Nintendo Unveils New Web-Based Service for Smartphones

[0098386]

Oh wow, talk about too little too late.

Watching nintendo self destruct is quite sad.

And what does everyone else do?
There's a Playstation, Xbox and Steam app. Each one useless. This is no different. But I'm curious to know why Nintendo need to get a pointless app out, and in not doing so is doom for the company?

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- Turn Metroid into a top notch FPS.
- Turn Pokemon into a console MMORPG.
- Turn Pikmin into a good online RTS.
- Turn Mario Kart, F-Zero, Smash Bros, and Mario Sports (golf, soccer, tennis) into competitive online games.

No on all fronts
Metroid as a shooter? Let's not ruin the beautiful first person adventure game it is.
Pokemon as an MMO? It's meant to be a handheld collectable game. There hasn't been a main series on the home consoles because you don't carry those with you.
Pikmin as a good online RTS? You mean losing the story and other parts that make Pikmin unique?

These sound awfully short sighted. "Turn your established series into Call of Duty/etc" isn't really a plan. Each of those series is brilliant as they are, and the ratings prove it. What they might need to do is lure in 3rd party developers a bit more or create alternatives. A FPS Smash Bros paintball deathmatch game? Sure! An MMO that isn't Pokemon? Brill!

Smash was made as an antithesis to what fighting games were: ultra-competitive, combo-memorising games. Turning it into one wouldn't make much sense.

 

[nia820]

I don't know why people on this forum think Nintendo should sell out to the mobile platform. A mario or pokemon game would be awful on an iPhone or android device. I've played pokekon on my gs4 before and the game play is really hindered by the lack of physical buttons. Touch screen buttons just don't work. Yeah I could buy a controller for my phone but who wants to carry that around and those things cost like 40 bucks. O can buy a 3ds game for that price.

Nintendo is losing money but selling their games on the app store or google play is going to lose them more cash.

There is a reason why handheld and console gaming is still around. They offer a better gaming experience than mobile devices do and the quality of games arw better. Even freaking cooking mama for 3ds is better than the mobile version

 

[racer1441]

Dear racer,

Go spend $150 and buy a 3DS so you can play NES games.

Till then, enjoy your freemium junk.

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Who does no one ask Sony and MS to do the same?

You realize Nintendo can continue to post loss for 30 years and still be fine, right?

I don't play games. Just suggested a way for Nintendo to actually matter.

 

[Michael Goff]

I don't play games. Just suggested a way for Nintendo to actually matter.

Nintendo does matter, very much, even without using your bad advice.

 

[fertilized-egg]

They recently released Pokemon X and Y and have sold 12 million copies of the game. They aren't far off from half a billion of revenue on that game alone. Nintendo makes more on that game than most iOS games combined.

That's the trouble for Nintendo. Your last sentence simply isn't true because freemium games are really ruling the money game and taking attention away from Nintendo's casual offerings. Candy Crush alone made about $1.5 billion last year. Clash of Clans and Hay Day netted nearly 1 billion last year too. Even if iOS users accounted only a fraction of those, they very easily outscale Nintendo's best sellers.

Even in Nintendo's homeland Japan, the freemium business has overtaken the traditional market. The top three new Japanese companies making mobile games and freemium ones now make more money than the high profile Japanese traditional game companies combined including Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Capcom, SqEnix, etc. The most popular game Puzzle&Dragons made about $700 million for the iOS app store alone in 2013.

I know many of us hate them and do not take the freemium casual games seriously but they are a very serious threat to Nintendo who has appealed to non-traditional gamers looking to have relaxing fun. Now the casual gamers are spending their time and attention on those games instead of Nintendo's. There are diehard fans of Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, et al, but even their popularity will not be everlasting.

I don't know why people on this forum think Nintendo should sell out to the mobile platform. A mario or pokemon game would be awful on an iPhone or android device

There are lots of games from the DS and 3DS platform that'll be so much better on the iPad if properly remade. I can only imagine how nice it'll be to play Paper Mario or even Pokemon with a large high resolution screen.

 

[haruhiko]

That's the trouble for Nintendo. Your last sentence simply isn't true because freemium games are really ruling the money game and taking attention away from Nintendo's casual offerings. Candy Crush alone made about $1.5 billion last year. Clash of Clans and Hay Day netted nearly 1 billion last year too. Even if iOS users accounted only a fraction of those, they very easily outscale Nintendo's best sellers.

