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Nintendo Takes Aim at Apple as 'Enemy of the Future'
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PC games dont have to sell everything through a cumbersome app store where its impossible for people to find their game after the first week. When you go to a game store and look at PC games you dont see boxes for all the freeware and $5 games, you just see the popular ones and new releases. Steam offers cheap games but they have quality control and do a good job separating the Half Life's from the puzzle games.
If Apple wants to compete with consoles they need to do what Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft all do, provide some sort of quality control. The app store is not sufficient to nurture high quality games because it has no form of quality control. Studios know that they cannot compete against free, until those crappy free games are banned from the app store we will not see the same effort put into games found on the PSP and DS.
Apple is following the Atari strategy, quantity no quality, and its that very strategy that bankrupted the game industry around 30 years ago and made way for Nintendo to save the day by making a console that was not free reign and "required" games to be approved by Nintendo (there were a few gray market games that ignored this requirement). History proves that Apples current strategy is impossible to sustain.
Back in the Microsoft monopoly days the buzz-word was "mindshare".
It appears Apple is going after "pocketshare" and that is indeed the threat to dedicated portable gaming devices.
Yes it is true people above 50 look to their watch to tell time, and people below 50 (or whatever) whip out their cell phone. In general terms. "Armshare?"
Once Apple made their device the most compelling pocket device for "value added users" and seriously added top notch games to the device, the alternatives all had less relative value. Not a little less, a lot less.
The chances of catching up now are slim to none.
What are they going to do? Run TV ads?
"Mindshare and pocketshare." - Rocketman
Rocketman
It appears Apple is going after "pocketshare" and that is indeed the threat to dedicated portable gaming devices.
Yes it is true people above 50 look to their watch to tell time, and people below 50 (or whatever) whip out their cell phone. In general terms. "Armshare?"
Once Apple made their device the most compelling pocket device for "value added users" and seriously added top notch games to the device, the alternatives all had less relative value. Not a little less, a lot less.
The chances of catching up now are slim to none.
What are they going to do? Run TV ads?
"Mindshare and pocketshare." - Rocketman
Rocketman
No company would print that they have some concern about another companies tech. That is just bad business. So no it's not spin, there is a general concern going on here.
Stopped reading at Apple buys Nintendo! That would be a cold day in hell my friend...
You can. You just need a history in gaming, an address for an office/studio (not a house) and investment money for a development kit.
When I was at university some folk set up a game studio. In 2007 they didn't just anyone in. You had to have worked on AAA games or have some kind of presence in the industry.
Not sure if that has changed now.
Try your luck here.
If you were a serious developer you'd know that though.
Happens a lot in the games industry.
DS vs Apple - No Contest
The DS is one it's last leg. Why buy a DS for $200 when you can get an iPod for the same money and have all the extra features. The DS uses those stupid data cards that the kids are always losing. And, at $20 to $50 per game you can have $600 plus tied up in this crappy platform that only gets you maybe 10 games. The iPod games are only a few dollars, can't be lost and are updated and improved for free. For the cost of one or two DS games can have dozens of great games on your iPod/iPhone and I can load them on many devices at the same time. Even a $10 game that I can load on several devices where we can all play together over WiFi.
As some have pointed out, Nintendo does have many great games. Why has Nintendo not provided for these for the Apple devices? If you will pay $50 at the toy store, why not pay $10 or even $20 through the iTune Store.
Besides, the DS is a brick four time the thickness of an iPod. Only uses proprietary data cards and I have to drive to a store, or order online and pay shipping, to get a game. What a waste of time.
The DS is one it's last leg. Why buy a DS for $200 when you can get an iPod for the same money and have all the extra features. The DS uses those stupid data cards that the kids are always losing. And, at $20 to $50 per game you can have $600 plus tied up in this crappy platform that only gets you maybe 10 games. The iPod games are only a few dollars, can't be lost and are updated and improved for free. For the cost of one or two DS games can have dozens of great games on your iPod/iPhone and I can load them on many devices at the same time. Even a $10 game that I can load on several devices where we can all play together over WiFi.
As some have pointed out, Nintendo does have many great games. Why has Nintendo not provided for these for the Apple devices? If you will pay $50 at the toy store, why not pay $10 or even $20 through the iTune Store.
Besides, the DS is a brick four time the thickness of an iPod. Only uses proprietary data cards and I have to drive to a store, or order online and pay shipping, to get a game. What a waste of time.
Well yes, it was released in 2005 and has recieved no performance upgrades since then yet it still dominates in both hardware and software sales. The next DS (the 3DS, with a 3D display and backwards compatibility with all those DS games of the last 5 years) is out this year. The gaming market only updates its hardware when it has to. The GB survived 10 years before an upgrade was required.
Because of superior games.
Both the DSi and PSP have downloadable games too. The PSP even has full-sized games for download.
