Posted August 11, 2011 Hey guys, I wrote this article for Bits 'n' Bytes Gaming earlier and thought it may be of interest to you guys. Article Do you think Nintendo should develop for iOS devices? My article comes after I read earlier today that some investors are demanding that Nintendo begin to develop games for iPhone. It seems a little absurd, but I thought I should at least explore the notion and weigh up the pros and cons. Have a read and I'm hoping you guys can form something of a discussion from this. I also advise that you do this rather quickly - if Ashley sees me using his forum space he may get angry and beat me the next time we meet at a press event! :P Cheers! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 Talk about a kneejerk reaction! Nintendo can't keep selling the Wii and DS at the same rate they sustained the past years, jeez. This drop off is understandable. They can take our lives, but they'll never take our consooolllleeesss! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 "I'm concerned about the falling stock price. I own stock, but I don't own a single Nintendo product. I believe games are a waste of time. By the way, the reason I own Nintendo stock is because the name is nice, it's in Kyoto and it was listed in the year of my birth." Investing: Not caring about the health of the company or staff. Just making more and more money. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 iOS, no. Xperia Play, yes! I think the more likely situation is Nintendo taking a hard look at making their own gaming smartphone. They've always dominated the handheld market but where can they go when that market dries up? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 iOS, no. Xperia Play, yes! ... ... ... The Sony Xperia Play? The Pokémon Company is making an iOS app, so there's a start (I know they're a completely different company). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 Nintendo shouldn't, but Square-Enix should. On balance, I'd rather play the next Dragon Quest on an iPad than anything else. Games like Zelda are never going to be as good without buttons and sticks. Turn-based RPGs, however, could perhaps get away with it. There's no doubt about it, Apple are doing fantastic things with screens. Let's say I can play a game on a 1080p, 10" screen (actually, I expect the iPad 3 to be higher-res than that) - that's leaps and bounds ahead of handhelds, and much more convient than televisions. Despite all the hype about Apple, I think it is still quite underestimated how much they have improved the quality of handheld gadgets, and thus raised people's expectations. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 Games like Zelda are never going to be as good without buttons and sticks. Turn-based RPGs, however, could perhaps get away with it. There's no doubt about it, Apple are doing fantastic things with screens. Let's say I can play a game on a 1080p, 10" screen (actually, I expect the iPad 3 to be higher-res than that) A 10" screen at 720p would be way more than enough. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 A 10" screen at 720p would be way more than enough. As the iPad isn't widescreen, it's a complicated matter. However, I still think it needs more wow factor. According to Wikipedia, the iPad has a PPI of 132, whereas the iPhone 4 has a PPI of 326, which is more the sort that I think it needs. What the PPI of a 10", 720p tablet would be, I don't know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 I think Nintendo should start developing games for the PlayStation 3. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 ... ... ... The Sony Xperia Play? The Pokémon Company is making an iOS app, so there's a start (I know they're a completely different company). Sure why not since this thread is rooted firmly in the land of make-believe. The hardware is perfectly suited for Nintendo games and in reality the X-Play already runs NES/SNES emulators. At least this way Nintendo could at least get an extra revenue stream even if it is on a Sony platform Having said that, they should also develop for Vita Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 ... ... ... The Sony Xperia Play? The Pokémon Company is making an iOS app, so there's a start (I know they're a completely different company). HAS made, is out, and will no longer be downloadable at the end of next month. It's just a tie in (not developed by TPC itself) with the recent anime ending I find this whole thing ridiculous The DS is the best selling handheld of all time The Wii has outsold the PS3 and 360 combined (though that'll likely not be the case as Wii drops off and Wii U comes out). Nintendo made a mis-step with 3DS but still had good sales, just not amazing. 4.4 million units in 5 months is not bad at all Yet, despite this, everyone's dooming and glooming. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 The Nintendo way is to play their games on their own platforms/devices. They're big on their hardware, as well as their software. The idea doesn't feel right to me. So, I say no. If Nintendo feel there is a market there, then maybe they'll create some hardware for that market and then go after it that way. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 If Nintendo released a phone, I'm pretty sure I'd buy it I kinda hope they do, some day.. and with the way people have embraced devices like the iPhone, I can only assume that Nintendo must be looking at some way to combat that market.