Even in Nintendo's homeland Japan, the freemium business has overtaken the traditional market. The top three new Japanese companies making mobile games and freemium ones now make more money than the high profile Japanese traditional game companies combined including Nintendo, Sony, Sega, Capcom, SqEnix, etc. The most popular game Puzzle&Dragons made about $700 million for the iOS app store alone in 2013.

I know many of us hate them and do not take the freemium casual games seriously but they are a very serious threat to Nintendo who has appealed to non-traditional gamers looking to have relaxing fun. Now the casual gamers are spending their time and attention on those games instead of Nintendo's. There are diehard fans of Pokemon, Mario, Zelda, et al, but even their popularity will not be everlasting.



There are lots of games from the DS and 3DS platform that'll be so much better on the iPad if properly remade. I can only imagine how nice it'll be to play Paper Mario or even Pokemon with a large high resolution screen.

Very well said. I totally agree that not all games should be played with a D-pad. Nintendo can always remake their franchise to work with the touch screen. Some NDS games relied only very little on the D-pad and were mostly played with the touchscreen.

 

[Jon-Erich]

Sad to watch Nintendo tumble...their next console might be called the "Wii Can't"

If they put games on iOS, they will be admitting defeat, and they will kill their DS line (which is on the decline anyways).

I still have my original NES and two of the original GameBoy devices. Heck, I even have Mike Tyson's Punch-out that was renamed after he lost to buster douglas...

Actually, the name was changed because the licensing agreement with Tyson expired. Although, him losing to Buster Douglas may have played a part with Nintendo choosing not to renew the agreement.

Hmm, why is this Macrumors news?

Anyhoo, does anyone really care about a Nintendo app if it doesn't play games? I can just look up videos on youtube if I want to watch someone else play games. I feel bad for Nintendo, but they just make bad decision after bad decision. Their last great decision/innovation was the Wii with the motion sensor, but then they let the competition own it.

Not really. Sony never aggressively marketed or supported PlayStation Move and Kinect did great.....for one year. After 2010, you didn't see too many Kinect games, probably because consumers realized it sucked. Xbox One has Kinect but it's used less for games and more for other features that the latest smart TV's are also doing.

 

[Salvor Hardin]

I do own them but the only reason is because I got them really cheap, used. There's no way I'd pay full price for those. The touchscreen controls ruin the games just like the Wii motion controls ruin a lot of games (like the Zelda ones). Nintendo knows this and appears to have backed off on the touchscreen/motion controls for their games unless they are really meant for it. They know that people want to play Zelda with physical buttons.

The 3DS backs away from touch driven games because developers would rather have their actual gameplay on the upper 3D widescreen display. This had a funny effect on games that actually benefited from touch like Nintendogs
I can't see the Wii U game not pushing touch/motion controls hard after all their recent talk about wanting to sell people on the gamepad with games that use it more, how can they really know people find them annoying when you have Skyward Sword with all it's wonky motion controls being gushed over by almost the entirety of the games press?

You notice those controls on the side? That would be the difference.

They only really used a single button out of all those controls you had no option to use the d-pad for control, this wasn't changed in it's sequel despite it being the number one complaint.

 

[racer1441]

Nintendo does matter, very much, even without using your bad advice.

I'll point you to the Wii U

 

[Michael Goff]

I'll point you to the Wii U

And I will point you to their games that are still cultural icons, and their handheld that is still the best selling one in the world.

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The 3DS backs away from touch driven games because developers would rather have their actual gameplay on the upper 3D widescreen display. This had a funny effect on games that actually benefited from touch like Nintendogs
I can't see the Wii U game not pushing touch/motion controls hard after all their recent talk about wanting to sell people on the gamepad with games that use it more, how can they really know people find them annoying when you have Skyward Sword with all it's wonky motion controls being gushed over by almost the entirety of the games press?



They only really used a single button out of all those controls you had no option to use the d-pad for control, this wasn't changed in it's sequel despite it being the number one complaint.

And if they ported it to iOS, it wouldn't have that.

 

[vampyren]

Its obvious most people here dont understand the market and the sale figures for Nintendo. When it comes to handheld Nintendo is kind so they really dont need to move to phones. I personally would not play the big titles on a phone. The whole magic goes away, i need button and controller. Sure some games might work like the new Blizzard game called Heartstone.
The problem with Nintendo has been with the home console and their ability to attract thirdparty companies. This is due to bad hardware and odd controller (tablet in this case). Look at Sony they are selling their PS4 like hot cakes
I have both PS4 and WiiU as well as 3DS,Vita, iphone and S4 and i do love all of these platforms but for gaming i do prefer the 3ds/vita for handheld, they are just so much superior in every way.