Unfortunately those 2 DS games could be Castlevania, Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, Metroid or any one of the highest rated handheld games of all time. The equivalent cost of a bunch of cheap iPod games can't really compare.
That's an insane question to ask.
I hate to break it to you but this is how gaming is on everything other than the iPhone.
Also shows how much you know about this subject, the DSi has a downloadable game store that saves games to an SD card. The PSP also has a downloadable store that has PSP games, PSN games (smaller), PSP minis (smaller still) and PS1 games. Only difference between the iPhone and those systems are choice. You have to buy games from an online source on the iPhone, there's no price competition or incentive to shop elsewhere.
Apple is just trying to market iphone/ipad/pod-touch as a portable gaming console. After all it has successfully built a large pool of customers who owns any of these devices.
Apple does really NEED to enter the gaming market, but at the same time, its devices provide enough toolkit for developers to make games for it if they choose to.
I didn't buy the iphone because it plays games, I bought it because I was sold that it was a great smartphone and it help me managed my life with it than without it. I got an ipod nano to listen to music. I got a touch so I can access movies and games (and music) while traveling and not burn out my iphone's battery. I got an ipad because i rather carry that than a netbook or laptop when making short trips where i dont need heavy duty work. Gaming was never the primary reason for me.
I'm sure many many more people bought such devices for other reasons than gaming.
Being able to play games on these devices are just cherries on top.
So Nintendo should be cautious. iphone market could play out similar to ps2 (that a lot of people bought it because it was also a dvd player).
With that said, there is also the price point. At starting price $199 (ipod touch) this limits the market a bit for Apple. Not to mention the $199 buys a weaker model whose gaming capability is dwarfed by the $299/$399 models. So to be fair we're looking at $299 price point and all the way up to $830 for the most expensive ipad.
Ipad/ipod-touch/iphone are expensive toys versus the price of a DS. Parents wouldnt buy a ipod touch for their 8 year old; and the DS is far more rugged and child proof. There are crazy stories of Nintendo's portable devices from DS all the way back to Gameboy surviving floods, fires, etc. These units are really built to last a long time.
Its a fairly low risk purchase.
I don't mind packing my DS along with my laptop, ipod, iphone, ipad at all when I travel. It can take a lot of travel abuse.
Apple does really NEED to enter the gaming market, but at the same time, its devices provide enough toolkit for developers to make games for it if they choose to.
I didn't buy the iphone because it plays games, I bought it because I was sold that it was a great smartphone and it help me managed my life with it than without it. I got an ipod nano to listen to music. I got a touch so I can access movies and games (and music) while traveling and not burn out my iphone's battery. I got an ipad because i rather carry that than a netbook or laptop when making short trips where i dont need heavy duty work. Gaming was never the primary reason for me.
I'm sure many many more people bought such devices for other reasons than gaming.
Being able to play games on these devices are just cherries on top.
So Nintendo should be cautious. iphone market could play out similar to ps2 (that a lot of people bought it because it was also a dvd player).
With that said, there is also the price point. At starting price $199 (ipod touch) this limits the market a bit for Apple. Not to mention the $199 buys a weaker model whose gaming capability is dwarfed by the $299/$399 models. So to be fair we're looking at $299 price point and all the way up to $830 for the most expensive ipad.
Ipad/ipod-touch/iphone are expensive toys versus the price of a DS. Parents wouldnt buy a ipod touch for their 8 year old; and the DS is far more rugged and child proof. There are crazy stories of Nintendo's portable devices from DS all the way back to Gameboy surviving floods, fires, etc. These units are really built to last a long time.
Its a fairly low risk purchase.
I don't mind packing my DS along with my laptop, ipod, iphone, ipad at all when I travel. It can take a lot of travel abuse.
Nintendo should not take Apple seriously until they release a dedicated gaming handheld! Oh and...with buttons!
Although I don't think Apple will ever do that. They think too much like a computer company. In the gaming market you can't release new consoles every year. Yeah, I know Nintendo releases DS's like crazy! Here's the thing though, they don't up the specs. They just make them lighter or bigger... I think Apple would do the opposite. And thus, fail as a gaming company! Everyone would be pissed that their new game barely plays on their two year old devices.
I love gaming on my iPhone, TouchArcade is on of my favorite sites! But nothing beats the quality of the DS and PSP games! Appstore gamers are too cheap, $13 for Chaos Rings!!!? OMG!!! (By the way, thats an awesome game! You should buy it!)
Anyway...I'm ranting! So in short, Nintendo has nothing to worry about....for now.
Although I don't think Apple will ever do that. They think too much like a computer company. In the gaming market you can't release new consoles every year. Yeah, I know Nintendo releases DS's like crazy! Here's the thing though, they don't up the specs. They just make them lighter or bigger... I think Apple would do the opposite. And thus, fail as a gaming company! Everyone would be pissed that their new game barely plays on their two year old devices.
