite irrelevant.
3rd party is where it's at, and Sony is where they are now because of that 3rd party focus from the PSX and PS2.
Nintendo didn't win this generation because of 1st party titles, as amazing and excellent as they are. They won because of innovation from their hardware; of the great "blue ocean" strategy, and deservingly so.
Apple, in comparison seems to have a grapple on BOTH. They are driving the innovation and the massive support for 3rd party developers.
In my opinion, not even the heaviest of 1st party Nintendo titles can win against that. And Apple needn't lay a finger on game development as a 1st party. Seriously, the stage is set. Apple already has the best 3rd party support in the market. All they need to continue to do as the hardware company is continue to innovate their products.
If this isn't true, there wouldn't be a reason for Nintendo to react. As far as I remember, Nintendo have always held firmly on their own, with little regard of competition. This is the first time where I've seen the company openly admit of their "future enemy", cue dramatic music of course. Obviously, Apple has made Nintendo, an arrogant company not unlike Apple, to react, which is entirely out of character for them.
Ok ok ok, we really don't have to bring up the CDi era, do we? We're supposed to pretend it never happened. It was only a one time thing. We won't say anything about Nintendo cheating just one time.
Yes, a really, really, long time indeed.
What about PC games? That's a completely open market, and while the PC game market is currently smaller than the console market, there are tons of expensive, AAA games on that platform.
Also, even if iPhone games are not as good as DS games, Nintendo still has to worry about the convenience factor. Most people stopped carrying around their digital cameras once phone cameras became common, even though the picture quality was much worse. In the case of the iPhone, it's already way ahead of the DS in terms of processing power, and the real limitation is just the lack of buttons for traditional games.
They allowed that with iPhone OS 3 - no one has come up with anything good yet, let alone release such devices. The problem with the very few out there is that they suck, and no one wants them.
That's great that they're free on PCs, but can you take that PC anywhere in your pocket? The .99 cent premium to do so on my phone is worth it in every case.
Exactly. They own the handheld gaming market, and they frequently own the console one.
My gaming needs aren't met by the iPod and iPhone. The quality of games on them devices is extremely primitive compared.
Ps. you forgot possibly the 2nd biggest selling game franchise (after Mario)
, Pokémon.
Man when I was just in my last semester in school, our University had us do an industry analysis of Nintendo, etc.
Our group did a lot of work, our main point was that Apple is huge competition, and we introduced a new DS to go head-to-head with the Apple product line. Had camera, Wi-Fi access and a partnership w/ VERIZON for 3G gaming, etc.
Needless to say, we made it to the semi-finals.
In December. Get it together NINTENDO. YOU MOVE TOO SLOW.
Our group did a lot of work, our main point was that Apple is huge competition, and we introduced a new DS to go head-to-head with the Apple product line. Had camera, Wi-Fi access and a partnership w/ VERIZON for 3G gaming, etc.
Needless to say, we made it to the semi-finals.
In December. Get it together NINTENDO. YOU MOVE TOO SLOW.
The iPhone doesn't have much in the way of quality games that interest me.
The PSP has Gran Turismo and the iPhone doesn't have a single game that can compete on that level. I'd flush every game in the app store to get that one game experience (the one exception is Eliminate Pro).
The PSP has Gran Turismo and the iPhone doesn't have a single game that can compete on that level. I'd flush every game in the app store to get that one game experience (the one exception is Eliminate Pro).
Why announce it? Why not just do it? Its like th ebad guy who gives a speech before killing the hero only to have the hero rise again and win the battle. Yawn...I have seen this movie before.
If you read the article carefully, it says, "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."
Where does it say that he made an announcement? You should read the article carefully and try to fully understand what you read before making such a
statement.While this is true, it's also part of the reason that game makers are drawn to Apple and a different business model and revenue stream. What publishers are interested in are margins and break even figures. Cheap and cheerful games for the iPhone can cover their costs with relatively small numbers of sales and as such promote creative risks that could not be considered on one of the main platforms.
The games business is quite unique in as much as the ultimate products they sell retail at pretty much the same price they did 20 years ago on the Mega Drive and SNES. Back in those days you could have a team of 5 people making a game, now with the need for so many good artists and programmers to create something that looks even competent on a 360 or PS3 then you need 75 people to make that same game. Your break even figures rocket and you have to sell many, many more copies just to break even and if you don't then you can be faced with catastrophic losses.
There are of course many industries like the consumer electronic industry where product prices have stagnated or even decreased over the past 20 years, the difference being this has come mainly from lower component costs so margins can be maintained. Games making is about people and that is a cost that never decreases over time.
So if I was starting up a games company now I would be wanting to do Apple products. You can have a small, tight team who could get something to market at least in a few months. You can't so either - the small team nor the quick to market - if you make games for Nintendo, Microsoft or Sony.
Agreed that games on traditional handhelds offer a much deeper experience, but unfortunately, the masses really don't care.
Games on the App store almost act like a quick sugar fix. A quick 99 cent game to get your mind off work or school while on the train. Once, you're done, you move on to the next quick App fix.
This is proving to be a very successful business model. It's hard to justify to non-gamers and the like how they should spend their $40 on GTA for the PSP or on a $.99 to $9.99 game for the iPhone.
Though, I still see a future for deeper, more traditional handheld game experiences in the App store that may sell upwards to $19.99. But for now, things start small and grow from there. In the end, everyone on the iPhone platform will be satisfied; the ones that crave for the cheap, sugar fix type Apps, and later, possibly to the ones that are more hard-core type gamers, yearning for longer lasting games with more depth.