 

[Dontazemebro]

The funny thing is, almost everybody I know (including myself) has a wii at home somewhere collecting dust while the other major consoles are doing the heavy lifting.

Nobody is playing it. Make people want to play it Nintendo.

 

[Jon-Erich]

I can see how people might think Nintendo releasing iOS games would become profitable for them. However, I don't understand why anybody here would want to play a Nintendo game on an iOS device. There's one (actually several but I'll just talk about one) big problem with all this. Touch screen controls suck for games that weren't designed for them. I played some Sonic games on my iPod once. They were terrible. My older brother hated them too. Not only did the controls have to take some getting used to (a big no no for older, more simple games like that), your thumbs blocked part of the screen.

One thing that is common throughout Nintendo's gaming history is that when they create a game, they prefer to create a game with controlled that work and feel natural. When you have to struggle with a simple 2-D Mario game that's almost 30 years old, you know there's a problem. I know some of you will suggest getting some of the accessories out there that help with this problem, but why? You shouldn't have to do that with gaming devices, which is why, as much as I like Apple's iPhones and iPods, they absolutely suck as gaming devices unless the game was designed from the ground up for touch screens. I guess a few DS games could work well on an iOS device....

 

[Gary03mw]

No on all fronts
Metroid as a shooter? Let's not ruin the beautiful first person adventure game it is.
Pokemon as an MMO? It's meant to be a handheld collectable game. There hasn't been a main series on the home consoles because you don't carry those with you.
Pikmin as a good online RTS? You mean losing the story and other parts that make Pikmin unique?

These sound awfully short sighted. "Turn your established series into Call of Duty/etc" isn't really a plan. Each of those series is brilliant as they are, and the ratings prove it. What they might need to do is lure in 3rd party developers a bit more or create alternatives. A FPS Smash Bros paintball deathmatch game? Sure! An MMO that isn't Pokemon? Brill!

Smash was made as an antithesis to what fighting games were: ultra-competitive, combo-memorising games. Turning it into one wouldn't make much sense.

People like you are the same people that would have said no to Star Fox Adventures or Diddy Kong Racing or Metroid Prime or Super Mario RPG. GTA never would have transitioned from that awful top down view into the incredibleness that was GTA3. Warcraft never would have become World of Warcraft. I mean you do realize that before Metroid was a "beautiful first person adventure" it was an amazing 2D sidescrolling shooter?

Nobody is trying turn these games into a CoD clone and criticizing my ideas specifically misses the larger point anyway. Nintendo can forever stay in the past or they can come into the future. A future they should have led the way to, but completely missed the boat on. Like others have said, it's like Nintendo is just now discovering the internet. The point is that they have titles and characters perfectly suited for this future but they refuse to bring them into it. I know change is tough, but Nintendo has done it in the past and the time to do it again was about the time they released the Wii U.

As for Smash Bros, it may have not been developed to be an ultra competitive game (and I would never support a combo-mesmerizing version of Smash) but it is indeed a highly competitive title. I'm a huge Halo fan, and spent several years traveling around to MLG events to play. At the time Melee was also an MLG title and anyone who knows even a small amount about that game knows the competitive depth it has. It's insanely simple, yet infinitely deep. That combination makes for the best games IMO.

 

[foobarbazqux]

I can't see the Wii U game not pushing touch/motion controls hard after all their recent talk about wanting to sell people on the gamepad with games that use it more, how can they really know people find them annoying when you have Skyward Sword with all it's wonky motion controls being gushed over by almost the entirety of the games press?

Look at the games released lately. A Link Between Worlds went back to the normal controls instead of continuing with the control scheme used in Phantom Hourglass. It was similar with Wind Waker HD regarding motion. Sure, you used it for aiming but you were primarily using the buttons/stick to control everything (which makes sense since the original game was on the Gamecube but they could have pulled a Twilight Princess and replaced the controls with motion controls).

When it comes to Zelda U's control scheme, can you honestly say that you would rather have Skyward Sword over Wind Waker (or any other non-motion controlled Zelda)? The controls will most likely be like Wind Waker HD. That is, primarily controlled with the buttons/stick and only make minor use of the touchscreen and motion.

 

[0098386]

People like you are the same people that would have said no to Star Fox Adventures or Diddy Kong Racing or Metroid Prime or Super Mario RPG. GTA never would have transitioned from that awful top down view into the incredibleness that was GTA3. Warcraft never would have become World of Warcraft. I mean you do realize that before Metroid was a "beautiful first person adventure" it was an amazing 2D sidescrolling shooter?

