Nintendo Plans To Take On Apple

[Dante]

Times.Onlne

 

Nintendo is preparing to unleash the full force of its development and marketing artillery against Apple after profits tumbled at the Japanese giant for the first time in six years.

 

The reversal of fortunes, though flagged in advance by the company, throws the spotlight on threats to what once seemed a bulletproof business.

 

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†.

That, say analysts, may be premature. Last Christmas, almost twice as many Wii consoles were sold in the US as the PlayStation3. But games developers increasingly see Sony’s machine as having a large enough base of users to justify not making titles for the Nintendo machine.

 

Sony and Microsoft are also making their own forays into family-oriented gaming and the iPhone has emerged as a formidable competitor for Nintendo in the handheld gaming arena once dominated by the DS console.

 

Sources close to the Kyoto-based company describe a mood of concern as the hardware and software divisions race to restore the capacity to “surprise†— a traditional feature of Nintendo games that Mr Iwata holds dear.

 

The company’s recent strategy has centred on creating devices aimed not just at children and dedicated — generally male — gamers, but at the whole family. Two years ago, the company claimed to have permanently altered the demographics of video games by raising the average age and the gender mix of gamers. Unfortunately, the very people it claimed to have converted — high-school girls and men aged between 30 and 40 — reported that they would rather have an iPhone than a DS in their pockets or handbags.

 

Although the company ended the 2009 financial year squarely in the black, analysts described Nintendo’s profit slide as a “triple punchâ€.

 

Despite selling over 10 million copies of the latest Mario title for the Wii console, the pipeline of new games has stopped delivering the sort of blockbusters that drove console sales to record levels in the first two years after its launch. Nintendo has also suffered from the financial crisis. Households around the world spent most of last year in full belt-tightening mode, and remain cautious about buying games with a relatively short playing-life.

 

But the most striking decline was in sales of the consoles. Although both the Wii and DS have outsold their Sony and Microsoft counterparts, the lower technology of the Nintendo machines is starting to show. With far less processing power than either the PlayStation3 or Xbox 360, the Wii is suffering. Its sales were 21 per cent down in the year to March 31. Net profits at Nintendo, meanwhile, fell to Y228.64 billion (£1.6 billion) from Y279.09 billion.

[Shino]

Quick everybody, act surprised! Calmly panic over this and make the stock market crash yet again.

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

'Enemy of the Future' would have been a better game than Wii Party.

[Ashley]

 

 

 

[david.dakota]

The fact is the iPhone is brilliant media convergence, one device, doing many things - one place in the pocket or handbag and thats probably the most attractive thing to many of these people.

 

Nintendo need to make the 3DS a phone too - it needs that level of connectivity. It needs a solid camera - no reason why a 5mp camera can't be used. I think the use of Android OS could be a shrewd move also - but Google's love of an open industry may sit at odds with Nintendos closed business model (plus with Apple/HTC lawsuits, it may be unlikely). Either way, linking with Google for some products would be savvy for both comanies.

[Fierce_LiNk]

'Enemy of the Future' would have been a better game than Wii Party.

 

It sounds like a potential sequel to Disaster: Day of Crisis.

 

I want it.

[tapedeck]

Nintendo make gaming consoles. I'd be extremely surprised if Iwata changed that philosophy.

 

Nintendo are massively profitable offline and, in the words of Miyamoto that's why they never hit online gaming as much as other companies did back in the Early to mid 00's.

 

Fact is there are few international companies with as much brand recognition and quality as Nintendo and by this measure Nintendo can focus just on the gaming scheme.

 

It's just pipe dreams to assume that Nintendo will create a multi-functional media/gaming/communication device.

[Josh64]

Nintendo make gaming consoles. I'd be extremely surprised if Iwata changed that philosophy.

 

Nintendo are massively profitable offline and, in the words of Miyamoto that's why they never hit online gaming as much as other companies did back in the Early to mid 00's.

 

Fact is there are few international companies with as much brand recognition and quality as Nintendo and by this measure Nintendo can focus just on the gaming scheme.

 

It's just pipe dreams to assume that Nintendo will create a multi-functional media/gaming/communication device.

 

I would have agreed with you in the past but since the DSi I think Nintendo might actually head in that direction. The DSi plays music, takes pictures and can browse the internet, the only problem is... it doesn't do any of those very well :P

 

As long as the 3DS has all of those features but improved (the ability to play MP3'S! a decent camera and possibly 3G?) then I think it could rival the iPhone without needing to be... a phone.