Nintendo definitely needs to take it off autopilot and get some new hardware out there. The Wii was great at launch, but I can't believe Nintendo is still riding that standard-def console with a pitiful online component 3+ years later. How many years did they honestly think they could milk out of this thing? Our family Wii died a few weeks ago but now I don't even care as we have a PS3 with some decent family-friendly games.
Step it up, Nintendo. Apple isn't the enemy. Your own apathy is.
As for portable gaming, I'd like to see much more depth to iPhone/iPad gaming. Yes, there are some great short play titles, but nothing like the Zeldas and Scribblenauts and Animal Crossings of the DS.
Step it up, Nintendo. Apple isn't the enemy. Your own apathy is.
As for portable gaming, I'd like to see much more depth to iPhone/iPad gaming. Yes, there are some great short play titles, but nothing like the Zeldas and Scribblenauts and Animal Crossings of the DS.
You are too funny and full of fail!
The ipod touch and and the iphone both have chips that are equal to or more powerful than what is in the psp and DS. If Apple wanted to crush DS and psp with one mighty blow they would incorporate the right physical controls on said units.
Don't allow you narrow mindedness to cloud the facts.
That's the whole argument. The iPhone/iPod is more portable, all games are within access at all times (unless you delete them) and the entry requirements are a lot lower so (providing you pay registration and get through the submission section) anyone is let in.
The PSP and DS have higher development costs and longer development time because the entry requirements are a lot higher. That's a bit different with the PSP Minis, which are (99% at least) terrible, cheap looking but low priced games.
The quality can't be compared and it would be a kick to Nintendo (and Sony) if they lower their standards and requirements for their next systems.
Not exactly, this is what people were saying when the PSP was released. Power =/= sales. It's all about the software. Always has, always will be. That's why the Wii and DS dominate the gaming market and why Nintendo have dominated the handheld market since they invented it.
That I am sure of! One rumor, for what it is worth, is some are calling it the "Mario Phone."
You can bet your butt, that Nintendo has plans for some sort of DS like device that works as a cell phone and has an on-line store for app purchases.
However, that is where the similarity will probably stop.
The main issues with Nintendo is their own corporate culture and third party program. Apple took off in the portable gaming scene with a very social, very affordable and very quick to distribute platform.
Nintendo works with their third party app houses very close to the point of very high platform entry fees (sometimes up to $50,000) and, considers the vendors reputation (to the point of background checks) and sometimes on site inspection of a game development process.
Apple was successful by not having as tight of a grip on third party developers as Nintendo and Sony. Apple is only concerned about ratings and technical quality. Plus, they let the third party app house risk an expensive development process on unproven concept app to the free market.
My take is that the "Mario phone" will do well in Japan and Asia but fall flat in other parts of the world.
Ps. you forgot possibly the 2nd biggest selling game franchise (after Mario)
I intentionally left it out. Not a fan personally.
The rest
I pretty much love.I think it's hard to compare an iPod Touch, iPhone or iPad with a handheld such as the DS/DSi. Sure, Apple has proven that it could do potentially well against Nintendo or Sony in that department, but with the library of games both the DS and PSP has to offer, it'll be difficult for Apple to compete.
My guess is that you are going to see something like the Nokia NGage but with a better screen and much better title selection. I'm sure Nintendo will team up with some outfit that has the IP and resources to build the product from the keiretsu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiretsu) that Nintendo is part of in Japan.
1) Apple Buys Nintendo
1.1) Apples leaves Nintendo management in place and basically lets them run themselves
1.2) The Nintendo division of Apple still operates under the name "Nintendo"
2) Apple Merges the AppleTV and the Wii2 (whatever the next console will be called)
2.1) New product runs a modified version of OSX (like AppleTV does already)
2.2) New Games would need to be developed in XCode (or atleast compiled/ported with XCode)
3) Gameboy/DS/etc. still their own product line, but run a modified version of the iPhone OS
and could be marketed as the cheaper gaming device
3.1) New Games would need to be developed in XCode (or atleast compiled/ported with XCode)
3.2) Nintendo would also start selling gaming accessories for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.
3.3) Games for the DS, Gameboy etc. would be able to run on iPhones,iPod Touch, iPad.
This would also help gaming on the Mac as porting games to the Mac would be trivial,
This would also help get programmers using more OpenGL, OpenCL, Core technologies, and may help move away some DirectX based games.
1.1) Apples leaves Nintendo management in place and basically lets them run themselves
1.2) The Nintendo division of Apple still operates under the name "Nintendo"
2) Apple Merges the AppleTV and the Wii2 (whatever the next console will be called)
2.1) New product runs a modified version of OSX (like AppleTV does already)
2.2) New Games would need to be developed in XCode (or atleast compiled/ported with XCode)
3) Gameboy/DS/etc. still their own product line, but run a modified version of the iPhone OS
and could be marketed as the cheaper gaming device
3.1) New Games would need to be developed in XCode (or atleast compiled/ported with XCode)
3.2) Nintendo would also start selling gaming accessories for the iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch.
3.3) Games for the DS, Gameboy etc. would be able to run on iPhones,iPod Touch, iPad.
This would also help gaming on the Mac as porting games to the Mac would be trivial,
This would also help get programmers using more OpenGL, OpenCL, Core technologies, and may help move away some DirectX based games.