SFA was a rebranding of a game that wouldn't have sold without the SF license. (that's also what Kirby has been relegated to: gameplay experiments that wouldn't sell without the attachment). The other games you mention all fit in with the series, though.
A FPS game in the Metroid series? Really? I couldn't think of anything worse for what it always has been: play at your own pace, exploration-based, seeped in story. All we need is another title in the Prime FPA series, not an "FPS", because that isn't Metroid.

Same for GTA. It was about being a gangster and that can do whatever it wants, but so long that it keeps that core gameplay idea it'll be GTA. I'd love to see the next GTA game support the Morpheus or Oculus Rift.

There's no point in taking established series and flipping them on their head. At that point you might as well just start a new IP.

 

[Gary03mw]

SFA was a rebranding of a game that wouldn't have sold without the SF license. (that's also what Kirby has been relegated to: gameplay experiments that wouldn't sell without the attachment). The other games you mention all fit in with the series, though.
A FPS game in the Metroid series? Really? I couldn't think of anything worse for what it always has been: play at your own pace, exploration-based, seeped in story. All we need is another title in the Prime FPA series, not an "FPS", because that isn't Metroid.

Same for GTA. It was about being a gangster and that can do whatever it wants, but so long that it keeps that core gameplay idea it'll be GTA. I'd love to see the next GTA game support the Morpheus or Oculus Rift.

There's no point in taking established series and flipping them on their head. At that point you might as well just start a new IP.

You say everything above to make the bolded point at the bottom. The problem is that the bolded point you're making is flat out wrong.

They could have just made a new adventure game, but they used the Star Fox name and sold 2M copies. They could have created a new RTS game, but they created Halo Wars and sold 2.5M. They could have created some picture game, but they created Pokemon Snap and sold 3.5M. It makes a lot of sense to use an established brand like Mario to sell a Tennis game, a Kart racer, an RPG, a fighter, a party game, and so on. In all these circumstances they could have created a new IP (as you say "they might as well") but by using existing characters they virtually guaranteed attention and success.

So basically there are tons of reasons for taking an established franchise and using it in different ways.

 

[0098386]

You say everything above to make the bolded point at the bottom. The problem is that the bolded point you're making is flat out wrong.

They could have just made a new adventure game, but they used the Star Fox name and sold 2M copies. They could have created a new RTS game, but they created Halo Wars and sold 2.5M. They could have created some picture game, but they created Pokemon Snap and sold 3.5M. It makes a lot of sense to use an established brand like Mario to sell a Tennis game, a Kart racer, an RPG, a fighter, a party game, and so on. In all these circumstances they could have created a new IP (as you say "they might as well") but by using existing characters they virtually guaranteed attention and success.

So basically there are tons of reasons for taking an established franchise and using it in different ways.

But those "Mario -" titles are very rarely "MARIO" titles. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis have characters across other games. Mario Galaxy, New Mario, Mario 64... they don't. Those other games may as well be called "Nintendo -" games at this point.

The choice of using Pokemon for Pokemon Snap and Starfox for "Dinosaur Planet" were marketing choices only, not creative. For the same reason every other Kirby game uses a new visual technique or gameplay shift.

 

[vampyren]

But those "Mario -" titles are very rarely "MARIO" titles. Smash Bros, Mario Kart, Mario Tennis have characters across other games. Mario Galaxy, New Mario, Mario 64... they don't. Those other games may as well be called "Nintendo -" games at this point.

The choice of using Pokemon for Pokemon Snap and Starfox for "Dinosaur Planet" were marketing choices only, not creative. For the same reason every other Kirby game uses a new visual technique or gameplay shift.

Totally agree with this. Nintendo needs new crowd and also to pull back the gamers they lost, they wont do it by the "Mario titles". They need fresh new games like. Also new series for Zelda and Mario Galaxy can be console seller. Instead we get tons of ports. With so many great games out i dont want to replay the same game i did 10 years ago, i want new Zelda game, innovative and mature adventure, RPG, FPS, action games.
Its not like thirdparty is showing allot of love to WiiU so Nintendo need to fill the big hole.

 

[0098386]

Totally agree with this. Nintendo needs new crowd and also to pull back the gamers they lost, they wont do it by the "Mario titles". They need fresh new games like. Also new series for Zelda and Mario Galaxy can be console seller. Instead we get tons of ports. With so many great games out i dont want to replay the same game i did 10 years ago, i want new Zelda game, innovative and mature adventure, RPG, FPS, action games.
Its not like thirdparty is showing allot of love to WiiU so Nintendo need to fill the big hole.