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 If Nintendo released a phone, I'm pretty sure I'd buy it I kinda hope they do, some day.. and with the way people have embraced devices like the iPhone, I can only assume that Nintendo must be looking at some way to combat that market.. If they do, it should be an Android (as long as they make the games only compatible with their device) so they can take advantage of the Android Market. But then it would be in the strange position of being able to run the PlayStation Suite. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 No.0123456789 best answer yet! why is it that investors think unless a company increases its profit year on year then its failing? as long as a company is making £1 profit they are still making a PROFIT you have to break even to make a profit, and to be failing you need to not break even i mean seriously if its making them money then great! they can't expect the same success as the DS straight away, or even with every hardware release Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 i mean seriously if its making them money then great! they can't expect the same success as the DS straight away, or even with every hardware release Although they shouldn't expect it, they will. Undoubtedly. The bar has been set so high now by Nintendo that it is no surprise that the 3DS is being seen as a failure. It'll be the same with the Wii-U. Unless that flies off the shelves right from the first minute, then it'll get deemed the same as the 3DS. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 A US$1 billion profit (Nintendo) is still better than US$-2.96 billion (Sony). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 Although they shouldn't expect it, they will. Undoubtedly. The bar has been set so high now by Nintendo that it is no surprise that the 3DS is being seen as a failure. It'll be the same with the Wii-U. Unless that flies off the shelves right from the first minute, then it'll get deemed the same as the 3DS. its sad isn't it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 its sad isn't it? It is, but it's also inevitable. It's also almost unrepeatable what Nintendo managed to do with Wii and DS system sales. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 11, 2011 Nintendo can quite comfortably be niché; they don't need to port games to iPhone. As long as they're profitable, they'll be independent with their own hardware. If investors are seriously suggesting this, they simply have no idea of the business: iPhone does not sell because of games or the app store - it sells in these vast quantities simply down to iTunes. Thats it; gaming, apps its all secondary. And for many, its a negligible price too - networks subsidise it too. If Apple were forced to open iTunes up to the market, their own hardware sales would drop considerably. Everyone has been incredibly slow to compete with iTunes. Investors do have a huge influence in a business - the company works for them, it earns them money and that is its purpose. These investors can force changes in company direction, leadership and ownership so what we're hearing now will be taken note of in the board room. There is a pretty easy way out for Nintendo - and that's Android (something this investor seems to be hinting at). Companies have successfully locked down Android, skinned it, removed access to Market and this approach could work exceptionally well for Nintendo; the core Google apps (which now includes direct competition to iTunes) would be of great benefit to Nintendo. And Google wouldn't mind one jot what Nintendo did with Android - afterall, they're interested in one thing and one thing only. I said it about the 3DS and i'll say it about WiiU; it needs Android (Google TV, Google Music Beta, Google Docs) to be a huge success. But as I said earlier, Nintendo is quite capable of being niché (and is often at its most creative when it is) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 13, 2011 Developing games? No. Developing free aps that can act as good adverts to attract casual gamers to try out a core game? Yes! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 14, 2011 HAS made, is out, and will no longer be downloadable at the end of next month. It's just a tie in (not developed by TPC itself) with the recent anime ending I find this whole thing ridiculous The DS is the best selling handheld of all time The Wii has outsold the PS3 and 360 combined (though that'll likely not be the case as Wii drops off and Wii U comes out). Nintendo made a mis-step with 3DS but still had good sales, just not amazing. 4.4 million units in 5 months is not bad at all Yet, despite this, everyone's dooming and glooming. Bingo. But then again, doom and gloom has been Nintendo's speciality with the media since 1996. Hell most of them probably don't even know that Pokemon Say Tap? is just a glorified advert for the TCG and is not even the first promotional app of its kind, see Pokemate below from Square Enix! Or to go even further, a Pokemon game for the Sega Pico (Yes that's right, Pokemon on a SEGA console! - an edutainment machine but still a SEGA console!) It may have been bad timing on Nintendo's part, but the media should know better; then again, researching facts is too hard for the gaming industry media... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 14, 2011 There have been over 20 Pokémon games for non Nintendo hardware, but they do act like this is the first Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Posted August 14, 2011 This subject has been discussed a little on this week's Pach-Attack! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