 

I've worded that terribly but I hope I got my point across

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

3DS video calls. That would be cool.

[darkjak]

What I've talked about for the last two years has just happened: the new demographic is starting to grow tired of the DS/Wii and are moving over to something new. And when they grow tired of Apple's stuff, they'll move over to something new again.

 

Can you please get your thumb out and start making real games again, please?

[Josh64]

What I've talked about for the last two years has just happened: the new demographic is starting to grow tired of the DS/Wii and are moving over to something new. And when they grow tired of Apple's stuff, they'll move over to something new again.

 

Can you please get your thumb out and start making real games again, please?

 

If they are planning to take on Apple I doubt this is going to be at the top of their list, you don't see many hardcore games on the iPhone afterall.

 

Though Bejewelled Blitz is a bitch.

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

What I've talked about for the last two years has just happened: the new demographic is starting to grow tired of the DS/Wii and are moving over to something new. And when they grow tired of Apple's stuff, they'll move over to something new again.

 

You mean like gamers do once new consoles come out?

 

Can you please get your thumb out and start making real games again, please?

 

Really?

 

Do you just not bother to look in other threads then?

[darkjak]

You mean like gamers do once new consoles come out?

I don't know about how you are, but most people I know still play previous gen games. My general thought is that people are moving to iPhone, not because they want to use it as a gaming platform, but because games aren't "cool" anymore. You know what's cool now? Apps!

 

Really?

 

Do you just not bother to look in other threads then?

 

I've looked at the threads, and most real games listed there aren't made by Nintendo.

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

I don't know about how you are, but most people I know still play previous gen games. My general thought is that people are moving to iPhone, not because they want to use it as a gaming platform, but because games aren't "cool" anymore. You know what's cool now? Apps!

Well of course people still play them, just like people still play Wii and DS, but the majority have moved one from past generation games. Which is why games aren't made for N64 are anymore even though people still play on it. There isn't enough of an audience for new games. There clearly is still an audience for Wii and DS though. How else do you explain Wii Sport Resort's sales?

 

 

I've looked at the threads, and most real games listed there aren't made by Nintendo.

 

And how many games in the Other Consoles board are made by Sony or Microsoft? Nintendo make more 'real' games than both of those companies combined yet people still find a reason to complain. And I'll assume you didn't count games like Metroid or Sin and Punishment even though Nintendo have supported or funded them. Which is absurd, it's like giving a present to someone and them turning to you and saying "It's not from you, it's the shop who made it" even though you bought it.

 

Those games wouldn't be without Nintendo. I don't see the problem with it not being an in-house game, why not complain that Fable isn't directly made by Microsoft?

[Emasher]

Why not complain that Fable isn't directly made by Microsoft?

 

I thought Lionhead was now part of Microsoft.

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

I thought Lionhead was now part of Microsoft.

 

Yeah, I was just trying to make the comparison between that and Monolith Soft. Xenoblade likely isn't seen as an in-house game either.

[Emasher]

I believe Lionhead is integrated into Microsoft a lot better than Monolith is into Nintendo. The head of Lionhead is in charge of all European Microsoft owned studios, but I understand what you're saying.

 

You'd probably be better off comparing it to some of the Sony owned studios though.

[STOOPIDDITTIES]

You get the point.

[pedrocasilva]

It's Apple that's stepping on Nintendo's feet, not the opposite.

 

If anyone saw their media briefing for Iphone OS 4.x they'll know what I'm talking about, they even launched some statistic of games released against the DS and PSP claiming Iphone to had a bigger library (forgetting that they're comparing full games sold at retail with mini-game's) and, despite the fact I had 2 ipod touch's so far and knowing they absolutely suck for gaming. I love the device as a pda of sorts, but really. If I want to play I'd rather have a DS on hand.

 

Oh, and they recruited matt casamassima from IGN (the controversial Nintendo journalist that sprouted more crap than truth), last month to oversee their game strategy division.

 

 

It's only natural for Nintendo to aknowledge what they're trying, even if, considering what they're offering, it's pretty stupid for them to try to compete. (developers don't even have direct access to the framebuffer on iPhoneOS, it's absolute crap for making "real" games on)

 

Anyway, Nintendo will compete with them in the console business, if they (apple) want to compete against them with their jack of all trades master of nothing offerings, who'll suck anyway because they lack buttons... they have it coming.