First of all Nintendo isn't losing people, at least not in a damaging way. Each Mario title performs better than the last. I don't know about Zelda, but I heard that new 3DS Link Between Worlds game sold great. Pokemon is doing better than ever too and there's a lot of hype behind that new Mario Kart game. It's not like they're not selling games or systems (except the Wii U).

It sounds like you'll be happier with Sony games (innovative and mature adventure is pretty much the Last of Us, Heavy Rain ). Nintendo don't do that and I don't think that will change. Advance Wars Dark Days tried to be gritty and mature and it ended up being the worst selling title in the series. It'd be like Pixar making a serious adult-aimed film, instead of the universal fun they are now.

But who knows! (except for Nintendo)

 

[vampyren]

First of all Nintendo isn't losing people, at least not in a damaging way. Each Mario title performs better than the last. I don't know about Zelda, but I heard that new 3DS Link Between Worlds game sold great. Pokemon is doing better than ever too and there's a lot of hype behind that new Mario Kart game. It's not like they're not selling games or systems (except the Wii U).

It sounds like you'll be happier with Sony games (innovative and mature adventure is pretty much the Last of Us, Heavy Rain ). Nintendo don't do that and I don't think that will change. Advance Wars Dark Days tried to be gritty and mature and it ended up being the worst selling title in the series. It'd be like Pixar making a serious adult-aimed film, instead of the universal fun they are now.

But who knows! (except for Nintendo)

Check the link below. Dont looks like many gamers are buying WiiU games these days compared to say GTA5 game or even Last of US. Yes i do love these sort of games just as i do Mario 3D.
http://gamingbolt.com/former-sony-u...ing-it-the-same-day-as-ps4-in-ukeu-wasnt-wise

And yes 3DS Link Between Worlds was great, i bought it myself. But then again 3DS isnt WiiU.

I like all consoles but i think its a shame most people abandoning WiiU due to the lack of games and good hardware.

 

[nia820]

Yep, I dont see nintendo making a comeback anytime soon either

It is comments like these that expose the ignorance folks have about Nintendo.
Nintendo has had some loses but they are from being dead.

Nintendo could suffer loses for the next 30 years and still stay afloat. They made a boat load of money from wii which they are still benefiting from.

Wii u will hasn't been doing well because of the delays they've had with their IPs. Now with mk8 and smash bros release sales will go up.

 

[0098386]

I like all consoles but i think its a shame most people abandoning WiiU due to the lack of games and good hardware.

Ditto. I know the Wii U is doing badly. The fact Knack outsold Mario 3D World is just mindblowing. 4 player 3D World is one of the most fun gaming experiences I've had

But then again the Xbox One is having a hard time of it too. Sales are flattening out there too. It seems to be the PS4 that's enjoying good sales for now (opposite of Nintendo: excellent portable, bad console).

 

[vampyren]

Ditto. I know the Wii U is doing badly. The fact Knack outsold Mario 3D World is just mindblowing. 4 player 3D World is one of the most fun gaming experiences I've had

But then again the Xbox One is having a hard time of it too. Sales are flattening out there too. It seems to be the PS4 that's enjoying good sales for now (opposite of Nintendo: excellent portable, bad console).

totally agree, i love the 3D mario and many other games. I personally buy all consoles and handhelds and still think WiiU is ok if Nintendo starts making the big titles.
This time around i bough WiiU and PS4 but i refuse to buy Xbone thanks to the DRM stuff and the fact that i get so many games already from my old hardware (PS3, 360) as well as new ones that i dont really miss the xbone

And i do love the 3DS and Vita, both are great in their own way.

 

[0098386]

totally agree, i love the 3D mario and many other games. I personally buy all consoles and handhelds and still think WiiU is ok if Nintendo starts making the big titles.
This time around i bough WiiU and PS4 but i refuse to buy Xbone thanks to the DRM stuff and the fact that i get so many games already from my old hardware (PS3, 360) as well as new ones that i dont really miss the xbone

And i do love the 3DS and Vita, both are great in their own way.

Same here. I don't want an Xbox because of their original plans for the system, they were so quick to fix them but what about 5 years later when attitudes towards always-on DRM have lessened, will they be implemented then? I just don't trust them, and I owned an original Xbox and 360 too.

Nintendo will be fine. They weathered the Gamecube and that was a much bigger flop (it succeeded a flop too, whereas the Wii U follows the insanely successful Wii), and the partner handheld device (GBA) wasn't as successful as the GB or DS lines.

Usual Apple fan comments are funny with them and could be easily fixed by them going against their fanaticism and buying a handheld device that isn't made by Apple.