I love gaming on my iPhone, TouchArcade is on of my favorite sites! But nothing beats the quality of the DS and PSP games! Appstore gamers are too cheap, $13 for Chaos Rings!!!? OMG!!!
(By the way, thats an awesome game! You should buy it!)Anyway...I'm ranting! So in short, Nintendo has nothing to worry about....for now.
Iphone gaming is ok. It's not going to outdo the DS in the near future. Wouldnt worry about it. The games on the DS are still many times better with replayability. Most of the games that I have on my iphone are quick games that I play when Im bored waiting in line for something.
Yes I have I pretty much stopped playing games in the late 1980's to 1990's. I only have a few on my iphone and they are from the app store. I only play games when I have a few minutes to kill while waiting for something, and not enough time to dive into another task or activity while waiting. When I had all the games on my PC for Nintendo, Atari, Commodore 64, Sega, Sony, etc was in the years 2000 through 2004. I pretty much deleted them all when I switched PC's, and now I am totally mac (personally, still stuck on windows for my job). Between my job, family, church / Charity work, and my hobbies - gaming really is last on priorities.
i may have missed it but what percentage of iPhone users are heavily interested in gaming?
This would only be a threat to apple if a larger percentage of iphone users could consider buying a cheaper phone and a Nintendo. I doubt that. I think almost all iPhone users buy the iPhone as a smartphone and not as a gaming platform.
This would only be a threat to apple if a larger percentage of iphone users could consider buying a cheaper phone and a Nintendo. I doubt that. I think almost all iPhone users buy the iPhone as a smartphone and not as a gaming platform.
Exactly. Games on these devices are frosting on a cake. I am more interested in the apps for productivity and getting my work done without carrying around a laptop, and allowing me to get the work done quickly from where-ever. the games are just an extra feature to allow me a little fun when there is very little time to get into something else in-between.
That is why Apple needs to ensure they are also marketing these devices as doing more than game type stuff. yes they are getting into gaming, but for once I would like to see a keynote where they bring in some business app developers to show off, and not just game developers. Especially considering all the business and productivity apps for the iphone and the even more feature rich ones for the ipad.
hopefully in 2-3 weeks I Will be getting my ipad.
Neither the PS3 or the Wii are handheld gaming devices.
That's what this article is about.
That's what this article is about.
Nintendo has beaten Sony?
I'm really not that huge a gamer but I did pick up a base level PS3 as a blue ray player, for MLB TV, and for the occasional "blockbuster" title (Uncharted 2, GOW 3). I gotta say, it's an unbelievably well conceived and executed system with stunning graphics and amazing versatility.
So for Nintendo to simply dismiss Sony seems rather cavalier. Perhaps they are talking only about the handheld gaming segment? Because on the console front, I still think Sony rules.
I'm really not that huge a gamer but I did pick up a base level PS3 as a blue ray player, for MLB TV, and for the occasional "blockbuster" title (Uncharted 2, GOW 3). I gotta say, it's an unbelievably well conceived and executed system with stunning graphics and amazing versatility.
So for Nintendo to simply dismiss Sony seems rather cavalier. Perhaps they are talking only about the handheld gaming segment? Because on the console front, I still think Sony rules.
Really ?
I think it says Nintendo of America on that cartridge. And I'm pretty sure that's not a Nintendo hardware platform cartridge.
Stopped reading at Apple buys Nintendo! That would be a cold day in hell my friend...
I know, but I can't just keep the crazy ideas in my head or I'd go mad(er).
Then again, It was going to be a cold day before Apple used an Intel processor, or made a way to boot into Windows, so who knows what Apple has in store.. I sure don't.
Haha! I don't doubt they would try it, but Nintendo has too much pride to be bought out.
Nintendo has hands down handed Sony their butts in the hand held gaming market.
That is what this article is about... not consoles.
The Gameboy/DS platform has been around for a long time and has more titles than the PSP.
The process of marketing a Nintendo/Playstation/Xbox game is equally cumbersome, possibly more so, than the App Store.
Actually, I think there's a middle way that offers Apple low risk and high reward. The company could use some of its spare billions (it has, what, 30?) to serve as an angel investor for a game maker looking for investment. With Apple's financial support, the game maker produces for OS X, possibly OS X only, though Apple would benefit from the cross-fertilization of a hot game on multiple platforms.
What the game maker gets, besides a huge bundle up front, is easy access to a marketing channel. Then Apple provides or finds a third-party to provide some game-playing hardware for the Mac Mini. (There might also be an opportunity to build a single game that has a handheld component and a console component.)
It might not convert too many PC gamers, and I don't think that's how they should measure their success. But they may convert some kids who grew up with GameBoys who want something more grown-up, more powerful than a DS. As the Nintendo guy said, "the enemy of the future."
mt
They're talking about the current generation of systems. Nintendo has killed Sony and Microsoft. Every generation there's a battle and all the systems fanboys follow it pretty angrily, and this generation Nintendo is too far ahead with the Wii and the DS.