 

They might even sell more equipment, but it's not like they have real games/gamers on it, or that most people are playing games on them anyway.

What I've talked about for the last two years has just happened: the new demographic is starting to grow tired of the DS/Wii and are moving over to something new. And when they grow tired of Apple's stuff, they'll move over to something new again.

 

Can you please get your thumb out and start making real games again, please?

Nothing points to that sir.

 

Different demographics and DS has 5 years on it's lap, and above all, for Nintendo... it's full of piracy right now, to the point the only way out for Nintendo right now, is releasing a new platform. That timing has little to do with Apple, if at all.

 

And your suggestion in line with "nintendo is doomed, they've stopped doing real games, come back" is flawed at best, when couting with Wii Party they've only did 8 of those, and not doing them at all would be like saying no to money and rolling back into GC days where they pleased a core demographic and still didn't lead.

 

You can't lead without the masses, sure, but they're doing core games for all I care, and for all you should care.

Edited May 9, 2010 by pedrocasilva

[mcj metroid]

all the casual titles were developed in-house but there are very little amounts of core games devloped in-house..

 

twilight princess, super mario galaxy, mario kart wii, new super mario bros wii,smash bros(sort of), warioware smooth moves( pushing it calling it a core game and was partially developed by intelligent systems)

 

so what HAVE they been doing? i mean ncl themselves not any second party or third party contributions.

[Cube]

I take it that Pizza Hut will announce that they will be taking on Co-Op soon.

[Debug Mode]

We'l see what happens when the 4th gen gets announced and see what it's capable of. As far as I can see, it's a totally different market and only the Wii as far as I can tell is stumbling. So they've declared an enemy in a totally different market, in a totally different sector of gaming (handheld vs console, ofcourse, this could possibly affect the DS in future).

 

What the fuck Nintendo? This can only mean a good thing. This means 3DS will have a decent virtual library to buy from, not this piece of shit DSiWare I was foolishly pulled in by at first.

 

I'd suggest Nintendo get the one up with this by allowing fans to create their own games like on the 360, but that has no chance in hell of happening.

[Cube]

I think that a cheap, but great, way for Nintendo to massively increase their functionality of their consoles is to find a way to integrate Android into them. While it may eventually not be that important for the Wii (as soon you'll be able to get TVs with Android), it could be great on the DS. Especially if they add the option for a sim card, allowing phone calls and online gaming.

[Josh64]

all the casual titles were developed in-house but there are very little amounts of core games devloped in-house..

 

twilight princess, super mario galaxy, mario kart wii, new super mario bros wii,smash bros(sort of), warioware smooth moves( pushing it calling it a core game and was partially developed by intelligent systems)

 

so what HAVE they been doing? i mean ncl themselves not any second party or third party contributions.

 

I can see where your coming from, Nintendo games seem to have generally been quite few and far between.

 

This year is looking brilliant with Metroid Other M, Mario Galaxy 2, Sin and Punishment, WarioWare DIY etc... and I just wish the last few years would have had so many classics!

 

Back to the iPhone, I think it's clearly a competitor for both Sony and Nintendo, it's taking handheld gaming in a totally different direction and I think it's going to be hard for Nintendo to decided whether they should sell full, £30 handheld games or go the way of the iPhone and have downloadable ones. Hopefully they'll have a mixture of the two but DSiWare didn't seem to... pick up, compare the DSi library to the iPhone and there's an incredible difference.

[pedrocasilva]

twilight princess, super mario galaxy, mario kart wii, new super mario bros wii,smash bros(sort of), warioware smooth moves( pushing it calling it a core game and was partially developed by intelligent systems)

Inteligent Systems is in-house (and they also did Fire Emblem); the Metroid Team is doing the new metroid, albeit with help. And you forgot Animal Crossing and probably a few others.

 

They're doing the very same franchises they did last gen, without people complaining (they also didn't do starfox or f-zero last gen), they're doing Pikmin, zelda, mario... probably a new IP on retro studios account...

so what HAVE they been doing? i mean ncl themselves not any second party or third party contributions.

Second party is usually in-house; I mean wasn't rareware back when they were Nintendo's considered in-house? in-house means there's that connection to be considered a Nintendo title, and that they have that insider communication line working. And they clearly do.